Elements 8 ‘Re-Invent The Daiquiri’
 It is the 4th instalment of the Elements 8 ‘Re-Invent A Classic Cocktail Competition’ and this time it is Pete’s favourite: the Daiquiri. Again the familiar setting of Trailer Happiness is the backdrop to the competition. Amazingly Pete offered to drive for this one – so I looked to hold up the honour of TheFloatingRumShack.com as best as I could...
We arrive early – things are just getting set up. We’ve grabbed a space at the bar, to make sure we get a good view of proceedings. The bar contains a new addition: a melon slowly being infused with a bottle of Elements 8...
What we like about these evenings is the mixologists are given free range to be as creative as they want when making and serving the drinks, the only essential: Elements 8 Rum!
 The first mixologist to the plate is John Clay with his ‘Smoke ‘n Mirrors’. A good solid start to things – E8 Platinum, with a fancy lapsong souchong and butterscotch gomme... Fancy eh? Not sure what happened to Rene, as he was listed as being the opener.
Next up we had an entry from Harvey Nichols 5th Floor Team (of one person): Papa Jew [I never did get his name] – Kosher Jelly Daiquiri Balls no less. Papa Jew had a hat complete with Peyos sewed on and he arrived to a great deal of cheering. Gelatine was dissolved in a pan ready for the daiquiri mix which resulted in a very novel, flavoured jelly. The judges were given safety googles and were told to stand a distance away from the bar. Papa Jew attempted to throw the daiquiri balls into the mouths of the judges. Messy!
[BTW - No anti-Semitic feelings were expressed and we are lead to believe the nickname came from the Mahiki/Papa Jules link with Harvey Nichol’s as I believe that they previously worked together]
Following a very comic performance wasn’t going to be easy, but Robert Woods did well with his ‘La Cuna Revistado’ (Revisiting the Cradle) performance. It was an extremely detailed set from Robert. His presentation was ‘served as an experience’. The cocktail was mixed in true Cantineros style with Rob (as the bartender) attired accordingly as part of the Revisitado experience.
Robert’s commentary included a history of the Daiquiri. The presentation started with a picture of Ernest Hemingway being placed on the bar. In the background the sounds of Havana were played on the stereo. The drink was crafted and served, but firstly, each of the judges had to don dark glasses as a blindfold, with the essence of sea breeze on their lips, the smell of cigar in their noses and the sounds of Cuba in their ears, then they were ready for the first sip of the daiquiri...
Special mention to a very drunk lady at this point. So drunk that she didn’t seem to notice the judges as she balled to the front. I’d say – ‘you know who you are!’ but she probably didn’t! Hat’s off anyway!
 Next we had Daniel Hutchins-Read of SAF – who was ‘Takin’ It Back to the Old School’ The fastest presentation I’ve ever seen and very cleverly done.
Daniel served a tray which contained sweetened dehydrated lime crisps and Elements 8 Dark Rum infused sugar cane segments and finished off with a SAF receipt for £27 from your ‘server Dan’. Cheeky protests of ‘what’ and ‘you wanted a daiquiri right’ and ‘what else do you want me to say?’ proved a very dry wit.
From the purposes of Rikki’s bar licence, we are going to skip over Tim Homewood’s, ‘Bad Taste Daiquiri’. You had to be there that’s all I can say. It did end with syringes which were filled with the daiquiri mixture being squirted all around the place.
 Dan Redman-Hubley’s ’Back to the Future’ set was fantastic. It turns out that the American fella (Jennings Cox) back in Cuba didn’t invent the daiquiri after all – it was in fact a happy coincidence that Dan had in fact acquired a flux capacitor (which he wore for the benefit of those present). Powering this was the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity handily contained within the special infused lightening syrup and thus Dan proceeded back in time and space, to just the moment the gin ran out in a small town some 23 miles east of Santiago, Cuba. Fortunately Dan had with him a bottle of Elements 8 rum and so the first daiquiri was in fact created with E8 rum! It’s the truth – you heard it here first...
The daiquiri was presented with 2 lines of special prepared substance on the bar which when set alight looked for all the world like the fire tracks left on the road by the DeLorean in the Back to the Future movie. Absolutely brilliant! For an encore – Dan lit the remainder of the ‘special substance’ and almost took the roof out with the pyrotechnical display.
Next up were the Trailer Happiness (Science) Team – with their ‘The Elements of the Daiquiri’ lecture. After the class came to order, the detailed and formal presentation by James Kimber, Inko Errant and Matthew Dakers (the men in white coats) gave their explanation of the Periodic table of the elements according to Elements 8. Very useful to all, except those studying chemistry.
 The final world famous team of Sherlock Soden & Dr. Poulter, presented their ‘Elementary M8’ daiquiri. It was a hilarious presentation by a couple of English Gentlemen in fine suits, hamming it up and harking back to the age of the colonies! Tom perhaps should tread the boards as an act-tor if he ever gets bored making drinks!
Their take on the daiquiri was made in a teapot and served to the judges on ‘bone china’ tea cups, saucers and tea spoons featured. A separate dish contained the special lime cream ‘sugar cubes’ which were served with the ‘daiquir-tea’.
 It wasn’t an easy one to judge, but in the end Papa Jew and his Daiquiri Balls won a rather large bottle (man sized poster) of Elements 8 Gold Rum...
Rumours of a new format for next year abound, so keep your peepers peeled and keep following TheFloatingRumShack.com for all the latest news.
More photos of the night can be seen by clicking on the following link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=190332&id=145848163900&l=c64463780e
Some videos of the nights performances can be found on our YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/users/TheFloatingRumShack and Facebook pages.
|
Where We Have Just Been 
