info@the-cocktail-club.co.uk

This is Helen, company founder, who has used unforgettable experiences, her 'just do it' attitude and a lot of determination to get The Cocktail Club to where it is today.

 

"Each & every experience, both good and bad, makes you who you are - so use every experience to your advantage!" Helen

The Cocktail Club ~ How it all came to be

 

 

 

 

In the beginning ...

 

The Cocktail Club's creation was initially sparked off by events which took place way back in the late 1990s.

 

Helen was working with a major West End theatre production, touring around some of the country's most prestigious theatres. The show was extragant to say the least. The costumes were dripping in diamantes, the sets were lavish and the first night parties were unbelieveable. With the opportunity to sample some delicious cuisine, Helen was given her first taste of the highlife and it was inevitable that champagne played a centre stage role from then on.

 

Before long Helen and her colleagues were regularly holding after-show get togethers, where champagne, and subsequently champagne cocktails, were a key feature. Initially these after-show parties were a simple affair of opening a few perfectly chilled bottles and staying back for an hour or two after the show. The gatherings quickly picked up pace though and each member of the group was soon bringing in a few nibbles to complement the champagne.

 

When the tour reached Dublin the after-show gatherings took on a more refined feel. While there, champagne was mixed with Guinness to create a delicious cocktail, 'Black Velvet' ~ an elegant mix combining the warmth of Ireland's fair city with the sophistication of a left-bank Parisian bar.

 

From then on, although The Cocktail Club as it is today hadn't yet taken shape, unbeknown to Helen, the seeds of its making had already been sown.

 

It wasn't until much, much later that Helen rediscovered some of the delicious cocktails first tasted all those years before, and The Cocktail Club was born.

 

 

 

Helen has lived and worked in Brussels and Paris where her joie de vivre emerged. With a passion for all things art nouveau, having the opportunity to visit exquisite brasseries and cafés in this style intensified Helen's desire to enjoy life, which continues today.

 

These experiences surely had an impact on the development of The Cocktail Club and will no doubt continue to shape the company for years to come!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A group of theatre technicians (sound operators, lighting crew, hydraulics crew, chippies), which included Helen, were travelling around the country, touring with a major West End production. In semi rock and roll style, having 'after-show' parties was a common event for the techies.

 

The show being performed helpfully included several scenes which used dry ice - the white floaty stuff that makes scenes dreamy. Understandably, and like true techies, the freezers used to store the dry ice were seen to be far more suited to chilling champagne, rather than their more traditional use of keeping the dry ice solid!

 

Initially these after show parties were a simple affair of opening a few perfectly chilled bottles and staying back for an hour or two after the show. The gatherings quickly picked up pace though and each member of the group was soon bringing in a few nibbles to complement the champagne.

 

Events took a sharp turn when one of the tour venues was almost magically placed opposite a cocktail bar. The techies had little choice but to sample some of the unusual sounding drinks being created in the darkened bar and then try to re-create them during their own parties. Bizarre concoctions were tasted, hangovers were too regular and sound checks were delayed!

 

Not until the tour reached Dublin did the after-show gatherings take on a more respectable edge. While there, the first cocktail with a refined local twist was introduced, 'Black Velvet' ~ an elegant mix combining the warmth of Ireland's fair city with the sophistication of a left-bank Parisian bar. The drink included Guinness and the other trusted ingredient, champagne! Lots of fun was had trying to layer the cocktail with both spectacular and disastrous results!

 

After leaving Dublin and moving on to the next venue, a cocktail with a local theme was always included in the drinks list for these (now regular) cocktail parties. From then on, although The Cocktail Club as it is today hadn't yet taken shape, unbeknown to Helen, the seeds of its making had already been sown.

 

It wasn't until much, much later that Helen rediscovered some of the delicious cocktails first tasted all those years before, and The Cocktail Club was born.

 

 

 

Helen has lived and worked (doing various things) in Brussels, Paris & Dublin. She has also worked in most UK cities (while on tour), experiencing the best and worst of bars and sampling the greatest and the most tasteless of cocktails. These experiences surely had an impact on the development of The Cocktail Club and will no doubt continue to shape the company for years to come!