Whisked to the city

I dragged poor DD into the city last night to attend the Nikka Perfect Serve competition after party at Burrow Bar.

When the invitation arrived weeks ago it seemed like a fun way to spend a Tuesday night, sipping Japanese whisky cocktails mixed by the best bartenders in Australia.

But yesterday dawned pretty wet and miserably in Sydney, so I felt a bit guilty about inviting DD along.

He doesn’t come to many events these days because his place is such a hike from the city. But he’s quite partial to a Japanese whisky so he agreed to make the trek.

We got there in time to catch the final moments of the competition and the announcement of the Australian regional winner, who will go on to compete in the Global Nikka Perfect Serve Finals in San Francisco later this year.

This ended up being a blessing and a curse. While we got to see the big announcement it meant there was nothing to eat or drink for the first 30 minutes while all the speeches were made and photos were taken.

I hadn’t had much lunch so I was RAVENOUS.

When the cocktails and canapes finally arrived I loved the Blossom Season with Taketsuru Pure Malt, sencha, wild rose vermouth and coconut milk punch.

Burrow Bar is in the basement below a Vietnamese restaurant, so our cocktails were served alongside loads of delicious Vietnamese things on sticks, prawns, spring rolls and oysters.

I wasn’t so sure about the Tikki Culture with Nikka Coffey Grain, tart cherries, grapefruit and Yakult.

Yakult, grapefruit and whiskey aren’t three things I would have personally put together in a glass. However, it looked very impressive with the Yakult bottle nestled on top and I figured it never hurts to boost your probiotic intake on a night out.

DD enjoyed his nightcap of neat Nikka.

And I got to catch up with the lovely Corinne Mossati, who is the founder and editor of Cocktails & Bars, The Gourmantic Garden and Gourmantic websites and a breath of maturity among all the influencers.

Corrine is a passionate gardener and has just published her Grow Your Own Cocktail Garden book.

How awesome! You can read about it here.

As it was a work night we said our goodbyes at 8pm and headed home, where my shoulders slumped at the sight of the flashing lights of the endless roadwork outside my apartment.

The electric saws were still working overtime when I went to bed at 10pm.

As I yawn and prepare to face a new day I am wondering what possessed me to say yes to another whisky function tonight.

I only have myself to blame.

Song of the day: James “Frustration”