Thanks to the likes of Frank’s Campari Bar in the Peckham badlands and The Bombay Sapphire Dusk Bar at the rather more salubrious Somerset House, we’re now pretty familiar with the pop-up concept.
New to the circuit is The Hendrick’s Horseless Carriage of Curiosities, from the team behind Hendrick’s Gin and it’s setting up shop for four days from October 1st in London’s Manchester Square opposite The Wallace Collection.
The beautifully restored 19th century wooden train carriage houses a mad scientist’s lab, eccentric bar and dining room filled to the brim with an evolving collection of oddities including Europe’s only collection of Japanese warrior butterflies, an ingenious teacup stirring engine, a gin-cooled high-speed ticket punch and a Dodo bird-caller.
By day the carriage will operate as a curious garden bar with live entertainment and bespoke Victorian enamel bath with gin and tonic taps but by night the carriage transforms into a private dining room for invited guests where culinary creatives, Bompas & Parr will serve up an array of delicacies – an edible rose bush and candied rose petal starter followed by guinea-fowl pyramid served with marmalade then glow in the dark Hendrick’s and tonic jelly with bergamot and cucumber ice cream.
Members of the public who register their own curiosity in advance on the website may win a place at the Saturday night dinner but less organised sorts who bring along a curiosity during the carriage’s tenancy will receive a delectable libation of Hendrick’s Gin, infused with rose and cucumber. Donors of the ten finest objects every day will be awarded a bottle of Hendrick’s Gin by the carriage curators. Remember, you must be prepared to part with your pride and joy!
Manchester Square Gardens, W1, 1st – 4th October, 11am – 7pm (9pm on Thursday)
www.hendricksgin.com/carriage
But don’t worry if you miss out – here’s a recipe from Bompass & Parr that you can try at home …
Glow in the Dark Hendrick’s Gin Jelly and Cucumber Ice Cream by Bompas & Parr
A GLOW IN THE DARK HENDRICK’S GIN Jelly (500ml) serves 4
With jelly half the fun lies in the spectacle. Make sure you use an interesting mould and unmould the jelly using the technique outlined below. A gently wobbling pudding makes any table more exciting, especially if it is glowing. Do as the Victorians did and put jellies down the centre of the table and enjoy the sight of them wobbling away throughout the entire meal!
For the jelly
200ml Hendrick’s Gin
200ml Indian tonic water
100ml Water
100g Caster sugar
8 Leaves gelatine (at least double that directed by packet)
For the raspberry coulis
55g Raspberries
1?2 Lemon, juice only
5g Icing sugar
For the glow
Blacklight
To make the jelly (do so several days prior to serving)
- Combine the Hendrick’s Gin and indian tonic water in a large measuring jug and set aside.
- Cut the leaf gelatine into fine pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl with enough water to submerse. Leave until soft (roughly 5 minutes).
- When the gelatine has softened, melt it (still in heat proof bowl) over a pan of simmering water. At the same time melt the caster sugar in 100ml of water.
- Add the caster sugar solution to the melted gelatine mix. Then combine this with the Hendrick’s Gin/tonic water jug and stir.
- Now wait – maybe two or three days. For every day your jelly is in the fridge it will grow structurally stronger.
- When anticipation gets the better of you, polish your best plate and prepare the coulis.
To make the coulis
- To make the coulis, place the raspberries, lemon juice and icing sugar into a food processor until smooth.
- Strain the coulis into a small jug. To serve, anoint the jelly with the coulis.
Presentation
Unmould the jelly by briefly immersing in a bowl of hot water and inverting over your chosen plate. Note: Silver plates are always most effective for presentation.
TIP: Wet the surface of the presentation plate before unmoulding the jelly onto it. If the jelly is not in the right place you will be able to slide it into position.
For maximum effect turn off all lights to achieve total darkness. Switch on your blacklight and serve the glowing jelly to thrilled diners.
So why does the jelly glow?
The quinine in the tonic water is UV-active. When the blacklight is switched on it will fluoresce beautifully.
CUCUMBER ICE-CREAM
This recipe is inspired by Agnes B Marshalls’ Book of Ices written in 1885. She was a hell of a woman. The Jamie Oliver of her day. Mrs Marshall ran a cookery school, wrote best selling books, manufactured cooking equipment and ran a catering company. She was making ice cream using liquefied gas (as the cooling agent) over a century before Heston Blumenthal.
Never afraid to try unusual combinations the cucumber ice cream is a special dish. If you want to create a spectacle you can pack the ice-cream in a mould and re-freeze just as you would a jelly.
Ingredients
1 Cucumber (large)
140ml Water
1 Large wine-glass Hendrick’s Gin
2 Lemons juice only
140 ml Fresh custard
140 ml Double cream (or 280ml sweetened cream, or 280ml custard)
100g Caster sugar
140ml Water
Method
1. Peel the cucumber, remove seeds and cut into pieces. Put into a saucepan.
2. Add the sugar and ½ pint of water. Cook until tender.
3. Pound cucumber in pestle and mortar. Add a wine-glass of the ginger brandy or wine. Add
4. Juice of 2 lemons. Strain.
5. Add the sweetened cream or custard (or cream and custard mixture).
6. Freeze and stir regularly about every 20 minutes until the ice cream is so stiff it is difficult to stir.
7. Serve in cornets.
TIP – The Alcohol
Alcohol helps to stop fruit and vegetables from freezing really hard when you use them in ice cream. Soaking fruit like strawberries in something like Hendrick’s Gin, or putting cucumber in brandy, lowers the freezing point of the fruit, so makes it less hard after putting it into the freezer.
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