Date night last week hit two top local spots in our new neighbourhood, Chez Pascal's Wurst Kitchen and Cook and Brown. We managed to fit in both spots by pre-agreeing not to get distracted by C&B's menu, sit at the bar and keep our minds on the sausage. It was tough, particularly as (unknown to us) C&B have Burger Wednesday. Bugger (or burger- ha!)

This has been pencilled in for another date night so prepare to see another C&B post soon!

With it having been a gloriously sunny day we were in the mood for summery cocktails and damn did C&B deliver on that front.

The fabulously lovely Sam, whom we met for the first time in The Dorrance when we'd pretty much just stepped off the boat, was shaking up the drinks and lamenting (for us!) that we weren't burgering that evening.

A man of habit, I did manage to coax Charlie away from his classic Vodka Martini into something from the C&B menu, his poison of choice, The V&T:

Square one cucumber vodka, jack rudy tonic, rosa water and soda.

I, ever seduced by a bit of fizz went for the Bubbly Bee:

Hayman's old tom gin, lemon, vanilla, honey, lavender and bubbles.

There are cocktails and there are cocktails. The former come from a premix with a dash of something alcoholic and maybe a slice thrown in for good measure. The latter being the only ones anyone should, consume or care about, the ones that are crafted in front of you from interesting ingredients and do not glow in the dark. Cook and Brown cocktails definitely fall into the latter category.

Charlie's V&T was light, refreshing and ever so slightly floral. The freshness of the cucumber softened by the rose water but not in such a way that he felt like he should be holding a toy battleship to compensate.

My Bubbly Bee was softly sweet with the sharpness of the bubbles cutting through the honey hum. My pet hate with cocktails is when you feel like your drinking neat sugar watered down with booze, I maintain that most of my hangovers are sugar induced and have nothing to do with alcohol. MAINTAIN. The vanilla, honey and lavender had me thinking I might be in for an, expertly crafted, sugar high but thankfully not. Every flavour was discernible, playing it's part but not fighting to be tasted and ending up in a fuggy, flowery, saccharine mess.

I find it a real turn off to enjoying food and drinks when the creators of said food and drinks tip over the edge of being passionate about what they make and become food snobs. Or more accurately: artisan arseholes.  When someone dictates how something should be enjoyed, berates you for not appreciating something correctly or makes you order something you don't want because they know better- run, run far far away from that place.

Sheer, unbridled excitement and delight in seeing people enjoy things you have to offer, the ingredients and flavours you provide and the experience people have enjoying what you make, however, is awesome. Sam is awesome.

Finishing up our drinks, a beautiful pink glass of deliciousness appeared before us. Though tempted to dive right in we did the honest thing of admitting a drink meant for someone else had been delivered to us.

So excited to share a new cocktail ingredient with us, Sam had mixed up a special little something just for us to try this new liquor. Sweet and bitter, sharp and zingy, our un-named concoction was the perfect way to end our evening with C&B.

We shall be back for Burger Wednesdays and the pink cocktail (Charlie with battleship in hand).