Cocktail Dating With Date In A Dash

With National Cocktail Week (October 7– 13) now behind us we thought we’d bring you a pick-me-up, with a little twist. This non-alcoholic drink* is full of goodness and beneficial any time day – every day.

Kickstarter Morning Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 tsp cocoa powder

• 1 tsp cold milk

• 1 shot espresso

• 120ml Greek plain yoghurt, chilled

• ¼ vanilla pod, split and the seeds scraped out (or ½ tsp real vanilla extract instead)

• 1 banana

• pinch of cinnamon

• ½ tsp agave nectar, or 1 tsp sugar syrup or honey, or to taste

Method Mix the cocoa and milk together thoroughly to form a paste. Add this and the other ingredients to a blender and blitz until smooth. Serve in a tall glass. Kickstarter Morning Smoothie is a collaboration between journalist Rebecca Seal and De’Longhi – the UK’s number one premium Italian coffee machine brand.

If you want to inject fun and romance into your cocktail making, you’ll need to get out of your house. Courtesy of Date In A Dash, a leading singles events company, Simply Woman attended a cocktail-making-come-dating event for the 32 – 44 age group at Kanaloa Bar, City of London. Kanaloa’s décor added atmosphere – huge baubles in fishing nets suspended from the roof, sugar cane for wall cladding, large faux tropical fruits clustered at the bar –where the theme continued with numerous rums, exotic mixers, herbs and spices.

Attendees were split into teams, each with a boy and girl, and given a minute and half to rustle up the best margarita they’ve ever made, with an audience watching. Ninety seconds seemed generous from the spectator’s viewpoint but believe me, time vanished when behind the bar – where teamwork replaced nerves. The host gave his verdict on the best cocktail from each team, which resulted in 7 winners each receiving a complementary glass of wine from the establishment.

The regular speed-dating session followed, with suitably relaxed attendees ready to rock. Date In A Dash has their drink oriented events sussed – pub crawls for 18- 36s, cocktail dating for 32 – 42s and wine tasting events for the 35-55s. Do you see a more ‘sophisticated’ theme as the age group increases? We do!

The dating company Date In A Dash also host comedy nights, elite, and fitness events. Their events are UK-wide and take place in central cities easily accessible for everybody. Just go to www.dateinadash.com and select ‘Upcoming Events’ for your area.