Eat.Drink.Dance

Next Friday, 6th December, The Island will host a new night market from 5pm to 12pm. The concept behind the street market is a social gathering. It will combine local breweries, artists, musicians and you!

There will be street-food traders, local craft beer brewery bar, hot coctails bar, DJs, local arts & crafts, live t-shirt screen-printing, handmade goodies, kids corner, pop-up record shop, seating and many more.

Before reading about this event, I had no idea what The Island was. As they state in their website, The Island is "a multiuse arts facility and creation center located in the old police station in Bristol city centre".  There are a wide variety of creative spaces for circus training, dance, art studios, dark rooms, recording studios and many other things. It is located at Courtyard, and the entrance is on Silver Street.

The poster has been designed by Hannah McPostlethwaite and I have to say it is a very nice piece of art. 

Some of the street food stalls have already been confirmed:

• Dorshi www.dorshi.co.uk/
• Viet Vite www.facebook.com/vietvite1
• Vee Double Moo www.veedoublemoo.co.uk/
• Chomp www.chompgrill.co.uk/
• ASIA POP! www.asiapopfood.tumblr.com/
• Minno Kitchen www.minnokitchen.com/
• Stiw www.facebook.com/stiwbristol
• Gopal's Curry Shack www.facebook.com/GopalsCurryShack

It doesn't say anything about tickets so I assume it is a free event. So, come on people, this is an alternative plan for a Friday night! I want to see you all there! 

LINKS

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The Island: http://www.theislandbristol.com/

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/463811197061317/

Mulled wine: the drink served in a mug

The first contact I've ever had with the mulled wine happened last year, around this time. The German Christmas Market (here) was all set up and after having the time of our lives skating in the ring in Broadmead, we warmed up with a glass of mulled wine. Or shall I say a "mug" of mulled wine?

For those who don't know what I am talking about, mulled wine is n alcoholic beverage made with red wine and various other sweet ingredients, which is served hot or warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially between Halloween and Christmas. Don't worry, I've never heard of it before coming to the UK either!

According to Wikipedia (here), British mulled wine was popular in Vitorian times, although there are other famous German and Nordic versions of the same drink, and mulled wine is drunk almost everywhere in Europe except in Spain.

Drinking an alcoholic drink from a mug is weird, and even more when it's hot. I have to say that I did not like the mulled wine first time I had it. It seemed to be a sweet hot soup. It took me around 1h to drink it all! Too sweet and too hot in my opinion. However, during the Christmas Press Show in House of Fraser, I have been offered mulled wine again, and I loved it! And I am sure the quality of the mulled wine this second time was way better than last year in the German Christmas Market. So, hey! If you didn't like mulled wine the first time you had it, give it a second chance. Maybe it surprises you!

RECIPE for MULLED WINE (By Adam Grey)

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This is all you need:

• Red wine (750ml)
• Orange juice (250ml)
• Water (100ml)
• Peach schnapps (50ml)
• Orange (1/2)
• Star anise (5gr)
• Cloves (3g)
• Juniper berries (1g)
• 1 Cinnamon stick 
• Cardamom pod
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme

How to do it:

1. Combine the red wine, orange juice, peach schnapps and water in a saucepan. Add the bay leaf, cardamom pod, cinnamon stick, cloves, orange zest, juniper berries, thyme and star anise and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes
2. Carefully pass the mulled wine through a fine sieve and into a jug. It is now ready to serve 

You might also be interested on Bristolian Cake recipe.

German Christmas Market

For the 5th time, the German Christmas Market set up in the shopping quarter in Bristol. Why go to Germany or Austria, when a the market itself comes to your town? 

The market opened its doors the 8th November in Broadmead and they will stay open until few days before Christmas day (22nd December). The 38 festive stalls will be selling food, drinks and all kind of gifts. 

Home Christmas decoration, traditional handmade wooden games, all kind of cheese and ham, wool clothes and blankets for cold days, scented candles, salt crystal lamps, chocolates, glass crafts, hot chestnuts, bags... Everything!

In the German outdoor bar, they claim to have an authentic German Sausage which you will be able to enjoy in exchange of 4 pounds along with a mulled wine (3.5 pounds). They also have other choices such as hot chocolate, coffee, German beer, and something I've never heard about called "Grog", which is actually hot water with rum. Very interesting! They serve the drinks in very nice wintery mugs and you will have to give a 2 pounds deposit. 

The market is open 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday, and on Sundays, it is closed an hour earlier. It gives you plenty of time to buy a couple of nice presents for family and friends and warm up afterwards with a glass of mulled wine.