SouthWestSix: Get the Jam Jars in!

Monday, 11 June 2012

Get the Jam Jars in!

Last week I drank 15 cocktails in approximately 3 hours. Now this may seem boastful, crude and more than a little lad-ish, but let me explain. It was all for a good cause, and I hope some of you may even benefit from it. The occasion was the Jam Tree's Cocktail Committee - a committee of local "experts" brought together to taste all of the contenders for their new cocktail menu, with the aim of whittling down 15 to the ultimate drinks list.

So, on a beautiful sunny Wednesday, I dutifully lined by stomach, and plunged right in. 15 drinks, 3 hours and, thankfully, a belly full of the Jam Tree's famous hot wings, asian squid and vegetable somosas later, the committee had spoken. Each drink was introduced by the barman that had created it, and we marked each for taste, appearance and originality. We had weird, we had wacky and we had lots of tasty. We drank the Marmalady out of a jam jar (this was a recurring theme) with an accompany mini-pot of marmalade vodka jelly. The Pearl Jam came with popping candy, and the Jaffaholics Anonymous tasted uncannily like an alcoholic jaffa cake. Both the All England Club and the Jelly Dream would have made the perfect desserts, tasting of strawberries and cream and Reese's Pieces as they did, whilst the Royale Tree and Dreadlock Rasta were fruity, yet sophisticated perfection.

It was a fantastic way to spend a Wednesday evening, sampling away to our heart's content in the Jam Tree's sunny garden with a fabulous group of locals and amazing hospitality from the pub's management and bar staff. I can't wait to see which make it on to the menu! Have a look at all the drinks below (except for the Fig Tree: sorry, I didn't get a picture of that fig-jam wonderment) - which do you think look the tastiest? And which have the best names?

The Jam Tree
541 King's Road
London SW6 2EB