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WHAT TO DRINK AND WHEN: VOL 2
Birmingham's bartender-in-chief, Robert Wood, with this week's top tipple...
"If the cold bite of winter is getting too much and you need a bit of escapism, look no further than Colmore Row's all new bar and restaurant, Jamaya. A small slice of the Caribbean, right here in Brum, the drinks menu focuses on Jamaica with each cocktail named after a specific part of the rock. Boston Beach is a particularly famous area of the country known for its jerk pits, with locals and tourists alike travelling for hours to get their fix. Jamaya, which only opened in very late December, aims to capture this magic with not just their ‘Proper Jerk Chicken’ but also their Boston Beach cocktail. A Daiquiri when all said and done, but with the unmistakable flavour of jerk, their top-secret melange of spices are somehow infused into white Jamaican Jah45 rum. This drop is particularly poignant as it is, itself, a blend of unaged rums from the Hampden, Monymusk and New Yarmouth distilleries, rekindling an old-school style of dagger rum that was so celebrated in the 1940s. The jerk-infused cocktail is shaken together with the obligatory fresh lime and Caribbean cane sugar, alongside some rich and intense scotch bonnet chilli, wrangled into liquid form. The finished drink is served beautifully ice cold with the glass itself dusted with their house recipe jerk seasoning which, I have to say, gives it a wonderful aromatic quality as soon as one receives it. Drink with jerk wings." More
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PEAKY
DANCERS
I'll admit, I was dubious. A Peaky Blinders dance show, on paper, can go one of two ways: a screaming success or a real fist-in-mouther. However, having seen a live performance to launch ticket sales, high in the studios above the Hippodrome, I can confirm it looks every bit the class act it needs to be. Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby is a first of its kind production, opening on September 27 until October 2, with Brum quite rightly being their first port of call, before touring the rest of the UK. Written and adapted for the stage by Peaky Blinders creator, Steven Knight, it's directed and choreographed by Rambert’s Artistic Director, Benoit Swan Pouffer. Benoit has impressive pedigree, being former director of New York’s Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet before joining Britain's oldest dance company. The show picks up the story of the Peaky Blinders at the end of the First World War, following Tommy Shelby and Grace Burgess through their passionate love affair. While Tommy is building his gangster empire, Grace is operating as an undercover agent for Special Branch on a mission to get close to the heart of Tommy’s gang. Expect dazzling, athletic dance and stunning dramatisation, with the by-now iconic Peaky soundtrack performed by a live, on-stage band. The show will open in the trenches of Flanders before bringing Tommy back to Brum and, if the sneak peek performance is anything to go by, it promises big budget stuff and perfect entry-level material for those yet to be wooed by dance. From £22.50
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