| |
|
| |
• THE WORLD OF GENTLEMEN'S CLUBS GOES ON |
| |
A gentleman's club by the name of 'Shed' has recently opened. Hailing a cab and saying "Take me to the Shed" doesn't have quite the same ring about it as saying "Take me to the Garrick" ... "the East India..." or even "the Groucho" and though by applying the correct emphasis over the 'ê' the pronunciation becomes perhaps 'Sheed" we fear London's cab drivers will still apply their own sharp interpretation of the name. (One cabbie recently told us what the old rectum-ology hospital was referred to in Knowledge tests.)
|
| |
So Shed hardly gets off to a good start. But what's in a name? It is the place that counts. Situated in Ironmonger Lane in the heart of the City, it aims to provide a bolthole for those hardworking City types who can't take time out to get to one of London's more traditional clubs in Mayfair - or those who simply find such places just too, too stuffy and staid.
|
|
| |
|
The Great Gallery room and the swimming pool at the Royal Automobile Club.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
Shed is furnished in a contemporary style more suited to its limited space - it offers Zzed Sheds, for example, rather than bedrooms, intended for a quick nap. There's a restaurant and bar and meeting rooms. Membership is £625,with a registration fee of £175, and includes reciprocal membership of the Roppongi Hills Club on the 51 st floor of the Mori Tower in Tokyo |
| |
• CLASSIC STYLE |
| |
WE had occasion to visit the RAC in Pall Mall recently - no, sorry, now to be called the Royal Automobile Club, since the RAC operation was sold off in 1998. Founded in 1897 as a club for motoring gentlemen, this Pall Mall building became the headquarters for the club and the motoring organisation formed to give its members roadside assistance in 1911. It has recently undergone some careful refurbishments which we went along to inspect.
|
| |
|
It has of course kept its wonderfully ornate Edwardian decorations, as in the Great Gallery restaurant (pictured) and other rooms, but the impressive sports facilities have been updated, though still retaining original features. The beautiful marble, pillared hall of the swimming pool pictured here must provide one of London's most sumptuous settings for a city swim. |
| |
Membership also covers membership at the club's country estate, at Woodcote Park, near Epsom in Surrey. Here, there are two 18-hole golf courses, a state of the art gym. 4 squash courts and a 26 metre swimming pool, as well as the club house itself, a 17 th century mansion set in some 350 acres. |
| |
Given the ever-rising rates of health clubs in town, the Royal Automobile's luxurious combination of sport and leisure attractions makes its rates seem quite reasonable - for those over 31 an annual subscription of £950, with an entrance fee of £1,900. And to make sure that a younger age group may also be attracted, these rates are modified to £337 and £674 for those aged between 18 and 23. |
| |
Given its old-world style with new-world facilities, it nicely complements the Row's own drive to maintain tradition with modern application - and not surprisingly quite a few of the Row's customers wend their way between the two. |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
• cocktail cobbler |
| |
A cocktail from Duncan Taylor using their Islay malt whisky:
|
|
| |
Take 10ml Auld Reekie, 50ml of port, 3 pineapple chunks and some ground cinnamon. Muddle the pineapple chunks and a pinch of cinnamon in a cocktail shaker. Add the liquid ingredients to the shaker followed by ice. Shake and double strain into a cocktail glass. |
| |
Garnish with a pineapple wedge studded with some cloves and garnish the glass |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
 |
| |
|
|
 |
:: Sherry Due to Return:: |
| |
|
|
 |
FASHIONS come and fashions go - in everything, including drinks. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
That most traditional of English tipples, Sherry, has been out of vogue for a long time, seen as the preserve of suburban bank clerks and Home Counties ladies, its image as aged in the marketplace as in its oak casks. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Sales in the UK have dropped dramatically in recent years, down last year by 15 per cent on sales in 2000. This is all the more dramatic when seen against the steady rise in wine sales generally. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Much of the fault must be attributed to lack of promotion by the sherry producers - certainly, the right sort of promotion. But now they are embarking upon a new campaign to recapture English drinkers. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
With the young market in mind, sherry's appeal as an iced drink that goes well with food, its sophisticated dry varieties and an emphasis on its place as a wine, albeit a fortified one, are all to be focused in new promotions from the Spanish producers. And to combat inferior non-Spanish imitations, the Spanish are determined to concentrate more upon upmarket branding. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
So expect a new vogue for sherry in the New Year - but meantime those of us who have long appreciated the fine dry varieties can enjoy being ahead of the trend. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
And to help, the Almacenista Sherry Club based in Bath provides all sorts of information on fine sherries. It also arranges visits to bodegas in Jerez, gourmet dinners, a regular newsletter and plenty of opportunities to taste the finest Almacenista sherries. email emiliolustau@yahoo.co.uk |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
