Cheeky Monkey! (From Oxford Mail)

Cheeky Monkey!

7:05pm Friday 16th October 2009 in Blogs Photograph of the Author By Sauvignon Blonde

Jamie Forbes with a Solid Manhattan.

Is that a monkey on your back?

No, but it might be on my shoulder!

Of course I’m talking about the new Whisky of the moment.

Put behind all your thoughts of stuffy men in smoking jackets with pipes and butlers sipping their 20 year old scotch.

Wake up to the new generation of Whisky and know that Darwin was right. Monkey Shoulder is a new Whisky made in traditional method.

It’s a bit complicated.

In short they have a Guru Malt Master that tastes lots of whiskies but selects only a few. He blends them together in true shaman style, lets them age until the stars align and wala . . . Monkey Shoulder Triple Malt Scotch.

I got my first taste of this elixir Wednesday night at Raoul’s on Walton Street. Surrounded by swank decor and appealing patrons its hard not to think you’re part of the elite. Especially when Master Mixologist Jamie Forbes creates a Solid Manhattan for you.

Imagine all the classic flavour of Marilyn Monroe in “Some Like it Hot” shaken up with sustenance from Kubrick’s “2001.”

I know, really funky.

My favourite (only because I could take it back to the table and sip on it instead of swallowing it off a spoon) was the Molecular Monkey Balls.

Ok the name needs a bit of work, but the drink is fantastic. It’s a layered drink that remarkably blends really well instead of leaving you with part liquor and part water. The climax is the tiny little ‘balls’, which burst in your mouth with each swallow.

These cocktails were entertainment on their own. If you aren’t so fond of mixing your scotch there is plenty of testament that it’s good on it’s own.

So if you are eager to try this cheeky monkey just head to Raoul’s.

They serve a Blood and Sand – which is sweet Vermouth, orange juice and Monkey Shoulder. If you want to be a bit more experimental Jamie Forbes says, “ Raoul’s has some of the best bartenders in Oxford who will mix you up any Monkey Shoulder cocktail on request!”

And you can leave your slippers behind!