Isn’t brunch just the best?! Eating breakfast food at an hour when it’s reasonable to drink alcohol – what could be better than that? Well something fun has being happening in Manchester – a pop up brunch club hosted by Kahlua! Kahlua is the Mexican rum and coffee liqueur that forms the basis of the Espresso Martini – the classic brunch cocktail, and the Kahlua Brunch Club was running over several weekends this spring.
That’s the reason I started my very sunny Bank Holiday Sunday at The Loft in Manchester. This cool industrial-looking event space was a nice social venue for a weekend brunch, and it was all decked out in tropical plants, flowers and Kahlua colours. When we arrived there was an opportunity to relax with a coffee and play games such as table football and darts before we were seated.
The brunch itself was a set Kahlua-inspired menu including 2 Kahlua-based cocktails:
Espresso Martini: Kahlua, Espresso, Vodka & Sugar Syrup
We started with a classic Espresso Martini, which we prepared ourselves with instructions from our hosts. Apparently the key to any cocktail is all in the shaking, but particularly for this one to get that foamy layer appearing on top. We of course also added the iconic garnish of 3 coffee beans. I’d never actually tried this cocktail before, and surprisingly really enjoyed it!
Eggcellent Kahlua Stack: Smashed Avocado, Poached Egg and Kahlua & Maple-infused Bacon on an English Muffin.
Is it even brunch without avocado and egg?! Not for me – I loved this dish, particularly with the addition of the Kahlua bacon.
Kahlua Rainbow Pancakes
My brunches don’t often come with a dessert course, but I would never complain about such a think! I really enjoyed the cute pancake stack which came covered with warm Kahlua chocolate sauce, and especially being able to add a choice of toppings (I added them all – chocolate drops, strawberries, blueberries and mini marshmallows!)
Chokahlua Orange: Kahlua, Tequila, Crème de Cacao, Orange & Chocolate Powder
And of course, finishing up with a final cocktail!
Considering that coffee is not usually my favourite flavour I really enjoyed all the elements of this brunch, even the espresso martini! With 2 cocktails included, I found that the Brunch Club was a really great way to start off a day of social drinking (which is the best way to spend a sunny bank holiday weekend in my opinion!) Unfortunately, I attended the last of the Brunch Clubs, so if you didn’t go along then you’ve missed your chance. But I thought it was an excellent idea and I’d love to see more of this sort of thing popping up in Manchester!
English Rose from Manchester's Blog 