REVIEW: THE HOUSE OF ANGOSTURA
Last week, Trinidadian rum royalty, The House of Angostura took over TT Liquor's versatile Shoreditch home and took us on a trip through time, bringing a true taste of early 1900s Trinidad to 2017 Shoreditch.
For one night only, guests could immerse themselves in a carnival of Angostura Rum cocktails, street food, performances, as well as live music as they travelled across six of our rooms and let the vibrant Trinidadian culture infuse their senses.
The centrepiece of the show was undoubtedly the real-life butterfly house, set up in our Aviation room, which featured a bespoke tropical enclosure replete with indigenous plants, fruits and rare species of butterfly.
Fresh off the back of their residency over at the Natural History Museum, renowned butterfly expert Luke Brown and his entourage of winged rarities were a smash hit – transporting guests back to Angostura’s Caribbean roots, and bringing a touch of the tropics to a cold October evening in Shoreditch.
However, there was so much more besides this to see and do, with 5 other rooms set up across our multi-faceted building, each telling the brand’s distinctive story through a series of experimental pop-ups.
Our Lounge Bar was transformed for the night into a traditional Trinidadian family room where guests could put their feet up, brimming with books, potted plants and wicker rocking chairs.
On top of this, there was a mini-cinema experience featuring hot buttered rum popcorn, a cocktail making masterclass with the Angostura national brand ambassador, as well as stunning performers in full Caribbean carnival attire for attendees to admire and enjoy.
Not just limited to sight, taste got in on the act too, with a plethora of food and drink making the rounds.
There was a festive feast of delectable Trinidadian dishes, such as peppered prawns, salt fish Accra and raisin truffles to line the stomach, as well as delicious Angostura Rum cocktails to wash it down with, including the signature Queens Park Swizzle and Trinidad Sour.
If all that wasn’t enough to satisfy attendees’ carnival spirit, there was an exclusive after-party set up in our intimate cellar bar for guests to enjoy.
There, traditional rhythmic calypso music and the sound of steel drums got the place moving well into the early hours.
