Once more the passion for experimentation and DIY has taken the Urban Beach. To keep things fresh and to strive for the unique sentiment of our establishment, we have conjured some homemade products we are especially proud of.
To begin, last week a mountain of ginger big enough to warrant a license for possession spread across the bar with a decadence and ‘bring it on’ manner. The bartender stared at it with adoration and bemusement at to what could it possibly become. Following the previous blog on Old Jon’s Spiced Rum and the behemoth vessel still standing proud on the bar…the link was made in a moment of eureka. Rum and ginger beer is an exceptional partnership and what better way to compliment a home infused rum than to marry it with a handcrafted mixer.
With a crack of knuckles and a teaspoon in hand, the bartender went to work peeling the ginger in an event that could surely rival Thor’s escapades in Norse mythology. The mammoth task wore on to produce a naked and ready batch of fresh ginger. In a frenzy and flurry of motion our now vengeful bartender went to work on pulping the ginger in order to extract the juices fully. Once water was added and allowed to stand to mine every last morsel of sap from the roots, a few special ingredients were included to entice the full flavour of the ginger…citrus juice, angostura bitters and coriander seeds were followed by a reasonable amount of sugar. Our bartender stood shaking and content at the final ginger concentrate, he recommends lengthening it with soda for a sparkling ginger beer or still if you prefer. As a mixer with rum or ingredient of a cocktail (look for the Kiwi Batida on our specials board), we hope you enjoy the fresh zing of this handcrafted creature as much as we do.
As a rolling stone gathers no moss, the homemade adventure continued with something a little less raucous and a far superior delicacy. Our very own Professor of Mixology, Obi-Jon-Kenobi prised himself away from the 2ft of marble in the Urban Beach on a day out much less dangerous but vaguely synonymous with Frodo Baggins ordeal in search of natures gifts. The journey to Swanage on a glorious summer afternoon reaped more than simple fun cavorting with stinging nettles…and bestowed a stack of Elderflower upon our delighted chap. Once back at the bar with his haul, the cauldron was lit and the fires of experimentation burned. A cordial came to mind at first, maybe a champagne would be its evolution…but whatever will come of this little treasure, be sure to know that it’s sole purpose is to tantalise and delight you fair readers and customers. Watch this space…
By Adam Haines
We sell around 50 different wines at the Urban Beach from all over the world, many by the glass, and many more by the bottle. We’ve split our wine into ‘beach’ and ‘urban’ with beach being a variety of ‘new world’s’ such as South American and Ozzie wines, and urban showcasing some of the more traditional ‘old world’ European wines. 
Here’s our famous Urban Beach cart on a recent trip to look after our beach side colleagues. Worried that our friendly lifeguards and surf school pupils and instructors might be going thirsty we thought we’d take a little urban beach style refreshment to them for a change.