Drinks set made by Alex Pole Ironwork at his Somerset blacksmith forge
Celebrate World Cocktail Day with drinks and bar utensils handmade by blacksmith Alex Pole in his Somerset forge
It is World Cocktail Day on 13 May, a global celebration that marks the date of the first definition of a cocktail on 13 May in 1806. As lockdown restrictions lift, and outdoor socialising is permitted, take the cocktail bar outside and up the glamour with traditionally hand-forged black steel and copper drink making utensils.
Alex Pole Ironwork four-piece drinks set
Made in Alex Pole’s blacksmith forge in Somerset, the set includes a corkscrew, traditional bottle opener, ring bottle opener and three cocktail spoons. The corkscrew and spoons are hand forged in ‘black’ stainless steel and the bottle opener in steel with a leather lanyard. (£135 alexpoleironwork.com)
Use the Alex Pole Kitchen Ladle (£65 alexpoleironwork.com), made using forged ‘black’ stainless steel and a hand beaten copper bowl and copper rivets, to serve a fruity summer punch. Created by cocktail mixologist and consultant Nick Strangeway, who is a founding partner of Hepple Gin, the recipe for Summer Punch is extracted from The Forge Kitchen, written by Alex Pole and Pooch Horsburgh (£25). The Forge Kitchen cookbook is a culinary collaboration between one blacksmith and 21 chefs. Each of the Forge chefs, including Nathan Outlaw, Mark Hix, Thomasina Miers and Gill Meller has taken their recipe inspiration from cookware handmade by Alex Pole. They have given the cookware and utensils purpose and function, creating delicious recipes suitable for anyone to cook at home.
Summer Punch by Nick Strangeway, founding partner of Hepple Gin
Makes 8-10 servings
It gets extremely hot in the forge! Here's something to cool a blacksmith - or anyone else - down after a hot day.
Lemon sherbet
3 unwaxed lemons
Caster sugar
Raspberry syrup
100g caster sugar
100g frozen raspberries
Ingredients
200ml Hepple Gin
100ml Hepple Douglas Fir vodka
100ml Martini Rosato or other rosé vermouth
100ml raspberry syrup (see above)
50ml lemon juice
20ml lemon sherbet (see above)
600ml chilled green tea
To finish garnish with plenty of herbs, flowers and fruit.
Method
To make the lemon sherbet, zest the lemons and place the zest into a bowl. Juice the zested lemons and place into a measuring jug. Weigh the amount of lemon juice you have. Weigh out the same/equal weight of sugar (to the weight of lemon juice) in a separate bowl. Add the sugar to the lemon zest and mix well. Leave to one side to allow the sugar to draw out the oils from the zest. Stir occasionally. Once the sugar is quite wet and beginning to dissolve, add the lemon juice. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Sieve the mixture and store in the fridge until ready to use. This will make more sherbet than you need for the recipe. Any leftover can be frozen for future use, or it’s great for making sorbet with.
Meanwhile, make the raspberry syrup. Place the sugar into a bowl and cover with the raspberries. Leave the raspberries to defrost over the sugar, mixing together once the raspberries are soft. Add 50ml of hot water and stir again, mixing well to dissolve all of the sugar. Place the mixture into a sieve over a bowl and leave to drip through the sieve whilst you prepare the rest of the cocktail. The sieved liquid is your raspberry syrup.
Mix the cocktail ingredients together and pour into a punch bowl or small cauldron, filled with a block of ice. Garnish with herbs, edible flowers and fruit and serve immediately.
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About The Forge Kitchenware
Alex Pole is a British blacksmith making traditionally hand-forged kitchenware and cooking utensils, made in the fires of his Somerset workshop. Forging is the ancient art of shaping metal by heating it in a fire and hammering. It is an art that is full of tradition and folklore but with many modern applications.
Alex has been working as a blacksmith for over 25 years and founded The Forge Kitchenware in 2015. He makes pieces for home kitchens, outdoor cooking and bespoke pieces for cooks, chefs and restaurants including Nathan Outlaw, Christian Stevenson aka DJ BBQ, Gill Meller, Mark Hix and Thomasina Miers. Each piece is individually forged, using local materials, wherever possible, by a small team of skilled craftsmen dedicated to producing the highest quality work. One of Alex’s primary aims is to promote blacksmithing, and the makers movement, across the UK and to show its relevance in the 21st century.
Every piece of Forge Kitchenware be it a skillet, knife, coffee scoop or an axe, starts as a simple bar of steel, which is heated and repeatedly hit on the anvil until it is the correct size, shape and style. Heat, strike, repeat! The Forge Kitchenware takes the everyday and redefines it to create beautiful and tactical, yet wholly functional, pieces of work. Each piece is designed with simple form, clean lines and functionality and are made to last a lifetime.
Notes to editors
Alex Pole Ironwork
The Forge
South Harp Farm Yard
Over Stratton
Somerset, TA13 5LB
www.alexpoleironwork.com | @alexpoleironwork
Blacksmith courses and Forge and Feast events will resume later in 2021.
For more information, interview or a site visit to The Forge, please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room on 07730 039 361 or hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk