London eating: Mishkin’s

By Kim Newman-Wood

Having been advised by my two favourite food critics (Jay Rayner and the lovely Ellie) that Mishkin’s was a lovely place to experience Jewish deli food and amazing gin cocktails, what was a girl to do? Rush there for a lovely long lunch, of course!

I loved the informal atmosphere, with the small bar and the booth-style seating. Booths always make me happy; they remind me of New York holidays and treats as a child to the local Wimpy Bar (don’t turn your nose up, their milkshakes are heavenly!). We indulged in the gin cocktail of the day whilst we looked at the menu, which appeared to have been typed by a 1930’s Olivetti. Gin, prosecco and elderflower worked extremely well. Gin cocktails at lunchtime seem faintly naughty, but I think should definitely be encouraged in the future.

Spring Wish List

Spring is so nearly upon us, we can do it! I can’t wait for the first signs of bloomage and warmth in the air. Aren’t you looking forward to not having to wear a coat and releasing your legs from stifling tights? With that in mind here are some of the many items I’m lusting after for an affordable, cool, Spring wardbrobe…

Dream BFFs

It’s always a good time to celebrate our best friends here at The Cocktail Hour.  Here’s our dream celluloid gang – the fictional gals we want to drink gin with and email about what we should eat for lunch.  Lucky them.

Zoe, Happy Go Lucky

We all loved Poppy, but we wanted Zoe to be our real-life flatmate, right?  So sarcastic; so wise.  You just know she’d cook the best hangover breakfast, even though she’d probably drop fag ash in it.

Enraha, babe.

Hangover beauty

Obviously the ideal hangover cure is to lie in bed all day, dribbling a Pot Noodle down the front of your dressing gown and weeping to Terms of Endearment.  Sadly, it’s not always possible.

These are my best tricks for the days when I have to face the world in a morning-after state.  I’m not sure they do much for my sad, baggy face – but they make me feel better.

Clinique Total Turnaround

Apparently this stuff ‘optimises natural cell turnover’.  I think that means that it burns off your hungover skin to reveal a new, more abstemious layer underneath.  Excellent science!

MAC Strobe Cream

Do you remember in the 90s, when we used to coat our faces in glitter before going out?  Well, this is the grown-up version of that.  It’s still fun!

Who *doesn’t* want glitter face?

The Hyaluronic Woman and Her 38 Year Old Voice

By Marie-Anne Leonard

I don’t much mind getting old.

I mean, I’m not bloody happy about these sodding wrinkles that keep springing up, creating paths across my face that make-up falls into and make me consider losing my thick black eyeliner on an almost daily basis. I wish I were perkier looking, but I did have a few drinks last night. And I just don’t ping back like I used to.

Everything is slowing down as year after year my cells degenerate and my skin and bones become that little bit shabbier and well-used. I diet constantly and slap on more serum, moisturiser and primer in a vain attempt to fend off the inevitable avalanche of time. It’s never enough. And I’ve begin to wonder whether it’s worth sacrificing fun for looks – kicking the prosecco and serenely yoga-ing my way into my forties.

My husband, on the other hand, is more attractive now than the day I met him. He has a solid handsomeness, borne of parenthood, responsibility and professional success. He takes care of himself, but he doesn’t really need to worry that much. Time is good to him. As a couple, however, we have reached the point where, from here on, in the eyes of the world, we are looked upon differently.

Eyeliner always helps.

I wish my name was Tallulah.

Even now I’m a grown-up, Tallulah is one of my primary fashion icons.  (And it goes without saying that Bugsy Malone is still a really, really great film.)

“Listen, honey – if I didn’t look this good, you wouldn’t give me the time of day.”

A fictional gangster’s moll played by a child?  Yeah, sure.  Why not?

Get the look?  Hope & Harlequin in Brighton is the absolute best specialist for 1930s dresses.  Their stuff is so bloody pretty, it actually almost makes me want to get married. Preferably to Bugsy, not Fat Sam.  And especially not that dick Dandy Dan.

Also: if this video doesn’t make you cry with joy, then we probably can’t be friends.

E x

I Know I Shouldn’t Say This But….I love sun beds

I used to be bemused by people who use sun beds. I thought ‘why would you risk skin damage when you could use fake tan?’ But as good as St Tropez is, I got fed up with the faff, stained bedding and quick fade of even the best fake tans. So, I turned to sun beds and haven’t looked back.

My happy place

Excellent new music: Tied to the Mast

Tied to the Mast are a very excellent Brighton(ish) band.  They are a five-piece with a lot of guitars and some catchy tunes.

Here at The Cocktail Hour, we are big fans.  We highly recommend seeing them live if you can.  In the meantime, they’ve made some great videos; this one is our favourite:

What do you think?  If you like it, you can check out their website here.

The Rule of Seven

I have a secret.  It’s a proper, grubby one.  I probably shouldn’t share it here – but we’re all friends by now, right?

It’s something I like to call The Rule of Seven.

Golden seven.

A mega treat at the Waterside Inn

I am very lucky that my mum lives near that weird little golden mile of fine dining – Bray in Berkshire.  It’s a tiny village near the medium-sized town of Maidenhead, but it has an oddly disproportionate number of Michelin stars.

Best of the bunch is the Waterside Inn.  This sentence is going to make me sound like a right spoiled bitch, but never mind: I much prefer the Waterside to the Fat Duck or any other trendier places.  For us to go to the Waterside, it has to be a VERY special occasion – but, fortuitously for me, they do come along once in a while.

Yeah, just hanging out with Alain Roux.