The Last Straw (Hat) | Cocktails in the Clouds

For my dear friend Lily's 21st birthday, we shot up to the 23rd (?) floor of Beetham Tower for a cocktail masterclass. Given my horrific fear of heights, it's fair to say my knees were slightly weak in the elevator. But we got there in the end, and the cocktail making began.

Manchester from the 23d floor - by night of course, we're not day drinkers!

 By this point, it's probably worth mentioning that we were slightly inebriated, so the photo quality quickly deteriorated. The enjoyment, on the other hand, swiftly increased as we started to make our own cocktails. We all began with relatively girly, fruity looking cocktails, adorned with flowers and with varying gradients of colour. The waitress come teacher strongly advised that only whiskey drinkers should try The Last Straw Hat, so naturally, I did. It certainly wasn't your average cocktail.

The Last Straw (Hat), a fruity whiskey-cased cocktail served in a tin mug. 

My favourite thing about this cocktail (besides copious amounts of whiskey) was the tin mug. Looking over Manchester at night, drinking a whiskey cocktail from a tin mug. What could be more suitable in the world's first industrial city? 

It was a great night, a beautiful view and a lot of delicious cocktails. If only I were rich (or had a sugar daddy), I'd definitely return.

Blurry me with TLSH, taken by Lily (I think!)

Lily and I after a few of our experiment cocktails

The Formidable French | #2

Part two brings us a timeless beauty, a powerful and wonderful woman hailed as one of France's greatest actresses. Simone Signoret. 

Born in 1921, Signoret was another star of the French classic. After starring in Room at the Top, she became the first French person to win an Academy Award, and gained international fame. She's often been called the Marilyn Monroe of France, because of her striking features and blonde hair. In fact, Signoret and Monroe were close.

During her later years, Signoret received a lot of criticism for gaining weight and letter go of her looks (welcome to the Woman's world), but in reality she aged with impeccable grace.