All Bar One has launched a decadent festive menu nationwide, featuring a special collaboration with Absolut Vodka and gourmet treat maker Mallow & Marsh. The seasonal offerings include a range of mallow-topped cocktails and hearty winter dishes, available at all venues including the Leopold Street bar in Sheffield city centre.
A Festive First Look at the Cocktails
We visited the Sheffield venue on a festive Sunday afternoon to sample the new creations. The cocktail menu immediately caught our eye, leading us to order the Winter Mallow Margarita and the Snowdrift Mallow Latte.
The Snowdrift Mallow Latte blends Havana Club 7YO rum, Kahlúa, oat milk, and cold brew coffee, garnished with gold-skewered milk chocolate-covered vanilla mallows. It's a creamy, rich drink where the coffee provides a welcome kick without overpowering the sip. We'd recommend it for rum and coffee liqueur fans, with the advice to drink it promptly to prevent separation.
The standout, however, was the Winter Mallow Margarita. This stunning mix of Olmeca Altos Plata tequila, winterberry syrup, and Maraschino cherries, finished with a chocolatey mallow, was fruity, refreshing, and perfectly balanced. The winterberry syrup offered a subtle background note, making it an instant favourite.
Indulgent Small Plates and Festive Burgers
To start, we sampled the Karaage sticky chicken and salt & pepper calamari. The chicken was flavourful, crispy yet tender, complemented by fresh spring onions and a chipotle jam. The calamari portion was generous, with a light, non-oily batter and a tender texture, though we wished for more of the accompanying sweet chilli dip.
For the main event, we tried both festive burgers. The Camembert & Chorizo Festive Burger featured a beef patty with melted camembert, chorizo, and cranberry jam, served with sage & sea salt skin-on fries and a pig in blanket. It was a lovely, juicy combination of sweet and savoury flavours, though the chorizo was subtle.
The clear winner was the Chicken and Hot Honey Festive Burger. Packed in a toasted brioche bun with crispy buttermilk chicken, grilled halloumi, bacon, and hot honey, it was an undeniably delicious and tender creation that demands a repeat order.
We also opted for the trio of fries – truffle & Gran Moravia, chipotle sweet potato, and chorizo-cranberry jam. The truffle fries were a particular highlight, with a present but not overpowering flavour. In hindsight, the trio was excessive alongside the substantial burgers.
Final Sips and Verdict
To finish, we tried the Berry Mallow Sour, a zingy mix of Absolut Citron and Raspberri vodkas with a sour mix and raspberry syrup, topped with dark chocolate-covered raspberry mallows. It was refreshing and a perfect palate-cleanser, though we were too full from the 'fries overload' to fully enjoy the mallow garnish.
Overall, the collaboration successfully sprinkles festive cheer. The cocktails, priced from £12.50, are available nationwide. Our top pick is the Winter Mallow Margarita. If visiting, we'd recommend focusing on small plates to leave room for these sweet, mallow-infused tipples and perhaps the churros we didn't get to try. The festive menu and buffet options are available for those planning Christmas parties.
