Bar Hopping

Montserrat’s bar scene can be anyway you’d like it to be. Enjoy a quiet drink with friends, where you can chat the night away or try to solve the world’s problems. Or groove to the pulsating rhythms of soca, reggae, dance hall or merengue until the wee hours of the morning.

WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN

Each village has its own character, from the always lively Marine Village in Little Bay, to Salem (known for its bush rum), St John’s, which has a more traditional and rustic feel, St Peter’s (a place for the people), Cudjoe Head, steeped in history and Davy Hill, where the bars and night spots have a more Latin vibe.

MONTSERRAT IDOL

The Montserrat Idol Competition started in 2011 by Tom Walker, owner of Soca Cabana Bar in Little Bay. This fun-filled event gives residents the opportunity to showcase their singing talent and so, every Saturday night from the third week of January until the first week of April, the Soca Cabana Bar comes alive for the showdown. Both locals and visitors look forward to the weekly meet-up where they too secretly judge their favourite artiste. Weekly eliminations leaving the cream of the crop to vie for the title of Montserrat Idol during the Grand Finale at the Montserrat Cultural Centre!

Christmas Cake/Wedding Recipe

(This mixture makes a 23cm (9 inch) round or 20cm (8 inch) square cake)
340g*/12 oz plain flour
½ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Mixed spice
1 tsp. Cinnamon
100 or 110g*/4 oz candied peel
1 kg/2 lb. dried fruit (preferably
½ kg/1 lb. currants; 225g*/8 ozs sultanas; 225g*/8 ozs raisins)
100g* 4 ozs blanched almonds chopped finely, grated rind 1 lemon
4 tbsp. milk
225g*/8ozs margarine or butter
4 eggs sherry or brandy
225g*/8ozs Demarara sugar.
1 tbsp. black treacle

Method
Sieve together dry ingredients. Mix peel, cherries, fruit, chopped almonds and lemon rind. Wisk eggs, milk, sherry/brandy together. Cream fat, sugar and black treacle until soft. Add flour and egg mixtures alternately to creamed mixture – do not over beat when mixing. Put into cake tin, lined inside with double thickness of greased paper round sides and brown paper and greased greaseproof paper at the bot-tom. Tie a double band of brown paper round the outside of tin, standing well above the top of it. Put in middle of very moderate oven. Bake 3 ¼ – 3 ½ hours at Mark 3 for the first 1½ hours, then Gas Mark 2 for the remaining time. In electric oven put cake in at 300° – 500° F, 150° – 180° C and after 1 ½ hours reduce heat to 275° – 300° F, 150°C. Cool in cake tin, then store in airtight tin. For very moist cake prick cold cake and pour a little sherry at intervals before icing. Cover with marzipan and royal icing.
Gives exact same sized cake as Imperial measurements.
Christmas cake recipe may be made richer by increasing fruit to 1 ½ kg (3 lbs.).
Cake then takes 1 hr longer to bake and the recipe will make one 25cm (10 inch) cake or smaller 13, 15 and 20cm (5, 6 and 8 inch) cakes. Bake at least 6 weeks before wedding.