For the second year in a row, The Doyle Collection is at the Electric Picnic, with our amazing chefs and bartenders whipping up treats for a very happy audience. The Doyle Collection Kitchen is part of the Theatre of Food, where top chefs from Ireland and around the globe hit the stage for cookery demonstrations, workshops and talks. 

Over the weekend, there is some incredible talent popping into the Theatre of Food, from Kevin Thornton and the Happy Pear team, to Rosanna Dawson and Takashi Miyazaki. The Doyle Collection Kitchen is hosting the Food Fringe, an interactive space where guests can get up close and personal for demonstrations, asking the experts questions as they work. 

Day One was a huge success, with the crowds flocking into the tent for a few master classes (as well as a couple of cocktails). 

Cocktails and Canapés 

Things kicked off with Austin Byrne from Balfes and The River Lee’s Paul Lane whipping up an assortment of canapés for the audience to enjoy.  While the crowd tucked in, mixologists Paul Bloomer from The River Lee and Adam McMahon took the helm for the first demonstration, showing the eager audience how to whip up a classic lime daiquiri. 

If you think of a daiquiri as a sickly sweet, bright pink frozen affair, this one would have knocked your socks off. Traditionally, daiquiris are more sour than sweet, though as Adam taught the audience, you should always make a cocktail to suit your own tastes. Fancy it a little sweeter? A bit more of the simple sugar syrup will do the trick. If you prefer a sourer taste, you can lay off the syrup a little, though sugar actually brings out the flavour of a drink. “If you add less sugar, you decrease the intensity”, Adam said. “Sugar sticks to your mouth, so you can actually taste the flavours of the cocktail for longer”

A daiquiri is also delightfully simple to make – mix 50ml rum with 25ml of fresh lime juice (this roughly equates to one whole lime) and 15ml of a simple sugar syrup (this is easy to make – mix 2 parts sugar with 1 part hot water and leave to cool – this will keep for up to a month). Shake it with ice for 30 seconds, then sieve (this gets rid of any shards of ice, which will affect the look of your cocktail). If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, feel free to improvise with a jam jar or protein shaker. 

After many questions from the audience about making cocktails (including bespoke cocktail recommendations according to preferred tastes – have you ever heard of a Chelsea Sidecar?) the other demonstrations began. 

Niall Sabongi, of the Dublin restaurants Klaw and Poké, brought some beautiful (and mammoth) oysters and taught the crowd how to shuck their own. They soon got stuck in, enjoying them with a selection of accompaniments like samphire butter and a spiced Arabic sauce. The demonstration was accompanied by some interesting facts - did you know that Irish oysters change their gender?

Beverley Matthews wrapped things up with a civilised tutored wine tasting, the perfect end to the day.

Next on the agenda is a full day of activity, with an Irish Coffee masterclass, salmon curing and fermentation, along with a very special guest in the tent. If you’re at the Electric Picnic, do stop in and say hello. There’s also a chance to win an amazing prize – head to the entrance of the tent to find out more. 

Keep up to date on Social Media with the hashtag #DCKitchen, and the tags @TheatreofFood and @DoyleCollection.