Team nights out are one of the best ways to unwind after a day at work and let your hair down with colleagues. Here at FXC Intelligence, we have monthly socials that bring everyone together with a mixture of fun activities!

Wednesday, 21 September was the first social I have attended since joining FXC. It started with a company-wide meeting discussing our employee engagement survey results and looking into the company’s future progression framework.

Seeing everyone in the flesh compared to on a computer screen was great for interaction. Having the flexibility to work remotely and then be in the office to catch up is what makes these trips to London even better!

After the meeting, we headed out for a drink before moving on to the Cocktail Masterclass. We were invited in with a welcome cocktail and platters of nibbles that got everyone talking.

Split into tables of five, we tried our hand at making cocktails and mocktails with a range of flavours and ingredients. The first was a classic Passionfruit Martini, which was a big hit with some of our employees! We then moved through to the separate dining area, and what better way to soak up the goodness of a cocktail than with freshly made wood fired pizzas...

After our pizza break, we headed back to our bars and moved on to cocktail number 2: the Zombie. This was an experimental cocktail fuelled with fire, and was most definitely one of the stronger ones! Rum, apricot brandy, pineapple juice and lime, all topped with a splash of overproof rum and set alight, then sprinkled with cinnamon to create the sparks.

Of course, more pizza was dished out in the interim and everybody was mingling, talking about their hobbies and getting to know the newbies in the team.

Our final challenge of the class was to create and name our own cocktail (and mocktail) in our teams, using any ingredients that were available to our bar. Bitter, sweet, fruity and sharp, there was a mix of flavours when the final drinks were presented.

The Maverick, Straight to Production, New Hire, Time for Lime and Sweet Thing were the finished products that came from our challenge. It was down to our host to decide on the winning cocktail, after an intense brainstorm to create the most flavoursome creation. After much deliberation, the winner was decided… Straight to Production took first place and its creators were crowned the winners of our Cocktail Masterclass.