Family VALUES

MIKE MCMAHON

KEEPS IT TRADITIONAL AT

9% VAT rate to be retained for summer months off the menu

Proud Sponsor of Ireland's Afternoon Tea Hotel Award

Before the energy crisis, Mike McMahon, owner of Mother Macs Public House in Limerick, had to sell four pints of Guinness to cover his electricity costs. These days, he has to sell 34 pints before he starts to make any profit. Increasing energy costs coupled with the rising price of a pint are threatening the viability of pubs up and down the country, particularly rural pubs. The pub plays a vital role in Ireland and that connection isn’t being valued the way it should be. With rising costs pushing so many to breaking point, Mike believes more pubs may be forced to close their doors for good this year. Right now, his main ambition is to still be open in in 12 months’ time. “It's a conversation that most publicans are currently having; how do I mitigate closure in 12 or 24 months?” For more on Mother Macs, turn to page 15. Also in this issue, we chat with Rachel Byrne who launched Ireland’s first hard ginger beer onto the market in 2021. Zingibeer is most definitely not a beer flavoured with ginger, says Rachel. It’s best described as fermented ginger with a twist of lemon zest and a hint of botanicals and it’s a product that has defied all expectation since its launch. In 2022, just over 700 hectolitres (70,000 litres) of Zingibeer was produced. The target for 2023 is 1,500 hectolitres and there are also plans in place to start exporting. For more on Rachel’s plans for the new brand, turn to page 18.

Independent drinks wholesaler JJ Mahon recently announced its acquisition of Drino Drinks, a wholesale supplier to the hospitality industry based in Carrick-on-Shannon. Drino Drinks is to be rebranded as Connacht Bottlers and is set to be the largest independent drinks wholesaler in the region. The acquisition will allow Kildare-based JJ Mahon to expand into the north west of the country, into areas like Sligo, Cavan, East Mayo and Leitrim. For more on the bottler’s plans, turn to page 12.

We hope you enjoy this issue and if you’ve any thoughts or opinions, please drop us a line.

Denise Maguire

Editor

The Licensing World editorial team email: editor@licensingworld.com

Editor: Denise Maguire

Creative Director: Jane Matthews

Art Director: Lenny Rooney

Designer: Neasa Daly

Production: Claire Kiernan

Stock Photography: iStock.com

Sales Director: Trish Murphy

Managing Director: Gerry Tynan

Chairman: Diarmaid Lennon

Published by: Ashville Media, Unit 55, Park West Road, Park West Dublin 12 Tel: (01) 432 2200

ISSN: 1393-0826

All rights reserved. Every care has been taken to ensure that the information contained in this magazine is accurate. The publishers cannot, however, accept responsibility for errors or omissions. Reproduction by any means in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. © Ashville Media Group 2023. All discounts, promotions and competitions contained in this magazine are run independently of Licensing World. The promoter/advertiser is responsible for honouring the prize. ISSN 1393-0826

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The main events this spring...

Angie’s opens at Roly’s

Angie’s Wine & Cocktail Bar opened recently at Roly’s Bistro, giving customers a new place to sip pre-lunch and dinner cocktails, fine wines and enjoy dishes from the Roly’s Terrace menu. The new bar is named after Roly’s founder John O’Sullivan’s wife Angela and will serve up speciality and more expensive wines with new ‘by the glass’ technology that keeps opened bottles under a protected atmosphere as if the bottle had been newly opened.

Redbreast partners with The Horseshoe Bar

Redbreast Whiskey has partnered with The Horseshoe Bar in The Shelbourne to offer guests tasting flights, masterclasses and the chance to purchase a special gift box that includes three fine whiskeys and one of The Shelbourne’s bullet glasses. Masterclasses will feature Ger Garland, Midleton Whiskey Specialist and Deirdre O’Carroll, Blender at Midleton Distillery and will run until March 12th. All guests who enjoy one of the Redbreast tasting flights will get a Redbreast specialty cocktail menu in booklet format to keep as a souvenir.