Bar Magazine August 2012 Issue

August 2012

www.barmagazine.co.uk

Developing premium bar excellence

Create the wow factor A look at how stunning bar interiors can help to build business

Also inside: tequila – glassware – mixology – kitchens – beer

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According to the latest Market Report from First Drinks, consumers are seeking products with provenance and authenticity.

This lies behind the increasing talk of “craft”, and in this issue, we look at two drinks categories where this is regularly talked about: beer and tequila. We put the spotlight on North Bar in Leeds which, for 15 years, has been at the forefront of the UK’s craft beer movement. We also look at topics such as the “wow factor” in interior design and trends in glassware – another area where craft and heritage are having an impact.

But I am also delighted to say that what you see in the magazine, and much more, is now also available on our new website at www.barmagazine. co.uk. You can now access back issues and archived features online alongside lots of other content including videos and breaking news. With a suppliers’ directory and other useful information, it is a new resource for anyone running a bar.

Mark Ludmon Editor

www.twitter.com/barmagazine

Cover picture: Golden Bee in Shoreditch, London. See page 14.

EDITOR Mark Ludmon • mark@cimltd.co.uk Tel 020 7627 4506 PUBLICATION MANAGER Manjeet Griffiths • manjeet@cimltd.co.uk Tel 01795 509109 ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Sanny Muhith • sanny@cimltd.co.uk Dan Hickford • dan@cimltd.co.uk Tel 01795 509109 Fax 01795 591065

CONTENTS AUGUST

8

45

27

Regulars 05 Industry news 66 Barhopper diary

Drink 21 Drinks news 27 Tequila 32 Toorank Distilleries Profiles 34 Mixology 08 Waterhouse Bar, Brighton 39 Beer report 10 Rattlesnake, London 12 Kona Kai, London Features 14 Golden Bee, London 45 The wow factor 16 Five Rivers, Walsall 53 Kitchen design 18 North Bar, Leeds 57 Glassware and tableware CHIEF EXECUTIVE John Denning • jdenning@cimltd.co.uk STUDIO MANAGER Paula Smith • paula@cimltd.co.uk DESIGN & PRODUCTION Grant Waters • grant@cimltd.co.uk James Taylor • james@cimltd.co.uk Tel 01795 509108 ACCOUNTS Vickie Crawford • vickie@cimltd.co.uk Tel 01795 509103

© 2012 CIM Online Limited, The Goods Shed, Jubilee Way, Whitstable Road, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8GD. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form – electronic, mechanical or physical – without express prior permission and written consent of the publisher.

Contributions are invited and when not accepted will be returned only if accompanied by a fully stamped and addressed envelope. Manuscripts should be type written. No responsibility can be taken for drawings, photographs or literary contributions during transmission or in the editor’s hands. In the absence of an agreement the copyright of all contributions, literary, photographic or artistic, belongs to CIM Online Limited. The publisher accepts no responsibility in respect of advertisements appearing in the magazine and the opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the Publisher. The Publisher cannot accept liability for any loss arising from the late appearance or non publication of any advertisement.

www.barmagazine.co.uk |3

news

Business ideas and drinks come together at show Business-building advice, cocktail experiences and the latest drinks products are being lined up for September’s Boutique Bar Show in London.

New features will include the Boutique Business Lounge, offering guidance for anyone looking to open their own venue. It is hosted by hospitality fit-out and project management company WFC, with drinks from Cask Liquid Marketing.

Paul Tvaroh, owner of Lounge Bohemia in Shoreditch, will create “an immersive and innovative cocktail experience” at the show, although details are under wraps.

Seminar speakers include Dan Priseman from blog BittersandTwisted.com, who will explore the classic Martinez, while drinks historians Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller will talk about “cocktails that changed the world”.

The seminar programme is being put together by BarlifeUK which is also working with Brugal Rum on an inter-city bartender competition. Teams will be challenged to make a punch inspired by each of their cities.

BarlifeUK is co-ordinating entries to

the Masters of Maraschino competition for Luxardo Maraschino, with a September 1 deadline for the London heat. A second heat will be held at Boutique Bar Show in Glasgow on October 23. Entry is via www.barlifeuk.com.

The London show, at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster on September 18 and 19, will feature products new to the UK, such as Mezan rums from Eaux de Vie, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino from Speciality Brands, The Wild Geese Irish whiskeys from Emporia Brands and Monkey 47 gin from Spirit Cartel.

Other exhibitors will include Dzana rum from Distillnation, Colombian rum La Hechicera, American beer Samuel Adams from Shepherd Neame, the US’s Fordham Brewery beers from Heathwick, The London No 1 Gin from González Byass and fruit purees from Pontier.

Visit www.boutiquebarshow.com.

Beer company Innis & Gunn has launched a pop-up bar in its home city of Edinburgh in partnership with local cocktail bar 56 North.

The 350-capacity bar is at 32 Potterrow, one of the hubs of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Open until the end of August, it showcases some of Scotland’s best drinks and food producers including Williams Bros, Stewart Brewing, Caledonian Breweries, Thistly Cross Cider and Innis & Gunn plus whiskies and other boutique spirits.

Bar group Mojo has created its own app so that anyone in the world can play its Radio Mojo directly through their phones. It features weekly playlists compiled

by Mojo staff and guests from the music scene as well as an option to buy songs through a link to iTunes.

Available for iPhones, it will be extended to other smartphones shortly.

‘Classically modern’ whisky parties

The deVigne bar at the Mandeville Hotel in Marylebone, London, has been revamped as Reform Social and Grill restaurant and bar. With an emphasis on English products including gins, the cocktail list features twisted classics that match the bar’s new classic look. Drinks include Rhubarb Rose, made with rose tea, rhubarb liqueur, bitters and champagne, and the Edwin Chadwick’s cup, mixing Tanqueray Gin with cucumber, mint, elderflower and champagne. It is headed by bar manager Vladimir Schmidt, formerly at nearby Samarqand.

Parties are being held at bars across the UK this summer as part of an “experiential” campaign to promote the “classically modern” approach of Scotch whisky Auchentoshan.

The events, run with leading promoters, are part of the Auchentoshan Presents…. programme, introduced in 2010, aimed at increasing brand awareness.

Running from July to October, they combine a whisky tasting with workshops linked to different partners.

After events at The Corinthian in Glasgow and Zetter Townhouse in London in July, it will go to Brighton, Edinburgh and Common in Manchester. The next event on August 26 at The Wardrobe in Leeds sees drinks consultancy Soulshakers run a cocktail workshop.

Sky presents offer with Molson Coors Sky has announced a price freeze for licensees until at least June 2013 and a new offer on Sky Ultimate, its sports package for businesses.

It is offering 50 per cent off Sky Ultimate for new customers until September 30 for packages bought between July 9 and August 5.

Sky will also continue to offer a discount of up to 30 per cent for food-let outlets plus a further discount of up to 30 per cent based on a venue’s location. It also provides discounts of up to 33 per cent off Sky Ultimate as part of an offer with beer company Molson Coors.

The Caprice Group’s London restaurant Bam-Bou has introduced a spicy cocktail list to tie in with a “chilli festival” food menu running until September. Bar manager Ladislav Piljar has created three cocktails containing chilli, including a Bloody Maria made with chilliinfused blanco tequila and The Gower – a hot Martini made with pickled garlic. The Carnival (pictured) is a mix of chillis with Sagatiba Pura cachaça, lime, basil and pink grapefruit juice.

The Barracuda Pub Group has appointed Sarah Weir to the newly created role of commercial director, responsible for category management, overall procurement and marketing and food development across the 200-strong pub company. She was previously at PizzaExpress and Mitchells & Butlers. www.barmagazine.co.uk |5

news

Costs of running a bar stabilise, reports ALMR A former butchers shop in West Didsbury, south Manchester, has been transformed into a neighbourhood bar called The Violet Hour. The owners spent three months restoring the derelict three-storey site. The drinks list, developed with consultancy The Liquorists, features both classic cocktails and drinks such as a Backstreet Batida served in a tin can with a flaming passion fruit.

The Stonegate Pub Company, which operates 560 bars and pubs, has appointed Richard Bruce as marketing director. He joins from Home Retail Group where he was head of brand and customer proposition programme at Homebase. He previously worked with retail giants Marks & Spencer and Argos.

Mixologist JJ Goodman, the cofounder of London Cocktail Club bars, is helping consumers to make cocktails at home through a partnership with direct selling company Best in Glass. He has created recipes for The Big Cocktail Club, which provides members with a monthly pack of essential cocktail-making equipment for building up a home bar. Founded by Sarah Rabbit and Susannah Schofield, it involves a network of sales consultants holding home parties.

TGI Friday’s has announced it is to open six new bar-restaurants this year, including three this summer in Manchester’s Royal Exchange, Halifax and Wembley in north-west London. The other three openings, yet to be confirmed, will be later in the year. The company said it was experiencing “an outstanding period of sustained growth”, with sales up in 14 quarters in a row.

The openings will create 700 new jobs, with recruitment via www. fridoids.co.uk.

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The costs of operating a bar or pub in the UK have stabilised for the first time in five years, according to an annual study from the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR).

Its industry Benchmarking Report shows that, for the second year in a row, the average cost of running an average bar or pub stands at 46.5 per cent of turnover, with an additional 11.3 per cent for rent across the leased sector.

The report, which benchmarks operating costs, business performance and market trends, shows the first signs of positive growth across the full range of its indices since the recession, with smaller niche operators continuing to outperform the rest of the sector.

Kate Nicholls, the ALMR’s strategic affairs

director, said: “Operating costs as a percentage of turnover had been climbing steadily over the five years we have carried out the survey, peaking at 51 per cent at the height of the recession.

“These findings suggest the sector is back on track and has a strong base from which to grow. Better cost control has been particularly marked in the food-led segment of the market and better-than-average margins and like-forlike sales have been the result.”

After last year’s survey showed investment back on track, this year’s report showed capital expenditure up 28 per cent as operators continue to invest in their estate, their offering and their people.

More at www.barmagazine.co.uk.

Perfect serve from Hawksmoor bartender Adam McGurk from Hawksmoor in Guildhall, London, has won the Nikka Perfect Serve competition focused on personalising cocktails and whisky service.

Held in London, the UK event was run by drinks company Eaux de Vie for Japanese whisky Nikka. It involved a masterclass by brand ambassador Stanislav Vadrna on the Japanese concept of “omakase”, where the bartender is entrusted with selecting a customer’s drink, whether it is a whisky or a cocktail not found on the menu.

Adam will compete with winners from other European countries at a final in November, with the prize of a trip to the Miyagikyo and Yoichi distilleries in Japan. Details including recipes at www.barmagazine.co.uk.

Hawksmoor owners Will Beckett and Huw Gott have revealed plans to open a fourth site for the steakhouse and bar concept in October, taking over Ignite Group’s former Senkai and Cocoon site in London’s West End.

Adam McGurk and Stanislav Vadrna.

A late-night bar has opened as part of the stylish CitizenM hotel on London’s Bankside. Designed

by Dutch architectural firm Concrete, the hotel has a cool urban feel with contemporary interiors and artwork. On the ground floor, the self-service CanteenM and lounge bar become more cocktail oriented at night. The first CitizenM in the UK opened in Glasgow, with two more planned in London at Tower Hill and St Paul’s.

Malibu links with Revolution bars Pernod Ricard UK is running a programme of activity with Revolution bars for its Malibu coconut rum.

Running until the end of August, it includes a two-for-one drinks offer on selected Malibu cocktails on the chain’s menu.

It is also running Malibutique events in Cardiff, Liverpool and Birmingham, offering mini cocktail masterclasses showing people how to prepare their own serves at home. An iPad is available to allow consumers to make booth reservations at Revolution bars after their makeovers.

venue profile

Waterhouse Bar A stylish classic bar, with views over the sea, has been created at the Hilton Brighton Metropole

D

ating back to 1890, the Metropole hotel is one of the landmarks of Brighton seafront. It was designed by Alfred Waterhouse who is best known for the Victorian Gothic grandeur of London’s Natural History Museum and Manchester Town Hall, and he has inspired the name of the hotel’s new bar. As part of an ongoing £4million refurbishment of the Hilton hotel, the Waterhouse Bar & Terrace has been created as an all-day bar and brasserie where people can enjoy lunch, dinner and cocktails.

The 260 sq m hotel bar has undergone a dramatic renovation by interior design and architectural specialist DesignLSM, whose most recent projects include restaurants Colchis and Quilon in London and the 1871 Bar at the Leeds Marriott Hotel. This one is closer to home for the design practice which is based up the road in Hove. At the Hilton Brighton Metropole, senior designer Karen Mitton was inspired by private members’ clubs and grand bistros, creating a venue with an opulent atmosphere that reflects the heritage of the hotel.

A striking new bar features a marble top with wood panelling on the walls and an Art Deco look. The interior design is a mix of contemporary and traditional styles with low-hanging pendant lighting, modern chairs and leather studded booths that create a snug area for people who want a bit of privacy. The colour scheme in a palette of greys and plums adds a sense of warmth

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and elegance.

Classic bar food is on offer, influenced by the hotel’s coastal location. As well as traditional English sandwiches such as honey roast ham and English mustard, the menu ranges from smaller dishes including crab and chilli spring rolls through to larger meals such as the Waterhouse Gourmet Burger. Desserts and afternoon tea are also available.

There is a wide range of wines, beers and spirits, with an emphasis on gin, while head bartender Gyorgy Piros has created a drinks list that spans classic cocktails and interesting twists on traditional favourites.

Priced at £9, they include the Pavilion Blush which is a frozen Martini-style drink made with Tanqueray gin, mixed berries and fresh mint. Another refresher is the Kings Road Collins, made with Johnnie Walker whisky instead of gin, plus Bénédictine, apple juice, lemon juice and soda. The 1890 Cooler is a long fruity drink using ingredients that were popular in the year that the hotel was opened: Noilly Prat vermouth, crème de cassis, Green Chartreuse, lime juice and soda water.

The hotel’s general manager Guy Hilton says the Waterhouse Bar, which has a terrace looking out to sea, is set to become “the new hot destination” in Brighton.

“It is now a modern, contemporary bar and lounge where hotel and non-hotel guests alike will be able to enjoy cocktails, afternoon teas and drinks.”

Where to find it Hilton Brighton Metropole King’s Road Brighton BN1 2FU Tel: 01273 775432

Who did it Design: DesignLSM Lighting: Into Lighting Furniture: Hill Cross Furniture Artefacts: Tracy Brent Artwork: Soho Myriad Drapes: Bowden Tollit

venue profile

Rattlesnake An American road trip was part of the inspiration for Paul Daly’s new London bar

P

aul Daly, the leading designer and bar owner, set off on a road trip across the United States to seek inspiration for his latest venue.

Covering 2,600 miles, he visited dive bars and native American reservations, picking up ideas that have come together in Rattlesnake, a live music bar and “Texican” kitchen in Islington, north London. “I had the name ‘Rattlesnake’ for a long time in my head so I went to America on a trip from Las Vegas to Texas,” he explains. “I found all this amazing stuff and shipped it back.”

But he stresses that this was for inspiration, not for creating a “pastiche” American theme bar. “Rattlesnake is not supposed to be a knock-off. I didn’t want it to be a Harley Davidson and other American things but just in that style. I was inspired by the journey, not trying to make it American. It is a blend of the things that I’m interested in.” Instead, Paul says it is a combination of American and English culture – devised by an Irishman.

Originally from Dublin, Paul has long had an affinity with the US, having lived in New York City’s East Village in the late 1980s, hanging out in bars listening to music on jukeboxes. Music has been an important part of his life, having fronted a band in Dublin in 1981 and designed stage props for U2’s Zoo TV tour. After returning to London in 1988, Paul designed bar, club and retail interiors but opened his own venue, Zigfrid, in Hoxton Square, London, in 2003,

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followed in 2008 by Roadtrip in Old Street which now hosts live music in its basement space, The Workshop.

For Rattlesnake, he has created a 300-capacity new venue out of a former Walkabout, now split into a bar at the front and a music venue at the back with a stage, fitted out with a Nexo sound system and 16-track mixing desk. Future plans include opening a rooftop terrace. Having stood empty for two-and-a-half years, the site was completely stripped back and remodelled, moving the toilets into the basement to create more space on the ground floor. A jukebox is a focal point of the bar, featuring what Paul calls “proper music” such as early Bowie, Joy Division and Velvet Underground.

The walls feature album cover images turned into wallpaper alongside Paul’s signature neon signs and decorative pieces based on his travels. With Paul’s love of classic movie Easy Rider, the booths are inspired by the studded leather panniers of Harley Davidson touring bikes. Other seating such as the upholstered bar stools with backs (pictured) have been created by Paul as an evolution of previous furniture designs. Rattlesnake features video art curated by Open Gallery as well as works by artist-photographer Marcus Tomlinson.

“I see my venues as constantly changing art installations that people can experience, enjoy and interact with,” Paul adds.

The drinks list has been developed by Paul with the bars’ development manager

Where to find it 56, Upper Street London N1 0NY Tel: 020 7354 0471

Oonagh Halferty, who joined from Revolution operator Inventive Leisure where she was a general manager. With Heineken as a supplier, the beers include Krušovice, Birra Moretti and Sagres, with American craft beers due to be added to the line-up. Alongside a good selection of wines and spirits, there is an emphasis on tequila such as Patrón, Olmeca Altos, Don Julio, Chamucos, Herradura, Ocho and Arette. There is a simple cocktail list, with classics available on request although a Tommy’s Margarita and a Paloma feature on the menu. Twists include Mama’s Jam Margarita which is made with Olmeca Altos blanco, lime juice, apricot liqueur and apricot jam, or there is a Cachaçasnake – Velho Barreiro cachaça, lime juice, ginger beer and orgeat syrup.

While the drinks may be good, this is a fun good-time bar, open from midday to 2am at weekends. “There are lots of live music venues in London that I have a lot of respect for but few can offer great live bands, a designed bar and good hearty food,” Paul says.

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venue profile

Kona Kai A relaunched tiki bar in London adds to the growing number of venues offering a tropical escape

T

he team at Cheeky Tiki are working hard to bring pufferfish lanterns and wooden masks to the people of Britain. As the leading supplier and designer for tiki bars in the UK, they have become the go-tocompany since being set up by Jamie Wilson and Anjy Cameron. “We are working flat out, with three new sites at the moment,” Jamie says. “There are more tiki bars opening. It’s about having fun and, while things are a bit up in the air with the economy, there is still that need to escape.”

They have designed or supplied the UK’s top tiki bars from Mahiki and Kanaloa in London to The Liars’ Club in Manchester and Eclectic Clubs & Bars’ Lola Lo chain.

One of Cheeky Tiki’s most recent projects was Kona Kai which opened nearly a year ago in Fulham Road, south-west London, in the former site of Sofa So Bar. After a slow start, the owners – including director Ardian Musaraj – have now relaunched the 350-capacity venue, extending it to being more of a late-night club as well as a neighbourhood bar. It was not their first venture into tiki as they whetted their appetite for all things Polynesian at Sugar Cane which opened five years ago on the other side of the Thames in Battersea – again designed by Cheeky Tiki.

Kona Kai, whose name is Hawaiian for “lady of the sea”, is a traditional tiki bar, decked out in bamboo and palm trees and with staff dressed in Hawaiian shirts and

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Where to find it 515 Fulham Road London SW6 1HD Tel: 020 7385 9991 www.konakai.co.uk

Who did it Design, contractor: Cheeky Tiki Upholstery: Fusion Furniture

dresses. The main bar area houses a striking wooden carved canoe suspended from the ceiling alongside shell-covered lamps and puffer-fish lanterns. Other features include wooden masks and spears and tropical flower motifs throughout the venue.

The bar team, headed by general manager Ben Meerman, have put together a drinks list with a rum flavour, from the classic to the contemporary. Alongside a Piña Colada

and a Mai Tai are other tiki favourites such as the Missionary’s Downfall, made with rum, mint and pineapple, and the flaming Pele combining vodka, rum and passion fruit.

Kona Kai’s own twists include the Muu Muu, a delicate combination of white rum, lychees and rose syrup, and the Summer Sling, a refreshing blend of Żubrówka bison-grass vodka, crushed mint and cucumber shaken with apple sours, lemon juice and guanabana juice. Sharing options include the Scorpion, which mixes rums, fruits, brandy and a hint of almond.

While most of the cocktails are priced at £7.50, the drinks menu reflects the area’s affluent crowd, with champagnes ranging up to a bottle of Cristal for £270. Alongside a select wine list, beers include Brahma, Red Stripe and Tiger. The food menu is similarly Polynesian in its flavour, such as a starter of Hawaiian grilled pineapple, honey and smoked bacon skewers or a larger dish of New Zealand green shell mussels in lime red curry and coconut milk.

With live bands and DJs, Kona Kai is particularly lively at weekends, adding party nights such as Bamboo on a Friday. Open from midday seven days a week, it keeps going till 1.30am on Fridays and Saturdays and 12.30am on all other nights except Mondays. With dancers and fire-breathing thrown into the mix, Kona Kai has become a destination for people looking for a fun and relaxing escape from the world and British weather outside.

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venue profile

Golden Bee A new Shoreditch bar is creating a buzz with its striking interior and rooftop terrace

H

idden down a side street off busy Old Street in east London is a luxurious new lounge bar, Golden Bee. Pass through a single door with a brass bee on the front, and you climb a staircase dominated by a large gold-chain chandelier. It prepares you for the décor of the main bar which its designer Darren Grapes of Grapes Design aptly describes as “theatrical”. It is altar-like in appearance, decorated with shocking pinks, crushed velvet drapes and neon.

With references to the golden bee’s hive, the interior has champagne gold accents and displays finished with hexagonal mirrors.

Behind the bar, tiered bottle trees from floor to ceiling allow each individual bottle to be lit through LED, flanked by electric blue drapes and copper chain mail. There is more gold in the screens that separate the main bar from the “club lounge”, which features decorative black acrylic CNC panels on the walls and suede furniture with gold stitching.

A major selling point for the venue is a rooftop bar offering views over London – a new competitor to Shoreditch’s popular rooftop bars such as Skylounge. Seating up to 100 people, it has an open-air bar, sofas and outdoor screens for showing sport.

“The terrace will rival any rooftop bar such as The Boundary or Shoreditch House but without pretension or membership restrictions,” says Billie Chandler, who owns the bar with Michael Jones and is the “B” that inspires the name. “The bar’s sheer presence has already boasted many privatehire events and been used as a top location for film and music videos, a testament to Darren Grapes’ design.”

Grapes Design has also created the bar’s lighting system made of shot glasses, in collaboration with Universal Fibre Optics.

“I’ve always wanted to pursue the idea of utilising glassware,” Darren explains.

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Where to find it Singer Street London EC1V 9DD Tel: 020 7253 1110 www.goldenbee.co.uk

Who did it Design, project management: Grapes Design Banquette seating: Fitz Impressions Main contractor: Malcolm Charles Contracts Bespoke tables: Sam Ogilvie Design Loose furniture: Republic of Living Main chandelier: Grapes Design Shot-glass chandelier: Universal Fibre Optics, Grapes Design Ceramic wall tiles: Solus Ceramics Artwork: Dylan Lisle Glasswork: Osborn Glass AV consultants: Middlesex Sound & Lighting

“Glasses lend themselves as a decorative shade. Facets on the glass reflect and refract the light in a seductive manner when lit, perfect for a bar environment.”

Alongside a select wine and champagne list is a broad range of spirits, especially vodkas and whiskies, plus a cocktail list created by bar manager Julian Bolenz, formerly at Kings Club and McQueen. Martini-style drinks match the luxurious setting such as the Golden Bee Martini made with vodka and gin shaken up with white wine, honey, cardamom syrup and orange bitters.

Twists on the classics include a ReFashioned: biscuit-infused Woodford Reserve bourbon stirred with apricot- and plum-infused Jameson whiskey, Angostura

Bitters and brown sugar. For the sweettoothed, there is a Nutella Martini, a Strawberry Cheesecake Martini or Made in Old Street – a cocktail made with Hariboinfused vodka shaken with mango juice, apple juice and blue curaçao, garnished with Haribo sweets.

On the site of former bar Aquarium, Golden Bee is open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 4pm until midnight during the week and 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. Michael Jones adds: “Golden Bee cocktail bar is fun, fresh and stylish, offering people the chance to escape the hustle and bustle of London life, either inside away from the rain or on the rooftop where they can enjoy the panoramic views of Shoreditch.”

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venue profile

Five Rivers

The first restaurant from a team of Midlands caterers offers fine Indian dining and cocktails in a luxurious interior

F

or nearly 10 years, Five Rivers Group has been catering events in the Midlands, serving up northern Indian cuisine developed by executive chef Rashpal Sunner.The team have now established their first restaurant and bar, Five Rivers à la Carte, in Walsall, north of Birmingham. It is one of the new breed of modern Indian restaurants, serving up cocktails and premium spirits alongside fine Indian cuisine and a luxurious setting.

The restaurant and bar’s interiors were designed by Heterarchy, the practice headed

by Tony Matters and Rosemarie Fritton whose most recent hospitality projects range from a private members’ bar at The Regency Hotel in South Kensington, London, to Café Gnosh in Rugby. At Five Rivers à la Carte, their brief was to develop a venue that matched Five Rivers’ approach to cooking: “Compromise nothing, deliver everything.”

Where to find it 11 Vicarage Place Walsall West Midlands WS1 3NA Tel: 01922 646164 www.thechefskitchen.co.uk

Who did it Design: Heterarchy Bar equipment: IMC Flooring: Karndean Bar counter: Silestone Bar/back-bar: Perkins Stockwell & Co Wallpaper: Muraspec Furniture: The Chair Company

16| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Within an exposed brick shell, they turned a large vacant space into a luxurious venue with intimate spaces. A small lounge area at the entrance features upholstered wall panels with bronze-finish framing, acting as a backdrop to the free-standing curved bench seats which look fixed but can be moved for added flexibility. This curved bank of seating flows into the main bar structure which has more bronze-finish framing around buttoned and upholstered panels. The bar counter is made of solid black quartz, with a thin edge profile.

In the main ground-floor dining space, plush fabrics in subtly varied colourways combine with the warm, metallic wallpapers to create a sense of comfort and intimacy.

Upstairs is a multi-functional space suitable for events. At the back of the venue is a double-height back bar of glass shelves, with bottles accessible through two rolling steel and hardwood ladders, supported by columns of silvered antique oak. Behind the shelves are bronze antique mirrors, edge-lit with linear LEDs. “For me, the real centrepiece of the space is the bar, in particular the back bar with the rolling ladder,” says Tony at Heterarchy. “Given its height of almost six metres, and the fact that the shelves are in fact cantilevered from the wall, getting it to work so well is as much of a triumph of engineering as it is design.”

The food is based on Punjabi cuisine – the name of the restaurant is a translation of “Punjab” – and includes the star dish of the Presidential Platter, featuring murgh tikka, tandoori lamb chop, fish Amritsari and ocean pepper lobster. The dish’s name is

dedicated to a highlight of Rashpal Sunner’s career when he served the leaders of the 1998 G8 summit in Birmingham.

Alongside a comprehensive selection of wines, beers, spirits and liqueurs, the bar offers an interesting list of cocktails, with luxury a recurring theme, priced from £6 to £6.50. Mostly twists on the classics, they also include the Koko Dori, made with Koko Kanu coconut liqueur, melon liqueur, fresh lime juice and pressed pineapple, topped up with ginger beer. Its signature cocktail is the Glamour Martini, described as a “sexy” fusion of Belvedere vodka, Passoã, Monin Vanilla, Monin Caramel, fresh passion fruit and pineapple juice, served with chilled prosecco.

The combination of fine dining, cocktails and a stylish interior has helped Five Rivers à la Carte to stand out in a region which is not short of good Indian restaurants. “Our reputation in outdoor catering twinned with our ambition to expand has meant that we are able to turn our dream of a restaurant into reality,” says managing director Kindi Sunner.

www.barmagazine.co.uk |17

trade profile Christian Townsley and John Gyngell

North stars After 15 years, John Gyngell and Christian Townsley continue to champion craft beer

L

ong before Flying Dog was flying off the shelf, when kölsch was far from cool, North Bar in Leeds city centre was a pioneer in the UK’s emerging craft beer scene. It has been going for 15 years and is stronger than ever, regularly serving as a test bed for new beers. It has also been the springboard for owners John Gyngell and Christian Townsley to develop more bars around West Yorkshire, with their fifth due to open early next year.

John created North Bar in 1997, bringing in Christian after the pair had worked together at the former Town & Country Club, now the O2 Academy, in Leeds. They stripped out a former shop in New Briggate, called Knobs & Knockers, to create a minimalist bar with a “continental edge”, Christian recalls.

At first, it had just bare walls – “we thought it was cool but it was probably just cold” – but it now displays work by local artists. “We just wanted to open a really good bar, somewhere that like-minded people could hang out,” Christian adds. “We were committed to certain barrelage with John Smith’s and just had a crap range of beer but, soon after we opened, we started dabbling with Belgian beers and then got shot of our commitment to John Smith’s.

We started extending our range and just got more and more focused on beer.”

The bar still specialises in Belgian beers, with about 40 by the bottle and more, such as Bacchus Frambozen and Blanche

18| www.barmagazine.co.uk

De Bruxelles, on draught. Also on tap are German beers including Früh Kölsch and Erdinger Dunkel plus regularly changing guests including American brews. The bar has been supported since the early days by specialist beer importer James Clay, Christian says. “It’s been such a great relationship we’ve had with them, where we’ve asked them to find particular beers and they have done it.

They have also used North Bar as a test bed to see how they run.”

North Bar has also created beers in partnership with brewers such as Thornbridge, Lindeboom, Marble and Kernel. Alice Porter was developed by BrewDog to celebrate the marriage of North Bar’s general manager Matt Gorecki to Alice (née Porter) and ended up being part of BrewDog’s portfolio.

Christian points out that it is not just about beer at North Bar, with a similar emphasis on good-quality spirits and liqueurs, especially rums, bourbons and whiskies. “We think that it’s important to make sure that, while you can’t be all things to all men, integrity is key to our business,” Christian explains. “More so than not, integrity has led the way rather than profits.”

Eight years after North Bar opened, John and Christian launched their second site, The Cross Keys, a gastropub in Holbeck in south Leeds. In 2007, they developed Further North, a mini version of North Bar in Chapel Allerton in north Leeds. Eighteen

months ago, they opened their fourth site, another small neighbourhood bar in the style of Further North, called Alfred, in Meantime, also in north Leeds. They are moving north-west of Leeds for their next site which is due to open in Otley next year.

Consumers are now much more knowledgeable about beer than 15 years ago which “keeps us on our toes”, Christian says. “Customers expect a hell of a lot more. But it’s great.” There is also more competition with craft beer bars opening up across the UK. “It’s a lot more difficult for us to stay ahead of the game. We have to work much harder to make sure we have beers that nobody else has got.”

Christian says their continued success owes much to the suppliers, importers and brewers they have worked with. Ian Clay, managing director of James Clay, describes them as “liberators in an authoritarian beer world”, adding: “Over the past 15 years, North Bar’s pioneering spirit has placed them at the forefront of the UK beer scene.” Andreas Falt, American craft beer ambassador for the Brewers Association, goes even further, saying: “North Bar has been the leading light of the national craft beer scene for the last 15 years, breaking some amazing global brands in the UK market by cultivating a captive audience for artisan beer. It’s thanks to the likes of North Bar that we now have a thriving beer scene in the UK which showcases beer from all over the world.”

drink

August 2012

www.barmagazine.co.uk

A Bar magazine supplement

Ride the Mexican wave The tide is turning as good-quality tequilas help to change perceptions

Also inside: craft beers – mixology – drinks news – toorank

news

Cocktail drinking set to grow further

Cocktail consumption is set to grow by over 10 per cent in the next two years, according to new research analysis on the drinks market by First Drinks.

Its annual Market Report reveals that 76 per cent of on-trade outlets report that sales of cocktails were steady or increased year on year.

Cocktails are now served in almost one in five outlets compared to 16 per cent last year – and the Mojito remains the biggest seller overall.

The report also points to enthusiasm among consumers for taste and flavours in their drinks, with a rising trend for experimentation.

Authenticity is important, with the revival of interest in craft, tradition, heritage and

provenance.

Premium brands continue to grow, with many consumers buying less but trading up, with an “authentic story” being important to building premium brands.

First Drinks’ portfolio grew last month with the addition of Zubrowka bison-grass vodka which is being positioned to target 25- to 40-year-old “authenticity-seeking” drinkers and on-trade “influencers”.

Using imagery based on the illustrations of acclaimed artist Kristjana S Williams, the 18-month campaign includes trade engagement, led by newly appointed brand ambassador Pawel Rolka who has worked in top-end bars and restaurants in London for 10 years including Coq d’Argent.

Soft drinks for wine lovers A range of soft drinks has been launched to appeal to wine lovers who are looking for a flavour-packed non-alcoholic alternative.

Pixley Court Rouge, Noir, Rosé and Blanc – all with a 2011 vintage – have been created by Herefordshire fruit farmer and blackcurrant specialist Pixley Berries. They are made from different blends of pressed fruit, packaged in 25cl screw-capped bottles, targeted at the on-trade.

Pixley Court Noir and Rouge are different blends of blackcurrant with rhubarb and apple, while Pixley Court Rosé blends strawberry, raspberry, apple and rhubarb.

Pixley Court Blanc combines rhubarb and apple.

Unfiltered ‘vodka for whisky drinkers’ A new super-premium expression of Belvedere vodka, left unfiltered after distillation, has been launched by LVMH, promoted as a “vodka for whisky drinkers”.

Belvedere Unfiltered is made from the superior Dankowskie Diamond rye, grown only on a very small number of farms in Poland’s Mazovia region, instead of the Dankowskie Gold rye used in original Belvedere.

The Diamond rye’s lower starch content and resulting lower yields create a rich full flavour in the raw spirit which is left unfiltered after distillation to preserve the characteristics.

With an ABV of 40 per cent, Belvedere Unfiltered is promoted for drinking neat, on the rocks or in a classic Martini and is positioned for whisky drinkers because of its depth and complexity.

Somersby Cider set for on-trade

Brewer and drinks supplier Carlsberg UK is preparing to introduce a new mainstream cider into the on-trade next year after launching it into supermarkets last month.

Somersby Cider is produced in Herefordshire with no artificial sweeteners, flavours or preservatives. It was launched in July in Tesco, initially available in cans and 500ml bottles, before being rolled out to the wider off-trade.

It is scheduled to be introduced into the on-trade at the beginning of 2013 alongside a multimillion-pound marketing campaign including sampling.

The Somersby brand was originally launched in Denmark and Norway by Carlsberg Group in 2008 and is now available in more than 22 countries in Europe and Asia.

Darran Britton, marketing and strategy director for Carlsberg UK, said: “In recent years the cider category has attracted a significant number of new drinkers. Our research has shown that a lot of these consumers find the taste of the current established mainstream ciders in the UK both artificial and astringent.

“In response to this we have developed a cider, specifically for the UK market, which has a more balanced taste and contains no artificial sweeteners and no artificial flavours.”

International Beverage Holdings has announced the second release of the 1975 vintage of Balblair Highland single malt Scotch whisky. It is the first time a vintage has enjoyed a second release, with a distinctly different liquid style from the original. Whereas the first was laid down in Spanish oak exsherry casks, the second is aged in American oak ex-sherry casks. It is non-chill-filtered and bottled at 46 per cent ABV. Brewer and spirits producer Adnams has added an alcoholic ginger beer to its portfolio. With an ABV of 2.1 per cent, it is made using the wort from bottled Broadside beer with ginger and orange peel then added to the kettle. It is fermented before more ginger, lemon, lime zest and sugar are added.

The latest release from The Balvenie Distillery in Speyside is The Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 5 – a single malt married from just nine casks of the whisky. Malt master David Stewart hand-selected the aged whisky which matured in five traditional whisky casks and four sherry butts in warehouse 24. The contents were transferred into Tun 1401, a traditional oak marrying vessel, finishing after several months as an exceptionally complex single malt.

Drinks company Halewood International has secured an on-trade listing for its Lambrini Cider with pub chain SA Brains after it was added to the Lambrini range to offer a refreshing fruit cider, aimed predominantly at women aged 21 to 35. It is initially being stocked in 50 of Brains’ 150 sites. In the on-trade, the three cider flavours come in a 330ml bottle. Halewood has also secured regional distribution through G&G Gallo Enterprises and Morecambe Bay Wines. www.barmagazine.co.uk |21

news First Drinks Brands has revealed new packaging for Tia Maria. It includes a striking, more contemporary bottle design to give greater stand-out on back bars but retains its iconic logo and red and black colours.

New serves are being promoted such as a Tia Ginger, mixing it with ginger beer, and Tia Love, combining it with golden rum, lemon juice and mint leaves.

Isle of Arran Distillery has unveiled its first whisky that combines both peated and unpeated casks, bottled at an ABV of 52.3 per cent.

With the name Devil’s Punch Bowl, only 6,000 bottles of the whisky have been produced. It is drawn from 24 different Arran casks including sherry butts and has a complex and fiery character.

The flavour of New Zealand’s kiwi fruit is available to bars through a new kiwi fruit mix from puree and syrup specialist Monin. Monin brand ambassador James Coston said: “Monin Kiwi fruit mix combines beautifully with other exotic flavours such as passion fruit and guava.”

A new range of whiskies, The 1824 Series, is set to be introduced by Maxxium UK for The Macallan in September, exclusively for the UK. Retaining The Macallan’s classic signature style and character, it has been 100 per cent matured in oak sherry casks, delivering full-bodied aromas and flavours.

22| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Global Brands refreshes classic RTD brands Hooch – one of the best-loved RTD brands of the 1990s – has been relaunched by Global Brands with a new format and positioning.

After a break of nearly 10 years, Hooch Alcoholic Lemon Brew is being introduced into the on-trade in a 500ml bottle, promoted for pouring over ice like a cider.

Global Brands signed a licensing agreement with Molson Coors Brewing Company to distribute Hooch in the UK. With the new tagline, “Refreshment with Bite”, it is targeted primarily at men aged 18 to 35.

Global Brands marketing director Simon Green said: “For retro brands to be relaunched successfully, they must draw on positive associations of past times by retaining the brand’s authenticity, whilst also connecting

with today’s consumers who are seeing the brand for the first time.

Hooch delivers on all points as it has a loyal following, and the new, ‘over ice’ serve is popular with the current generation of drinkers.”

Global Brands has also unveiled a new look for RTD Reef as part of a £400,000 marketing re-launch. The campaign will focus on establishing Reef, which has four per cent ABV, as a summer drink and base for cocktails because of its still taste profile and mixability.

Chinese spirit joins Zeo brings new ‘twizt’ A new non-alcoholic drink with a the UK mix complex blend of herbs and essences Chinese white spirit brand Shui Jing Fang has been introduced into the UK by Diageo, initially aimed at Chinese consumers but with potential to extend it more widely.

The brand is a form of baijiu, which is distilled from sorghum beans, rice or grain, although Shui Jing Fang producer Sichuan Shuijingfang keeps its recipe secret.

Baijiu is traditionally drunk neat in China but Diageo is promoting it for cocktails such as a Sour after working with British mixologist Paul Mathew – co-founder of The Hide bar near London Bridge and now head of Beijing-based bar consultancy Blood and Sand.

It follows Diageo taking a controlling stake last year in holding company Sichuan Chengdu Quanzing Group Company. It now plans to turn Shui Jing Fang into an international brand.

Tony Tse, managing director of UK distributor and wholesaler SeeWoo, said: “We believe the ‘baijiu’ segment has great growth potential with Chinese and British consumers alike.”

has been introduced, providing a soft drink for grown-ups and a new ingredient for cocktails.

Lightly carbonated, Zeo is described as having “sensorial effects” from the use of extracts from wild berries, fresh green herbs, grains, trees, flowers and exotic spices.

It is being promoted for serving just with ice for the perfect serve of “The Twizt” and as a base for modern cocktails. At London Cocktail Club bars, it is being served with gin and ice as a “G&Z”.

It is already being used in cocktails at other London bars and clubs such as Mahiki, Whisky Mist, McQueen, The Rose Club, The Roof Gardens and Apartment 58.

Glenfiddich seeks new Malt Mastermind First Drinks has launched its third annual competition for Glenfiddich to find the UK-based bartenders with the most knowledge and passion about whisky.

The winner of Glenfiddich Malt Mastermind will receive a cash prize of £1,000 plus an exclusive VIP trip to the Glenfiddich distillery, where they will be given the chance to taste a range of rare Glenfiddich expressions.

Jamie Milne, Glenfiddich brand ambassador, said: “We are looking for someone who embodies the pioneering spirit of Glenfiddich through their innovation and creativity and who also truly understands the complexities of malt whisky.”

Entrants need to complete a questionnaire at www. glenfiddich.co.uk/maltmastermind. The deadline for entries is September 30.

outside is in.

MARLBORO

ORIGINAL

TOUCH

This communication is for the information of tobacco traders only.

Smoking kills PM_BarMag.indd Pg1 Mundocom UK

24/05/2012 15:56

news Malcolm Gosling, the owner of Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, has developed Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer to create the perfect match for the rum in its trademarked classic cocktail, the Dark ‘n’ Stormy.

“We needed to hit the perfect balance between sweetness and spiciness,” he explains. Distributed

by Love Drinks, it is available in 330ml cans.

Catalyst Brands, the new identity for Matthew Clark’s Wine Studio Agency business, has announced that it is the new exclusive distributor for Voss Water in the UK. Launched in the US in 2000,Voss is a global super-premium water brand, distributed in 47 countries. It is bottled at an artesian source in southern Norway, producing naturally pure water, free of sodium and low in minerals.

Distribution of Cooley Distillery’s portfolio of Irish whiskeys in the UK has moved from Eaux de Vie to Maxxium UK after the distillery was bought by Maxxium partner Beam Global. It involves brands Kilbeggan, Connemara, Tyrconnell and Greenore. Another Cooley whiskey brand, The Wild Geese, has been taken on by Emporia Brands.

Edrington has announced the first permanent addition to the Cutty Sark range since acquiring the brand two years ago.

Cutty Sark Storm, with ABV of 40 per cent, has been crafted from older single malts along with grain whiskies by master blender Kirsteen Campbell, including aged malts from Highland Park and The Macallan.

24| www.barmagazine.co.uk

New push for vodka and liqueurs with Mangrove Super-premium Russian vodka Beluga is to gain a new UKpush after joining the portfolio of premium drinks specialist Mangrove.

With an ABV of 40 per cent, the vodka is crafted in a century-old distillery in Mariinsk, Siberia. It undergoes an additional process of “resting” which helps to smooth the vodka and add flavour notes.

Limited-edition variants include: Beluga Transatlantic Racing, which incorporates a barley malt infusion and wild strawberry extract; Beluga Allure which includes maple syrup and fig extract; and the extra-matured Beluga Gold Line, which includes rice and rhodiola rosea extracts.

Mangrove has also added a range of classic products to its portfolio through a partnership

Darnley’s View adds spice

Wemyss Malts has released a spiced gin, with cinnamon and nutmeg coming to the fore, after the success of its original Darnley’s View Gin. Darnley’s View Spiced Gin, which retains classic juniper notes and has an ABV of 42.7 per cent, was developed with a team of distillers, bartenders and other experts including gin writer Geraldine Coates of Gintime.com. She said: “The new Darnley’s View Spiced Gin is really different to anything I’ve tasted recently and an excellent innovation.”

It follows the success of Darnley’s View Gin which was launched by Scottish-based whisky specialist Wemyss Malts two years ago, with dominant botanicals of juniper, elderflower and citrus.

with liqueur company Bigallet. It includes nonalcoholic syrup Citronade Bigallet, made with lemon zest, and Bigallet Thym Liqueur, which has a flavour reminiscent of Provençal herbs.

Génépi Grand Tétras is produced by infusing and distilling the Artemisia Mutellina variety of the Génépi plant, while Viriana China China, which has been produced for over 150 years, is a digestif liqueur produced from orange peel.

Perrier links with leading cocktail expert Perrier sparkling Tony mineral water is Conigliaro being promoted for cocktails through a partnership with leading drinks expert Tony Conigliaro, the co-founder of London bars 69 Colebrooke Row and Zetter Townhouse.

Through his consultancy Drink Factory, he has been working with Société Perrier to develop recipes, using a scientific understanding of the mineral water’s molecular composition.

Tony has come up with a drink mixing Perrier with a clear distillation of shiso, pine, mint and patchouli. A simpler recipe, called The Explorer, has gone onto the menu at 69 Colebrooke Row, mixing Perrier with cachaça.

“Perrier’s naturally occurring bubbles are quite large,” Tony said. “This makes them a fantastic conduit for carrying flavour and aroma around which all these new drinks are based on.”

Single-cask rums bring unique flavours A range of single-cask rums has been introduced into the UK through importer Eaux de Vie, including rums from historic distilleries that are no longer operating.

The unblended rums come from Guyana, Trinidad, Jamaica, Panama and Grenada, produced from a single year’s distillation.

They are unsweetened, uncoloured and filtered through only a light gauze with no chill-filtration. They have been finished in wine casks or casks used for other

spirits, with each cask having its own unique flavour profile that cannot be repeated.

They include vintages from closed distilleries such as Grenada’s Westerhall Estate, Guyana’s Uitvlugt and Enmore distilleries and Trinidad’s Caroni Distillery.

The rums will be showcased at the Boutique Bar Show in London on September 18 and 19.

promotion

Win the ultimate Jägermeister Ice Cold Experience for your bar J ägermeister is offering one lucky reader the chance to win a free Jägermeister Tap Machine, two cases of Jägermeister plus a special visit from the famous Jägerettes to create the ultimate “Jägermeister Ice Cold Experience” in your venue.

Jägermeister: introducing the perfect ice cold serve

Jägermeister Tap Machines hold three bottles at a time, create impactful stand-out at the bar and allow licensees to easily serve shots at the perfect temperature – ice cold. The distinctive Tap Machines increase visibility for consumers and, on average, help triple sales of Jägermeister. Once your Tap Machine is installed, your venue will be eligible to be listed on the Jägermeister Ice Cold App, which lets consumers use their smartphones to find venues with Tap Machines nearby, providing you with free exposure to potential customers.

In addition to the Tap Machine, the prize includes a visit from a team of Jägerettes to get the party started by giving away branded merchandise and selling your stock of Jägermeister directly to your customers.

Tips for a perfect serve • Jägermeister is best served as an icecold shot.

• Ideally, ensure that bottles of Jägermeister are kept in a freezer or a very cold fridge and not left on the back bar at room temperature.

• If possible, serve in a chilled shot glass for enhanced taste.

• To add theatre at point of purchase, install a Jägermeister Tap Machine, available to purchase from Cellar Trends.

• Full details at www.cellartrends.co.uk.

The Jägerettes and Jägerdudes

Don’t just take our word for it Paul Bossick, bar manager of the Black Sheep and Bad Apple bars in Croydon, south London, purchased a Jägermeister Tap Machine and saw a large increase in sales.

Paul says: “When we installed the Jägermeister Tap Machine, our sales of the spirit increased massively, from one to two bottles sold a week to 30 to 40.The Tap Machine has real stand-out at the bar and our bar staff love to use them as they’re fun and provide the perfect Jägermeister serve – ice cold. The machine allows bar staff to serve customers quickly which is ideal during busy periods and therefore maximises sale opportunities.”

Jägermeister continues to

show significant growth and is drastically outperforming the overall spirits market, with an MAT change of 10.5% in volume and 15.2% in value in the on trade, compared to a general category fall of 1.2%.

How to enter

To be in with a chance of winning the ultimate Jägermeister Ice Cold Experience for your bar, email your name, your telephone number, and the name of your bar, pub or club to jagermeistercomp@ clarioncomms.co.uk. The deadline for entries is August 31. Terms and conditions are available on request.

For more information on Jägermeister contact Cellar Trends: 01283 217707 (www.cellartrends. co.uk) www.barmagazine.co.uk |25

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tequila Chamucos Clubhouse

Jose Cuervo’s Ice Cold bar

Jose Cuervo

Sipping point The tide is changing for tequila as more bars and consumers view it as a spirit for mixing and sipping rather than shots, reports Mark Ludmon

L

iving in a country where tequila is still considered by many as only for shots, it is no surprise that eyebrows are raised when you order a glass to sip with your meal. If you have dinner with Ruben Aceves – global brand ambassador for Herradura tequilas – expect him to suggest a tequila to match each course of your meal, from a blanco to complement a plate of oysters to an añejo to accompany a rich dessert. “In Mexico, we sip it from a wine glass,” he explained earlier this year at a dinner for the bar trade at La Bodega Negra, the Mexican restaurant in Soho, London. He promotes the use of a wide-bottomed glass

with a slightly narrow top which means you can enjoy the aroma as you would with a fine wine.

It will be some time before tequila is commonly drunk in this way in the UK, but increasing numbers of bars and restaurants are championing the Mexican spirit through interesting serves and extensive lists. In fact, it is restaurants that are taking much of the lead. La Bodega Negra boasts over 60 different products in its “tequila and mezcal cellar”, including the super-premium Herradura Selección Suprema plus Tapatio in the speed rail. Most of the cocktails are made with tequila or mezcal including an Ancho Mojito, substituting rum for tequila, and the Pepino – a mix of tequila, mezcal, cucumber water, agave syrup and jalapeño.

Restaurateur Tom Conran has become so passionate about the category that he is now importing a super-premium tequila, Chamucos, and has converted the basement of his restaurant Crazy Homies in Bayswater, London, into a tequila lounge bar, Chamucos Clubhouse. The tequila is made 100 per cent from agave plants grown in the tequila region of Jalisco but, unusually, they are transported to the Quiote distillery up in the pine forests of nearby Mazamitla.

Named after the Spanish for “little devil”, it is available as an unaged blanco, a reposado rested in white oak barrels for seven months and an añejo, aged in barrels for 18 months.

Diageo GB was concerned that Jose Cuervo was losing its share of the shots market to the likes of Jägermeister so enlisted marketing agency RPM to promote an interesting shot ritual to consumers to bring fun and excitement.

The result was a touring ice truck with an ice interior and “ice maidens” to represent Jose Cuervo’s “ice cold” shot serve. Consumers were invited on board for a clubbing experience involving being blasted with cooling ice cannons for an “ice cold party”.

In bars, the ice maidens offered free ice-cold samples and approached groups of young men to encourage them to take part in an “ice cold challenge”.

Consumers could also put their heads inside a giant ice cube and have a photo taken and uploaded onto Facebook.

His new lounge bar is decorated with street art showing the devil – in the style of Mexico’s Day of the Dead – alongside a mural of the lush Mexican jungle and beach.

All the drinks are made with Chamucos tequila, such as The Devil’s Punchbowl, a sharing drink made by mixing the blanco with hibiscus juice and flower, lime juice, agave syrup and tamarind. Other cocktails include The Toreador, based on a recipe invented in 1937 at London’s Café Royal, combining tequila with fresh lemon juice, apricot liqueur and sugar syrup.

The latest menus at the 65-strong Chiquito restaurant group promote tequila as “a fine and complex liquor and should be sipped slowly to fully enjoy the aroma and flavours”. With brands from Jose Cuervo and Cazadores to Don Alvaro and Gran Centenario Reposado, it offers a “tequila sampling board” for £9.99 made up of four different tequilas, served with lime

www.barmagazine.co.uk |27

tequila

Agave syrup For bartenders making drinks with tequila, agave syrup is a fitting alternative to sugar syrup. Its growing popularity in the UK has led to the launch of new products such as AquaRiva Organic Agave syrup from The Tequila Society alongside its new AquaRiva tequilas. As it is 25 per cent sweeter than sugar syrup, less needs to be used.

Cocktail specialist Funkin has launched an organic Agave Nectar, made from the same kinds of Mexican blue agave plants used to make tequila and mezcal.

It contains 40 per cent fewer calories per serve than standard sugar syrup and is lower on the glycemic index, making it ideal for “skinny” low-calorie mixed drinks. Other products include Opies’ Premium Agave Nectar while Giffard offers Agave Sec – a triple sec liqueur sweetened with Mexican agave syrup.

and orange wedges, cinnamon and salt to enhance the flavours. Its Margaritas include twists such as adding elderflower cordial, mango puree or chilli, while the newest addition to its menu is the Lolita, mixing Jose Cuervo Especial tequila with cranberry juice and a sweet and sour mix, topped up with lemonade.

Latin American restaurant chain Las Iguanas has just opened its 28th site, creating a 150-capacity bar and restaurant in Kingston-upon-Thames in Surrey. As well as specialising in Brazilian cachaça, it offers a good range of tequilas from Gran Centenario to Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Platino. Its menu promotes appreciation of tequila with tasting notes, describing Sauza Hornitos as having “sweet pear flavours with a warm spicy tingle”. It also lists liqueurs Patrón XO Café, made with natural coffee essence, and Agavero, which is made at Los Camachines Distillery in Jalisco from a mix of reposado and añejo blended with the locally grown damiana flower.

Alongside a classic Margarita, Las Iguanas cocktails include a Smoked Margarita made

Las Iguanas in Kingston

28| www.barmagazine.co.uk

with Gran Centenario Añejo and a “mist of whisky”. The Tequila Raspberry Smash is made by adding crushed mint, lime, sugar and framboise, while an Apricot Rickey combines the tequila with crème d’abricot, lime, sugar and soda. A new drink created by the bar team at Las Iguanas in Leeds is the Café de Olla, made by shaking tequila with Kahlúa, agave nectar and orange juice.

A tequila bar features in the pop-up Wahaca on London’s Southbank until September 9, serving up a selection of tequilas and single-estate mezcals such as Olmeca Altos, Calle 23, El Tesoro, Don Alvaro, Herradura and Don Julio tequilas and the rich and smoky ForeverOax reposado mezcal and the aromatic and spicy Del Maguey Vida single-village mezcal. This aspect of the restaurant group’s business has been growing since founders Thomasina Miers and Mark Selby opened a mezcal bar at Wahaca in Canary Wharf in London’s Docklands two years ago. Last year, the basement bar at Wahaca in Soho was relaunched as Azulito and offers 80 different products, said to be the largest collection of 100 per cent agave tequilas in the UK. A new restaurant and bar is set to be opened in Charlotte Street in London’s Fitzrovia at the end of August.

Wahaca’s commitment to only 100 per cent agave tequilas reflects a growing appreciation of the provenance of the spirit.

Many bars are now turning their backs on mixto tequilas where the blue agave spirit is mixed by up to 49 per cent with other sugars. Some mixtos are highly regarded, however, and include expressions from three of the leading brands, such as Jose Cuervo Especial Gold, Sauza Silver and Olmeca Blanco and Reposado. Pernod Ricard has responded to bartenders’ desire for a smooth mixable 100 per cent agave tequila with Olmeca Altos, developed with mixologists Henry Besant and Dré Masso.

Tequila ambassador Tomas Estes, who owns London restaurants La Perla and Café Pacifico, continues to highlight the provenance of good-quality tequila through his own brand, Ocho, which is made at La

Maya A new Mexican bar, Maya, has opened in Liverpool’s Ropewalks, focused on Mexico’s Day of the Dead and tequila.

Downstairs from Mexican restaurant Lucha Libre in Wood Street, it features a taco stand that will also serve passersby from an opening to the side of the entrance. Director Alex Hannah said: “Having visited Mexico several times and enjoying the nightlife that it offers, we felt completely inspired and wanted to replicate that by creating a bar in the heart of the city that offered everything that we fell in love with. We have spent two years transforming the lower level of the building into a distinct taste of the Mexican underworld, complete with private booths, big leather Doberman couches, riding saddles for bar stools and even our very own shrine.”

Its name is short for Mayahuel, the goddess of the agave plant, and tequila features heavily on the cocktail menu. It includes many of the classics such as a Tommy’s Margarita and Paloma as well as tequila twists including an Old Fashioned made with Don Julio Reposado and a Bloody Maria. Original drinks include a Titty Twister, made with Olmeca Altos Blanco, guava and lime.

Mezcal features in a drink called Seth, made with La Penca mezcal, Giffard apricot liqueur, apple and ginger syrup, and another called Richard, combining Del Maguey Vida mezcal with pomegranate syrup, guava and lime.

Alteña distillery – also the home of Tapatio, El Tesoro and Villa Lobos under master distiller Carlos Camarena. After developing single-ranch tequilas with vintage, Tom has introduced Ocho Curado, a blend of 100 per cent single-estate agave tequila infused with 100 per cent pure cooked agave. “It’s crazy no-one’s done Curado before since it’s such an obvious winner,” Tomas says. It is distributed in the UK through Cask Liquid Marketing.

Another ambassador for tequila is Cleo Rocos, star of Celebrity Big Brother and the Kenny Everett Television Show and now president of The Tequila Society which imports and promotes tequila in the UK. She and business partner Stuart Freeman

Sloane’s, Simply The World’s Best Gin Mixing with the best company Unashamedly inspired by the great gins of the past, each of the 9 botanicals including fresh lemons and oranges, is individually distilled before being blended to perfection - a process uncommon in gin making.

To learn first hand just what makes Sloane’s so special and to book a masterclass for your bar from The World’s Best Gin just visit us at www.Facebook.com/SloanesGin

tequila

Tequila beer While premium packaged lagers have seen sales fall, tequila-flavoured beers such as Desperados are bringing sunshine to consumers and the category.

Global Brands reports that its Amigos tequila-flavoured beer, with an ABV of 5.5 per cent and notes of South American limes, is experiencing growth of 73 per cent in the on-trade. “Sweet-tasting packaged drinks in ‘non beer’ categories are growing both volume and rate of sale, and traditional beers are struggling to justify their space in the fridge to some extent,” says Global Brands’ marketing director Simon Green. An Aztec-themed brand identity has been established for Amigos through back-bar displays, bar runners and in-bar Aztec Spirit parties. “It is unique and fun and resonates with the 18- to 24-year-old market who want to enjoy something new and genuinely differentiated.”

have taken the next step and worked with master blender Carlos Perez to develop a 100 per cent agave tequila range, AquaRiva, specifically for bars. “Talking over the years to bartenders, I was hearing about their frustration that, a lot of the time, they were having to work with inferior products,” Cleo explains. “We developed a 100 per cent agave tequila that is designed for bartenders so they can be proud of the cocktails they are making and serving.”

The AquaRiva Bar tequilas feature a blanco, which has citrus and white pepper notes with a light spiciness, and a reposado which is smooth with hints of ripe fruit and caramel biscuit. Alongside these, they have created an AquaRiva Premium reposado which is aged in American oak for at least six months to produce a smooth and elegant full flavour – with no burn – for sipping or mixing in cocktails.

“I wanted to make tequilas that were interesting and complex and would work well in cocktails,” Cleo says. “Some tequilas are really made for sipping and don’t work so well in a Margarita.”

Consumer education has been a strategy for leading brands such as Cazadores and Patrón as they seek to show that tequila is a mixable spirit that

30| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Tahona Society is not just for shots. UK distributor Cellar Trends’ brand experience teams have been visiting bars across 18 cities to grow the Patrón brand, focusing on driving trial and sales of Patrón XO Café. Its UK brand ambassadors have also been carrying out tasting and training sessions with bartenders to improve their knowledge of the Patrón range, focusing on high-end accounts and the mixability of Patrón Silver.

Partnerships with festivals and high-profile bars include Paul Daly’s new Rattlesnake in Islington, London, where the opening party last month featured Patrón cocktails.

Brand manager Craig Chapman at Cellar Trends adds: “For silver, reposado and añejo, the focus is still the top-end clubs and bars alongside a select range of premium mainstream accounts that are looking at a more premium spirit offering. For Patrón XO Café, however, we’re seeing more and more momentum in mainstream accounts as the product’s reputation grows within the trade.” This has resulted in XO Cafe growing at over 100 per cent year on year.

The number of bars specialising in tequila is starting to grow, from Neon Cactus in Leeds to the new Maya in Liverpool, and consumer perceptions are changing, says Dom Robertson, managing director of marketing agency RPM which has worked with Diageo’s Jose Cuervo. “Rather than a shot to simply neck with friends, it is now a shot that’s sipped cold and a versatile cocktail ingredient and can be paired with beer,” he points out. “Bars such as Trailer Happiness and London Cocktail Club are great in altering perceptions of tequila, offering consumers a great-tasting cocktail while educating them on the flavour notes. These are commonly recognised with spirits such as rum or whisky but undervalued when it comes to tequila.”

Gareth Evans (pictured) of London’s Pollen Street Social will represent the UK at the third International Tahona Society Cocktail Competition in Mexico this September. He won the UK heat held at The Bon Vivant in Edinburgh, against 10 other UK-based finalists competing to make the best Olmeca Altos cocktail. Gareth’s Terroir Cocktail combined Olmeca Altos with sous-vide carrot juice, fresh lemon juice, roast cumin syrup and coriander cress sprouts.

For more on the competition, including recipes, visit www.barmagazine.co.uk.

The Tahona Society is a global community of professional bartenders who are passionate about tequila, with more than 1,300 members. It was set up by Olmeca and UK-based drinks specialists Henry Besant and Dré Masso and provides members with training in tequila including an understanding of the production process using tahonas – the large wheels for crushing cooked agave.

Mixologists’ Corner Patrón Melon Bull Patrón has developed a number of original cocktails as part of its activities to promote its range to bartenders.

30ml Patrón Silver 15ml Patrón Citrónge 30ml Watermelon schnapps 90ml Red Bull Champagne In a mixing tin half full of ice, combine the Patrón Silver, Citrónge, and Watermelon schnapps to chill. Strain into a champagne glass and add the Red Bull and top up with champagne. Garnish with a cherry.

E

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2012

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22/06/2012 14:29

trade profile Robin Webb of 64th & Social with his Sloane’s Gin Twisted Traditions cocktail

Spirit of change Mark Ludmon travels to the Netherlands to go behind the scenes at Toorank Distilleries

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ot many people in the UK knew Toorank Distilleries until a few years ago when it started winning awards and making waves with premium spirits such as Sloane’s Gin. But the business dates back 34 years and is the fourth largest distiller in its native Netherlands, where it produces about 1,000 different products for more than 40 markets around the world.

Visiting its plant in Duiven in the east Netherlands, you gain insights into the different drinks markets around the world.

Here, it can handle up to an estimated 25,000 bottles per hour – and that’s not including the Polish production site it acquired in 1996. Rattling along the bottling lines you might see Ivanabitch – a leading US vodka brand – or shot-sized bottles of Flügel, a vodka energy drink that is big in continental Europe. These are among the brands made by Toorank on behalf of other companies, which also include the likes of Babco Europe’s Agwa De Bolivia and Mickey Finn liqueurs and McCormick Distilling’s Tequila Rose liqueur.

32| www.barmagazine.co.uk

But this should not distract from Toorank’s own portfolio which has been steadily gaining a profile in the UK on-trade.

When the company started in 1978 as part of Greek drinks group Metaxa, it was focused on so-called “value brands”. Still a part of the business, these are what chief commercial officer Conre Oostrom happily refers to as “me-too products for selling to less developed markets where price is more the driver than the quality of the product”.

Toorank was acquired by the current team, headed by chief executive Toon Blij, in a management buy-out in 1990. It entered the UK market in 1994 and set up a UK office in 1999 under sales director Chris Lake who still heads the operation today.

Conre says Toorank started to invest in new product development about seven years ago, going on to develop premium brands that are growing on-trade distribution in the UK. They include the six-strong ready-to-serve Coppa Cocktails, from a Mojito to a Mai Tai, and Sloane’s Gin which picked up medals within months of being launched in 2011.

Other premium products include Miodula

Presidential Blend, a vodka blended with honey from Toorank’s own farm in Poland and aged for 11 months in oak barrels.

The latest addition is Rebellion Rums, comprising Black, Blanco and Spiced – a 37.5 per cent ABV blend of Caribbean rums and exotic spices such as cloves, bitter orange, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and vanilla. Toorank says it created this because of demand from bartenders for a return to fuller-tasting spiced rums.

Alongside the premium products are what Toorank calls “superior alternatives” such as the Polish absinthe Apsinthion, Polish vodka Akademicka, Di Antonio liqueurs and Old Samuel bourbon. “They are high-quality products that, in any blind tasting can beat Absolut, Smirnoff or Stolichnaya,” Conre explains, “but, as we are not a multi-national big company, we don’t have the millions and millions that those other companies put behind their brands.”

He adds that Toorank’s strategy is for quality and innovation rather than just volume. “We think that true growth will be in real products where real, natural ingredients are being used. We aim to be one of the most prestigious distilleries in the world, not the largest.”

Despite the company’s global growth, Toorank has not lost a sense of family. In June, it hosted a visit by the top-performing bartenders in this year’s Sloane’s Gin Twisted Traditions Cocktail Competition, including winner Robin Webb from 64th & Social in Clapham, London. It culminated in the annual “herring party” near Duiven, with views across the Rhine into Germany, where – like a big family get-together – staff and business partners enjoyed herring and Robin’s winning gin cocktail.

The posse of bartenders also went behind the scenes of Sloane’s Gin, visiting the Zuidam distillery in Baarle-Nassau in the southern Netherlands where the gin was developed for Toorank by master distiller Patrick van Zuidam. The distillery – which is open to visitors by appointment – was founded by his father, Fred, in 1974, and is best known for its high-quality Zuidam genevers – the original aged malt version of gin.

“When my father started out, he wanted to do it the old-fashioned way,” says Patrick who runs the business with his brother Gilbert. “The aim of the distillery has never changed. Everything we do here is about bringing out all the flavour.”

■ For Robin’s cocktail recipe, visit www. barmagazine.co.uk.

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mixology

Mixologist Julian de Feral of hospitality specialist Gorgeous Group responds to the revival in gin in the UK

Open your mind to gin There has been a rapid expansion in the gin category over the past couple of years, and much has been made of how gin is set to “become the new vodka”. I don’t think it is so much a case of “vodka versus gin” as both have a distinctive market, but it is true that consumers are becoming increasingly openminded about gin, how to drink it, and which brands they prefer.

However, I get the feeling that this simply falls in line with the general approach to spirits overall, which has been helped along greatly by a growing fascination with cocktail culture, increasingly creative approaches to brand marketing and a general thirst for knowledge and awareness from consumers.

Many people who were either early adopters or drank gin anyway are quick to criticise the somewhat over-saturated gin market, similar to the vodka market. They point out that the majority of new brands lack provenance and history and have perhaps taken liberties with the fairly loose regulations and lack of understanding when it comes to defining gin, relying on either far-out ingredients, far-fetched stories or bombastic marketing – or all three

(again, parallels with vodka).

As a result there has been a call for perhaps a new definition for many of the new gins that don’t seem to fit into what is expected of a “traditional” gin – which is strong, bold, juniperheavy with standard botanicals and not too many of them. “Modern gin” or “New World gin” perhaps? As regulations are unlikely to be dramatically altered anytime soon, it is perhaps best to accept that it is simply a category that has expanded and become more experimental simply to address the growth of interest.

Finally it is worth considering that there are many new or revived gins that do fit into the traditional template, whilst perhaps not having so much provenance or history, and although there seems to be a new gin being launched every week, many fledgling brands have already been culled.

In conclusion, the growing range needs to be accounted for when building up a gin offering.

It is an extremely interesting and completely revitalised category so, for better or worse, a bar’s gin selection should reflect just that, and time should be invested in understanding the differences between the styles and brands.

Mixologists’ corner Manhattan Skyscraper Drinks consultancy Shaken and Stirred has created some vintage-themed cocktails using Freixenet cava, including this one.

Going for Gold The Bar at the Dorchester is offering this cocktail to mark the Olympics, created by bar manager Giuliano Morandin and his team.

25ml Bourbon 12.5ml Sweet vermouth 12.5ml Dry vermouth 10ml Maraschino syrup 3 Dashes of bitters Freixenet Cordon Oro

14ml Gilpin’s Gin 20ml Laurel liqueur 20ml Lemon juice 15ml Steamed chilli agave 15ml Lillet Blanc Ginger ale

Stir the bourbon, vermouths, maraschino syrup and bitters over ice in a Martini or Old Fashioned glass and top with Cordon Oro or Cordon Negro.

Garnish with an orange twist or maraschino cherry.

Build the ingredients over crushed ice, topping up with the ginger ale. Garnish with laurel leaves and chill rings.

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Nick Caputo and Charlotte Wilkins from Eight Bar in Falmouth, Cornwall, have won the Courvoisier Cocktails on a Grand Scale competition. After triumphing in a regional heat, they beat London finalists Dav Eames and Samantha Dinsdale of The Gilbert Scott at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel with a cocktail combining Courvoisier Exclusif with Martini Rosso sweet vermouth, Merlet Triple Sec, and home-made marmalade and Earl Grey syrup. They are pictured with Mixxit manager Wayne Collins and UK brand ambassador Rebecca Asseline.

English vodkas and gins feature in a new summer cocktail list at Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall. The six recipes include Basil & Blood Orange Infusion made with Brecon Five Vodka infused with orange, combined with quince liqueur, home-made basil syrup, fresh lemon juice and blood orange juice. The Sage Elderflower & Cucumber Punch uses Blackwood’s Cucumber Vodka, white wine, Bramley & Gage Quince Liqueur, fresh lime juice, Chase Elderflower Liqueur and cranberry juice, topped with lemonade and served with cucumber slices and sage.

Tim Philips (pictured) of Hemmesphere bar in Sydney has been named bartender of the year in the global final of the Diageo Reserve World Class competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His winning signature serve was a Hot Toddy Australia made with Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve, honey, cinnamon quill and ginger.

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Bartender wanted In this fourth instalment of mixxit maintenance, mixxit manager Patsy Christie looks at how to get the right people behind the bar

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elf-service check-outs at supermarkets frighten me, as do automated teller machines (ATM).

The distant feeling of guilt I try to suppress after using them reminds me they’re as wrong as putting on dirty socks. I can’t help but wonder if these mega supermarkets and banks realise what their best asset is. What every business’ best asset is: their people.

As in life, your bar’s strength can also be its weakness. The right person can attract customers, rejuvenate the menu and inspire co-workers. The wrong person can damage your bar’s reputation, steal and frighten off hardworking colleagues. All this means your recruitment and interview process has to be flawless to ensure you make the best hiring decisions.

Attract the right people by offering a competitive wage, staff discounts, meals, training, mentoring and career development. Take advantage of complimentary supplier training such as mixxit. Get the word out that you’re recruiting, offer rewards to staff for referring a candidate hired after their probation period and post the job ad everywhere online and in relevant print.

The right bartender for me has an exemplary understanding of customer service, independent problem-solving skills, strong work ethic, is detail oriented, a team player and has natural bartending aptitude.

Of course, none of this suggests he or she must have bartending experience. I know of many establishments having a “noexperience” policy on hiring. The theory here is that work habits can be moulded, rather than risk bringing bad habits into the business.

An easy way to determine an applicant’s work ethic is by creating a project with a deadline, like producing a 10-cocktail menu or writing 500 words on why they’d make a great addition to the team. Over half won’t even bother, helping to eliminate those with questionable work ethic and minimal

ambition. Those projects submitted help determine levels of problem solving, natural ability and general intelligence.

Remember, it’s not just you that needs to gel with the new recruit, so does the rest of your team.

Including other bartenders in parts of the interview can help determine compatibility. I’ve invited applicants for a paid weekend trial shift and out for drinks with the team afterwards.

This was always the most insightful aspect of my interview process.

Whatever you do, don’t poach staff from neighbouring venues. That really, I mean really gets folks wound up.You’re going through this entire process to ensure you get the right people who will cultivate the right reputation for your bar, don’t damage it yourself before you even hire them.

If you’re too busy or not willing to devote some of your own time and effort into the hiring process, you might as well install a self-service automated cocktail machine and wear dirty socks.

Your mechanic @patsychristie For information about mixxit, log onto www.mixxit.co.uk or email mixxit.uk@maxxium.com.

Bartender’s Rootbeer Ingredients: 25ml Galliano L’Autentico, 25ml Galliano Ristretto, top up with Coca-Cola Method: Fill a tall glass with cubed ice, add all ingredients ending with the Coca-Cola and swizzle Garnish: Orange zest Units: 2.1

Written Warning Ingredients: 37.5ml Stolichnaya Chocolat Razberi Premium Vodka, 25ml Wolfschmidt Kummel, 2 dashes chocolate bitters Method: Stir all the ingredients with cubed ice for 20 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass Garnish: Chocolate truffle Units: 2.4

www.drinkaware.co.uk

www.barmagazine.co.uk |35

news

Storytelling wins places in Caorunn global final

Milkshake cocktails have been created at central London brasserie The Riding House Café by bar manager Sergio Aboy. Priced at £6.50, his drinks include the Bramble Cream using Beefeater gin, lemon juice, vanilla ice cream, milk and crème de mûre, and the Chocolate Roses, which combines Four Roses bourbon with chocolate ice cream and milk.

Bartenders in Scotland are being challenged to come up with a drink that represents the “spirit of adventure” of Mamont Vodka, the super-premium spirit from Siberia.

Organised by drinks company Eaux de Vie, it also calls on them to create a “perfect serve”. Regional heats were due to take place at Tonic in Edinburgh and Orchid in Aberdeen in July and The Bath Street Pony in Glasgow in August before a final in September at the Balmoral Hotel.

New Italianstyle drinks and homemade bitters feature in the new summer drinks menu from London bar and restaurant Bunga Bunga. A new “G&Tivo” section of its “gazzetta” menu features gin-based aperitivo drinks while, for the Olympics, general manager Robin Kay has created La Torcia Olimpica. Coming with its own stand, it is served in a yard-long glass, with enough for four to share. It combines Grey Goose vodka and Saliza Amaretto Veneziano, shaken with pink grapefruit juice and finished with homemade mandarin bitters plus Terra Serena rosé prosecco.

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Iain Griffiths from Bramble in Edinburgh and William Underwood from Plymouth have been crowned the national winners of a cocktail competition that challenged bartenders to be storytellers.

After winning the Scotland and England heats of the Caorunn Storytellers Global Cocktail Challenge, they will go on to represent their countries in a global final in September against Iain Griffiths bartenders from Spain and the US. Caorunn Gin, part of International Beverage Holdings, created the competition to champion cocktail creativity and showmanship, based

Benares goes for gold A special “Olympiad” cocktail menu has been introduced at London restaurant and bar Benares, using ingredients inspired by the gold, silver and bronze podium positions.

Gold is the Morning Glory, mixing Chivas Regal 18 Year Old whisky with Goldschläger, Martini Gold and a homemade syrup, garnished with gold leaf, cherry and an orange rind twist in a bamboo stick.

Silver is marked by Looking Forward To Next Time, made with Olmeca silver tequila, white crème de cacao liqueur and Kirsch.

The “bronze” cocktail is Cool Runnings, mixing Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva rum with Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, homemade syrup and a dash of liquorice bitters, garnished with a sprig of mint, dark chocolate shavings, star anise and cardamom seeds.

The recipes were created by bar manager Giovanni Spezziga, previously at W Hotel and One Aldwych.

on the principle that, just as its own ingredients have a rich Celtic heritage, there is a tale to tell behind every drink.

Competitors had to prove their creativity by submitting a “modern classic” recipe inspired by one of Caorunn’s five Celtic botanicals – rowan berry, coul blush apple, bog myrtle, heather and dandelion. The judges also looked for a sparkling showman who could bring their creation to life by telling the tale

behind it.

More details and recipes at www.barmagazine.co.uk.

Teams prepare for 42Below final Bartenders are preparing to compete for places representing the UK and Ireland at the New Zealand global final of the annual 42Below Cocktail World Cup. The regional heats have been completed, with seven teams – each made up of three bartenders – going on to the UK and Ireland final in London. The winning team will head to New Zealand in September to compete against teams from the USA, Italy, Australia and New Zealand. There will also be a place for a “wild card” team and a multi-national team of “Startenders”.

Team West London comprises Dan Redman Hubley, Michael Stringer and Csatlos Mate while Team East London is Terry Cashman, Simon Toohey and Alex Clark. Team Scotland is made up of Jamie Macdonald, Megs DeMeulenaere and Danil Nevsky, while Team Ireland is Pat Thomas, Nathan O’Neill and Daniel Mulligan.

Team North West features Max Venning, Dan D’Amelio and Matt Hastings, while Team North East is made up of Dan Aeyton, Clare Morrow and Dave West. Team South and West comprises Daniel Bovey, Benji Ryde and Jolene Cadwell.

Hix bartender wins Bulldog challenge Lee Potter Cavanagh (pictured) of Hix in Soho, London, has won London dry gin Bulldog’s London Lemonade competition.

Nine bartenders from across the UK competed at The Drunken Monkey in Shoreditch, London, to come up with a unique twist on the brand’s signature London Lemonade.

They were judged on sales of the cocktail in their bar, the simplicity of the serve, presentation and their reasons why it should win. Lee’s cocktail added soda, gomme syrup and sorrel leaves which highlight the gin’s juniper flavours. He won a trip to Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans in July.

craft beer

Craft works Mark Ludmon examines the continuing thirst for craft beers in the UK on-trade

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cross the UK, the number of bars specialising in craft beers continues to grow, while many more have been diversifying their beer selections. One of the latest arrivals is The North Pole which opened last month in Islington, north London, offering over 22 beers on draught and another 30 in bottles. “Customers are becoming far more interested in where their beer comes from, how it is produced and what it actually tastes like,” explains Richard Craig, who created The North Pole with James Morgan. “For once the trend seems to be that instead of sticking to one or two brands that they know and like, we are seeing people actively seeking out beers that they’ve never tried. “ The range at The North Pole includes keg beers from Belgium and the US, such as Bacchus Framboise and Flying Dog Wildeman Farmhouse IPA, plus UK beers including London Fields Unfiltered Lager and Meantime London Stout. There is more variety in bottles, covering the world from the US, Cuba and Mexico to Norway, the UK and Belgium and on to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Richard says consumer attitudes are changing. “They are more likely to try an artisan beer for example because they know that the smaller local breweries care about their produce rather than keeping the

The Craft Beer Co, Clerkenwell

shareholders of massive beer brands happy.”

On-trade supplier WaverleyTBS has seen growing demand for its increasingly diverse range of craft beers over the past 12 months, says Jason Cowley, its beer and cider category buyer.

“Overall, WaverleyTBS has seen some impressive volume and value increases in a challenging climate within the UK on-trade. We have delivered over 2,000 barrels of craft cask ales across 60 different brands to our customers, with brewers such as Naylor’s and Celt’s organic brews being amongst the highlights. Across our ‘beers of the world’ range, we’ve experienced treble-digit volume growth on brands such as Vedett, Liefmans and Brooklyn Lager, the latter of which has seen a huge boost in draught sales.” He adds that other more boutique brands such as Timmermans Pêche Lambic and Kwak from Belgium, Scotland’s BrewDog and Anchor Steam from San Francisco have also seen growth.

This trend is reflected in the expansion of the craft beer range carried by Makro cash and carry. New products listed include BrewDog’s Punk IPA and 5am Saint, Anchor Steam, Anchor Liberty Ale, Brooklyn Lager, Innis & Gunn’s Rum Cask and Blonde,Vedett and Sierra Nevada. “The UK beer market is currently in decline, but the craft beers sector is bucking the trend seeing growth by an incredible six per cent,” says Makro’s beer and cider buyer, Andrew Ingham. “Craft beers will give our independent business customers a competitive edge against larger chains that only stock large mainstream brands.”

Craft Beer Co Last year, Martin Hayes launched the Craft Beer Co bar, first in Clerkenwell in London and then in Brighton. He is now due open a third site for the concept in mid-September after taking on The Hive, in Brixton, south London, in a deal handled by Davis Coffer Lyons.

“The business is growing quickly, and we intend to keep the pace up, based on finding the right sites in the right areas,” Martin says. “We’re on a fantastic journey and the level of consumer buy-in for the concept is staggering.”

The growth in world and craft beers shows no sign of slowing down, says Graham Archibald, senior national account manager at beer specialist The Morgenrot Group. “Even when money is tight, consumers are showing that they will still treat themselves and pay a premium for a quality beer. This has been happening gradually but with the rise of the ‘foodie’ www.barmagazine.co.uk |39

craft beer

Unpasteurised from the barrel

and increased foreign travel, consumers have definitely become more adventurous and discerning when it comes to the beers they drink. They are searching out authentic brands which have interesting histories, exciting taste profiles and a point of difference.”

Morgenrot has started working with Heineken to promote its Belgian abbey beer Affligem, led by Affligem Blond, with an ABV of 6.8 per cent, available on draught and in 330ml bottles. There is also the darker Dubbel, also 6.8 per cent ABV, and amber Tripel, with an ABV of nine per cent, in 330ml bottles. Bar staff are encouraged to pour 90 per cent of the beer from a bottle into a glass without the remaining 10 per cent containing the yeast.

Consumers then have the option of drinking it with or without the yeast which adds an extra layer of flavour.

Morgenrot has been running events and training in the on-trade this summer with drinks writers Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham.

Buoyed by this success, Morgenrot has introduced another of Heineken’s Belgian beers, Mort Subite, which is a lambic brew made by using wild yeast in the air for spontaneous fermentation and then ageing and blending. For the UK, Morgenrot is initially focusing on Original Gueuze, with an ABV of 4.5 per cent, plus fruit beers Original Kriek and Extreme Kriek.

“These beers are steeped in heritage and tradition plus offer a completely different proposition to the trade and to consumers when it comes to flavour, taste and beer style,” Graham explains. “The three-strong range offers a contrast of sour, sweet and fruity flavours so we are confident that they can go toe to toe with the quality ciders, ginger beers and other RTDs this summer.”

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Belgium is best known for producing Trappist beers, but beer distributor James Clay has shaken up the category by introducing the eighth and newest Trappist beer – from Austria. Gregorius joins six other Trappist beers in the company’s portfolio: Chimay, Westmalle, Achel, Orval and Rochefort from Belgium plus La Trappe from the Netherlands. It is the first beer from Stift Engelszell in northern Austria and has been granted permission by the International Trappist Association to use the label that can be used only for beers brewed within the walls of an abbey by monks, or under their supervision, as something secondary to the monastic way of life and only to help support the monastery.

Gregorius is a dark ale at 9.7 per cent ABV and is made with local honey and Alsatian yeast. Also new from James Clay is Bellerose Bière Blonde, a 6.5 per cent ABV beer created by French actor Gérard Depardieu and his friends at their brewery Brasserie des Sources in northern France.

Czech beers are doing well, with consumers seeing the country as a producer of authentic, good-quality beers, says Audrey Schillings, senior brand manager at Heineken International. It has teamed up with SHS Sales and Marketing to formally launch one of the Czech Republic’s oldest and most well-known beers, Krušovice, in the UK after its limited availability in Scotland for the past 10 years.

Krušovice Imperial is a golden pilsner lager with an ABV of five per cent, while Krušovice Cerné is dark, smooth and full bodied with a lower ABV of 3.8 per cent, both available in the UK on-trade in 330ml bottles. “We are seeing particularly strong interest from consumers and trade customers in European heritage pils that reflects a growing consumer desire for an authentic, traditional beer experience,” Audrey adds.

Consumer demand for authenticity has led Budweiser Budvar to switch its unpasteurised Budvar Yeast Beer from a guest to a permanent product after it proved a success in the UK. It is looking for 50 top-end outlets that have the facilities and cellaring and dispense knowledge.

“What we have had to do is to reconcile this consumer demand with the fact that, being unpasteurised, it’s a beer that needs an expert touch,” explains Budvar UK sales director Joe Laventure. Budvar has also

Cask ale booms at TCG Cask sales at managed pub and bar group TCG were up by more than 40 per cent year on year in the three months to the end of June, boosted by its Proud of our Ale campaign in April and May. More than 100 different cask beers were served across the business, with more than 1,100 people claiming a free seventh pint using a Proud of our Ale loyalty card.

It brought cask beer to some TCG sites for the first time, such as Henry’s Café Bars. Jo Thorp (pictured), deputy manager at Henry’s in Piccadilly, London, said: “The Proud of our Ales promotion really helped to put Henry’s Piccadilly on the map as somewhere to enjoy cask ale.” The next promotion will coincide with Cask Beer Week which runs from September 28 to October 7. started to roll out its striking new “Majolica 4-Out” ceramic font that has proven to drive sales at the first pubs to install it.

Miller Brands is offering bars the chance to offer unfiltered and unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell beer only 24 hours after it has left the brewery in Pilsen in the Czech Republic. Available until the end of this year, it is served direct from traditional hand-made 25-litre oak barrels, showcasing the brand’s authenticity and unchanged brewing process. The beer is slightly cloudy in appearance due to the remaining yeast and is subtly sweeter and more full-bodied.

Miller Brands has also been driving brand awareness of its other Czech beer, Kozel, through sampling activity in bars.

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craft beer also been involved in introducing a craft Czech lager to the UK, Hobo, a full-bodied beer made using a traditional method and matured for two months. Distributed by Cask Liquid Marketing, it is packaged for the on-trade in 330ml cans. McFarland points out that cans help to seal in flavour and have not been used much in the past because it was previously a high-cost form of packaging. “However, with the emergence of smaller, less expensive canning lines, an increasing number of microbreweries are now packaging their craft beer in cans because they strongly believe that it’s best for their great beer,” he says.

German beers such as Warsteiner are also benefiting from consumers’ thirst for authentic world beers. Germany’s numberone premium beer, Krombacher, is building sales in the UK for its Pils, Dark and Weizen, supported by a stand-out authentic ceramic font and continental-style glassware. It has also secured a trial listing at bars and pubs operated by Stonegate Pub Company, which have been hosting consumer sampling events. Julian Penny, UK country manager for Krombacher, says: “Although Krombacher is extremely popular in its home country of Germany, its niche appeal in the UK has made us attractive to our stockists. By listing Krombacher it gives them a real point of difference by offering their customers a beer that they might not have heard of or sampled before – people still love that element of discovery, especially with beers.”

The cask ale market in the UK has undergone a “rejuvenation” and is attracting new drinkers, says David Revell, commercial director at brewer Wells & Young’s. “The trend in cask is a profit opportunity for licensees as its premium quality commands higher prices that drinkers will pay for,” he says. It has been investing in marketing and innovation across its portfolio, including the biggest-ever campaign for Bombardier ale.

Wells & Young’s is also feeding through a steady stream of limited-edition beers, drawing on the heritage acquired with McEwan’s and Younger’s. After brews such as Younger’s 1749 and McEwan’s 80/-, it has

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BrewDog in Camden, London

Fruit beers

BrewDog

Marston’s is building its range of fruit beers with the introduction of Forest Fruits, which is blended with strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, and Snake’s Bite, a beer infused with cider apples. Produced at its Wychwood Brewery, they join the successful Ginger Beard, infused with fiery root ginger. Justin Way, head of category marketing at Marston’s Beer & Pub Company, points out: “The history of brewing in Britain, before the arrival of hops from Flanders in 1500, would have seen all sorts of herbs, spices, seasonal fruit, tree bark, seaweeds and roots being added to beer. So the growth of this new category has logic, and many of these beers will add valuable interest to the beer category while providing a starting point for many people to taste their first glass of ale.”

After opening their first bar in Aberdeen less than two years ago, iconoclastic Scottish brewer BrewDog is continuing to invest in new sites. It has already launched seven – most recently in Manchester – and is preparing to open in Birmingham and Bristol, with Leeds also on the horizon.

It has announced that turnover is on course to double this year from £6million in 2011 to £12million.

“Our recent growth really highlights a growing appetite for craft beer in the UK,” says James Watt who cofounded BrewDog with Martin Dickie.

With beers such as Punk IPA and 5am Saint growing distribution, they are expanding capacity with a new “eco” brewery in Aberdeenshire, part-funded by fans through its Equity for Punks programme.

introduced McEwan’s Gold for August – the first golden ale in the brand’s 156-year history – building on a 18.9 per cent growth in golden ale volumes in the UK. “While dark ales are perceived to have a rich and bitter taste, we are launching McEwan’s Gold to broaden the appeal of ale among a younger audience,” David says.

He adds that consumers are also increasingly seeking the sweeter profiles of flavoured beers such as Wells Banana Bread, its honeyed Waggle Dance and Young’s Double Chocolate Stout.

Innovative use of wood for ageing has helped to drive sales for Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn, such as its Rum Cask and its limited-edition Irish Whiskey Cask which has now sold out. “Innis & Gunn’s on-trade volumes have more than doubled in the last 12 months as retailers look to stock a wider choice of craft beers to fuel the consumer demand for flavoursome beers with real provenance and point of difference,” says UK director of sales Crawford Sinclair.

Brewers such as Clackmannanshire’s Harviestoun have been developing their craft keg offering so that more people can enjoy its ales such as Bitter & Twisted.

“Clearly there is an appetite out there for good keg beer, both from businesses and from consumers,” says Chris Miller, managing director of Harviestoun. “For businesses, it means that they can serve good beer without having to have specialist knowledge as they do for serving cask beer.”

Kegs have helped Ilkley Brewery to gain distribution within top-end bars such as Trof in Manchester’s Northern Quarter and Arc Inspirations’ nine bars in the Leeds area. Luke Raven, one of the founders of Sandinista bar in Leeds, joined Ilkley last year to develop its keg range for the bar sector, going on to launch its beers in keg format as MJ Artisan Ales. “Ale is increasingly popular, and there are a new raft of outlets looking to refresh their beer offerings,” Luke says. “Stocking the same tired lager selection no longer cuts mustard with today’s discerning drinker.”

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wow factor New “wave bar” design at Walkabout in Watford, designed by Play Design Consultants

Searcys at Blenheim Palace

Deep impact From overall design concepts to stand-out features, Mark Ludmon looks at how operators can create the “wow factor” in their venues

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alkabout bars have been a familiar landmark on Britain’s high streets since the mid-1990s, but its current operator Intertain decided they needed a reboot. “As with everything that becomes familiar, and due to a level of underinvestment in the estate, we lost a little of the ‘wow factor’,” says Intertain chief executive John Leslie.The chain is now undergoing a major investment programme that has seen eight venues refurbished,

Clashbar Shaun Clarkson ID is well known for creating avant-garde and extravagant interiors in the hospitality sector. One of its latest bar projects was Clashbar at stylish youth hostel Clink78 in King’s Cross, London. Design motifs include graffiti art on painted brick walls, alongside bespoke wallpaper carrying quill marks as an ode to Charles Dickens.

Warehouse lighting, bold colours, neon lights, easy club chairs and chunky benches add to the impact.

“bringing that wow factor back in a major way”, John says. “We’ve looked at enhancing everything from bar design and customer environment to music systems and customer service.” Enhancements have included new ‘wave design’ main bars, new dance floors, larger stages for live music, pop-up restaurants, private booths and the creation of separate “Beach Clubs” within the venues with higher-end décor and furnishings.

“Refreshing the interiors has had a big impact, and the refurbishment programme is delivering great returns on investment,” John adds.

The “wow factor” is something that many operators now look for from designers.

“The first time I heard the challenge to create ‘the wow factor’ was probably only about eight years ago but it’s become part of common language now,” says Phil Waggett, executive director of leading hospitality contractor WFC. “With nearly every project now, someone at some point asks what the wow factor is in each job.”

WFC has worked with designers on many stunning interiors such as restaurant The Delaunay and the bars at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London. Examples of the “wow factor” on other projects include a giant jelly fish tank at ChaoBaby in Birmingham’s Bullring, designed by Jonathon Morgan Design Associates, while WFC’s work on Brasserie Zédel, in the old Atlantic Bar site, benefited from the “natural wow factor” of its restored Art Deco interiors.

But Phil warns that you can have too much of a good thing. “You shouldn’t have too

Catering Design Group combined stunning design with the existing heritage setting for the latest Searcys champagne bar which has opened in the Water Terraces Café in Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. The curved bar top in stone has a cushioned buttoned frontage to create a luxurious feel and reflect the grandeur of the space and architecture, while a high-stool seating area at one end provides views of the terrace fountains. Limestone-effect flooring mirrors the shape and cut of the bar counter and provides a contrasting finish to the existing plank floor.

An eye-catching black voile drum was positioned over the existing candle-style chandeliers within the bar to create a distinctive bar area and continue the opulent theme. “Taking best advantage of the overall environment and retaining existing elements of the room, such as flooring, light and the fireplace, we were able to create a luxurious, contemporary space which sits comfortably within the Water Terrace hospitality area and provides visitors with a sense of occasion,” says Philip Howard, managing director of Catering Design Group.

many ‘wow factors’ in one place – you don’t know where to look. If you have too much going on around you, it loses the impact that just one or two particular features would have. A clever designer will stick to just one or two features that people will go away and talk about.”

Creating the wow factor in hospitality interiors could mean just one design element or doing something different from the normal customer experience, points out

Cucina Rustica by Glassdomain

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wow factor interior designer Steven Separovich, head of the BA course at KLC School of Design and formerly at Conran & Partners. “Operators are frequently searching for a USP that will set them apart from their competitors,” he says. “A ‘wow factor’ could therefore be a single element such as the bar’s design or a pendant light fitting, or something of a more spatial nature or related to the inherent character of the space, such as a grand interior within a historic building.

I personally do not think that it is always necessary to create a ‘wow factor’ in a bar interior. Sometimes it is just about creating an atmosphere or a quirkiness.”

Lighting is a fantastic tool for creating a bar interior with maximum appeal, says Peter Wardleworth, head of design at Glassdomain which specialises in impactful glass design features. “Not only can it bring luminosity to a space, but it can also alter the perspective of a room. Dependent upon the choice of material and finish selected, you really can achieve high surface reflection or absorption of light to suit the environment. The relationship between natural light, artificial light and the surface of the material will naturally create zones of differing light and shade and provide the space with varied contrasts and textures.”

Peter adds that interesting shapes can create a wow factor. “Simply curving the bar edge instead of conforming to the standard linear line will automatically create a focal point,” he explains. “Not only will this provide a softer aesthetic with its rounded features, but it can also make the bar a statement piece in its own right, should the rest of the venue follow a uniform and non-curvaceous style.” Glassdomain carried out the design and specification of the bar at restaurant Cucina Rustica in central Birmingham, providing an exclusive branded mirror to frame the bar with the venue’s logo. “Creating a stylish and massively relevant focal point to the centre of the bar, the branded mirror presents high-profile luxury branding in an innovative and cunning way. The back-lit glass bar fronts also create

Morgan Furniture bar stools at Hotel La Tour

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Princess of Wales A traditional pub in the celebrity enclave of Primrose Hill, north London, has been transformed into an upmarket pub and dining room with stunning interiors by Space Design Studios. Covering three floors, the project at the Princess of Wales included a new bar, an open kitchen and a new restaurant area that can be used for private hire. Space Design Studios were asked to create a design that was in keeping with a traditional pub vibe but with an original modern twist.

With a central island bar, the ground floor features plenty of striking details and fresh decorative finishes, from the luxuriant wall coverings and paint finishes to the bespoke lighting and quirky artwork. Stand-out design features include the two-metre-wide chandelier above the bar, covered in a mosaic of vibrant fabrics.

a warm welcoming feel drawing people into the bar.”

Flooring can play a big part in setting off the rest of a venue’s space and create impact, points out Paul Barratt, commercial sales director at Karndean Designflooring.

He says that luxury vinyl flooring, which Karndean specialises in, is proving popular for hospitality interiors as “it offers real breadth of choice when it comes to finishes, tones and textures, and the flexibility of the tiles, planks and decorative strips makes it possible for almost any flooring design to be brought to life in almost any area”.

Karndean has partnered with magnetised flooring technology specialist IOBAC to offer its range of contemporary designs as magnetised vinyl tiles. As a system that works by magnetic field only, it is a fast and sustainable way to install a new floor or replace an existing one. “With advanced technologies in the manufacture of luxury vinyl tiles, the design capacity of new flooring really is limitless,” Paul says.

“Specifying intricate borders, corporate colours and bespoke laying patterns is easier than ever before and can be incorporated into an interior scheme and designs to meet any budget.”

Butler’s Bell JD Wetherspoon is challenging expectations by investing in bespoke, striking interiors at some of its newer pubs. In converting the former Après bar in Stafford to the Butler’s Bell, it took inspiration from a former ironmongers on the site. The £1million refurbishment, completed by principal contractor Sanderson, included several “wow” features such as the 11-metre-long bar made from Corian with an Amberlite resin front.

Sanderson’s managing director Ian Sanderson said: “A stylish interior is what can set one pub or bar apart from its competitors and can often be why consumers choose to drink and socialise in a particular venue. Historically it was bars that were more forward-thinking and inventive with their interior designs, whereas pubs kept to a traditional style.

However, over recent years we have seen the two merging as bars mimic the ‘traditional pub-style’ to create a rustic effect, and pubs have become much more ‘pub chic’ as they extend their offering with different foods and drinks and follow the latest trends to create an inviting atmosphere.”

Operators are constantly looking to create unique spaces but within carefully managed budgets, points out Jay Rushton. operations manager at Dawnvale, a leading specialist in hospitality fit-out. “Operators and owners need the crucial balance of design, budget and operational perfection to create the perfect combination.” He says Dawnvale’s bespoke facilities and manufacturing capabilities are increasingly in demand to achieve this. “With clients looking to incorporate the wow factor, more unusual finishes are being incorporated from our latest metal veneer range – which can be applied to almost any shaped substrate while providing a real metal finish in anything from copper and zinc – through to aged patina steel and brass.”

Original furniture at Birmingham’s new Hotel La Tour contributes to the wow factor of its interiors, including the stylish Alvar Bar. The in-house design team at Morgan Furniture, led by design director

wow factor

Celebrity Eclipse A bar that is literally cool as ice has been created on board Celebrity Cruises’ 2,850-guest Celebrity Eclipse ship, which sails from Southampton. Designed by the company’s in-house new-build team, the bar top is cooled down by a compressor placed in the bar pantry. Freon pipes are placed under the surface to make the surface frozen, and the iced top is filled with gycol, an organic compound widely used as automotive antifreeze, which keeps the surface frozen. It takes about two-and-a-half hours to get the surface frozen depending on humidity.

The system is delivered by Sea King, which specialises in functional catering systems for cruise liners, and is simple to defrost and clean every night. “With a wide variety of Martinis on offer, and a uniqueness that seems to draw people in, the Celebrity Eclipse Ice Martini Bar is easily our most popular bar on the ship,” says Scott Steenrod, associate vice president for food and beverage operations. “When guests walk into the bar, they immediately gravitate to the frozen bar top and are consistently surprised by how cold the surface is able to keep cocktails.”

Katerina Zachariades, created 11 original collections with distinctive style for the hotel. Individual products included the stunning ultra-high-back Opera 169 chair which creates eye-catching seating groups in the hotel lobby. Based on Morgan’s existing Opera 168AU, it keeps the original show wood base and flared arm detail but with a back extended in height to 1460mm with a vertical button detail. In the Alvar Bar, Morgan’s Diva bar stools enhance the luxurious interior with their tactile velvet and leather upholstery. “The bar is always the focal point and often the main design statement of the space,” Katerina says.

“Choosing well designed bar stools can add to the interior scheme and attract customers to spend more time at the bar.”

Bar stools are often a starting point for customers, making them a vital piece of furniture, notes Vaughann Turnbull, national sales manager of hospitality furniture supplier GO IN (UK). “When placed at the bar, it’s a very visible element, carrying

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a strong design message, so it’s important that it plays a convincing part in influencing the overall design theme, conveying the required look and feel of the operation.

Bar stools can happily contribute to a sumptuous, luxurious style as easily as a young, modern interior.”

The latest collections from CrestJMT Leather reflect interior designers’ everwidening colour palette for upholstery, from neutral base colours and classic finishes to the use of accent colours such as bright blues, purples and reds. “Pubs, clubs and restaurants have endeavoured to take customers’ minds off the doom and gloom of the economy by teaming neutral colours with explosions of colours such as red, scarlet and orange,” says CrestJMT Leather managing director Tony Clayton, “and we see this trend continuing in the future. At the moment it is all about citrus colours of orange, yellow and lime.”

Stunning new designs suitable for bar interiors are being launched at 100% Design in London in September by textile designer James Bullen. He has won awards for his pierced, slashed, buttoned and folded fabrics while he has used floral patterns fused with metallic trompe l’oeil images to create unique canvas and Perspex wall art. A range of Perspex products are being launched at 100% Design including Perspex cube lights with printed panels.

Works of art can provide a focal point with a “wow factor”, with many brands and venues turning to Michael Murray Art to create bespoke pieces. “Bar owners should consider investing in bespoke artwork as they make great talking points, are completely original therefore making a bar original, and are reasonably priced, providing that much sought-after wow factor which is paramount for success in a highly competitive hospitality industry,” Michael says. Examples include a large, striking aerial art piece at cocktail bar Ivy in Glasgow’s West End which was sponsored by Pampero rum, while at another Glasgow bar, Den in Bearsden, Michael Murray provided a piece of art depicting a bear’s drinking den to complement the interior design.

A new generation of fireplaces and patio heaters can create stunning centrepieces for venues’ indoor or outdoor spaces. Fireplace manufacturer CVO Fire has worked on top-end bars, restaurants and hotels such as Lutyens and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in London’s West End to Marco Pierre White’s restaurant at the Fairmont hotel in Abu Dhabi. “Bar owners are looking for stylish yet affordable ways to provide that elusive ‘wow factor’, and that’s where fires and fireplaces can play their part,” says CVO Fire managing director Andrew Munro. “A stunning fire provides a focal feature in a bar, hotel or restaurant, as proven with many of the companies we work with,

Designs from James Bullen

New Inn A traditional “boozer” in Harborne, Birmingham, was transformed into a “classy” pub by hospitality design specialist Spencer Swinden. Part of pub operator Bitters ‘n’ Twisted Venues, it has remained sympathetic to the building’s history and character but with quirky details and unusual twists, explains Spencer Swinden director Melony Spencer. “For instance, a mix of vintageinspired hunting scenes and heritage plaids with vibrant colours created a modern twist, whilst wallpaper printed with mallard ducks spans across the walls and ceilings to give the illusion they are actually in flight above you,” she explains. “The New Inn now has a real ‘wow factor’ and is a real talking point for locals and visitors alike. Business has increased and the venue is gaining a reputation for its unique interior and refreshing design approach.”

james bullen designs printed interior and fashion accessories 07808232084 www.jamesbullendesigns.co.uk jbullendesign@btinternet.com

DALI lighting has a team of experienced design engineers in thermal management of electronics, lighting and electronic design. All materials are sourced in the UK where ever possible and built in our UK manufacturing facility.

Add the ‘Wow Factor’ to your venue and create a lasting impression with a bespoke lighting style to suit your requirements.

We pride ourselves in the design and build of high quality products and complete customer satisfaction.

DALI products are retrofittable for existing lighting systems or for new builds. DALI lighting has demonstrated energy savings of up to 80% plus huge savings in maintenance and many other benefits.

We offer free site surveys to calculate savings and integrate our products.

Perfomance not compromise

Call us now to find out more on

01908 324 054 or visit www.dalilite.com

DALI Lighting 15 Walker Avenue, Wolverton Mill Industrial Estate, Milton Keynes, MK12 5TW.

Add the ‘Wow

Factor’ to your venue www.barmagazine.co.uk |49

wow factor

Za Za Bazaar in Bristol

Technology

Italkero heater from CVO Fire

making a space more stylish and, of course, warmer when needed.” It also supplies Italkero designer patio heaters.

The “wow factor” could be down to a detail that reflects a venue’s level of service for its customers. An increasing number of venues are installing Guardian Drinks Holders in their toilets which allow their customers to hygienically leave their drinks within sight to cut the risk of them being spiked or cleared away. “They allow your venue to stand out from the crowd and

Parcel Yard Industrial-style furniture from Andy Thornton has contributed to the striking new interior of Fuller’s 10,000 sq ft pub, the Parcel Yard at King’s Cross, London.

Network Rail provided many reclaimed materials such as panelling, flooring and doors, and interior designers Arc Design turned to Andy Thornton for vintage factory-style furniture to complement the building’s features.

Mostly tapping into Andy Thornton’s Urban Vintage collection, the furniture includes two large refectory tables with iron frames and reclaimed pine tops with matching benches. Other pieces include smaller tables with adjustable-height factory cog mechanisms and bar stools with wooden seats and back rests on yellow-painted steel frames that add a dash of colour.

50| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Michael Murray Art at Den in Glasgow

give it a unique touch that’s needed in today’s highly competitive market to attract new custom and also to retain them,” says founder Luke Andrews. “Guardian will create a buzz with your customer that’s needed to make their night and your venue memorable.”

A bar’s design is integral to its offering, setting the tone for the whole customer experience, shaping the atmosphere, and reflecting the quality of its service, points out Dan Einzig, founder of design agency Mystery that has worked with several operators. “Generally speaking, all bars provide something very similar to consumers – a fun, comfortable place to access quality food and drink.Venues need something that makes them stand out in the marketplace, and a strong design can often be a good way to do this as it can instantly set one venue apart from the competition.

If the design is truly outstanding, it can be an establishment’s main talking point and be one of the key driving forces behind customer generation.”

With many larger operators now mimicking the look and feel of small independents, Dan believes it is becoming increasingly hard for bars to stand out in a crowded marketplace. “Good design plays a vital role in creating distinctive elements that people remember,” he says, citing the pod toilets at Sketch in London, the large-scale urban street art of Za Za Bazaar in Bristol and the bespoke mile-long Chesterfield sofas at Shoreditch House in London. But he stresses that operators need to trust their designers to see a concept through to completion. At Za Za Bazaar, Mystery’s team was given complete licence to develop its vision. “In the words of many of its customers, the effect was ‘wow’ – a visually stunning, innovative and evocative space that compels people to talk about it. The ‘wow factor’ in design

New technology means that bars and restaurants can create a wow factor with their menus, using interactive iPad and Android tablets and smartphones linked to a venue’s epos system. Already a hit in the US, Aptito’s all-in-one digital solution (pictured) has been introduced into the UK, with several venues due to start using it in August. The digital menus can feature images of drinks and food, with opportunities for supporting promotions and loyalty programmes. “It enhances the customer’s dining experience with easyto-use menus and direct ordering,” says director Sue Palmer.

Bleep UK has partnered with Conceptic Touch UK to provide an interactive touch-screen menu application called eMenu. Using a tablet such as an iPad or a networked LCD touch screen located on the table, customers can see pictures of dishes and have their orders automatically sent to the till. It is directly linked and integrated with Bleep’s epos systems.

Bars, pubs and clubs can also tap into contactless payment technology through a new low-cost epos system from Consolis Payments. Advanced mobile and contactless payment systems have been considered too costly before but Consolis Payments’ new direct-to-bank payment solution links an IP payment terminal to an outlet’s epos till system or a stand-alone counter-top cash register.

“Contactless will enable bars and clubs to cut transaction times, increase revenue, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction through fewer queues and a more efficient service,” says Tim Allen, managing director of Consolis Payments.

is creating something that truly surprises consumers and gets them talking. This sensory experience can be created through style, scale, lighting, sounds, shapes and aromas. It centres on creating an emotive reaction from the customers, with the aim that it will literally leave customers saying ‘wow’.”

www.barmagazine.co.uk |51

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52| www.barmagazine.co.uk

kitchens Ginger’s Bar

Raise the steaks Choosing the right design and equipment for your kitchen can help to save money and improve energy efficiency

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hether a bar serving hot snacks or a full-service restaurant, the design of the kitchen can make or break a business. At Italian restaurant Silvano’s in York, a redesign of head chef Silvano Scanu’s kitchen by New Concept Glasgow has improved workflow, even at the busiest times. “A badly designed kitchen will always work when the place is dead,” says Sandro Formisano, chairman of New Concept Glasgow.

With pizzas a key part of the menu, the owners decided to order a gas-powered pizza oven rather than a wood-burning model. They also chose a dough mixer from Moretti Forni, considered the “Rolls Royce” of pizza equipment, which is available in the UK exclusively through New Concept Glasgow. A pizza prep counter from Genfrost and a gas pasta boiler from Blue Seal were also installed. “Pasta cookers seem to be the way the market is going rather than boiling pots of water taking up the space,” Sandro explains. “It allows the chef to have more room on the six-ring burner and makes the kitchen more efficient.” Other time-saving devices

Jade Slimline Counter from Williams Refrigeration

included a Wet Heat Bain Marie from Lincat, a Mincer & Grater from Diamond and a Blue Seal gas fryer as well as a Gastrowell, Saladete unit and three-door refrigerated counter, all from Genfrost. To cope with 140 covers, the restaurant also chose a Classeq pass-through dishwasher.

A traditional open-top six-burner range is one of the items that most chefs could still not do without, says Mike Shaddock, chair of the Catering Equipment Suppliers Association (CESA). “Their popularity isn’t only down to familiarity – they are also highly versatile and give precise temperature control,” he explains. “These days an increasing number incorporate a larger burner, suitable for a wok or stir-fry, so that chefs can extend their menus with authentically-cooked ethnic recipes.”

Bar owners are increasingly looking at energy efficiency when choosing equipment for their kitchens. “You may pay a little more for an energy-efficient machine initially, but this will be offset by the lower running costs,” Mike stresses. When choosing a hob, he suggests considering an induction hob.

“These cost a little more than their electric and gas equivalents but save energy and offer advantages in terms of safety and can reduce ventilation costs.”

CESA is also running a campaign called “Save IT!” which promotes ways to minimise the consumption of resources on existing kitchen equipment. Run in partnership with Oxford Brookes University, it includes stickers to remind

The Merchant Hotel pop-up With many bars and restaurants running pop-ups, the Chop & Change modular system from Mette is proving a popular choice. The Merchant Hotel in Belfast has used the system’s Pop-Up Collection for two events, most recently in June in the city’s St Anne’s Cathedral. With a five-metre portable kitchen, 12 chefs were able to serve 200 guests with a three-course meal.

Chop & Change is an interchangeable range of modular food and drink workspaces, created by Nelson and Caroline Santos, specialists in hospitality design. Each part incorporates a blend of durable stainless steel with white acrylic composite and wood accents along with a frontage that can be customised for different schemes. The Pop-Up Collection includes options for a kitchen, a cocktail workspace or a mixture of both. www.barmagazine.co.uk |53

kitchens

Silvano’s in York

staff to save energy by closing doors, using equipment to full capacity and switching it off when not in use.

A new guide to creating and maintaining a sustainable kitchen has been produced by the Sustainable Restaurant Association with Space Catering Equipment, a specialist in kitchens for bars and restaurants. It provides advice and information on equipment choice and kitchen design, as well as waste, water and energy efficiency. “There are lots of reasons why it’s important to go green – lower energy, water and waste bills are three big ones – but with continued pressure on resources, particularly water which is set to eclipse energy as the major resource issue of the decade, making your business environmentally-friendly makes good business sense,” says Mike Mellor, managing director of Space Catering Equipment.

“Factors like energy, water and waste also create direct costs on any hospitality business, and with the market as difficult as it is at the moment, anything you can do to protect your bottom line has got to be worth doing.”

Energy-efficient features are included in the new Premium range of dishwashers and glasswashers from DC Products. For instance, its PD50 dishwasher uses just 2.6 litres of water per cycle and features a wash tank size of only 12 litres. The Premium range machines all have moulded, doubleskinned and insulated wash tanks to reduce heat loss and noise pollution, while the lowvolume wash tank saves up to 13,000 litres of water each year compared to traditional wash tank models.

Energy-efficient compressors have been introduced by Williams Refrigeration with the new slimline version of its popular

Winterhalter’s TwinSet

54| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Brigade

PD50 from DC Products’ new Premium range

range of Jade gastronorm counters. It has all the features of the established Jade counters but slimmed down to a depth of just 500mm, making it ideal for tight spaces.

The energy-efficient compressors offer an improved heat exchange and a reduced risk of refrigerant leakage, potentially saving up to £100 a year on a venue’s energy bill compared to standard units.

Refrigerated units with drawers are an energy-conscious and convenient option for the commercial kitchen as less cold air escapes when they are opened and they are easy to organise. To increase layout options in the kitchen, refrigeration specialist True has designed a refrigerated, drawered chef base that has such a high standard of insulation and strength that it can support equipment for charboiling, grilling or frying with no loss of performance.

Heat-exchange technology is available on Winterhalter’s TwinSet dishwasher, which combines a standard pass-through for quieter times and double-capacity system for when the venue is busy. The Energy+ system saves costs by recycling energy from the steam and waste water, using it to heat the incoming cold water. Combined with a new resource-saving rinsing system, it can save over £1,000 per year in running costs.

Efficiency was a key factor in the choice of a suite of Electrolux Professional solutions for the kitchen serving Ginger’s Bar and The Asquith Restaurant, the latest venture from Michelin-starred chef Glynn Purnell in Birmingham. With equipment such as the 700XP modular cooking range, an Air-o-steam Touchline Combi Oven and washing and dynamic prep equipment, the new kitchen is sustainable, cost-efficient and easy to use. “The innovation and reliability offered by their equipment has helped me to drop temperatures in the kitchen and to enable quicker productivity to a higher quality,” says Glynn who has worked with Electrolux Professional on previous ventures.

Brigade is a bar, restaurant, cookery school, private dining room and event space that opened last year in an historic former fire station at London Bridge.

It is a joint venture between De Vere Venues, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Beyond Food Foundation, set up by chef Simon Boyle to help young adults to be apprentice chefs.

The venue is supported by catering equipment specialist Rational and was the first UK site to have the company’s SelfCookingCenter Whitefficiency combi steamers installed. Supplied on permanent loan, they feature HiDensityControl, which maximises the capacity of the oven cabinet, and Efficient LevelControl, which means that staff can cook different foods at the same time, easily and with no flavour cross over.

“We use them for just about everything: proving and baking bread – we make 20 to 30 kilos a day – roasting meat, fish,” Simon says. “When we had to do 20 steaks at once for a private party, we used a Rational rather than the grill, and they were perfect.”

Good kitchen design helps to save costs, reduces emissions and improves kitchen output, says Stuart Flint, business and development training manager at Electrolux Professional. “Design optimisation could be as simple as keeping dirty functions within the kitchen separate from the clean functions, or ensuring that refuse does not have to be taken through food rooms for collection. Good layout, operating systems and production flow should ensure that the preparation and handling of high-risk foods are segregated and it also should prevent bottlenecks where team members get in each other’s way – which can be a cause of accidents.”

Stuart adds that an efficient kitchen design can also offer a smaller kitchen footprint, allowing bar-restaurants to dedicate more front-of-house space for revenue-generating customers. “The importance of kitchen design cannot be underestimated,” he adds.

“Mistakes made in the layout, design and equipment purchases within the kitchen can be extremely costly and can even hamper the ability to produce a quality meal efficiently and effectively.”

bar essentials

20 years for Badgemaster

Classeq cleans up

Badgemaster, the UK’s largest name badge manufacturer, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer and, to mark the occasion, is offering a 20 per cent discount off list prices for all orders placed by September 20, 2012.

Since July 1992, founders John and Vicky Bancroft have grown their workforce to 88 full-time staff at their state-of-the-art 12,500 sq ft facility in Newstead, Nottinghamshire.

To receive the discount for name badges, quote 20YEARS. Call 01623 723112 or visit www.badgemaster.co.uk.

Classeq has been manufacturing warewashers and glasswashers in Great Britain since 1977, dominating the hospitality sector with its robust, simple-to-use, cost-effective and practical equipment.

Its popular Duo dishwashers and glasswashers include features such as WRAS-approved air gap, rinse booster pump and integral chemical dosing pumps as standard – optional extras in most other warewashers. A fully insulated double-skinned cabinet ensures the range is quiet and cool to the touch while lowering energy usage.

Call 0844 225 9249 or visit www.classeq.co.uk.

The 20-second Daiquiri

Look after your microwave

When cocktails need to be served fast, the Hamilton Beach Rio blender from Foodservice Equipment Marketing gets the job done with no fuss. Using crushed ice, it blends 0.5-litre drinks in just 20 seconds and is also great for dips, sauces and other recipes.

With two speeds and a pulse option, it offers versatility and precision blending for a wide variety of drinks from fruit smoothies to Daiquiris or Margaritas. The speed of blending means orders for multiple cocktails can be fulfilled quickly and easily. Call 01355 244111 or visit www.fem.co.uk.

Look after your microwave oven to maximise its service life and ensure it works to optimum efficiency, says David Watts, general manager of Samsung Professional Appliance. He recommends cleaning air filters regularly by removing and washing them in soapy water, and cleaning the ceiling plate in a dishwasher.

Steam-clean the interior by placing a wet cloth with lemon fluid inside and turning the microwave on for a few minutes. Then wipe the interior to remove residual food.

Visit www.samsung.com/uk/professional/microwave.

Test-drive a Rational

True solution for garden

Rational offers free seminars for chefs to experience its SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency which is a “quantum leap forward” in terms of efficiency, output and cooking quality. With no obligation, the seminars are designed to give a taste of the latest combi cooking technology and techniques. Lasting about two hours, they take place every month at over 90 venues across the UK, run by expert chefs.

For information, contact your dealer, call Rational UK on 0800 389 2944 or visit www.rational-UK.com.

A bar in the garden of The Lamb in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, has been equipped with a True TDD-3 direct draw freestanding draught beer dispenser which holds three 11-gallon kegs. The unit chills draught beer rapidly, and, when serving, cold air is directed into the beer column to reduce foaming and wastage.

It was such a success that licensee Phil Lampey bought three TDD1 single keg units for hiring out to private functions.

Call True on 01709 888888 or visit www.truemfg.com/uk.

Ready for a heavy night

Italians do it better

The latest BC range of backbar coolers from Williams has been designed for busy venues that also need stylish units that display bottles to eye-catching effect. They are available as single- or double-door counters, manufactured in stainless steel or hardwearing black PVC-coated steel.

Glass doors and effective lighting ensure an attractive display, while adjustable shelves allow different-sized bottles and cans to be stored efficiently. Variable thermostats allow the temperature to be set from 4C to 10C. Visit www.williams-refrigeration.co.uk.

Some of the world’s best Italian chefs came together for the latest popup restaurant from Pret a Diner at 50 St James in London. So that the glasses and tableware matched the menu, they installed Winterhalter glasswashers and dishwashers.

“The thing about the Winterhalter machines is that they are so easy to run – staff need very little training. They’re also reliable and deliver great results, right from the word go,” said Ian Palmer from Pret a Diner.

Call 01908 359000 or visit www.winterhalter.co.uk. www.barmagazine.co.uk |55

bar essentials

A simple solution to your glasswashing problems A constant supply of hygienically clean, sparkling glasses achieved with minimum space, minimum effort and minimum cost: that’s the promise of the Streamline rotary brush glasswasher machine. It is a popular choice with customers who recognise it is a very good alternative to the cabinet machine, and is very competitively priced.

The Streamline machine’s mechanical brushes clean all shapes of glasses inside and out, removing all traces of grime and even lipstick. It is economical to run and will cope with large volumes of glasses (around 700 per hour) or the occasional couple of glasses as it can be instantly ready at the flick of a switch.

The Streamline machine is portable and versatile, making it ideal for temporary locations and outside events. It can be easily installed where space is limited.

Call 01252 820026, visit www.streamlinedirectuk.com or email sales@streamlinedirectuk.com.

New from Turbo Air

Perfectly Lovely!

The FRS-140R glass door merchandiser is the latest addition to the Turbo Air brand from Katerbay. It has a temperature range of zero to 8C and a capacity of 123 litres. Supplied with three adjustable shelves, the unit plugs straight into a 13a socket and measures 480mm wide by 580mm deep and 860mm high.

All Turbo Air glass door refrigerators have oversized and balanced (CFC Free R-134A) refrigeration systems.

Call 0845 872 5000 or visit www.katerbay.co.uk.

Highgrove Fine Foods, based in Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, has launched a new brand, Lovely!, starting with a range of condiments.

Available in 200g glass jars, they are perfect accompaniments to cold meats, cheese, pates and terrines. The first products are Chilli Jam, a sweet, fruity mix that will add a little heat without being too spicy, and a Red Onion Marmalade, which has a soft and sticky texture and is rich in flavour.

Visit www.highgrovefinefoods.co.uk.

When asking about refrigeration

The Fridge Factor:

the answer is always

True or False?

True manufactures energy efficient refrigeration without compromising food safety

True True’s heavy-duty refrigeration is perfect for busy kitchens. Even with multiple door openings, our quicker recovery times ensure ultimate freshness and food preservation.

True Food International, Inc.(UK) - Free ph 0800.783.2049 ph 01709.888.080 fax 01709.880.838 trueintl@truemfg.com - www.truemfg.com/uk

56| www.barmagazine.co.uk

the caterer’s companion

glassware and tableware

Ware the heart is Mark Ludmon examines trends in glassware and tableware from vintage coupes to gin balloons

M

any bars are turning to eBay and junk shops to find vintage coupes or retro tumblers for serving classic cocktails but, for those with less time on their hands, suppliers have developed barware that meets current trends. “Glassware is being boldly mixed and matched and interchanged,” explains Kathy Birch, marketing manager at Artis.

“The key hot trends we are seeing at the moment are ‘vintage’ with a contemporary or sophisticated twist, and ‘kitsch’ with a theatrical edge and eclectic feel.”

She notes a resurgence in champagne saucers or coupes, replacing not just flutes but Martini glasses. Artis has responded with designs that combine modern designs with a vintage look, such as the Everest Stacking Suite which are modern updates on the classic Gibraltar style used for over 30 years in cocktail bars around the world. The robust Artis Hobstar tumbler with a cutglass effect combines the revived popularity of cut glass with the vintage trend. Artis also offers a bespoke branding service.

The glassware collection at Urban Bar has grown to include designs under the banners of Classic, Urban Retro and Cubana. One of the dominant requests from bars is for exclusive or retro-designed glassware, says Urban Bar director Nick Andrews.

“The increasing popularity of all things retro is an understandable throwback to a time that oozed style, class and simplicity, when smaller, more superior-quality drinks were demanded, and greater Roc ‘n’ Roll service the from GET UK norm.” Some of the glasses manufactured

Bespoke glassware from Artis

by Urban Bar aim to evoke the feel and design quality of the 1930s and 1940s and can be produced in very small minimum orders for bespoke work. Urban Bar has also seen an increase in interest for items such as its Julep cup and Soho range of spun and diamond-cut stackable tumblers. In the autumn, it is releasing Fizz and Flip glasses and two coupes. To respond to a growing interest in glasses designed for specific drinks, Urban Bar has developed the Thistle range, a suite of glasses for dark spirits.

Kathy at Artis adds that the use of spirit tasting glasses is becoming more common to help show off and upsell spirits and aperitifs, particularly used with food pairing and presented on boards. “The emphasis is very firmly on making a statement, standing out from the crowd and adding drama to spirits offerings.”

Leading glassware specialist Riedel has met this demand with its Bar range designed for different spirits as well as port, sherry and cocktails. The glasses are designed to showcase the aromatics and flavour characteristics such as the elegant Ouverture tequila glass. Steve McGraw, managing director for Riedel’s UK company RSN, says that, while it is widely accepted that the shape and size of a wine glass affects the nose and palate, it is less well known that this is the same for spirits.

“Spirits, which typically have an ABV of around 40 per cent, can be ruined by serving them in too large a glass, such as a tumbler or a large brandy balloon,” he explains. “For example, the fine nuances of an oak-aged cognac will be lost in a brandy balloon because the large surface area the liquid is exposed to will result in rapid

Spiegelau Beer Classic

evaporation of the alcohol, giving a ‘burning sensation’ on the nose and masking the more subtle aromas of raisin and caramel.

A smaller stemmed tulip-shaped glass, with a small surface area, will keep the alcohol in the glass, whilst the shape allows for the fine aromatics to be enjoyed.”

RSN UK has also introduced the Spiegelau Beer Classic glassware range for different beer styles such as lager, wheat beer and Pilsner, based on appearance, aroma, taste and finish. “With beer, hops and bitterness Thistle Old are the main elements Fashioned from a glass has to work Urban Bar with,” Steve explains.

“With a powerful IPA, for example, the glass needs to be shaped to allow some of the nose to dissipate in order to create balance. Therefore an open shape will work best. A tulip shape, on the other hand, would over-concentrate those www.barmagazine.co.uk |57

glassware and tableware Avant Garde from WMF

Tableware trends aromas and render the drink simply too powerful to enjoy.” Other innovations from Riedel include a partnership with tea trading company Lalani & Co to develop glassware for fine teas.

For many bars, pressure is coming from licensing authorities insisting on the use of plastic to reduce glass-related injuries – a demand being met by GET UK with its wide range of premium plastic drinkware.

“Break-resistant glassware is not only a safer option for use in bars and nightclubs, or at outdoor events, but it can also save on capital costs because it’s more robust and much longer-lasting,” says GET UK managing director Lynn Johnson. But functionality need not rule out style, with GET UK offering a variety of contemporary and traditional, textured and smooth-sided designs and sizes, including the chunky L7 tumblers and the sleek, contemporary “Roc n Roll” highballs.

The importance of glassware is covered

by Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands (BBFB) in its bartender training. “The size of the glass is just as important as the quality of the glass,” points out Ian McLaren, BBFB’s head of mixology and product development. “The kind of glass picked can give you the right proportions for a drink: too big and the spirit is drowned with a mixer, too small and the drink is too strong. Ensuring your drink looks as good as it tastes is a great way of boosting your bottom line by tempting customers to buy higher priced drinks, but it also encourages repeat purchase as glassware becomes more and more important in customers’ buying decisions.

Glassware can either reinforce or totally undermine a sense of quality and plays a role in part of the overall drinking experience.”

BBFB supports this ethos with branded glassware for its products such as the new stemmed balloon for serving a Bombay Sapphire gin and tonic. With 95 per cent of flavour coming from smell, aromas are trapped by the balloon design so they linger and

58| www.barmagazine.co.uk

With bars competing with restaurants over food sales, it is crucial they get their tableware right, says Henry Stephenson, managing director at catering supplier Stephensons. “While quality of food plays a large part in a customer’s choice, there is no doubt that food presentation and quirky fashionable items also factor highly in a customer’s overall experience,” he says. While many of Stephensons’ customers have dabbled with decorative tableware, Henry says they often turn back to classic round plates. He recommends that customers choose more durable tableware and glassware even though it is not as cheap. Brands such as Churchill or Porcelite offer a five-year edge chip warranty, while Steelite International and Dudson offer lifetime warranties on some of their ranges.

From speaking to chefs, Artis has identified trends in tableware such as simple, pared-back shapes, matt finishes and natural materials such as wood, stone and slate. “We are seeing a continued trend for unusual shapes of tableware and for small ‘dinky’ sizes for haute cuisine tasting menus and amuse bouche,” says Kathy Birch at Artis. “There are strong trends towards ovals, eye-shaped, triangular and rectangular plates, but a move away from square.” She adds that chefs are using mini versions of preserving jars and casserole dishes as an innovative way to serve to table. While white porcelain remains a favourite, Artis has noticed a shift towards subtly coloured glazes with a more handcrafted rustic feel.

GET UK’s tableware includes the contemporary Siciliano and San Michelle ranges in break-resistant and lightweight melamine which looks like traditional

provide a more intense, fuller-flavoured experience, while the stems keep the liquid cooler for longer. More than 30,000 of the glasses are being sent into the on-trade, backed by a £1.5million campaign including point-of-sale materials.

Aspall promotes its ciders for serving in branded goblet glasses designed to reflect the products’ heritage and enhance the drinking experience. Aspall partner Henry Chevallier Guild explains: “A stemmed glass was the style from which our ancestors

china but will not chip or fade. “Using a range of dinnerware and serving dishes that complement your menu style and capture the essence of your food will impress customers and show that you care about your food,” says managing director Lynn Johnson. For snack-size portions, GET UK has introduced the Petite Perfection collection in melamine which also includes Martini and shot glasses. Melamine is also used in the latest range from Steelite, called Selected For You and deliberately 20 per cent heavier than standard melamine for a premium feel.

WMF has developed ranges of tableware and cutlery for different types of businesses. For more traditional bars, it has the simpler, more generic Relation Today porcelain while more fine-dining establishments can use Avant Garde with a rim tapering inwards to focus on the food. “Overall, operators need to think about whole-life costs and long-term value rather than just concentrating on the price today,” adds WMF UK area sales manager Neil Jones.

Moderne from Steelite International

would have consumed their Aspall cider and therefore it presents the brand credentials in an authentic way and adds to the theatre of the serve. Secondly, as the cider is consumed in the goblet, unlike other glasses, the radius of it actually widens. This aids aroma as not only does your nose remain closer to the liquid but the surface area expands. Finally, each sip gives a marginally broader mouth fill than a straight-sided variant does – subtle, but it makes a difference.”

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Another unique piece from Taylor’s. This Gothic style, single or double sided solid oak bench makes a great statement and the perfect room divider.

Taylor’s is an established supplier to the pub, hotel and leisure industry, with an emphasis on high quality, robust furniture. We supply: • a new range of beautifully designed and constructed tables, chairs, benches and accessories

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We supply, Install and maintain air conditioning, cellar cooling and heating systems.

Many of our clients are busy nightclubs and bars, who require a service that is professional and of the highest standard.

We’re based in Leicester, but serve all of the UK. Some of the clients we have worked for: Ministry of Sound Hed Kandi bars The Jam House nightclubs Oceana & Liquids Fever Bars ( MooMoo bars ) Leicester City Football Club Leicestershire County Council Midlands Co-operative Society Ltd Link Mechanical & Electrical Services Ltd have been supplying the leisure industry with quality heating and ventilation services since 1983 Call us to enquire about our maintenance services on

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Deralam is a family run business established for over 25 years. We are nationwide distributors of High Pressure Laminates, Kitchen Worktops and Melamine Faced Products offering immediate delivery from Wigan and Dunstable.

Head Office: West Coast Park, Bradley Lane, Standish, Wigan, Lancashire WN6 0YR Tel: 01257 478540 sales@deralam.co.uk www.deralam.co.uk

Leisure Interior Solutions

Interior fit out & Bar specialists Bars . Fit-Out & Refurbishment . Furniture Commercial Kitchens . Air Conditioning Bespoke Fabrication . Design & Build +44 (0)161 684 7879 sales@dawnvale.com www.dawnvale.com

Connections ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

Auline Group Cyprian Torralba, 59-62 Briindley Road Astmoor Industrial Estate, Runcorn, WA4 1NU T: 01928 563532 F: 01928580224 E: enquiry@alulinegroup.com W: www.alulinegroup.com

Nasha Beverages Ltd The Gosford Arms, 65-66 Far Gosford street, Coventry CV1 5DZ UK T: 07940573480 E: sales@nashawines.com W: www.nashawines.com

EPOS

AUDIO VISUAL ENHANCE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WITH A BOSE SOUND SOLUTION

Comtrex Systems Ltd Contact: Clive Keywood, Sales Manager, 2 Gatwick Metro Centre, Balcombe, Road, Horley, Surrey, RH6 9GA E: sales@comtrex.co.uk Point of sale with Comtrex Everything Posible W: www.comtrex.co.uk

M&D GEE LLP Churchill House, Stiring Way, Borehamwood, Herts WD6 2HP T: 020 8736 0536 F: 020 8736 0537 E: enquiries@mdgee.com W: www.mdgee.com

Partner Tech UK Unit 11, Berkeley Court, Manor Park, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 1TQ T: 01928 579 707 F: 01928 571 308 E: sales@partnertech-uk.com W: www.partnertech-uk.com

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OUTDOOR SOLUTIONS inn-fresco Newmarket Approach, Leeds, LS9 0RJ T: 0870 80 30 199 F: 0113 249 2228 E: info@inn-fresco.co.uk W: www.inn-fresco.co.uk

SEAMLESS RESIN FLOORING Resdev Limited Pumaflor House, Ainleys Industrial Estate, Elland, HX5 9JP T: +44 1422 379131 F: +44 1422 370943 M: +44 7711 404744 E: jillc@resdev.co.uk

Heath Advertising Pub Signs T: 01299 877605 M: 07778564882 E: pubsignsuk@aol.com W: www.heathadvertising.co.uk

FLOORING Junckers T: 01376 534700 F: 01376 514401 E: sales@junckers.co.uk W: www.junckers.co.uk

BESPOKE DIGITAL WALLPAPER Digetex Contract 1, Waterside, Old Trafford, M17 1WD T: 0161 873 8891 E: sales@digetexcontract.com W: www.digetexcontract.com

SOFT DRINKS Tynant Spring Water T: 44 (0) 1974 272 111 F: 44 (0) 1974 272 123 E: info@tynant.com W: www.tynant.com

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Geometric Furniture Ltd Geometric House, Lark Hill, Townley Street, Middleton, Manchester, M24 1AT T: 0161 653 2233 F: 0161 653 2299 E: sales@geometric-furniture.co.uk W: www.geometric-furniture.co.uk

Shop-Equip Limited Park View, North Street, Langwith, Mansfield, Notts, NG20 9BN T: 01623 741500 F: 01623 741505 E: info@shop-equip.com W: www.shop-equip.com

Hill Cross Furniture Cramble Cross, North Cowton, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 0HL T: 01325 378 307 F: 01325 378858 E: info@hillcrossfurniture.co.uk W: www.hillcrossfurniture.co.uk

CCTV & SECURITY NFS Hospitality NFS House, 15 Harforde Court, John Tate Road, Foxholes Business Park, Hertford, SG13 7NW T: 01920 485725 F: 01920 485723 W: www.nfs-hospitality.com

Wish Interiors Rowlands House, King Edward Street Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN31 3LA T: 01472 230332 T: 07802382732 E: info@wishinteriors.com W: www.wishinteriors.com

DRINKS DISTRIBUTION Nectar Imports Ltd The Old Hatcheries, Bells Lane Zeals, Wiltshire, BA12 6LY T: 01747 840100 F: 01747 840467 E: sales@nectar.net W: www.nectar.net

Deltalight UK 94 Webber Street, Waterloo London, SE1 0QN T: 0870 757 7087 F: 0207 620 0985 E: design@deltalight.co.uk W: www.deltalight.co.uk

SIGNAGE

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Feather & Jones 517 Garstang Road, Broughton, Preston, Lancashire, PR3 5JA T: 0845 370 0134 E: info@featherandjones.com W: www.featherandjones.com

Dali Lighting Ltd Walker Avenue, Stratford Office Village, Wolverton Mill, Milton Keynes, MK12 5TW T: 01908 324050 E: sales@dalilite.com W: www.dalilite.com

Francino T: 0121 328 5757 E: sales@francino.com W: www.francino.com

Celebration Paper & Plastics Ltd Stanley Street, Burton Upon Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1DY T: 01283 538259 F: 01283 510085 E: sales@celebration.co.uk W: www.celebration.co.uk

IMC Unit 1, Abbey Road, Wrexham Industrial Estate, Wrexham, LL13 9RF T: 01978 661155 F: 01978 729990 E: garyb@imco.co.uk W: www.imco.co.uk

LIGHTING

Socket Mobile T: 07787112109 E: emea@socketmobile.com W: www.socketmobile.com

BAR ACCESSORIES

Including : napkins, coasters, stirrers, beer-mats

Dawnvale Units 1&2, Albert Street, Hollinwood, Oldham, Greater Manchester, OL8 3QP T: 0161 684 7879 E: sales@dawnvale.com W: www.dawnvale.com

iControl Hospitality Ltd Amberside, Wood Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertforshire, HP2 4TP T: 0330 010 1000 / 0800 6122 868 F: 03300101001 E: info@icontrolepos.com W: www.icontrolepos.com

AWNINGS

B-Loony Ltd Sunnyside Road, Chesham, Bucks, HP5 2AR T: 01494 774376 F: 01494 791268 E: sales@b-loony.co.uk W: www.b-loony.com

INTERIOR FIT OUT & BAR SPECIALISTS

CCR Systems 142 Bebington Road New Ferry, Wirral, CH62 5BJ T: 01516448296 F: 01516458981 W: www.ccrsystems.co.uk

Bose Professional Systems Division 1 Ambley Green, Gillingham Business Park, Kent, ME8 0NJ T: 0870 741 4500 E: uk_pro@bose.com W: www.bose.co.uk/business_solutions Avonics Ltd Northstage, 78 Broadway, Salford, M50 2UW T: 0161 872 7001 F: 0161 872 7002 E: info@avonics.co.uk W: www.avonics.co.uk

County Insurance Northwest County Insurance Northwest Block N2, Chorley Business & Technology Centre, Euxton Lane, Chorley, Lancashire PR7 6TE T: 0800 781 8604 E: phillipk@countyinsurancenw.com W: www.countyinsurancenw.com

DRAINAGE

INSURANCE Supercover Ltd Sovereign House, Trinity Business Park, Wakefield, WF2 8EF T: 0845 844 5000 F: 01924 200010 E: info@supercoverltd.co.uk W: www.supercoverltd.co.uk

Retail Systems Technology Campsie Industrial Estate, Mclean Road, Eglington, Londonderry, BT47 3XX T: 02871 860069 F: 02871 860517 E: ciaran.coyle@rstepos.com W: www.rstepos.com

TOILET & DRAIN TOOLS Monument Tools No.1 in the No.2 Business T/F: 07092 894 317 E: sales-team@drain-tools.com Use Partner/ Promotion Code BARDIR for 15% Discount W: www.drain-tools.com

WASTE COOKING OIL SERVICE Arrow Oils Ltd M: 077 80 000785 T: 01706 627772 Nationwide Used Cooking Oil Collection Service – Call Now And Help Reduce Carbon Footprint

To ad ve r tise on our conne ctions page s c all 01795 50 910 9

diary

bar Bars have been building up to the Olympics in the way they know best, creating themed cocktails. Some are covered elsewhere in this issue, such as Benares on page 36, but one notable drink is the Golden Cocktail at London club Chinawhite, priced £2,012. It was created for The Last Lap – the club’s 17 special nights where Olympians are invited to celebrate in luxury – and contains Hennessy Paradis Imperial cognac, Luxor 24-carat gold-leaf champagne and a handmade set of 18-carat gold rings at the bottom of the glass. The rings were custom-made by London jeweller Hirsh and include four precious stones: ruby, black diamond, emerald and sapphire. For more Olympic cocktails, visit Bar’s blog at www.barmagazine. wordpress.com.

Back at Easter, Bar magazine hopped over the Atlantic to New York City to report on some of the newer bars in Manhattan and Brooklyn. We

66| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Mixing it up >>

paid a visit to the unfinished Loopy Doopy rooftop bar at the Conrad Hotel that had just opened in Battery Park City. We haven’t had a chance to return to see the completed bar, sadly (especially as temperatures in NYC were over 30C last month), but our contacts have sent over pictures of Loopy Doopy’s signature drink of homemade ice lollies, or “popsicles”, designed for dipping in chilled prosecco.

Now, where’s my passport?

The trouble with pop-up bars is that they pop up and are gone by the time you’ve told everyone about how great they are. One of our favourites so far this summer was the pop-up ceviche and rum bar at the St Martin’s Lane Hotel in London’s West End. Mojitos made by bartenders from the hotel’s Light Bar were served up alongside twisted traditional ceviche dishes such as Scottish salmon and salted avocado helado, created by London restaurant Asia de Cuba. It was great but closed at the end of July after less than a month, but fortunately there are plenty more pop-up bars to keep us entertained.

The Mojito continues to be Britons’ favourite cocktail, according to the latest Market Report from First Drinks. However, drinks historians Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown prove it’s not the only cocktail to have come out of Cuba, shedding new light on the country’s “golden age” of cocktails

Michael Stringer of Hire The Barman talks competitions

T

from the 1890s through to the 1950s in a new book, Cuban Cocktails. It delves into the history of cocktail culture in Havana and the lives of the bartenders, saloon owners, and their customers.

Published by Mixellany, it also contains over 160 recipes gathered through interviews and searching archives and news sources.

You can protect your iPhone and open a bottle of beer at the same time with a new plastic rubber-coated case from BeAHeadCase.com.

With lots of designs available, the case is equipped with a stainless-steel bottle opener and a sturdy tab for opening drinks. But we’re not so sure about the accompanying app that lets you record the time and place that you open every drink and then shares it on Facebook, Twitter or Foursquare. On the plus side, the app also allows you to set up amusing sounds and alerts when you use it to crack open a beer.

he other day, I was sitting with a nice chilled beer, good food platter and a team of colleagues having our regular end-of-week catch-up when the topic of my latest cocktail competitions came up. We talked about the performance I had put in and what I could have done better to secure that first-place spot, and what the specs were behind the competitions and what the brands had asked us to create. After a good hour, I realised a recurring pattern between the concept that we were asked to base our drinks on and the winning drinks.

Competition themes are normally related to the style of the brand: a whisky might choose a basic, old-fashioned theme, whereas a gin might be more inclined to run a competition that puts emphasis on herbs and spices. The pattern I noticed seems to be that some brands are choosing winners not based on the drinks created, or the originality of the presentation, or the thought process, or the story behind the creative mind of the bartender. Instead, they are focusing more on bartenders being “robots” in white coats, their perfected shaking techniques and a whole list of facts taken from websites for “brand knowledge”, purely because they fit the “corporate box ticking” that the brands want to put across. They should be highlighting the realistic fun bartenders who I see making a great impression on the watching crowds, who are a second judging panel without the power of a score sheet.

This is not to say all brands are at fault.

42Below, for example, seem to get it right every time, telling entrants exactly what they are after and following through with it. No matter how crazy the theme may be, they stick to it. So I’ll finish by wishing good luck to the rest of Team West London when we compete in the upcoming 42Below Cocktail World Cup.

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