Bar October 2012 Issue

October 2012

www.barmagazine.co.uk

Developing premium bar excellence

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People love lists, and we often hear people discuss which are the best cities in the UK for bars and cocktails. Having just come back Edinburgh, I can confirm that Scotland’s capital city ranks among the best not just in the UK but in the world. Americans will rhapsodise about how New York City is leading the way globally but we all know that, for innovation and diversity, the UK is the place to be, not just for the exciting things being done in the bars and the creativity of our bartenders but also for the interest and passion that Britons generally have for innovation and provenance in food and drink.

This month will see the biggest-ever outings for two annual consumer events, London Cocktail Week and RumFest, which are also highlights for the trade, as we preview in this issue.

London Cocktail Week in particular will demonstrate to any doubters that Britain is a world leader in bars and bartending, with events taking place across the capital and many overseas visitors expected. With The Whisky Show in London this month and the Boutique Bar Show in Scotland, the only challenge is finding time to fit everything in.

Mark Ludmon Editor

www.twitter.com/barmagazine

Cover picture: Rebellion Rum from Toorank, part of the UK’s rum renaissance.

See page 29.

EDITOR Mark Ludmon • mark@cimltd.co.uk Tel 020 7627 4506 PUBLICATION MANAGER Manjeet Griffiths • manjeet@cimltd.co.uk Tel 01795 509109 Fax 01795 591065 ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Lewis Thorne • lewis@cimltd.co.uk Bree Davies • bree@cimltd.co.uk Tel 01795 509109 Fax 01795 591065

CONTENTS OCTOBER

12

08

29 Regulars 05 Industry news 66 Barhopper diary

26 Boutique Bar Show Scotland 29 Rum 34 Mixology 39 Champagne and sparkling wine 42 London Cocktail Week

Profiles 08 One Square, Edinburgh 10 Market House, London 12 The Cribbar, Newquay 14 Sushisamba, London Features 16 St James Bar, London 45 Student bars 18 The Last Word, Edinburgh 49 Furniture design 55 Training Drink 21 Drinks news 58 Technology 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 ACCOUNTS Vickie Crawford • vickie@cimltd.co.uk Tel 01795 509103 www.barmagazine.co.uk www.twitter.com/barmagazine

© 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

TM & © DC Comics. © 2012 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved.

Filmbank represents many of the major Hollywood, Bollywood and Independent film studios and distributors in licensing film screenings to bars and pubs.

Film screenings can help drive footfall during quieter nights of the week, boost food and drink sales and generate revenue through ticket sales.

To discuss hosting your own film screenings, please telephone us on +44 (0) 20 7984 5957/8 or email info@filmbank.co.uk

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES IS AVAIL ABLE TO SCREEN IN YOUR BAR OR PUB TODAY* *Subject to delivery of materials.

news

New supplier offers access to boutique brands

A drinks supplier has been set up to help bars buy small numbers of bottles of a boutique spirit or liqueur at trade prices without the need to invest in a case.

DeliveredDrinks provides a route to market for distributors and owners of more niche brands that struggle to gain on-trade listings in the face of large wholesalers and drinks companies.

It has been created by Allan Cunningham, the former head of trade marketing at drinks distributor EPM Brands and the one-time founder of Glasgow ale and music venues Blackfriars and The Arches.

His experience highlighted how difficult it was for bars to buy only one, two or six bottles of a product without paying the full retail price. “We are here to work with brand

owners to get product out in a cost-effective way to independent retailers and bars,” he said.

“It’s about helping bars to have a point of difference. If you want your bar to stand out, you want a simple way to find more interesting products – quirky and interesting things that will help you sell more in your outlet.”

While it is run online at website DeliveredDrinks.com, Allan said it was more than just an internet retailing company but a way of supporting both brand owners and bars.

Its portfolio includes vodkas Purity, Cariel and Pincer, Colombian rum La Hechicera, Blackwood’s Dry Gin, Sève XO liqueur, Clase Azul tequila and Bruichladdich whiskies. It will also offer beers such as St Mungo from Glasgow’s West brewery.

New look for Home House bar

A Martini bar offering over 20 classic and modern Martinis has been created as part of the second restaurant for chef Michael Nadra. Cocktails at Michael Nadra Primrose Hill in Gloucester Avenue include many of the classics alongside the Martinistyle drinks. These include the Hot Passion Martini made with chilli-infused vodka, passion fruit, vanilla syrup, apple juice and chilli, while the Revival Martini is vodka, Lillet Blanc, calvados, lemon juice and sugar.

Bar develops London dry gin The team behind London bar The Star at Night have developed their own gin in collaboration with drinks company Master of Malt.

Named after an historic area of Covent Garden in London, 7 Dials London Dry Gin is made with seven botanicals: coriander, angelica, marshmallow root, clementine peel, cardamom, almond and juniper.

It is a soft, creamy gin with notes of almond and sweet clementine, recommended for a dry Martini with an olive garnish or a classic G&T with Fever-Tree tonic, garnished with a strip of rhubarb or clementine peel.

Headed by Julia Forte, The Star at Night in Soho’s Great Chapel Street has an extensive range of gins and is also home to the London Gin Club. The new gin is available at the bar or from Master of Malt.

The traditional Bison Bar at London members’ club Home House has been transformed with a more contemporary interior and new drinks list.

Part of the refurbishment of the club’s House 19 by designer Martin Kemp, it sees leather Chesterfields and a dark colour palette replaced by deep peppermint walls, shagreen slipper chairs and cut-velvet armchairs plus a new illuminated bar.

Bartender Agne Krasauskaite, who was previously at The American Bar at The Savoy, Momo and Tom & Dick’s in London, is introducing a new cocktail menu including punches and innovative creations.

Inspired by visits to New York, Agne’s new cocktails include the Charlie Chaplin, made with sloe gin, apricot brandy and lime juice, and the Green Jacket, combining tequila with Green Chartreuse and elderflower cordial.

Bartender Andy Mil (pictured), who represented Great Britain at this year’s World Class competition in Brazil, is to head up London’s Match Bar when it is relaunched in October. He has worked at London Cocktail Club bars for three years and was previously at Soho bar Stanza. Match Bar off Oxford Street, formerly owned by Jonathan Downey, was taken over last year by Alula Leisure, headed by leisure entrepreneurs Tim Lalic and Vahram Papazyan. Their other ventures include 52ºNorth Bar & Kitchen in Soho.

Martin Luney and Colin Church, the team behind Edinburgh bars Treacle and Hamilton’s, have opened a new bar in the Scottish capital, The Blackbird, in Tollcross.

Taking over the site of the former Auld Toll Bar in Leven Street, they say they intend it to rival the bars of Soho, Portobello Road and Shoreditch in London.

Work has begun on refurbishing Cloud 23, the 23rd-floor cocktail bar at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate hotel in the Beetham Tower. Due to reopen in November, the bar has been redesigned by hospitality specialists Hirsch Bedner Associates. The new look will be inspired by the city’s industrial heritage as well as the lyrics of Elephant Stone by Manchester’s Stone Roses, “Burst into heaven, kissing the cotton clouds”.

An island “beach bar” offering more than 30 different Caribbean rums is to open in Nottingham this month as part of new restaurant Turtle Bay in The Cornerhouse complex. It will be the third site for Turtle Bay restaurants, founded by Ajith Jayawickrema, which is also in Southampton and Milton Keynes.

Alongside twists on classics such as a Mojito and Daiquiri, cocktails include a Raspberry Reggae made with Cockspur golden rum, raspberries and fresh lime, topped up with soda. www.barmagazine.co.uk |5

news

Boom time for bar openings in London A bar serving cocktails has opened as part of River Quarter Kitchen in Battersea, south London – the latest venture from Valeria and Doron Zilkha who opened Brompton Quarter Brasserie in 2006. Alongside plenty of classics, cocktails include the Monsieur Quarter made with Cointreau, cachaça and lime juice, topped with champagne. The interior was designed by Secret Scape which also designed the Zilkhas’ Chelsea Quarter Café.

InnBrighton is continuing to grow its estate of pubs in London with the launch of the Dissenting Academy in Newington Green.

It is inspired by the dissenting academies of the 18th century where radical thinkers came together to debate in places such as Newington Green. The pub features art and music alongside good food and drink.

Cachaça drinks are to have a new outing at the third site for Brazilian restaurant chain Cabana, which is being launched by Jamie Barber and David Ponte at Westfield White City in west London in October. With cuisine based on Brazilian street food and colourful interiors by Alex Michaelis inspired

by São Paulo favelas, its bar menu champions Brazilian drinks made with cachaça, such as Caipirinhas.

It follows openings in Westfield Stratford City and Central St Giles in London’s West End. Diageo GB is supporting the on-trade with a social media campaign, Pimm’s No 1 Pub of the Week, which invites consumers to vote for their favourite pub or bar serving Pimm’s. Hosted as an app on the Pimm’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pimms, the competition invites licensees to nominate their outlet, and consumers to vote for outlets that have been nominated. It has been optimised for smartphones so consumers can find their nearest place to buy a Pimm’s.

6| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Investment in bars and clubs in London is booming despite the recession, with a wave of new openings across the capital. The latest new venues include Honky Tonk and Dukebox in Chelsea, Bounce in Holborn, The Jam Tree in Clapham, The Factory House and Old Bengal Bar in the City, B-Soho, and Colombo Group’s Love & Liquor in Kilburn.

Howard Spooner, part of the team behind former Chelsea club Public, has teamed up with Dipak Panchal to launch Dukebox in the former home of Dipak’s Valmont Club. It combines a New York warehouse-style interior with eccentric theatrical touches. Sharing cocktails come in vessels such as a giant egg cup painted with a soldier.

Honky Tonk is being launched by Mark Cutler, a founder of Notting Hill’s Supperclub London.

With an “edgy” décor and atmosphere, it will feature regular live music and entertainment, plus a drinks list featuring aged-in-the-barrel

cocktails and bourbons, developed by The Cocktail Service.

Bounce will combine food and cocktails with ping pong in a stylish setting designed

by Russell Sage. It has been devised by entrepreneur and table tennis player Dov Penzik with the co-founder of All Star Lanes, Adam Breeden, and Joe Jaques, grandson of the game’s inventor John Jaques III. Yann Roberts and Ashley Letchford, owners of The Jam Tree pubs in Chelsea and Kensington, have opened a third Jam Tree in the former site of Grafton House in Clapham Old Town. Its drinks list includes cocktails made with jam.

B-Soho cocktail bar and pizza restaurant has opened in Poland Street, developed by Alula Leisure – operators of London bars Match and 52ºNorth – with Project nightclub founders Luca Maggiora, Jordan Rocca and Antonello Dato.

New website helps on-trade with beer Brewer AB InBev UK has launched a dedicated website for on-trade customers containing practical advice on how to grow and develop as a business.

At www.bar-expert.co.uk, licensees can gain information on a wide range of topics from facts on beer and practical hints and tips to recommended beer and food combinations. It also includes links to some of the UK’s best pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants.

Tim Clay, on-trade sales director at AB InBev UK, said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for our customers to grow and develop their business in the drinks industry and increase customer satisfaction in their establishments.”

The opulent Palm Court at The Langham hotel in London has been transformed into the Sipsmith Gin Palace until October 26. Running Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, it features gin cocktails designed by head mixologist Alex Kratena of the hotel’s Artesian Bar and Jared Brown, master distiller of London gin producer Sipsmith. The bar also has live jazz and tasting dishes inspired by the elegance of traditional gin palaces.

Byron brings in US craft ales Byron restaurants have added a new list of American and British craft beers after founder Tom Byng’s travels in the US. From California, he has added Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and its wheat beer stablemate Kellerweis, while a visit to the Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego has led Tom to add the full-flavoured Modus Hoperandi IPA from SKA Brewing in Colorado.

Other additions include Longboard lager from Kona Brewing in Hawaii and, in an exclusive, Racer 5 IPA from Bear Republic Brewing in California. UK newcomers include BrewDog’s Dead Pony Club Pale Ale and Kernel Pale Ale.

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venue profile

One Square

Redevelopment of Edinburgh’s Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa has created a new bar specialising in cocktails and gin

F

ew people went out of the way to visit the bar at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh, with its traditional, old-fashioned ambience.That has now changed as part of a multimillion-pound refurbishment of the hotel which has created a totally new bar, One Square, specialising in cocktails and gin.

Part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and operated by the Hotels Corporation of Edinburgh, the hotel has been transformed by London-based MKV Design, which has worked on bars, restaurants and hotels around the world.

This saw a set of meeting rooms facing onto the small Festival Square replaced by the One Square bar and brasserie.

The bar’s interior is light and sophisticated, drawing inspiration from the tradition of grand European cafés but with a modern look. Alongside deep-toned timbers such as the walnut flooring, there is brightly upholstered furniture and clusters of multi-coloured globe lights hanging from the ceiling. Some of the upholstery fabrics hint at tartan but generally MKV Design has sought to create a “cosmopolitan” space with vividly toned wing-back chairs, leathercovered poufs and a bar made from solid grey Scottish Ionian marble.

The hotel’s management have also made a statement with the recruitment of its team to run the bar and brasserie. Instead of appointing people from traditional hotel food and beverage backgrounds, the general manager Gavin Purdie was previously in restaurant management at Jamie’s Italian and Fifteen, while the lead mixologist Paul Stewart worked at several Edinburgh bars including Tigerlily.

This background is helping them position One Square as a destination bar and restaurant, Gavin says. “You have to do

8| www.barmagazine.co.uk

something to make people want to come to you, and some hotel companies find that difficult to do. The commercial bar and restaurant sector is more cut-throat and different in pace.”

One Square has its own signage and separate entrance in Festival Square, emphasising its intention to be seen as a stand-alone bar. In the daytime, it is a laid-back spot for meetings over coffee or a light lunch, but the tempo picks up in the evenings, with DJs on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays playing a mix of disco classic and soulful house music. Gavin says they are also looking at introducing film screenings on Sundays. Located next to the restaurant and its lounge area, the bar offers a grazing menu of smaller dishes.

The back bar is filled with premium spirits, with a particular emphasis on gin – at the last count, there were 42 different gins. The menu encourages people to experiment with the classic G&T by using different gins and tonics, while gin tastings have proved to be popular. Martinis also figure prominently in the drinks list, which has plenty of classic gin cocktails.

Classics dominate the menu generally but Paul says they are looking to add more original cocktails, with updates planned on a regular basis. “There’s no point having something like a Mojito on your menu as everyone knows to ask for that,” he adds.

“We want to create our own cocktails and introduce some ‘lost’ cocktails.”

The line-up of beers includes St Mungo and Munich Red on draught from Glasgow’s West brewery and bottled Innis & Gunn ales and Turnberry Ailsa Amber Ale which was created for Starwood’s Turnberry resort in Ayrshire. There is also a humidor for cigars which will come into its own when the new outside terrace facing

One Square bar

Where to find it 1 Festival Square Edinburgh EH3 9SR Tel: 0131 221 6422 www.onesquareedinburgh.co.uk

Who did it Design: MKV Design Contractor: Thomas Johnstone (TJL) Wall lights: Heathfield & Co Banquette fabric: Moon Tables: Molteni & C Chairs: Potocco Conservatory lights: Foscarini

One Square restaurant

Festival Square is enhanced with a glass roof this month. They are also working with drinks company Maxxium UK, distributor of brands such as Courvoisier, Laphroaig and Highland Park, to develop recommended pairings for cigars with whisky and cognac.

One Square is establishing itself as a new player on Edinburgh’s thriving bar scene, Gavin says. “There is something about fivestar hotels that is a bit intimidating and can stop people coming in to the bar. The key was to break away from being a traditional hotel bar and restaurant. We are working hard to reposition something that was old-fashioned. It will appeal to anyone who wants good service, good drinks and a good atmosphere.”

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venue profile

Where to find it 443 Coldharbour Lane London SW9 8LN Tel: 020 7095 9443 www.market-house.co.uk

Market House A “speakeasy bar, diner and music hall” is one of the latest newcomers in the foodie revival of Brixton

O

ver the past year or two, Brixton in south London has emerged as a destination for foodies. Brixton Village, formerly Granville Arcade, off Coldharbour Lane has attracted restaurants and cafés serving up all manner of cuisines in an informal setting. Last year, restaurant critic Jay Rayner went as far as to say that Brixton Village was “the most exciting, radical venture on the British restaurant scene right now”.

The bar scene has always been strong in Brixton, with plenty of late-night, good-time bars, but some of the newer venues are as much about food and drink as partying. The latest bar for Craft Beer Co opened last month in Station Road, specialising in smallbatch craft beers, spirits and wine, with owner Martin Hayes saying Brixton is “one of London’s most vibrant areas and now has a wonderful foodie scene in Brixton Village to rival Borough Market.”

Another venue, Market House in Coldharbour Lane, opened earlier this summer, establishing a reputation for good food and drink as well as top-quality DJs and live music. It has been created by a group of local entrepreneurs in a former Truman Brewery pub, the Coach & Horses, that was most recently incarnated as Living Bar & Club.

They have restored the late 19th-century building, revealing the original ornate façade in all its former splendour. The interior, designed in-house, is inspired by the current trend for all things vintage, with an eclectic selection of furnishings, mostly reclaimed

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and sourced from local markets, such as the solid-wood bar stools, chairs and tables, traditional lamp shades and classic light fittings. After the ground floor opened for drinking and dining, the upstairs has been restored and refurbished too, creating a flexible 200-capacity space.

Market House is described as an unpretentious “speakeasy” bar, diner and music hall, reflecting its shift from being a place for chilled-out eating and drinking during the daytime through to DJs and latenight partying till 4am at weekends. “With a 4am licence, we can also provide diners in Brixton Village and other sites with a great venue to carry on the party till late,”

says Matt Wells, one of the team behind the venue.

The food is British classics with a twist, with an emphasis on organic and sustainably sourced ingredients. Nearly all the dishes are under £10, which Matt says is to keep it in line with the good-value pricing of the area’s restaurants. A new menu was about to be launched as Bar magazine went to press but it retains popular dishes such as steak and the Market House Burger made from organic Hereford beef. Market House is also the first venue to offer pies from Gourmet Pies and Sides, a delivery company set up by Matt to supply pies to bars and pubs.

Alongside a wine list to complement the food, Market House’s bar has a good selection of spirits and beers, including Meantime ale and Rekorderlig on tap. There is a core list of classic cocktails, including the top-selling Mojito and Caiprinha, with new original cocktails planned.

The development of Brixton as a destination for food and drink shows no sign of diminishing. William Leigh and Scott Collins of Meat Liquor and Meat Market are about to open Wishbone in Brixton Market, a fried chicken emporium with a cocktail list by leading consultancy Soulshakers. “I felt this was an exciting area to be involved with,” says Matt at Market House. “Now, with Craft Beer Co and Scott Collins of Meat Liquor fame opening sites, it’s really put the area on the map.”

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venue profile

The Cribbar

A surf-inspired bar has been created in the Cornish resort of Newquay

A

surf bar with graffiti art, 1960s-inspired furniture and other stylish design features is not something you might associate with JD Wetherspoon but this is the concept at The Cribbar, its new bar in Newquay in Cornwall. It has spent £2million on redeveloping the former site of Red Square and Divas in Gover Lane, creating a venue named after the Cribbar reef that stretches out from nearby Towan Head and creates some of Britain’s best waves.

The decision to open the bar in the surfers’ paradise is no surprise to anyone who knows JD Wetherspoon’s chairman Tim Martin who has grown the business to over 800 pubs over the past 33 years. He had a passion for surfing in his youth, returning to the sport in more recent years, and if you look carefully around The Cribbar, you will spot a picture of him surfing at the Cornish resort of Polzeath.

The interiors have been created by architectural and interiors agency Absolute which has worked on many hospitality projects including Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen in Watergate Bay, Cornwall. The designers, headed by creative director Helen Blake, describe their work on the 6,000 sq ft site as “a radical design departure” for JD Wetherspoon. They have avoided potential clichés, opting for a “surf-infused” scheme

Where to find it 11–19 Gover Lane, Newquay Cornwall TR7 1ER Tel: 01637 852910 www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk

Who did it Design: Absolute Contractor: Carter Lauren Construction Stools/tables: Mark Furniture: Target Furniture Panelling/bar: Oak Wood AV: Sound Power Concrete bar top/panel: Lowinfo Glass: Abbey Glass Concrete sofas: Gray Concrete External planters: IOTA Urinals: Philip Watts Design Brand motif: Ceri Pashley Designs M&E consultant: APL Mechanical Electrical contractor: J&L Electrical

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featuring swell chart motifs across a range of hard surfaces and bright acid-inspired fabrics. Low-level furniture and lighting were selected to reflect the 1960s, the era when surfing first took off in the UK. Furniture includes the Shaper Coffee Table, made from the same resin as heavy-duty surfboards and designed by Cornwall-based furniture and lighting specialist Mark, which is headed by two surfers. Their Net Stool, which is used in blue and yellow throughout the bar and the outside deck, was inspired by the sea and hanging fishing nets.

On the ceiling are large metallic “volcanoes” (pictured right) crafted from GRP plaster, providing shafts for lighting and shaped to echo the feeling of being at the bottom of the sea. The 16ft bar counter is made from solid cast concrete, with bright yellow swell arrows, while outside are concrete Chesterfield-inspired sofas from Gray Concrete.

The Cribbar brand motif, created by Ceri Pashley Designs, has been etched throughout the venue in glass and in wood and street graffiti. Other seaside-inspired features include the bleached wood panelling provided by Oak Wood, while tactile materials and over-stitching have been used to reflect wetsuits and post-surf warm-up blankets. Other touches include a motif based on the iconic Sex Wax used for waxing surfboards plus surfer phrases such as “You should have been here yesterday” etched into a solid concrete wall.

To ensure authenticity, Absolute developed the interiors with help from a team from surfing magazines Carve and Surfgirl.

Their publisher, Orca Publications, has also provided images from its book on British surfing, The Surfing Tribe, which have been screen-printed into white tiles on the front of the bar. Screens mounted behind the bar show videos and live footage of surfing as

well as the current swell charts.

The Cribbar is open from 8am every day until 2am Sundays to Wednesdays, 3am on Thursdays and 4am on Fridays and Saturdays, at least during the busy summer months. It has a dancefloor for late-night clubbing and a beer garden. Like other JD Wetherspoon outlets, it specialises in real ales, with a wide range including several from local and regional brewers. Food is served throughout the day until 10pm.

With surfing enthusiasts involved in the bar’s interiors, The Cribbar has managed to reflect surfing heritage in a relevant and authentic way. Helen at Absolute adds: “One might be forgiven for thinking that a Cornish surf bar only needs some surfboards on the wall and pictures of bronzed dudes scattered everywhere to capture the essence of this historic culture, but you’d be wrong. Surfers and the surfing culture are based on the idea of creativity and spontaneity with a little dash of antiestablishment thrown in for good measure, hence our approach and the results.”

Sound Power is a professional Sound, Lighting and Video Company specialising in licensed retail and leisure industries.

Sound Power creates feelgood solutions, which means that we provide atmosphere, entertainment and communication solutions to help you make your customers feelgood and to give that feelgood factor to your profits.

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Sound Power operates mainly in the leisure industry working with bars, pubs and clubs, restaurants and hotels.

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The Cribbar

Target Furniture are delighted to have worked closely with Absolute Design on this prestigious JDWetherspoon venue www.targetfurniture.co.uk www.targetfurniture.co.uk

Tel: Tel: 01604 01604 792929 792929

sales@targetfurniture.co.uk sales@targetfurniture.co.uk www.barmagazine.co.uk |13

venue profile Duck & Waffle

Sushisamba High above London, Sushisamba and Duck & Waffle have become hot destinations for both food and cocktails

S

ushisamba is well-known in the US where, over the past 13 years, it has grown to six locations in New York City, Miami Beach, Chicago and Las Vegas. For its first overseas location, the company has chosen London – and its most ambitious site yet. Over three floors near the top of the new 46-storey Heron Tower in the City, it has created a bar and restaurant under the Sushisamba name plus a new bar and restaurant concept called Duck & Waffle.

At the heart of Sushisamba is its cuisine, a fusion of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian, devised by Shimon Bokovza when he opened the first restaurant in Park Avenue South in Manhattan in 1999. In London, the 160-seat main restaurant takes up the 38th floor of the Heron Tower, with an outside terrace seating 70. As well as a sushi bar and a small bar area, there is a 70-capacity outside bar dubbed the “tree terrace” because of its six-metre orange-coloured tree sculpture.

Up a curved staircase is the main 50-capacity Sushisamba bar on the 39th floor, a bright, colourful space offering signature cocktails with an adjoining 70-capacity lounge. This serves as the main entrance for both Sushisamba and Duck & Waffle upstairs, with staff waiting at the top of the high-speed lift to direct customers.

The Latin vibe comes through particularly in the striking graffiti by street artist Flip from São Paulo in Brazil.

Here, the cocktails, priced around £9.50 to £12, reflect the cuisine, including the Shiso Fine – a long drink made with Ketel One

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vodka infused with shiso leaves plus crème de pêche, homemade red Thai basil syrup, apple juice and lime juice plus a drizzle of crème de cassis. The Nina Fresa is a longestablished signature Sushisamba cocktail, tweaked for London, made with Ketel One, strawberry puree, lime juice, grapefruit juice, rhubarb bitters and guava juice. Beers include Brahma and Cusqueña and, in the restaurant, there is an extensive sake list, overseen by a sake sommelier.

Up the stairs on the 40th floor is the bar of Duck & Waffle, featuring a central “inside out” stainless-steel bar without a counter separating bartenders from the guests. This leads to the 98-seat restaurant, with an open kitchen and more spectacular views over London, majoring on seasonal British cuisine with European elements.

Duck & Waffle is described as the cocktail heart of the whole venue, which is under

Where to find it Heron Tower 110 Bishopsgate London EC2N 4AY Tel: 020 3640 7330 www.sushisamba.com www.duckandwaffle.com

Who did it Interior design, furniture: CetraRuddy Contractor: Taylor Project Services Kitchen: C&C Catering Equipment Duck & Waffle furniture: DB Contract Furniture Tiling: Sicis, Artistic Tile

Sushisamba

bars manager Richard Woods, formerly at Floridita in Soho. He has an experienced team led by assistant bars managers Paul Bradley, most recently at Réunion bar at the Grosvenor Hotel in Victoria, and Daniel Redman from Callooh Callay and Kanaloa.

Alongside a strong rum list, the cocktails are described as “progressive”, with regular changes for seasonal ingredients. Drinks include a Whisky Sour made with rosemary truffle foam, and a gin and tonic with gin sorbet and a citrus foam. There is a 130-bin wine list, overseen by head sommelier Patrick Frawley, latterly at London’s Lanesborough and Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotels. In the bar, the graffiti art depicts vintage labels of rum, Scotch, gin and tequila.

Licensed for alcohol from 8am to 3am, Duck & Waffle is open for food 24 hours a day – a late-night alternative to Sushisamba which opens from 11.30am to as late as 3am on Fridays and Saturdays.

The interior design across all three floors is by New York-based design practice CetraRuddy, which set out to create “a culinary village in the sky”. The result is different areas with their own distinct characters but with a common theme of the “melding of cultural diversity”, bringing British influences into the international melting pot. Modern Brazilian architecture is embodied in the design of the floor and ceiling patterns and forms throughout all three floors, while Japanese elements are reflected in the colours, calligraphy and materials. A British sensibility is incorporated in Duck & Waffle which CetraRuddy describes as having “the warmth of a neighbourhood pub”.

Drew Peterson, beverage director for operator Samba Brands Management, says that, as the company prepares to roll out more sites overseas, each one is unique. “Every single restaurant is designed differently to reflect the neighbourhood, with its own character and individual feel and ambience,” he explains. “But they all combine the Sushisamba elements of fun, service and a lively and relaxed atmosphere.”

www.barmagazine.co.uk |15

venue profile Picture: Tom Cronin

St James Bar With stylish interiors and a top-notch team, the bar at London’s new St James Theatre aims to become a destination for drinks

T

heatre bars are not generally considered destinations for food and drink but the team behind the new St James Theatre in London’s Victoria intend to change that. Built on the site of the former Westminster Theatre, it is the first new theatre to be built in London since the Barbican 30 years ago. Alongside its programme of off-West End productions such as the current Bully Boy starring Anthony Andrews, it is being promoted for its stylish stand-alone St James Bar and Brasserie.

The bar, like the rest of the venue, has been conceived by Foster Wilson Architects which has worked on many arts projects including the restoration of the West End’s Harold Pinter, Phoenix and Fortune theatres. For the interiors of the groundfloor bar and first-floor restaurant, they turned to designer Sharon Fletcher of Designed Interiors. She explains that the intention was to make the ground floor feel like a street café, making the most of the floor-to-ceiling windows. “I wanted people to feel they were actually sitting in the street,” she says.

Inspired by this, the colour scheme is grey throughout, from the flooring and upholstery to pillars covered in grey velvet.

The tables on both levels have a rustic Parisian style, with metal bases, to give something of the look of a French brasserie.

Design features include a side wall of black mirrored Italian tiles with a silver river running through it, but the star of the space is a spectacular winding staircase

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designed by artist Mark Humphrey. Part art installation, it is called Final Encore and links the ground-floor bar and entrance lobby with the brasserie. It was hand-crafted in Italy from 200 tonnes of grey Italian Carrara marble and transported in large sections and assembled on site. It even had its own dedicated unveiling by actor Simon Callow.

The positioning of the bar as a standalone destination has been strengthened by recruiting an experienced bar team headed by Andy Tuck who was previously bar manager at Proud Cabaret in the City of London and general manager of Grand Union in Kentish Town, north London. With Diageo GB as a supplier, the back bar has an impressive line-up including bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label King George V and Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 Year Old Solera rum and the Zacapa XO. There is also a good selection of wines plus Asahi beer on draught. Bar snacks and tapas are also available.

The drinks menu is mainly made up of classics such as a Vesper and a Negroni, but Andy promises seasonal drinks such as more whisky cocktails in the winter.

Signature drinks include the St James Martini, based on a vodka sour, made with Ciroc Vodka, Green Chartreuse, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, sugar and egg white.

A list of champagne cocktails, made with house marque Laurent-Perrier, includes the English Breakfast Fizz, combining Chase Marmalade Vodka with Chase Elderflower

Where to find it St James Theatre 12 Palace Street London SW1E 5JA Tel: 0844 264 2140 www.stjamestheatre.co.uk

Who did it Architects: Foster Wilson Architects Contractor: Proma Construction Lighting design: Elektra Lighting Interior design: Designed Interiors Staircase: Mark Humphrey Furniture: Satelliet-Browns Tiles: County Tiles (Salisbury) Liqueur and marmalade, topped up with champagne. The bar’s version of the Espresso Martini is the Café Napoleon, made with Patrón XO Café tequila liqueur, Mandarine Napoléon and espresso, served in a Martini glass.

Andy also looks after the bar in the studio theatre downstairs, where the plush velvet furnishings and swivel chairs were also the work of Designed Interiors. With bar service available during music, comedy and cabaret shows as well as for pre-show drinks, the focus will be on cocktails that are stirred rather than shaken such as a Manhattan or Old Fashioned.

St James Bar is open from 8am Mondays to Saturdays and from 10am on Sundays, long before most actors are out of bed, let alone on stage, making a clear statement that this is more than just a “crush” bar for theatre-goers. It also stays open till 11.30pm Mondays to Thursdays, 10.30pm Sundays and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Andy is confident the bar will attract non-theatregoers, and is only half-joking when he says: “Some people think we are a theatre bar but we are a bar with a theatre attached to it.”

trade profile

Word on the street Mark Ludmon charts the story behind Edinburgh’s top bar Bramble and its newer stablemate The Last Word Saloon

I

n lists of the world’s best bars, the intimate cocktail den of Bramble in Edinburgh city centre always figures highly, praised for the bar team’s innovative and expert approach to drinks and the quirky, labyrinthine interior of nooks and crannies. It is now six years since Bramble was opened by bartenders Jason Scott and Mike Aikman who, this summer, launched another cocktail bar,The Last Word Saloon, in the bohemian neighbourhood of Stockbridge.

The site has been in their hands since 2009, when they turned the former Watershed bar and bistro into The Saint, a “neighbourhood bar and restaurant”.

However, Mike said the business proved to be a challenge in that location. “It wasn’t meant to be a food-led offering and, although the food was very good, people failed to see the difference between a bar that does good food and an actual restaurant,” he explains. After a revamp, The Last Word is in line with Bramble in serving no cooked food at all.

The Last Word delivers the same standards of drinks and service as Bramble, but with a more relaxed, neighbourhood atmosphere. While Bramble’s sales are 80 per cent cocktails, there is more of a mix of drinks in Stockbridge where the bar offers wines and beers such as Williams Bros on draught.

The team at The Last Word aim to break boundaries and experiment with techniques and ingredients as much as Bramble. This can be seen in the Barrel Aged Affinity cocktail, originally created for Bramble in partnership with whisky company Glenmorangie, which is an individually bottled mix of whisky and vermouth, aged in bespoke oak barrels in the customised cellar. Another aged cocktail is the Six Cylinder Cocktail, made of gin cherry liqueur, Campari and a blend of vermouths which is left to marry in steel cylinders for up to six months.

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The Last Word Saloon

The menu also features forgotten classics, including the bar’s namesake, The Last Word, a gin-based drink dating back to the US in the 1920s. There are also twists on the classics such as Who Dares Wins, made with Beefeater Gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, kummel and homemade orgeat. Syrups and bitters are handmade in the bar’s lab – a room where the team can experiment with ingredients and innovative techniques using a range of equipment, including a rotary evaporator, vacuum sealer and fairy floss machine.

The use of “saloon” in the bar’s name indicates its inspiration from pre-Prohibition American bars which were noted for their relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. The interior features dark green painted walls adorned with retro mirrors, taxidermy and framed butterflies. Oversized filament bulbs hang above the bar top and paraffin lamps on each table keep the lighting level low and intimate. The main bar area houses highlevel bespoke tables, including one made of a reclaimed Victorian door, alongside comfortable bar stools. The other part of the venue has an eclectic mix of low-level tables and seating plus an open fire.

The concept behind The Last Word was originally conceived for a third site after the opening of The Saint but, when a property fell through last year, Mike and

Jason decided to go ahead with it at their Stockbridge site. However, Mike says they are still keen to open a third venue: “We are actively looking but we are quite fussy.”

The pair know the Edinburgh bar scene well having worked at many of its top venues. Jason was bar manager at Rick’s Bar and Oloroso and a director of consultancy Barnomadics before joining William Grant & Son to work on brands such as Hendrick’s.

Mike got into bartending while travelling in Australia where he worked in an Irish bar in Sydney with Stuart McCluskey, now of The Bon Vivant in Edinburgh. On his return, Mike worked at Opal Lounge, Searcys bar at the National Gallery of Scotland and Oloroso, where he took over from Jason as bar manager. Mike says: “From the start, I wanted to do my own bar which is why I worked at different places to give me the right experience and help me decide what kind of venue I wanted.” They also continue to work with brands and run events through their business Mothership Scotland.

Mike says Edinburgh’s bar scene remains strong despite the recession. “At the lower end of the scale, they are struggling but at the higher end, the cocktail bars are thriving. These kinds of bars are still opening regularly even though it’s a relatively small city. There’s a lot of money in Edinburgh still and people are still going out drinking.”

drink

October 2012

www.barmagazine.co.uk

A Bar magazine supplement

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26/09/2012 16:13

news

New Macallan whiskies focus on colour, not age

The Macallan has released the first in a series of expressions named after the natural colour of the whisky instead of carrying age statements.

Exclusive to the UK and Canada, The Macallan Gold is matured in sherry seasoned oak casks, giving it a burnished gold colour, and flavour notes of vanilla and dark chocolate.

It is the first in the new 1824 Series which will also include three further expressions for launch in spring next year: The Macallan Amber, Ruby and Sienna – named after the yellow-brown colour.

The Macallan whisky

Bottlegreen links to gin Soft drinks manufacturer Bottlegreen Drinks Company has formed a partnership with Diageo’s Gordon’s Gin to promote a new G&T Elderflower serve in the on-trade.

It is supported through bespoke pointof-sale and starter kits which include 500ml bottles of Bottlegreen elderflower cordial and branded material, such as strut cards and Bottlegreen pourers designed to measure out 5ml of the cordial for the perfect serve.

Absinthe added to sambuca range Drinks company Hi-Spirits is expanding its successful Antica Sambuca range with the addition of a new flavour, Antica Absinthe.

The spirit, with an ABV of 38 per cent, combines classic Italian sambuca with the botanicals that give absinthe its characteristic flavour: wormwood, green anise and fennel. It joins Antica Classic and the 11 existing flavoured variants.

Jeremy Hill, chairman of Hi-Spirits, said: “Absinthe is an iconic spirit, but it also has a reputation which many people find daunting. By combining the flavours of absinthe with Antica Sambuca we’ve created a far more accessible spirit – it’s absinthe with a safety net.”

More at www.barmagazine.co.uk.

maker Bob Dalgarno said: “Using colour to drive and define a whisky differs dramatically from the conventional age approach. Creating The Macallan Gold allowed us to explore different casks and base our choices on aromas and flavours.”

Named after the year that The Macallan distillery first produced whisky, the 1824 Series differs from the existing 1824 Collection of single malts available in travel retail.

Ken Grier, director of malts at the whisky’s owner The Edrington Group, said it was an “industry first” for whisky makers to label their liquids according to the colour. “As some 60 per cent of the aroma and flavour of The Macallan derives from the oak maturation casks, this new range is a genuine opportunity to demonstrate the critical role of these exceptional casks and also to challenge perceptions about bottling at arbitrary ages.”

Buffalo Trace releases 2012 whiskeys Buffalo Trace Distillery’s 2012 Antique Collection is due to arrive in the UK in October, with a strictly limited allocation of five whiskeys available to bars on a firstcome, first-serve basis.

Distributed by Hi-Spirits, it includes the 2012 edition of Eagle Rare 17 Year Old, whose 2011 release won a gold in the International Wine & Spirit Competition.

The George T Stagg, which was distilled in 1995 and has an ABV of 71.4 per cent, follows last year’s release which was named the second finest whiskey in the world in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.

The uncut and unfiltered Thomas H Handy Sazerac Rye, distilled in 2006 and with an ABV of 66.2 per cent, is a follow-up to the 2011 release which Jim Murray named as rye whiskey of the year.

The collection also includes the intensely spicy Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old and the uncut, unfiltered wheated bourbon William Larue Weller, distilled in 2000 and with an ABV of 65 per cent.

Britvic is re-introducing its limited-edition J2O Glitter Berry variant for this Christmas. It is a combination of red grape, cherry and a hint of spice with edible gold glitter that sparkles when the bottle is shaken. First introduced last year, it accounted for 40 per cent of additional sales for the J20 range last Christmas. New festive point-of-sale materials are available for the on-trade.

Paul Seagraves (pictured) of Tweedies Bar in Grasmere in the Lake District has won the title of Pilsner Urquell’s UK Master Bartender 2012. After competing against eight other finalists in London, he won a £5,000 cash prize and will represent the UK at the International Master Bartender Final in Pilsen against other bartenders from across the globe. They will be tested on their knowledge of Pilsner Urquell and their bar skills for a €10,000 prize.

More at www.barmagazine.co.uk.

Distribution of Estonian beer Viru to the UK ontrade and off-trade has switched to Catalyst Brands in a three-year exclusive partnership with Baltic Beer Company. It was previously handled by Global Brands and Inspirit Brands. Catalyst Brands managing director Gary Squire said: “The quality of the product and packaging are second to none, and we look forward to working with the team at the Baltic Beer Company to drive performance of this premium beer brand, supported through our sales and marketing team, across all UK trade channels.” www.barmagazine.co.uk |21

news

New distillery debuts with experiments in gin Apple juice specialist Maynard House Orchards has launched its home-grown heritage variety Kidd’s Orange Red to its on-trade customers. Available on a limited basis in 240ml bottles, the juice uses a dessert apple similar in size to a Cox but redder in colour which produces a sweeter juice with greater complexity and depth of flavour.

Bar equipment specialist Cream Supplies has introduced to the UK the PolyScience Sonicprep ultrasonic homogeniser which offers a wide range of techniques such as extraction, infusion, homogenisation, emulsification, suspension, degassing and rapid barrel-ageing. It works by emitting high-intensity sound waves from an ultrasonic probe which creates alternating high- and low-pressure cycles within liquids. This results in tiny bubbles which then implode, generating incredible forces but on a minuscule level.

Westons has unveiled a new addition to its Twist range of flavoured ciders: Westons Twist Mulled Cider, infused with traditional mulling spices. It is available in a 35-pint bag-in-box format exclusively to the on-trade. Created to be served hot or cold, it can be supported by branded pump clips.

The London International Wine Fair and Distil will take place Monday to Wednesday next year instead of Tuesday to Thursday as in previous years. Organiser Brintex said this followed extensive research and feedback from visitors and exhibitors. Exhibition director James Murray said: “As a result of the change, we are expecting to attract a greater number of the ontrade as well as independents who tend to be quieter on Mondays and more able to leave their businesses to spend time at the show.”

22| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Four gins under the name of Testbed1 are the first releases from The London Distillery Company, which is building a new distillery in the capital. Sets of the four gins, each in a 50cl bottle, will be launched for both the on-trade and off-trade, reflecting the evolution of the product through the use of different recipes and botanicals.

It will be produced at a new distillery next to the Testbed1 art space in Battersea, south-west London. Due to be completed in November, the distillery will go on to produce other spirits including whisky as well as beer.

The distillery has been set up by Darren Rook, formerly of drinks supplier Master of Malt and the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and manager of Newcastle upon Tyne bars Intermezzo and Amber Side.

Distiller Andrew MacLeod Smith, who has a masters in brewing and distilling from Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University, designed the gin with Jason Grizzanti at the Black Dirt Distillery in Warwick, New York state.

The result is described as an “AngloAmerican” gin, combining the London Dry style with “New Western Dry” principles. The botanicals used in the different gins include lovage root, bilberry and lavender as well as coriander, angelica, pink grapefruit peel, licorice, bergamot and juniper.

With initial batches made at the Black Dirt Distillery, the first bar offering Testbed1 gin is The Doodle Bar, also at Testbed1, and it will also be available through Master of Malt.

Cocktail recipes have been developed with consultant mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana.

New flavours and format for Crabbie

New liqueur for the end of the world

Drinks company Halewood International has extended its soft drinks brand John Crabbie & Co with two new flavours: Scottish Raspberry with Ginger and Lemonade with Ginger.

The brand’s packaging has also undergone a redesign to further reflect the heritage of founder John Crabbie. Separately, a new can format has been announced for Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer, available in 440ml packs for the on-trade. More at www.barmagazine. co.uk.

Proof Drinks has introduced a limited-edition extension of its Agwa de Bolivia liqueur, using 100 per cent coca leaf distillate.

CocaBlue is distilled from the same Bolivian coca leaf from the Andes that is used for Agwa de Bolivia, which contains 37 herbs and botanicals and has an ABV of 30 per cent.

With 100 per cent coca leaf distillate, CocaBlue has smooth full flavour of coca leaf, with an ABV of 55.5 per cent. Only 100 cases are available for the UK market.

With the Andes once home to the ancient Mayan civilisation, the launch ties in with a global campaign for Agwa de Bolivia by producer Babco Europe to mark the end of the 12th cycle of the Mayan Long Count calendar, which runs from 1618 to December 21, 2012. “End of the world” parties will be held in cities around the world including London, with competitions for consumers to win tickets to a party in the city of their choice.

Prohibition inspires new Bootlegger spirit A clear unaged grain spirit, inspired by the American drinks of the Prohibition era, has been launched by Halewood International.

With an ABV of 40 per cent, the whisky-style Bootlegger is smooth with hints of oak and vanilla and delivers a delicate but lingering grain-filled finish.

It is made with English and French wheat and a multiple distillation process for exceptional purity.

With a bottle designed in line with the Prohibition era, Bootlegger has been developed to be sipped as these kinds of spirits were at the time. It is also suitable for cocktails, with various recipes created for the new brand such as The Capone made by adding Grand Marnier, champagne, bitters and sugar syrup with a raspberry garnish.

More at www.barmagazine.co.uk.

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24/09/2012 14:40

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Ideas for a scarily good Halloween in bars Drinks company Halewood International is launching a flavoured vodka range to add to its expanding spirits portfolio. Jellus vodka is expected to be introduced to the on-trade in October after an exclusive launch in Asda. It is targeting men and women aged 21 to 30 and comes in 50cl bottles with an ABV of 37.5 per cent. The four flavours are Citrus Lemon, Strawberry Cheesecake, Morello Cola and Toasted Marshmallow.

France’s cognac producers have reported an increase of 4.3 per cent in shipments this year.

Figures for August 2011 to July 2012 from the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) show total shipments stood at 471,678 hectolitres of pure alcohol, equivalent to 168.5 million bottles. In Europe shipments slipped 1.5 per cent to 47.1million bottles.

Drinks company Mangrove has taken on UK distribution of Portobello Road Gin No 171, which was launched by the Portobello Star bar in Notting Hill, London. It was developed by distiller Charles Maxwell of Thames Distillery for Ged Feltham of Leedsbased bar operator Leelex which owns the Portobello Star. It will be supported by training and masterclasses led

by Portobello Star’s Jake Burger.

Three limited-edition beers are being launched by Suffolk brewer Adnams for the autumn and winter months. Topaz Gold pale ale, with an ABV of four per cent, has a medium body and bitterness with a crisp finish, while English Red is a hearty, fruity red ale with an ABV of 4.5 per cent. For Christmas, the scarlet red Jingle Bells ale, with an ABV of 3.9 per cent, has a citrus aroma and slight toffee notes.

24| www.barmagazine.co.uk

decorating outlets as either Zombie Zones or Vampire Venues. Items include zombie cut-outs and vampire hanging mobiles.

Selected outlets will be able to give away Zombie Heads or Vampire Capes with purchases of WKD. Themed cocktails are also suggested such as a Zombie Brew with WKD Iron Brew, herbal liqueur, lemonade and ice and Batwing with WKD purple, blackcurrant liqueur, lemonade and ice.

Halloween ideas have also been developed for Bloodshot Vodka, the spicy spirit for Bloody Marys, such as a brunch party at Brompton Bar & Grill in London’s Knightsbridge. It will have “bloodbaths” on every table for customers to make their own Bloody Mary alongside food such as “dead man’s finger sausages”.

Drinks companies are looking to scare up a good time in Britain’s bars with activities planned for Halloween.

Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands will be helping bars to add a New Orleans twist to their Halloween celebrations with Southern Comfort, offering new point-of-sale kits including gift-with-purchase incentives such as hats, glasses and masks.

They will encourage purchase of Southern Comfort serves such as Southern Comfort Lime and Lemonade with a squeeze of fresh lime and the Black Cherry Jam including the Bold Black Cherry variant.

SHS Group will be bringing the battle of vampires versus zombies into bars, pubs and clubs for its RTD brand WKD, with kits for

On-trade move for Malibu Snowcoco

New spirit fuses Malibu and tequila

The limited-edition Malibu Snowcoco, which contains snow-like coconut flakes in the coconut rum, has been extended into the on-trade after last year’s sell-out success in the off-trade.

Available for the run-up to Christmas, it is supported in both the off-trade and on-trade with simple serve suggestions such as the Malibu Snowflake, mixing it with cranberry juice and apple juice, and the Malibu Blizzard, combining it with lemonade and lemon juice.

Ian Peart, on-trade channel director for spirits at Pernod Ricard UK, said: “Malibu Snowcoco will be activated in the on-trade through engaging back-bar displays and supported via a range of recommended winter serves.”

Pernod Ricard UK is to introduce a new fusion of Caribbean Malibu rum and Olmeca tequila in the UK in the runup to Christmas.

Malibu Red has been developed by “sensory experts” and bartenders to balance the light and smooth coconut taste of Malibu with the rich characteristics of premium tequila, with a fiery finish.

It is to be promoted as a highly mixable and versatile spirit for long drinks and cocktails. Signature serves include Malibu Red with lemonade and a lime wedge or making a Malibu Red Margarita by adding just lime juice and agave syrup.

The launch will be supported by a campaign to build awareness and engagement with consumers and the trade, including a link-up with R&B star Ne-Yo and advertising under the banner of “Taste the Smooth, Feel the Fire”. On-trade support will include point-of-sale kits containing bar runners, glassware, table talkers and ice buckets.

Debut for premium Indian whiskies John Distilleries in India is to introduce premium whiskies for the first time after its success with the mass-market Original Choice – the world’s seventh largest whisky brand.

The first release is the single-cask malt Paul John, made with Indian malted barley and double-distilled in traditional copper-pot stills and aged in ex-bourbon casks. Bottled at 59 per cent ABV, it scored 94.5 out of 100 from whisky expert Jim Murray.

Only 150 bottles of the whisky have been released, launching at this month’s Whisky

Show at Vinopolis, London Bridge, which is organised by the whisky’s UK supplier The Whisky Exchange.

The unpeated whisky will be followed by a limited-release peated version in November, while a more regularly available premium whisky will be released in spring 2013.

John Distilleries executive vice president Sanjay Paul said it was the first step towards the brand becoming “internationally recognised for making truly distinguished whiskies”.

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26/09/2012 17:29

news

Boutique Bar Show heads for Glasgow

Scotland’s annual Boutique Bar Show is coming to Glasgow in October after a successful two years in Edinburgh. The industry event offers bar owners and bartenders a place to find new and interesting products, develop new business contacts and gain inspiration from internationally respected speakers.

The show, which was held in London in September and Manchester in April, is unique in offering all drinks companies the same sized stand to ensure the event retains its intimate and business-like atmosphere.

It takes place this year in the Old Fruitmarket in Candleriggs in Glasgow’s Merchant City on October 23 from 11am to 5pm.

It is organised in conjunction with consultancy, drinks and events company LA Group. Alongside companies exhibiting new and exciting spirits, liqueurs and beers, the event will feature top international speakers, cocktail competitions, interactive cocktail demonstrations and seminars.

Organised by BarlifeUK, they include the Scottish final of the Luxardo Masters of Maraschino competition and talks by drinks historians Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller on “cocktails that changed the world” and Georgie Bell from The Scotch Whisky Malt Society on distillation and flavour.

It will host the third instalment of the Great Scottish Shake Off, now renamed The Scottish Brugal Rumble, which sees bartenders from Newcastle upon Tyne, Edinburgh, Aberdeeen and Glasgow compete for the title of top northern bartending city.

Register for free entry, and find more information about the show’s features, at www.boutiquebarshow. co.uk.

26| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Jameson takes Cult Film Club into bars Pernod Ricard UK is taking its Jameson Cult Film Club series into the on-trade for the first time, setting up portable bars and other activities.

The Jameson Previews initiative will run from October until March, helping licensees to host their own “cinematic experience”.

It follows large-scale Cult Film Club screenings in London, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne in September and October, showing films such as Jaws, Terminator and Dracula.

For the on-trade, brand ambassadors will set up bars in selected venues offering consumers “preview” samples of Jameson with ginger and lime or with apple juice on ice. They also get a

voucher for redeeming for a full-size Jameson drink. It will be supported by an online portal for the trade, including best-practice guides for in-bar activity and advice on Jameson serves.

There is also a point-of-sale kit, training and help with social media and database mailings.

Other options include a Cult IQ film quiz, led by Jameson brand ambassadors, and a Cult Profile photo booth, allowing people to have their picture put on a mock-up cover of Empire magazine, which can be uploaded to Facebook and printed out.

The Jameson team can also help with inbar screenings, providing two fully licensed films and materials such as free popcorn and branded directors’ chairs.

Unique bottle range Relaunch for classic from Absolut RTD Hooper’s Pernod Ricard UK has launched a limited-edition range of uniquely designed and individually numbered bottles for its Absolut vodka brand, called Absolut Unique.

The bottle has been launched into travel retail and will be rolled out to select on-trade outlets in the UK later this year.

Splash guns and colour-generating machines were programmed to ensure no two bottles were created alike, using 38 different colours with 51 pattern types. A white numbered paper label features on each bottle, validating it as a one-off creation.

Another iconic RTD name from the 1990s, Hooper’s, has been relaunched by Global Brands, this time as an artisanal range made with natural ingredients.

Hooper’s Dandelion & Burdock, Hooper’s Ginger Brew and Hooper’s Cloudy Lemonade have been created using natural flavours, with no artificial colours, and are aimed at “discerning” 25- to 45-year-old drinkers. Available in 500ml bottles with an ABV of four per cent, they are designed to be served over ice.

The Hooper’s name is best known from Bass Brewers’ RTD range in the early 1990s which included Hooper’s Ginger Brew and evolved into Hooper’s Hooch. In July, Global Brands relaunched lemonflavoured Hooper’s Hooch as just Hooch, also now in 500ml bottles and for serving over ice.

More at www.barmagazine.co.uk.

Chase adds gin with lower ABV Chase Distillery in Herefordshire has introduced a new gin that has a lower ABV than its successful 48 per cent ABV Williams Chase Gin. The new Williams GB Gin, with an ABV of 40 per cent, was designed to meet demand for a spirit for an “everyday gin and tonic”. It was launched last month at Abergavenny Food Festival and London’s Boutique Bar Show.

Founder William Chase said: “It was only a matter of time before our distributors convinced us to distil a gin with a lower ABV to suit everyday drinking.”

The original Williams Chase Gin is made from distilling organic cider apples into vodka and then re-distilled by infusing 11 botanicals including hops, lemon, orange, elderflower and Bramley apple.

WIN A TRIP TO NICARAGUA

7

THE GRAND FLORITO COCKTAIL COMPETITION 2012 FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT WWW.AMATHUSDRINKS.COM/FDC2012

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rum Bacardi UK ambassador Shervene Shahbazkhani

Sweet success Britons’ love of rum continues to grow, led by spiced, golden and super-premium styles, reports Mark Ludmon

F

ive years ago, around 1,000 people sipped rum in one of the rooms at London’s Royal Horticultural Halls for the UK’s first-ever RumFest.

After attracting over 6,000 people to Olympia last year, the show is relocating for 2012 to the even-bigger ExCel exhibition centre in London’s Docklands, reflecting the ever-growing interest in rum by British drinkers.

Over the past few years, there has been a boom in golden rums, boosted by the former True Rum campaign by the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers’ Association. Alvin Saal, brand manager for Mount Gay rums, says: “Golden Rum has always had that star pedigree, and Mount Gay is still seeing double-digit growth in the on-trade.” Mount Gay dates back to 1703 in Barbados and ranges from the flagship Eclipse aged rum to the extra-old XO and super-premium 1703 Rare Cask.

“A lot of bars are running rum clubs and tastings as people, especially younger males, are looking to learn more about the spirits that they drink,” Alvin adds. “The requests we get from different bar groups for it is growing all the time.”

Consumers are discovering that aged rums have the same complexity as a good whisky

or bourbon, especially in blind tastings, he says. “The 1703 more than holds its own against some of the single malt whiskies.

Sampling converts whisky drinkers to the world of rum.”

In mainstream bars and pubs, Mount Gay distributor First Drinks is seeing volume growth by promoting golden rum for mixing with ginger beer as well as cola and for cocktails such as a Mai Tai. For more premium bars, it is about sipping rums or an XO Old Fashioned. The latest move is Mount Gay ceramic conch shells as drinking vessels which have been seeded into top bars such as Keko Moku in Manchester, Mojo in Leeds and The Brompton Club in London.

Aged rums are becoming as much sought after as other aged spirits, as witnessed by the packed turn-out for the sampling of a 50-year-old Appleton Estate rum at last month’s Boutique Bar Show in London. Only 800 bottles, selling at £3,500 each, were released around the world, made from rums especially set down 50 years ago for celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence. For the core Appleton Estate V/X, bartenders are encouraged to mix it up: Richard Tring from The Milk Thistle in Bristol will compete at the Appleton Estate

Experience the rum The sixth annual UK RumFest takes place at ExCel in London’s Docklands, bringing together rums, Caribbean food and entertainment over the weekend of October 13 and 14. More than 400 different rums and cachaças are due to be featured alongside talks by leading rum blenders, distillers and mixologists.

In The Cocktail Academy, visitors can learn about cocktails from bars such as the Langham hotel’s Artesian Bar, Trailer Happiness, Mahiki, Wax Jambu and Sushisamba in London and Keko Moku and The Liars Club in Manchester.

RumFest tickets are £40 for the weekend or £25 for Saturday and £20 for Sunday.

Alongside the main event will be Boutique RumFest, a showcase for small or new independent rum and cachaça brands, aimed exclusively at the trade.

It is free but registration is in advance.

For registration, tickets and other information, visit www.rumfest.co.uk.

RumFest comes at the end of London Cocktail Week (see page 42). Events include the Smatt’s Rum & Ice Cream Shack, a pop-up bar in Seven Dials run

by Twist London from October 8 to 14.

Other rums with events will include Angostura, Bacardi, Mount Gay, Santa Teresa and Zacapa. More at www. londoncocktailweek.com. www.barmagazine.co.uk |29

rum Bartender Challenge in Jamaica this month after winning the UK final.

Drinks company Mangrove UK has been running consumer and trade tastings and for Santa Teresa, bringing its Venezuelan provenance to life this year including parties at The Big Chill House in London and pop-up The Yacht Club in Spinningfields, Manchester. “Over half of golden rum drinkers are under 35 years old, and Santa Teresa put on events to appeal to this demographic while maintaining their proud Venezuelan heritage,” explains brand manager Natalie Evans. Events have also promoted pairing the rum with chocolate, with more planned for National Chocolate Week from October 8 to 14 and this month’s London Cocktail Week.

One of the newest golden rums is Virgin Gorda, introduced by The Poshmakers, the team behind Ish Gin. Named after one of the British Virgin Islands, it is a blend of rums from Trinidad, Jamaica and Barbados. In less than a year, it has gained listings with operator D&D London and leading London bars such as the Nightjar.

The English Harbour range of golden rums from Antigua has grown since the five-yearold was introduced to the UK six years ago.

At RumFest, MC Drinks will be showcasing English Harbour 5 Year Old, 10 Year Old and the Vintage which is described as being as complex as a fine cognac. Named after the harbour where Admiral Nelson had a base, the rums are promoted for cocktails such as a Stormy Harbour – a simple serve devised by leading mixologist Angus Winchester mixing the five-year-old with freshly squeezed lime juice and ginger beer.

Also at RumFest, drinks company Love Drinks will be promoting the Dark ‘n’

Havana Club Mojito Embassy in Edinburgh

30| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Captain Morgan’s Spiced

Conch shell vessel for Mount Gay

Stormy, a mix of rum and ginger beer with a lime wedge. The classic drink is a registered trademark for Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, meaning it can only be made with the Bermudan dark rum. This year, owner Malcolm Gosling launched his own Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer, available in 330ml cans, to suit a Dark ‘n’ Stormy.

Dark rum overall has shown a decline in the on-trade because its traditional channel of local pubs is shrinking, but some brands are in growth such as Lamb’s Navy. This has reported value growth of over 10 per cent in 2012 on the back of new listings and a focus on the brand’s British heritage, dating back to 1849. “There will be significant brand activity taking place later in the year to showcase this,” adds James Wright, international sales and marketing manager for Lamb’s at Halewood International.

While volumes of golden and dark rums remain flat in the UK on-trade overall, the premium brands are in growth, such as the superpremium Havana Club 15 Year Old which is up 5.5 per cent year on year. “The growth in ultra-premium rum is being driven by bartenders and consumers seeking authentic products with distinctive taste and provenance, in a way that is similar to the whisky category,” points out Ian Peart, on-trade channel director for spirits at Pernod Ricard UK. “This also reflects the wider trend of consumers trading up to premium spirits

This autumn Diageo GB is supporting Captain Morgan’s Spiced with the brand’s biggestever marketing spend, with a £2.2million campaign that includes its first-ever TV ad. It will be supported in the on-trade with 1,200 promotional kits containing tankards that are featured in the ad, along with other merchandise such as branded keyrings and bandanas. It follows a summer of events in bars, pubs and clubs featuring the character of Captain Morgan and his Morganettes.

Blackwell’s Rum Sam Fish of the Leeds-based Mojo bar group was winner of the northern England heat of Blackwell Black Gold rum’s Re-Mix Cocktail Competition.

The heat was held in the Rhum Room of Mojo in Leeds, where the Jamaican rum is already well established. She will take part in the final at RumFest in London on October 14.

The Jamaican rum’s signature drink is the GoldenEye (pictured), which is named after the home of the rum’s owner Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records who bought the GoldenEye estate that once belonged to James Bond creator Ian Fleming. The cocktail mixes the rum with pineapple juice and fresh lime over ice.

We Just Made It Much Easier To Make Bermuda’s National Drink.

Introducing Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer.

Now, making a delicious Dark ’n Stormy® is a breeze.

As always, start with two ounces of deep, luscious Gosling’s Black Seal Rum in a tall ice-filled glass. Then, top with our new perfectly balanced ginger beer; the only ginger beer made strictly to make Dark ’n Stormy cocktails.

We spent over a year to achieve the ideal balance of sweetness and spiciness. And matching it to the flavor profile of our award-winning Black Seal Rum. Yes, our Stormy Ginger Beer is a delightful, zesty soft drink all by itself.

But we have far darker plans for it.

+

For Seven Stubborn Generations.

www.goslingsrum.com We make it slowly, stubbornly. Please enjoy it slowly, responsibly. 40% ABV. Distributed exclusively in the U.K by Love Drinks Ltd, 16 a Clapham Common Southside, London, SW4 7AB Tel: 02075019630 Email: info@lovedrinks.co.uk

Gosling'sGingerBeer_sellsheet_UK.indd 1

6/12/12 8:28 AM

rum in the on-trade which licensees should look to capitalise on. Sipping rums are also increasing in popularity as demand and distribution grows for ultra-premium rums like Havana Club Selección de Maestros.”

With research group CGA confirming that the Mojito is Britons’ favourite cocktail, Pernod Ricard UK has been carrying out sampling at festivals through its Mojito Embassy programme which launched at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August.

Attracting 13,000 consumers, it gave consumers a taste of Cuban life and showed them how to make an authentic Mojito with fresh ingredients.

The Mojito is one of the “legacy cocktails”, which Bacardi has traced back to the late 19th century when it was made with Bacardi Superior. This and other classic such as the Daiquiri and Cuba Libre have been at the heart of the Bacardi Legacy programme that has re-engaged bartenders with the brand over the past few years. The latest Bacardi Legacy competition is now under way in the UK, with four regional heats in London, Edinburgh, Manchester and Bristol this month, leading to a UK final in London in February.

Previous winners include London bartenders Zdenek Kastanek of Quo Vadis and Ago Perrone of the Connaught Bar. “It has been a massive success for taking Bacardi from a place where it was seen as just a ubiquitous white rum to a rum that has 150 years of history,” says Alex Turner, head of brand advocacy at Bacardi Brown-Forman

Up spirits On October 21, the traditional naval toast of “Up Spirits” will be made to mark Trafalgar Day, when Britain’s Royal Navy under Admiral Nelson defeated the French and Spanish.

Many of the tots will be Pusser’s Rum, which was the base for the official navy ration, and its distributor Cellar Trends has developed a cocktail named after the rum ration’s nickname, Nelson’s Blood. It mixes it with cranberry juice, orange juice, fresh lime juice and Angostura Aromatic Bitters, garnished with a lime wedge.

Another cocktail promoted for Pusser’s is the modern classic, the Painkiller, made by adding pineapple juice, Coco Real coconut cream and orange juice.

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Backyard Lemonade

Brands (BBFB). Alex says that this year, the organisers of the competition have set out to attract not just bartenders from the UK’s top bars but from mainstream bars too.

At the very top end, the Savoy hotel has been given one of only 1,000 decanters created to celebrate Bacardi’s 150th anniversary, with a second set to be presented to the Ritz this month. In the mainstream, events for consumers include Bacardi Speakeasy Parties at Inventive Leisure’s rum bars Revolucion de Cuba, which are set to continue into 2013.

This month will also see promotions run under the banner of “Oaktober” for spiced rum Bacardi Oakheart which was launched a year ago. “Bacardi Oakheart is bringing new consumers into the rum category, delivering incremental sales for trade and contributing to the overall health of the category,” says BBFB’s marketing director Liam Newton.

There has been a phenomenal increase in the number and variety of spiced rums in the UK market, from Chairman’s Reserve Spiced, Elements Eight Spiced, The Pink Pigeon, Kraken Black Spiced and RedLeg Spiced joining the likes of Lamb’s Spiced, Captain Morgan Spiced and Sailor Jerry.

Toorank is focusing on the spiced rum in its new Rebellion range, saying it has been launched to meet demand from bartenders for “a return to fuller-tasting spiced rums”.

“Spiced rum is still a hot category within rum and spirits generally, which is being driven by lots of new entrants into the area which is great,” says Mark Collins, marketing controller for Sailor Jerry at First Drinks. After the Caribbean spiced rum was relaunched two years ago with a tweaked recipe, First Drinks has been promoting it through events that tap into its heritage with tattooist Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins.

Dzama Rum A new range of rums from Madagascar are set to be introduced into the UK market after making their debut at Boutique Bar Show in London last month.

Dzama rums are made from sugar cane grown on the small island of Nosy Bé off the coast of Madagascar.

They are being launched into the UK through drinks company Distillnation.

The range includes the white Cuvée Blanche Prestige, which has citrus notes, and the Cuvée Noire Prestige which brings more vanilla and spice. The star of the range is the complex 15-year-old Dzama Rhum XV.

RedLeg Rum RedLeg, a Caribbean rum spiced with vanilla and ginger, was launched earlier this year

by Blavod Wines & Spirits, aimed particularly at people aged 25 to 30 who are increasingly choosing rum in pubs and bars. The packaging incorporates the motif of a Red Leg hermit crab from the Caribbean.

Blavod reports a successful time at festivals such as a Rum Shack at the Playgroup Festival at Eridge Park in Kent last month. Listings include 12-strong Brighton pub group Indigo while a RedLeg cocktail book has been produced for bartenders.

Key serves include the Backyard Lemonade, mixing it with lemon juice, sugar syrup and soda, garnished with a lemon wedge and sprig of mint. First Drinks has also introduced Sailor Jerry point-of-sale kits that bars can use to encourage their customers to “Tip Your Bartender”. “It links into the Sailor Jerry ethos of celebrating hard work, reminding people when they go into a bar that the bartender is working very hard,” Mark explains. He adds that bartenders’ passion for rum has been key in the spirit’s renaissance.

“The growth of golden rum and spiced rum has reawakened the rest of the category.”

ENG HARB ARTWORK

20/9/12

10:44 am

Page 1

English Harbour Aged Golden Rum from Antigua

Antigua Distillery’s finest rum takes its name from Horatio Nelson’s famous naval harbour.

A single estate rum from Antigua’s only distillery, it is distilled in copper stills and matured in oak barrels for exceptional smoothness.

This is an ideal sipping rum and an outstanding cocktail base.

• Single estate rum • From Antigua’s only rum distillery • Bottled at source • Distilled in copper stills • Aged in oak barrels • Named after famous 18th century naval harbour • Double gold medal winner • Rated one of the ten best rums in the world

Malcolm Cowen (Drinks) Ltd 29-31 Minerva Road, Park Royal, London NW10 6HJ Telephone: 020 8965 1937 Facsimile: 020 8961 3501 E-mail: sales@mcdrinks.co.uk www.mcdrinks.co.uk

mixology

Gareth Evans of London’s Pollen Street Social on competing in last month’s Tahona Society Cocktail Competition in Mexico

The spirit of tequila After finally making it to Guadalajara, I got an early night (by bartender standards) so I was fresh for the first day. We got the early bus to Arandas and headed out to visit the agave fields on quad bikes. This was even more fun than it sounds. We met Olmeca’s fifth-generation team of jimadors and had a go at preparing an agave plant for the oven (unsuccessfully). After dinner, we went to a bar called Happy Bar which had a mariachi’s jukebox, questionable adult entertainment on TV and a lot of tequila on the bar. No complaints here…

Day two started with a tour of the Olmeca distillery with Jesus Hernandez, its master distiller. The combination of the old and new was striking – the traditional tahona wheel and stone ovens are visible as soon as you enter, alongside the more modern molina (roller-mill) and autoclave. A combination of these processes in different configurations makes up the Olmeca tequila family. The tequila I’d be using in the competition – Altos Blanco – is made from 100 per cent blue agave, with a significant portion of tahona liquid blended in, which makes for a great versatile mixing tequila with a bright agave character.

The competition was of a really high standard.

My ingredients were damaged during the journey, which proved to be my undoing, and the competition was won by Heinz Keller

from Dino’s American Bar in Vienna. It was fully deserved, although the judges did present me with a couple of bottles of Altos for my presentation, which was a nice touch.

On day three, we took a bus to the town of Tequila (aka “Disneyland for bartenders”) where we visited La Fortaleza – Tequila’s smallest commercial distillery. We met the owner, Guilliermo Sauza, a fifth-generation tequila man and a real character. In the evening we went to La Capilla, where the impressive Don Javier – the 89-year-old owner – has been tending bar for over 30 years. I loved this place: the history is on the walls for all to see, and Don Javier was happy to have so many old and new friends around him.

Day four and five saw me experience a nasty bout of food poisoning so the less said about that the better. Day seven arrived and it was time to say goodbye to most of the group. I spent the evening at Casa El Tigre with Olmeca Altos brand ambassador Matthias Lataille, and Stef Oghene and Henry Besant from the Tahona Society. El Tigre’s whole family showed up, and there was more singing, amazing food, yet more tequila and time to appreciate what we’d all just experienced.

The hospitality here will always stay with me and is a true indicator of what is great about Mexico.

Salud!

For a longer version of Gareth’s report, visit www.barmagazine.co.uk.

Mixologists’ corner Ryan Chetiyawardana, formerly of London’s Worship Street Whistling Shop and 69 Colebrooke Row, will reveal details of his new bar concept at The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show at Vinopolis

by London Bridge on October 6 and 7. We present some of the recipes he will be offering.

Green Spot Sour 50ml Green Spot Irish whiskey 10ml Fresh lemon juice 10ml Fresh pink grapefruit juice 25ml Egg white 15ml Sugar syrup 3 dashes Boker’s bitters Dry shake all ingredients, then shake with cubed ice and double-strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

34| www.barmagazine.co.uk

The Redhead 50ml Clynelish single malt Scotch 10ml Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur 3ml Campari 1 spoonful Orange marmalade Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass without ice until the marmalade has dissolved. Add ice, stir, double-strain into a small chilled glass without ice. Garnish with an orange twist.

ML

Bartenders at Jalou in Newcastle upon Tyne have developed a new drinks list featuring more than 50 cocktails. New drinks include the Smoked Gingerbread Manhattan, which combines bourbon, vermouth and aromatic bitters with gingerbread syrup, and the Bubblegum Daiquiri (pictured), which adds a twist with bubblegum syrup and a sprinkling of popping candy. The White Cosmo is served over a frozen orchid while the Strawberry Margarita comes with a side of strawberry pearls. Jalou has also launched a Ciroc VIP Lounge, sponsored by Ciroc Vodka, which can be hired for exclusive use or by the booth, with access to a private cocktail bartender.

Leading mixologist Nick Strangeway has created a menu of “foraged cocktails” at Peyton & Byrne’s newly reopened Inn the Park in St James’s Park, London, using ingredients foraged from nature. His drinks, priced at £7, are inspired by the park, with British autumnal flavours such as rosehip syrup, sloe gin, crab apple jelly, nettle cordial and Somerset cider brandy. Highlights include a Nettle Gimlet, made with vodka, gin, nettle cordial and lime juice, and the Rye and Quince Sour, a mix of rye whiskey, homemade quince syrup and squeezed lemon.

The Blackberry and Mint Julep uses bourbon infused with fresh mint and blackberries.

advertisement feature

Question of identity In the sixth instalment of mixxit maintenance, guest columnist and Lucas Bols brand ambassador John Clay introduces the concept of identity.

I

t’s a curious thing to think about: what makes a bar, a bar? The location, the size and shape of the venue, the offering, the music, the staff, the cocktail menu, hell even the toilets! Venues may have all of these elements but I believe a bar comes into its own when it comes together as a single concept. Whether it’s a hotel bar, a restaurant bar or a tiki bar slinging out Fog Cutters and Zombies, understanding your concept will set you apart from the crowd.

It can be tempting when flicking through bar magazines, trade journals or cocktail blogs to want to emulate the success of a particular bar, bartender or cocktail. “What are they doing that I’m not?” “I wonder if I could make that work in my place…” The answer is: maybe.

When looking for new ideas to inject into your business, it can be hard to set yourself apart from other venues and make something your own. Whichever style of outlet you might have, there is always something that makes your venue unique.

Introducing the notion of a concept to your business might sound terribly complex and artsy fartsy, but if you can work this out, you can really start to run on your own.

The best cocktail bars in the world know their exact standards and style. They don’t just lift ideas and replicate, they design and introduce.

Take a tapas bar as an example. The ‘80s and early ‘90s saw many pop up, mimicking

the success enjoyed on the continent during the Mediterranean holiday boom. It was thought that people would want to enjoy the same vibe on our own chilly island.

There’s a fine line between having a Spanishthemed bar and one that feels genuine and authentic. If you were to Google ‘Spanish style bar’ you could find a ‘recipe’ for that venue pretty quick: wooden chairs and caféstyle tables, pictures of flamenco dancers, sangria on the menu and Spanish branded beers in the fridge. Easy. But to do it well and avoid becoming another clichéd themed bar certainly is not.

Bar owners and operators should think of their venue as a brand in its own right.

Which brands, whether they’re wines, beers or spirits, are a fit for the venue? Does their marketing fit well with your own?

I spend a lot of time talking about cocktails in mixxit training sessions. As an exercise we take the current offering and strip it down, take out everything that doesn’t fit and then start rebuilding the menus with a very tight focus on what feels relevant and fits the identity of the venue.

Often bars will see a drink they like at another place, copy the ingredients, make it their own way and name it differently to try and make it fit into their own venue.

Check these out for an Italian style tapas bar:

Menu A

Bellini Long Island Iced Tea Strawberry Dream Classic Mojito

Menu B

Peach Bellini Daiquiri Milano Strawberry Fresca Mojito Spumante The only major difference between the two is the Long Island Iced Tea, replaced with something of better quality, the Daiquiri Milano. The rest is a simple change of names and a slightly altered recipe list to make sure the ingredients stand up to consumers expectations of the drink.

It’s important to know your identity and not just fill your bar with fodder gathered from everywhere else. Be bold, change things, try things and make sure you do it with style.

Your guest mechanic, Lucas Bols brand ambassador, John Clay. For information about mixxit, log onto www.mixxit.co.uk or email mixxit.uk@maxxium.com.

Daiquiri Milano Ingredients: 40ml Brugal Blanco, 20ml Galliano l’Autentico, 20ml fresh pink grapefruit juice, 10ml fresh lime juice, 5ml sugar syrup Glass: Martini Method: Add all ingredients to a Boston shaker and shake hard with cubed ice. Fine strain into a chilled Martini glass Garnish: Grapefruit twist Units: 2

Strawberry Fresca Ingredients: 2-3 fresh strawberries muddled, 2 basil leaves ripped, 30ml No 3 Gin, 20ml Bols Apricot Brandy, 10ml lemon juice Glass: Champagne flute Method: Add all ingredients to a Boston shaker and shake hard with cubed ice.

Fine strain into a chilled Champagne flute then top with Prosecco Garnish: Strawberry in glass Units: 2

www.drinkaware.co.uk

www.barmagazine.co.uk |35

mixology Cocktails have been created in the bar of restaurant Minako at the Met to reflect its new Asian fusion food menu. Located on the 23rd floor of the Hilton London Metropole, the restaurant serves a mix of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai cuisine while the bar offers classic and Asian fusion cocktails such as the Minako Passion Fruit Martini made with Absolut vodka, passion fruit puree, gomme syrup and lemon juice, garnished with fresh passion fruit.

Scot wins global Caorunn ‘storytelling’ contest A bartender from Bramble in Edinburgh has won the global final of a competition that set the challenge of creating new cocktails for Caorunn Gin and telling the stories behind them.

Iain Griffiths triumphed over three other finalists from England, Spain and the US in the Caorunn Storytellers Global Cocktail Challenge, which was held in Edinburgh.

The finalists spent five days in Scotland as guests of Caorunn Gin, including a trip to the Balmenach Distillery where Caorunn is

UK win for Dee Ann with Gin Mare

A Cocktail & Cake Liquid Afternoon Tea menu is being introduced at the Royal Horseguards Hotel in London from October 5 to 14 to coincide with this month’s London Cocktail Week. Priced at £40 per person, it offers “boozy treats” (pictured) such as Strawberry Daiquiri macaroons, a B52 chocolate marquise, a Long Island Iced Tea jelly shot, a Mojito rum baba, a Bloody Mary sorbet and a smoked crème brûlée inspired by the hotel’s signature whiskey cocktail, The Churchill. The menu was created by Neil Millington, bar manager of the hotel’s Equus Bar, and pastry chef Joanne Todd.

Bitters made from black tea are the latest addition to the range of Dr Adam Elmegirab’s Bitters created by bar consultant Adam Elmegirab.

After the success of his Boker’s Bitters and Dandelion & Burdock Bitters, he has been inspired by the history of the cocktail ingredient and his own family history to create Teapot Bitters. They are made with a combination of botanicals such as black tea, citrus peel, ginger, gentian root, cassia bark, vanilla and fennel.

36| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Dee Ann Quinones from 69 Colebrooke Row in Islington, north London, was the UK winner of this year’s Gin Mare Mediterranean Inspirations.

The UK final was held in Ibiza last month, immediately followed by the global final where Dee Ann represented the UK against six other national winners from around the world.

The global winner was Adriana Soley from Le Cabrera in Madrid, while Perryn Collier from The Laneway in Brisbane was second, and Dee Ann was third.

Entrants from the UK, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia were challenged to create a Mediterranean Gin and Tonic, a Mediterranean twist on a Dirty Martini, and a Gin Mare cocktail of their choice.

produced and a private tour of the gin plant with gin master Simon Buley. The competition challenged them to create a new Caorunn cocktail and showcase the story behind it. At the global final, the bartenders were asked to reproduce their winning cocktail from the national heats plus another cocktail inspired by their visit to the distillery.

Iain is pictured centre with Caorunn brand ambassador Ervin Trykowski and brand manager Ibolya Bakos.

More at www.barmagazine.co.uk.

Mamont rewards adventure Rosie Paterson (pictured) from the Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh has won a cocktail competition that challenged bartenders to defy convention and create a drink with a “spirit of adventure”.

After heats in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow, she won the final of the Mamont Vodka Challenge at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. Second place went to Dean Evans from the Finnieston in Glasgow while David Smiley from Booly Mardy’s in Glasgow was third.

Rosie’s adventurous cocktail was From Tusk till Dawn, made with Mamont Vodka, clove syrup and lavender bitters served in a Martini glass that had been smoked with pine needles. She also presented a simpler “perfect serve”: The Ginger Mammoth, made with freshly chopped ginger, lemon juice, vanilla syrup, Mamont Vodka and ginger beer.

More at www.barmagazine.co.uk.

Bartenders celebrate 42Below World Cup win A team of UK bartenders took third place in the global final of this year’s 42Below Cocktail World Cup in New Zealand, beaten by the USA in first place and New Zealand in second.

Team UK was made up of Terry Cashman of The Hoxton Pony and Simon Toohey of Callooh Callay – both in Shoreditch, east London – and Max Venning of The Violet Hour in West Didsbury, south Manchester.

Their cocktail (pictured) combined 42Below Feijoa, poppy liqueur, lemon juice and spiced dry cider, served in a chilled medicine bottle on a bed of straw.

First place went to Team USA: Beckaly Franks from Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon; Steve Schneider from Employees Only and Macao Trading Company, New York City; and Ken Kodys from Breckenridge Brewery, Denver, Colorado.

More at www.barmagzine.co.uk.

Absinthe Blanche_Bar Mag 24/05/2012 13:26 Page 1

Absinthe?

Clearly “ La Fée Absinthe Blanche is a fine example of this classic clear absinthe, commonly distilled pre ban in both Switzerland and France – often referred to as “La Bleue ” Marie-Claude Delahaye World-renowned absinthe expert and historian The French Absinthe Museum (Auvers~sur~Oise)

ABSINTHE’S PERFECT PAIR:

Part of the full range imported by Cellar Trends UK Ltd, sales enquires: lafee@cellartrends.co.uk & general enquires: contact@LaFee.com All our absinthes are distilled with Grand Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)

‘La Fée’, ‘La Fée Absinthe Blanche’, ‘La Fée Absinthe Parisienne’ and the ‘La Fée Eye’ device are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Green Utopia Ltd and/or La Fée LLP ©

wine

Champagne + Fromage

Bubble standards Mark Ludmon looks at the growth of sparkling wines and how champagne is fighting back

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hampagne has been losing its fizz in the face of an increasing wave of other sparkling wines coming into the UK from Spain, Italy and the New World. “Over the past few years, the popularity of sparkling wines such as prosecco and cava has been the main market driver,” says Nick Gough, wine operations manager at on-trade drinks supplier WaverleyTBS. “These more subtle sparklers have proven popular with consumers who are perhaps not sure about champagne and look for a less demanding flavour profile.

The taboo of these wines being a cheaper

City Spirit ice bucket

alternative champagne has long been forgotten.”

While WaverleyTBS offers champagnes, it is set to increase its range of sparkling wines in 2013. Nick says new trends to look out for include pignoletto from the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, which is similar to prosecco in style but less expensive. He also notes that sparkling moscatos, particularly from the New World, are beginning to appear in the UK ontrade while English sparkling wines such as Denbies Greenfields Cuvée from Surrey are catching the attention of customers.

Major GB events taking place this year have helped to drive a “huge spike in popularity” for English sparkling wines, points out Ben Smith, communications manager at wine supplier Enotria. “People are now expecting to see it on wine lists and are confident in its quality when they choose it.” Two good examples are Ridgeview in East Sussex and Camel Valley in Cornwall, he says, while also pointing to the emergence of pignoletto from Italy.

Supported by heavyweight marketing, Freixenet cavas are seeing growth in the UK in contrast to champagne which was down by 12 per cent in the on-trade over the past year. “Even in the context of the gloomy economic climate, wine drinkers still love bubbles so demand for all forms of sparkling

The Blue Bar The Blue Bar at The Berkeley hotel in London has created a canapé pairing menu to complement Laurent-Perrier’s Les Réserves Grand Siècle. The lavish menu includes Dorset king crab and almond salad with crispy shallot, smoked Scottish salmon and leek tart with Sevruga caviar, and veal and foie gras mini burger with vanilla quince relish. A magnum plus canapés for six people is a snip at £2,250.

wine remains high even if consumers are more considered in their spending,” says Natalia Celemin, trade marketing manager for Freixenet UK. One reason for cava’s success is the diversity of product, she adds, which allows consumers to experiment. The Freixenet range spans a range of pricing, from Cordon Negro in its iconic black bottle to Elyssia wines made by blending two premium cavas. Natalia adds: “Traditionally, UK consumers only think of popping open a bottle of sparkling wine when there is cause for celebration. At Freixenet, we’ve been promoting sparkling wine as an everyday luxury for many years, encouraging UK drinkers to embrace Freixenet sparkling wines like other cultures such as Spain and Germany where it isn’t reserved for special occasions.” Cocktails using the cava, developed by consultancy Shaken and Stirred, are also being promoted.

Prosecco is “very much the star of the show” when it comes to global growth of non-champagne sparkling wines, according to a report last month from IWSR and Just-drinks.com. Liam Newton, marketing director at Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands, says consumers are moving away from the traditional celebratory drink of champagne in favour of proseccos, including Martini Prosecco. “This is likely because champagne is increasingly being seen as slightly ostentatious and expensive during www.barmagazine.co.uk |39

wine the current economic climate, whereas prosecco is less pretentious and more fun, with a wider appeal as consumers look for better-value alternatives to champagne.”

The sparkling Martini range is made up of the prosecco plus Martini Rosé – a blend of moscato, prosecco and brachetto grapes – and Martini Asti. “All Martini sparkling wines are characteristically fragrant and have a very approachable taste, being both crisp and fruity and much less dry or heavy than many other sparkling wines or champagne,” Liam adds. The prosecco is also promoted in the on-trade for mixing with Martini Bianco over ice with a squeeze of lime and sprig of mint to make a Martini Royale.

The opportunities for sparkling wine have prompted Pernod Ricard UK to introduce new light and fresh styles from Australia’s Jacob’s Creek such as the Cool Harvest Sauvignon Blanc Cuvée NV, with finer bubbles than current classic wines, and the Sparkling Moscato NV and Moscato Rosé NV, aimed at drinkers who prefer sweeterstyle wines. For “champagne occasions”, it is also launching the elegant Trilogy range from Jacob’s Creek, made up of the Cuvée Brut NV and Cuvée Rosé NV, created using the classic sparkling varieties of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. At the same time, Pernod Ricard continues to support its champagnes GH Mumm and PerrierJouët in the on-trade.

The Italian “aperitivo” tradition of afterwork wine and snacks is spreading in the UK, which provides an opportunity for bars, suggests John Shinwell, managing director of drinks supplier CWF. “Special offers and deals could be used to highlight different sparkling wines on a weekly or monthly basis as the ideal pre-dinner aperitif,” he adds. CWF producers include Casa Gheller, with a screw-top prosecco and the new rose-coloured, lightly sparkling Rosato Frizzante.

However, bars need to ensure they offer a broad enough variety of champagnes and sparkling wines for all occasions, advises Roshna Ahmad, wine sales development manager at pub operator Shepherd Neame.

“Groups of customers, especially women, will enjoy a bottle of sparkling wine over lunch or after work, so your list needs to include affordably priced wines at everyday prices as well as higher priced wines

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Amuse Bouche

for special occasions and celebrations.”

Customers also now expect champagnes and sparkling wines by the glass as well as the bottle. “Customers who may be reluctant to buy a whole bottle of a more expensive sparkling wine can often be persuaded to buy a glass of bubbly,” Roshna explains. “You need a good wine preservation system to keep the sparkle, but this will allow customers to make a spontaneous decision to drink some fizz.”

But there are still plenty of opportunities for champagne in the on-trade. For bars looking to develop champagne sales, the “theatre of service” is important, points out Ben at Enotria, so staff need to be trained and familiar with opening and pouring champagne. Bars should also make sure they have at least one rosé champagne on the list and have at least one champagne available by the glass. Big formats are also popular, Ben adds. “One central London bar has special Fridays when they open a Nebuchadnezzar – a 15-litre bottle of Champagne Jacquart – which they use as their pouring wine that night. It takes two people to pour it but, for big groups, it’s a really impressive way of serving lots of glasses.” He adds that smart point-of-sale such as ice buckets and branded flutes can also help with awarenesss.

Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte is building on its “cosmopolitan” image with a new promotional ice bucket next month under the theme of “City Spirit”. With a sleek gold and minimalistic design, the ice bucket is being particularly linked with the Nicolas Feuillatte Brut NV and is available through distributors such as Thierry’s.

Focusing on high-quality smaller growers has been the solution for Stefano Frigerio and Maud Fierobe, who run French Bubbles, a supplier of small-grower champagnes to the trade. “Grower champagnes are less expensive than brands because they are not global companies spending on marketing,” Stefano explains. The pair have taken the same approach with their bistro Champagne

Coe Vintners is supporting a London champagne bar through Champagne Henri Giraud which it introduced into the UK this year. It has helped Amuse Bouche in Parsons Green to transform a drab backyard into a bright, stylish champagne garden with a capacity of 30. Four Henri Giraud champagnes are on offer by the glass or bottle: Blanc de Blancs NV, Esprit Rosé NV, Hommage à François Hémart Grand Cru and Code Noir Grand Cru NV.

Bubbledogs Husband-and-wife team James Knappett and Sandia Chang are pairing hot dogs and champagne at their new restaurant and bar Bubbledogs in London’s Fitzrovia.

It offers a menu of 10 hot dogs served on traditional steamed buns such as the Jose dog with guacamole, sour cream, salsa and jalapeños. They have a concise list of lesser-known grower champagne and sparkling wine available by the glass from £6 and by the bottle from £32, alongside updated classic cocktails, American and British craft beers, and a gin and tonic mixed with homemade tonic and Bubbledogs’ own gin, blended exclusively by the Cambridge Distillery. + Fromage which they opened in Covent Garden, London, in December last year, offering their range of 25 small-grower champagnes alongside cheese. “More and more, restaurants and bars want to offer something different to their customers. In the last couple of years in the UK, there has been a trend for artisanal products.

Champagnes from growers have a different story to tell then the brands. It is more about drinking the true champagne.”

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MARTINI steps up ‘the playful hour’ with new MARTINI Royale sampling

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MARTINI, TH 012 AGLINE ‘LUCK IS E BALL AND BAR LOGO, MARTINI ROYALE AND THE T AN ©2

AT TIT UD E ARE T RADEMARKS

ringing a taste of Italian style to the UK this summer, MARTINI, Europe’s number-one spirit brand in volume*, has conducted a series of sampling sessions of the new MARTINI Royale serve in selected bars. Created with the post-work “playful hours” in mind, the new and refreshing MARTINI Royale is a delicious 50:50 mix of two Italian icons, MARTINI Bianco and Prosecco, and is quickly becoming this year’s drinks sensation.

The MARTINI Royale is made with 70ml MARTINI Bianco and 70ml Prosecco served in a large wine glass full of ice, perfected by a squeeze of lime and a sprig of mint to garnish. It combines the best of the vanilla and citrus notes of MARTINI Bianco and the aromatic flavours of Prosecco.

Demonstrating how easy a MARTINI Royale is to make, MARTINI brand ambassadors have been encouraging those enjoying an after-work get-together to try the new serve and offer one to someone else in the bar. MARTINI has been sampling in 30 on-trade accounts reaching a total of 11,000 consumers, specifically targeting stylish women during the playful time of night of 5pm to 8pm.

Bars which benefited from the MARTINI brand ambassadors’ visits include Anise, a contemporary bar in London’s Liverpool Street area, which draws a stylish young professional crowd from the City for after-work drinks.

Assistant manager Prakash Shetty comments: “For us it was a big hit. The MARTINI brand ambassadors created a unique buzz around the bar, sampling amongst groups and getting people talking about the MARTINI Royale.

“It encouraged purchases of the serve and we saw a real movement of the product in the bar.

As the drink is 70ml MARTINI Bianco and 70ml Prosecco, it has a good return over wine and cocktails.

Customers were all asking to take the glasses home with them! *Source: IWSR 2011

“We pride ourselves on bringing our customers innovative and creative drinks, including cocktails which incorporate spices and new flavours,” Prakash continues, “and the MARTINI Royale fitted ideally with the smart post-work crowd who come here to relax.”

The MARTINI Royale is ideal for consumers looking for a lighter and longer serve and taps into the growing desire for drinks that offer a refreshing alternative to wine for early-evening get-togethers. These occasions are on the rise, and this new serve is ideal for sharing moments with friends over drinks and food.

Aimed at recruiting a new generation of MARTINI vermouth lovers, 20- to 30-yearold stylish females have been encouraged to trial the serve in the playful hours after work. Sampling also coincided with the MARTINI Royale Casting which saw worldwide entrants demonstrate to a panel of judges, including Christian Louboutin, why they embodied the idea of “Luck is an Attitude” and should be the next face of MARTINI. This caused even more of a stir in outlets where sampling took place, as ambassadors encouraged women in the bar to enter the search for the new face of MARTINI. Prakash at Anise says: “The MARTINI Royale Casting added extra excitement for stylish women in the bar who loved the idea of winning the contest!”

Contact Barcardi Brown-Forman Brands on 01962 762450.

Anise Please enjoy MARTINI® responsibly

On-trade sampling

The next MARTINI star The search to find the next female MARTINI star saw 28 candidates from across the globe take part in the MARTINI Royale Casting final. From the UK, Elizabeth Griffths from Brighton jetted off to the global final in Ibiza, top of the shortlisted 25 of the UK’s most stylish, playful and charismatic women.

Challenges, for which each of the finalists was filmed, saw them showcase their sense of style and personality, expressing how they demonstrate that “Luck is an Attitude”.

MARTINI fans will now choose the final four out of seven candidates to compete in the ultimate Milan final via the Facebook page which documents the competition in videos. In addition to following in the footsteps of previous MARTINI stars such as Charlize Theron and Monica Bellucci, the casting winner, who will be decided in October, will also receive €150,000, 12 pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes and 12 outfits from my-wardrobe.com.

Visit www.facebook.com/Martini. www.barmagazine.co.uk |41

mixology

Celebrate the cocktail A look ahead at some of the highlights of this month’s London Cocktail Week

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ondon Cocktail Week is a celebration of the UK capital’s unrivalled cocktail culture. Running from October 8 to 14, it will feature seminars, pop-up bars, tastings, parties and masterclasses, including many aimed at bar professionals as well as consumers.This year, the festival’s events will be concentrated on the historic area of Seven Dials in Covent Garden, with events and pop-ups run by drinks brands both large and small.

At the same time, London Cocktail Week will feature Cocktail Tours, taking people to some of the best bars across the capital. All the partnering venues will offer £4 cocktails throughout the week and can be visited via vintage Routemaster buses that will be free to ride for anyone wearing a London Cocktail Week wristband. With over 17,000 wristbands allocated in 2011, this year’s festival is expected to be even bigger, attracting bar professionals from across the UK and around the world.

A pop-up shop is being set up in Shorts Gardens in the heart of Seven Dials with Diageo Reserve Brands, where people can collect their wristbands and a guide to the festival. It will include a speakeasy bar and events space where masterclasses will be held for Diageo brands such as Ketel One,

Cocktail Tour buses

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Last year’s London Cocktail Week

Johnnie Walker, Zacapa, Talisker, Singleton and Grand Marnier.

Highlights of the week include the Monin 2012 UK Cocktail Cup Final at Paramount, where winners of regional heats will compete to represent the UK in a global final in Paris in December. Bartenders will also compete in the UK final of the Angostura Aromatic Bitters Global Cocktail Challenge at The Club at the Ivy, hoping to win a place in the international final in Trinidad.

Legendary bartender Salvatore Calabrese will be holding a masterclass exclusively for the trade at his bar, Salvatore at Playboy in Mayfair, in association with Angostura Aromatic Bitters. At a separate event at his bar, Salvatore will try to break the Guinness World Record for creating the world’s most expensive cocktail costing £5,500 a glass.

At Covent Garden’s Tristan Bates Theatre, Marian Beke of The Nightjar will lead a seminar on how to use and craft ice for cocktails, sponsored by Isolabella Sambuca and Eskimo Ice. Notting Hill’s Ginstitute, upstairs from Portobello Star, will be in Seven Dials for the festival, with drinks specialist Jake Burger leading daily talks on gin, including a chance to blend your own.

Ian Hart of north London’s Sacred Distillery

will also hold a session at the Seven Dials Club on blending and creating gin.

Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands will be setting up its Cocktail Culture trade training sessions in Mercer Street, Seven Dials, throughout the festival. The training team will cover topics such as flavour combinations, drinks-making techniques and different spirits categories. It will also host an opening-night trade event on the Monday.

A pop-up bar for Monkey Shoulder whisky in Neal Street, Seven Dials, will host events including a panel discussion on Scotch by Georgie Bell of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Glenfiddich malt master Brian Kinsman and Monkey Shoulder’s global brand ambassador Dean Callan. Other events will look at whisky cocktails that “changed the world” and new ideas for using whisky in drinks.

Hi-Spirits will be setting up The Bourbon Exchange in Tavistock Street, a pop-up bar for Buffalo Trace Distillery’s whiskeys including George T Stagg. Daily masterclasses and tastings will be led by master blender Drew Mayville.

London Cocktail Week will also encompass RumFest and Boutique RumFest on October 13 and 14 at ExCel in London Docklands (see page 29) and The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show.

The Whisky Show will run at Vinopolis near London Bridge on October 6 and 7 for consumers and during the daytime on October 8 for the trade.Visitors will be able to taste some of the world’s finest whiskies, rarest single malts and once-in-alifetime drams alongside masterclasses from producers and whisky experts. Register at www.whisky-show.com/trade.

For information about all London Cocktail Week events and details on getting a wristband, visit www. londoncocktailweek.com. Wristbands are £4 for the public but free for members of the trade who need to register for them using the code “TRAD3”.

student bars

College daze As the academic year starts, Mark Ludmon looks at how bars and drinks brands are adapting to the new generation of students

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cream bars have been serving students with beer and big nights out since the first It’s a Scream was opened by Bass Brewers in the 1990s. Now part of Stonegate Pub Company, the 44-strong chain is being revamped for a new generation who are looking for high standards and better value for money. In time for the new academic year, Stonegate has unveiled the latest new look for Scream bars at The Ark in Glasgow, next to the University of Strathclyde. An investment of £300,000 has seen the introduction of large tables and a new interior by Manchester-based SDJ Design that reflects the local area, including an 8ft by 5ft mural of Glasgow’s skyline and shipbuilding past. “The large tables have flexibility so that groups can congregate, such as sports societies, but also allow space for smaller groups to get together without sitting on each others’ laps,” explains Stonegate head of marketing George Wright.

Alongside the addition of a pizza oven for making fresh pizzas on site, The Ark has introduced a “small bowls” section on the menu for tapas-style dishes that appeal to students looking to share with friends but pay for items individually. Olivia Brooks, marketing manager for Scream, explains: “Students have to watch their budgets and control their money, more so than any of our other customers, so pooling together and buying rounds and then splitting

The Ark in Glasgow

the costs isn’t something that they tend to do. We’ve conducted research which tells us that they prefer to buy their own drinks and dishes so the small bowls sections mean that they can keep track on their spending whilst still sharing with friends.”

Student bars like Scream have to adapt to today’s modern students who are still looking to have a good time but are more concerned about getting the most out of the tuition fees that they have to pay, George at Stonegate points out. With free wifi, Scream bars act as an alternative study venue during the day when students, equipped with laptops, can get together and discuss course work. “Life has moved on for a lot of students,” George adds. “They are now making one of the biggest purchases of their lives so they are taking it more seriously. When they are out eating and drinking, they are looking for value for money but don’t want to compromise on quality.”

Students are also discerning when it comes to the drinks products they choose, says Debs Carter, marketing director at drinks company SHS Group whose brands include leading RTD range WKD. “Whilst their disposable income may be limited, their appetite for great nights out certainly isn’t and they favour brands which reflect their lifestyle,” she adds. “Yes, money is a consideration, but those in tertiary

Hog roast at The Ark

education are shrewd enough to work out which brands and bars are most deserving of the student pound.”

The student market has long been important to WKD, and the 2012/13 academic year is no exception. “The start of the autumn term is a key sales period and a chance for these bars to impress the new academic in-take in the quest for repeat trade,” Debs says. “Students are promotionconscious so it’s important to appeal to this mind-set, although this can be done as much through added-value activities as it can through price.”

This autumn, WKD is targeting students with activity that uses “augmented reality” (AR) technology, giving away promotional T-shirts that reveal 3D moving graphics if viewed through a smartphone camera using an app called Blippar. A logo on the front of the T-shirts tells them to “Point phone here and hold tight”, which reveals the “hidden” content of a tidal wave of water surging at them carrying unexpected items with it. Debs says they hope the T-shirts will become “this term’s must-have item”.

AR is also being used on WKD bottle labels where an enabled smartphone will www.barmagazine.co.uk |45

student bars

The Scholars

reveal cocktail recipe ideas for each variant.

“Students embrace new technology and love to have something fun and unusual to share with their mates,” Debs says. “We think that the augmented reality approach could revolutionise promotions and it looks set to become a formidable new way for both brands and stockists to engage with students.”

This term is also a key period for La Fée absinthe, with a focus on the 38 per cent ABV La Fée NV Absinthe Verte which has been a particular hit with students and young adults for mixing with energy drinks. Drinks company Cellar Trends is embarking on promotional activity with student-oriented bars including student unions supplied through NUS Services Limited (NUSSL), with point-of-sale materials promoting a serve of La Fée NV with an energy drink over ice. “With its lower ABV similar to other premium spirits, it allows for great versatility in serving options,” says brand manager Nick Barker. “It is an absinthe which can be served straight or over ice but our key serve remains NV with energy served over ice.” Introducing students to the absinthe category through the versatile NV also means they are more likely to graduate in the future onto other styles in the six-strong range such as the clear La Fée Absinthe Blanche and the traditional La Fée has an ABV of 68 per cent.

The student market is also being targeted by Cambridge Wine Merchants as part of the roll-out of new tequila brand AquaRiva. As one of the biggest suppliers to student union bars in Oxford and Cambridge, it has

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been building awareness of the brand since the spring, including serving it at the university colleges’ annual May Balls. More events are planned by Cambridge Wine this academic year, promoting the complex but accessible 100 per cent agave tequilas that were launched this summer by tequila ambassador Cleo Rocos and The Tequila Society.

Accolade Wines has been working with student union bars to extend the appeal of its alcoholic ginger beer Stone’s Ginger Joe, which was launched last year targeting men and women aged 22 to 30. The brand is now listed with NUSSL which ran a joint promotion with Accolade Wines at unions across the country offering the prize of a Ginger Joe party – won by Loughborough University’s student union. Branded kits have also been supplied to union bars for freshers’ parties, including T-shirts, ginger wigs and moustaches inspired by the Ginger Joe brand imagery.

European marketing director Clare Griffiths says: “The ginger beer category is well-suited to this consumer as it’s a perfect entry-level beverage offering at only four per cent ABV with a light refreshing ginger taste.

Great for those who may not yet be wine drinkers, Ginger Joe offers something new to those consumers looking for an

Welsh brewer SA Brain has invested in a pub in the heart of the student community in Aberystwyth. The Scholars underwent a six-week refurbishment to open at the end of August ahead of the new academic year. Working with Cardiff-based design company DMP and Westgate Building Services, it included a new bar, allowing for a wider range of real ales and ciders, and the re-installation of a fireplace plus improvements to the stage to make way for more live acts.

Manager Tom Clarke says: “Scholars is a hugely popular pub and was in need of an update. While we concentrated on freshening up the interior and exterior, it was vital that we didn’t make any drastic changes that would affect the pub’s character.” A new menu of “accessible” but good-quality food blends homemade classic pub meals with more authentic local dishes, including the traditional Welsh broth, cawl. “Also, our Sunday carvery runs from midday until 7pm in the evening, which is ideal for students who fully enjoy the town’s nightlife on a Saturday,” Tom adds. Another highlight of the student weekly calendar is the Sunday night pub quiz.

Tom says real ales, such as Brains’ Barry Island IPA and the Welsh pale ale Dragon, are very popular with students.

“We know that cask ales are gaining a lot more interest from a younger audience and so our back-bar stillage – which allows us to pour straight from the cask – offers a point of difference.” alternative to traditional beer or cider.”

Clare adds that Ginger Joe also appeals to this market as it is a “fun, quirky” brand with the orange moustache on the label that helps the product to stand out behind the bar. This humorous approach has also been key to WKD’s engagement with young adults, such as this month’s zombie and vampire theme parties for Halloween.

Debs at SHS Group adds: “When socialising in bars, students love to have fun so to maximise sales it’s important that outlets focus on promotions which add something a little extra to consumers’ nights out.”

STAY COMFORTABLE. DRINK RESPONSIBLY ©2012 SOUTHERN COMFORT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. SOUTHERN COMFORT IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK.

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furniture

Sitting pretty Mark Ludmon reports on the latest trends and designs in furniture for bars, including new contract pieces coming out of Italy

Adjustable Flat table bases

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s increasing numbers of bars look to be destinations for breakfast through to evening cocktails and late-night DJs, having flexible spaces is important. “Flexible furniture is often the name of the game right now, so that a space becomes multi-purpose in terms of layout and use,” says Mike Mellor, managing director of Space Furniture, part of Space Catering Equipment and a specialist in the design and installation of contract furniture.

“Operators should therefore not be afraid to mix pieces up. A variety of furniture that can easily be re-arranged can complement rather than match.”

For example, he points out that dining chairs and tables can be very effective if coupled with banquette or booth seating, and a number of manufacturers now offer modular, free-standing bench seating as an alternative to completely built-in fixed units.

Mixing heights is also a popular theme, he adds. “In addition to the more conventional ‘poseur tables’, many manufacturers are Ava tub chair and Harlequin wing chair from Geometric Furniture

offering taller eating tables which can be coupled with upholstered stools for informal dining or grazing. Lower-level seating and comfy sofas arranged around low tables at coffee table height are perfect for sociable, informal gatherings and are great for creating a ‘lounge’ feel.”

Mike picked up on current trends while visiting the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the annual city-wide showcase of furniture and interiors in Milan in April. “In terms of colour schemes, there was a clear move away from the vibrant, very bright colours, with a re-appearance of softer pastel shades,” he says. “Lots of very natural, organic shades were also on show in Milan.

Softer organic materials are going to be much bigger, with varied, textured fabrics in warm, earthy colours.”

He also notes there is a clear move away from plastic chairs with a metal frame.

“Almost every Italian manufacturer is introducing ranges combining plastics with wooden legs and generally softening up the look of the product. Operators are clearly wanting to not only attract the customer but keep them in their establishment with a more comfortable, softer look and more emphasis on comfort.” For example, woods

Restaurant Bar & Grill Individual Restaurants brought in furniture design specialist Stylematters to design and provide all the lounge seating and cushions for new outside areas at its Restaurant Bar & Grill in central Manchester. The company has invested £1million in the venue, creating a new 80-seat south-facing first-floor terrace and champagne bar, created by designer Robert Angell.

Combining luxury and simplicity, the space is a strikingly geometric interpretation of contemporary outdoor lounges. Lush seating, top-of-the-range heat lamps, bespoke lighting and jasmine climbing plants line the length of the terrace, creating the feel of an intimate urban garden. With automatic retractable awnings, it allows for all-day drinking and dining all year round. www.barmagazine.co.uk |49

furniture and plastics are being coupled with textured fabrics. “As a result, it would be fair to say current designs are still contemporary but with a traditional twist.”

Italian design

Mike recommends checking out two Italian design companies: Pedrali, which unveiled new furniture and lighting in Milan, and Metalmobil for its “cutting-edge” designs including chairs, stools, tables and banquette seating. He adds a word of warning: “Make sure you spend wisely on a scheme that not only embodies your brand but also has longevity. The market is currently flooded with ‘throw-away’ furniture, much of it imported from the emerging markets, and the quality is often not good enough to withstand commercial use.”

Another Italian company making an impact on the contract market is Bonaldo which has supplied striking furniture and lighting to bars, restaurants and hotels. Pieces designed for Bonaldo by Karim Rashid furnish the stylish Nhow hotel in Berlin which opened last year, including its Skip chairs and Skipping stools in the restaurant and bar and the Kandor armchair with pouf in the Music Lounge.

With a constant pipeline of stunning new contract furniture designs coming out of Italy, leading UK hospitality furniture supplier Andy Thornton is introducing the best of these collections. The latest design is the stylish Croissant collection by furniture designer Emilio Nanni, which features a solid beech frame with solid square legs which can be polished to any colour. The bar stool pictured on these pages features a low back rest which, along with the seat, can be upholstered in any fabric or leather to match all interior colour schemes. “These simple but elegant chairs exude comfort whilst being of extremely robust construction,” says Andy Thornton’s marketing manager Jerry Hodkinson. The collection includes two styles of bar stool, a low stool, armchair, lounge chair and side chair. There is also a choice of matching tables which are available with a choice of circular and square MDF tops, available in black or white finish.

New Concept Glasgow, a specialist in bar and restaurant furniture, has built up strong relationships with Italian designers and manufacturers. Chairman Sandro Formisano says that importing furniture from European companies works out better in the long run. “A lot of the imports come from the Far East now,” he says. “They can be a lot cheaper but then operators realise there are complications. It’s far better to import from within Europe – these manufacturers have been doing it longer and the quality tends to be much better.”

Over the past year, New Concept has been involved in the £11million Beacon

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New fabrics from GO IN (UK)

project – an arts complex in Greenock which will include a large bar and 120-cover restaurant. “The building has been designed to look ultra-modern, there’s lots of slate and glass,” he says. “When it came to choosing the furniture, I brought in several options and advised they go with the red faux leather chairs to add some warmth to the bar.” The choice was an Italian designer chair with a brushed aluminium frame and matching high stools for the bar. “The tables are equally striking: zebrano laminate finish tabletops from the same designer and crystal base with a brushed steel structure and a transparent column,” Sandro adds.

“You cannot skimp on furniture when the rest of the building is so impressive. Every type of chair has a story to tell in a venue.

It’s like a woman getting dressed: her shoes need to match her outfit, and the chair needs to match the interior.”

Jamie’s Italian The Art Nouveau style and funky floral designs of Jamie’s Italian in Norwich, which opened earlier this year, were complemented by upholstery from Yarwood Leather. Warings Furniture selected Yarwood’s Mustang range which is a waxy hide with a cracked antique effect, giving an aged, distressed look.

Warings director Stuart Smith says: “Yarwood’s colour range gave us the selection choice required to meet the designer’s spec, which was a rustic but authentic look.” The restaurant, designed

by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, is in the Art Nouveau-style Royal Arcade built in 1899.

Inspiring

While the market for bar furniture remains competitive during the recession, it has attracted Lyndon Design, a leading British manufacturer of handcrafted upholstered furniture for commercial interiors. Well established in areas such as office interiors, it has announced plans to expand into the hospitality sector. Part of The Boss Design Group, it showcased new pieces at last month’s 100% Design exhibition in London including the Orten range which offers a variety of options such as a choice of two oak timber frames and a range of configurations and seating options.

A new range has been unveiled by Geometric Furniture, which has been designing and manufacturing contract furniture for over 30 years. The Elements range, produced at its factory in Manchester, features nearly 150 new products, which can be tailored to create individual styles. “We wanted to inspire designers and specifiers of contract environments,” says Geometric furniture designer Jennifer Brobbin.

Croissant bar stool from Andy Thornton

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furniture New pieces include the Hartson 7109 free-standing banquette seating, with turned beech legs and flowing curved back rest.

Upholstered with sprung seat and back for comfort, it is available in many different fabrics and finishes. The new Harlequin 6193 wing chair has an elegant high back and circular seat, with the option of a coordinating low stool. “It is a unique design which creates a dramatic impact,” Jennifer adds.

The Ava 6189 tub chair offers a modern approach to the traditional tub chair, with a linear design and open back feature. It also includes a co-ordinating sofa and is available in many different fabrics and finishes. “With neat proportions, it provides a compact design for any bar or restaurant setting,” Jennifer says.

Stabilising

A revolutionary new design has been introduced to the UK for tables on uneven surfaces. Self-stabilising table bases have been developed using the Flat system which adjusts them to the surface below automatically and locks firmly into position until moved again. It allows bar staff to align multiple table-tops together without an uneven ridge in between. Warings Furniture is one of its UK distributors and has taken delivery of £60,000 worth of the Flat table bases. It is already in talks to supply them to operators such as PizzaExpress, Caprice Holdings and Pret a Manger. Warings cofounder and director Graham Waring says:

Furniture with the X Factor Midlands-based Trent Pottery Furniture has reported increased enquiries after it supplied the lightoak Roma chairs (pictured) for ITV show, The X Factor.

The chairs were used in the staging area during the filmed auditions which took place over the summer, and contestants were shown sitting on them while being interviewed by the presenters. “The Roma range is one of our most popular lines and is in use at restaurants, bars and cafés across the UK,” says Trent Pottery’s managing director Rob Price.

The 52-year-old company specialises in supplying furniture to the hospitality industry but has been regularly asked to supply pieces for TV programmes.

“It’s always exciting for the staff to have our products up on screen and we have noticed an increase in enquiries since the show has aired,” Rob adds.

52| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Golden Bee Skipping stool from Bonaldo

‘We’ve been supplying furniture to the hospitality industry for 25 years and know that wobbly tables can be a real issue. But we believe Flat technology will make wobbly tables a thing of the past forever which is why we’ve invested in the product and are recommending it to our clients.”

The Flat table bases are also supplied

by GO IN (UK), a leading supplier of hospitality furniture across Europe for the past 40 years. It has introduced 100 new furniture products and 270 new cover fabrics in its new 2012 catalogue, which encourages designers to mix and match colours and materials to help them create unique interiors.

Local ambience

Vaughann Turnbull, national sales manager of GO IN (UK), says that designers are increasingly needing to reflect a venue’s clientele and local area in the interior design. “Independent operators and smaller chains are being much more adventurous than larger chains in their choice of interior design, and we’re seeing this reflected in bars and restaurants across the UK,” he says. “Rather than the ‘one size fits all’ approach to branding from the national chains, which may be out of place in some settings, the independents tend to understand their target market better, and can be more positively influenced by

Orten from Lyndon Design

With its golds and pinks, crushed velvet drapes and neon, the Golden Bee in Shoreditch, east London, is a luxurious, theatrical space. It was designed by Darren Grapes of Grapes Design who worked with Sam Ogilvie Design on several of the venue’s striking features such as the four-metre gold-chain chandelier in the stairwell and the adjustable LED bottle display behind the bar.

Sam Ogilvie’s brief for the tables was that they should have a minimal footprint which, because of the extra weight needed for stability, led to the idea of using composite cast stone. This proved to be ideal as it ages gracefully and allowed for casting of the bar’s bee logo.

“We strive to produce unique pieces that truly enhance spaces, whether a stunning one-off or a range of furniture exclusive to the venue,” Sam adds.

the character of the locality in which they operate. This can help them create interiors which are more closely matched to their clientele, allowing them to compete more effectively against their larger competitors.”

There is constant pressure on suppliers such as GO IN (UK) to provide a wide choice for designers to reflect overall trends in interior designs,Vaughann adds.

“Trends are constantly changing and last year’s dark purple, antique gold and green are already being replaced with this year’s blacks, greys and reds. Patterned fabrics can be dynamically mixed and matched with plain materials and leathers to striking effect. For a joined-up approach, fabric choices can be carried across different styles of furniture – bench systems, sofas, chairs, bar stools and even outdoor furniture – to create an interesting yet coherent design style. And don’t forget, customers can be significantly influenced by the quality of finish on your furniture because they are in intimate contact with it. It’s all about look and feel, and getting it right will help create a positive impression of your overall offering.”

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training

Henry’s Apprenticeship training

Learning curve Apprenticeships and other training offer bar owners vital tools to develop their businesses

D

espite the wide range of training available for staff in the licensed trade, employers have often been reluctant to send them on courses because they are needed behind the bar.This has changed with the arrival of apprenticeships in the hospitality sector, says Gerwyn House, managing director of Charnwood Training Group. “Suddenly the industry has a range of solutions that support an efficient recruitment process, help succession planning by developing tomorrow’s managers and promote loyalty and retention among staff,” she explains.

“In short, they actually deliver real business benefits.”

The government has pledged to get 500,000 young people into apprentice schemes this year, with the hospitality sector playing a leading role. In July, it substantially increased the budget available to trainers signing up to the new Level 2 Apprenticeship training framework, specifically designed for pubs and bars by

the industry’s training body, the BII. One of the benefits of apprenticeships is that people learn in a way that is best suited to them, says Gerwyn at Charnwood.

“They gain practical, hands-on experience along the way and there’s an apprenticeship for just about every role within a busy outlet: beverage service, customer service, professional cookery, kitchen service, team leading – the list goes on.” Training providers such as Charnwood have made the content accessible and relevant, ensuring it is deliverable on the job. “The learners we work with are set tasks within their daily duties that meet the criteria of the qualification and then they’re assessed on the premises using observations and written tests,” Gerwyn explains. As it attracts government funding, it need not cost the employer any money, with the additional grant of £1,500 available for apprentices aged 16 to 24 until March 2013.

Another provider of hospitality apprenticeships is Lifetime, which is working

Bar staff at bar chain Henrys, operated

by TCG, were rewarded with seeing their cocktails on a new menu at all its sites across the UK. It followed a training programme delivered by Bacardi BrownForman Brands’ training team – part of TCG’s staff training in its premium bars.

All participants were invited to create a cocktail and the best from each site – plus an extra one from the Covent Garden branch and another from the rebranded Lamb in Norwich, a former Henry’s site – were added to an eightstrong list of “Henry’s Favourites”. Each is credited to the individual or team who created it.

The cocktails include the Green Park Breeze, devised by bartenders at Piccadilly, London, made with Malibu and Disaronno amaretto shaken with orange juice, pineapple juice and grenadine syrup. Rob Newman, assistant manager at Henry’s Piccadilly, says: “The fact that the cocktail we created here is going to be sold in Henry’s Cafe Bars across the country is great recognition for our talented bar team.” Piccadilly bartender Yan Nemec is pictured with the cocktail.

with a growing number of operators on schemes. “Apprenticeships offer major rewards for staff in terms of enhanced skills but they also provide tangible benefits for employers in terms of increased operational efficiency, improved staff retention and enhanced customer service,” says Lifetime business manager David Grant. “In fact, 92 per cent of employers who employ apprentices believe that apprenticeships lead to a more motivated and satisfied workforce.”

Scottish brewer Tennent Caledonian www.barmagazine.co.uk |55

training

Tennent’s launches MAP Year scheme

has launched an apprentice scheme for Scots between the age of 16 and 24 working across Scotland’s bars, hotels and restaurants. It gives them a chance to take a “MAP Year” through a Modern Apprentice Plus programme that will nurture and fast-track 25 of the hospitality industry’s brightest and most ambitious young Scots each year. It is funded and managed by Tennent Caledonian, though its Tennent’s Training Academy, with support from Skills Development Scotland.

Apprenticeships are helping to make the hospitality industry a real career, points out David Hawbrook, managing director of ABV Training, a specialist training company for the licensed trade. “They are a great way to drive training and development among young people.” More generally, he says that bar owners should look at training as an investment in developing sales rather than a cost off the bottom line. “The industry is generally not good at selling so training in this area can deliver measurable results, such as that extra bottle of wine, starter or dessert,” he explains. Employers can also save costs by using e-learning programmes that are more flexible and mean staff are away from work for less time. He also recommends that bar managers look at personal development using modular, flexible training through the BIIAB Profitable Business Portfolio.

Bar owners can also tap into free bartender training provided by drinks suppliers, which is often carried out on the premises. Ian McLaren, head of product training and mixology at Bacardi BrownForman Brands (BBFB), points out that their training has moved on from being just about the spirits and liqueurs but to look at how bar staff can increase business. “We have to make the training relevant in terms of operators making money. Bartenders were a creative force for making drinks but now they also need to be able to cost it, make it work and do the analysis of what has

56| www.barmagazine.co.uk

been done before.” As well as its travelling Cocktail Culture training sessions, BBFB has helped to train staff at leading operators such as the Colombo Group, All Star Lanes, Living Ventures, Soho House Group and the Savoy hotel.

Drinks company Maxxium UK has trained over 40,000 bar staff through its Mixxit team, including bespoke training for individual bars and groups. “The Mixxit masterclasses are proven to significantly boost sales through staff education,” says on-trade sales director Jim Grierson.

Examples include the Tapestry Bar & Restaurant in Richmond, London, where an ongoing training programme was designed for the outlet, focused on the entire spirits offering but with an emphasis on vodka. Bar and restaurant manager Lucia Fiorini says the training gave staff more confidence with customers. “They also gained excellent knowledge in mixing spirits with particular flavours and learnt how to create visually pleasing drinks, allowing staff to up-sell cocktails to customers more knowledgeably.”

Demand for wine training has led ontrade wine supplier Inverarity Morton to take on a second tutor and roll out courses across the UK. While candidate numbers on Inverarity Morton courses have increased, its chief tutor Mike Cottam says bar owners are slower to take advantage of opportunities from suppliers for wine training in contrast to other topics.

“Educating on wine is an altogether more challenging brief to meet because it is such a vast subject and you’ll generally find resistence beyond the ‘familiar’,” he explains.

However, Mike says this challenge is being met by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), which develops the courses and qualifications that Inverarity Morton and other providers use. “The WSET has now started to split the courses which I think is the right way to go as establishments look for a specialist offering to create a

real selling point,” Mike says, adding that the WSET’s online training is also another useful tool. But he stresses: “Where training is most impactful is ‘leading from the top’, where the proprietor or operator cascades the knowledge and enthusiasm down to the rest of the team.” As an example of this, he cites Glasgow café-bar Delizique, owned by Mhairi Taylor, where the result is that “staff are so involved and enthusiastic about what they’re selling”.

Operators can use mystery shopping tools and research to make sure training is effective, says Tim Ogle, European chief executive for Market Force Information which carries out customer intelligence programmes with bars across the UK. “It’s important bars initially find out what customers think about their establishment so they can understand the service which is being delivered, in order to pinpoint the necessary training,” he explains. “Once the training has been identified and met, this will not only improve the bar’s customer service offering, but increase staff retention, foster a productive working environment, and ultimately help to improve the bottom line. Once a good training and development programme is in place, it’s crucial that this is continually re-evaluated and evolved, to make sure all members of staff are meeting the expectations of the customer, as well as feeling comfortable and happy performing their role.”

Shepherd Neame Shepherd Neame, which operates over 1,000 pubs and hotels in the south-east, has introduced the Practical Training Certificate (PTC), developed by sector skills council People 1st to develop managers in training and motivating members of staff. It is being used as part of its induction training for managers.

“In our industry we have many young managers who are responsible for junior members of staff so it’s important they gain skills of how to best train and support other members of staff,” explains Shepherd Neame field trainer Angela Barlow. “The PTC lets delegates learn quickly how to effectively raise the performance of their entire team, step by step.”

Pictured is Shepherd Neame’s Jamaica Wine House in the City of London.

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We supply permanent staff and temporary workers that are carefully selected and referenced checked.

We are a member of the REC and stick to a strict code of practice committed to operate ethically, lawful and in line with the industry best practice.

We supply to the following: • Hotels • Restaurants • Gastro pubs • Outside catering events • Contract catering • Bars and late night ventures • Sales and marketing events • Food manufacturer We specialise in chef recruitment as the managing director James Harper is a chef. ahr are always looking for chefs, consultants and managers to join our team, if you want a better job, better pay and better time off send us your cv and quote Bar Magazine.

T: 01200 442 444 M: 07858 822 187 E: james@absolutehospitalityrecruitment.com W: www.absolutehospitalityrecruitment.com www.barmagazine.co.uk |57

technology

Future proof With the right epos technology, bars can not only get greater operational and financial control but plan for future change

E

pos-powered marketing is set to become one of the biggest trends in the next 12 months. Some of the hospitality industry’s largest players are gearing up to put this highly personalised form of loyalty management to the test, according to Tim Van den Branden, director of epos hardware manufacturer Sigma Touch Solutions. “Closed-loop marketing (CLM) is one of the biggest buzzwords in the industry and relies on detailed customer data to produce targeted, personalised communications that encourage repeat business and extended purchases,” he explains.

Using epos to implement, host and evaluate CLM campaigns means customer data gathered by the system can be used to inform marketing strategies. Offers and rewards can be redeemed at the point of sale using code-scanning technology such as the imager found on Sigma’s i700 epos terminal. This can scan directly from a customer’s smartphone, and operators can easily measure the results of any campaign by the volume of sales generated or offers redeemed.

“An epos-powered CLM package allows bar operators to build valuable profiles of customers who identify themselves with a loyalty card, voucher or mobile phone, all of which can be scanned by the epos terminal,” Tim points out. “Customer journeys can be tracked by linking epos with reservations and this intelligence can be used to understand customer behaviours more clearly.”

The technology is also being used to shape customer experiences in real time and while they are on site, using digital menus

Sigma Touch’s i700

58| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Baa Bar in Victoria Street, Liverpool

and displays and mobile devices. “This means interactive drink and food menus can be tailored and relevant incentives can be sent to the customer via mobile device or smartphone while they are still on site, or displayed on customer-facing HD displays at the point of sale, to influence spending behaviour and encourage extended purchases,” Tim explains.

A new epos system for the 10-strong Baa Bar Group in the north-west has been designed to be flexible for future needs, including a facility to swipe gift cards which means it can add a customer loyalty package if needed. After steady expansion, the company commissioned independent epos specialist GS Systems to provide over 70 epos touchscreen terminals and a head office central management solution for the group, which is made up of seven Baa Bars in Liverpool, Nottingham and Manchester plus Liverpool bars Bumper and Modo and Manchester gastropub The Ox Noble. It opened its seventh bar under the Baa Bar brand this year, with plans to add up to 10 more Baa Bars over the next four years in locations such as Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham.

It invested in a comprehensive new epos system to provide greater operational and financial control over the growing business.

GS Systems managing director Niels Nielsen says: “Fast and easy-to-use terminals ensure staff can serve customers quickly and accurately. They are also reliable, resilient and robust to cope with busy, crowded latenight bar environments. At the same time, Baa Bar wants the flexibility of multiple price and discount levels so changes to customers’ offers can be made in real time with the minimum of fuss.”

GS Systems helped the company introduce watertight procedures across all sites and at head office to accurately record wastage and all other stock movements, providing a full audit trail and asset accountability. This process includes creating and implementing a series of electronic business reports to

improve cash and stock reconciliation. “The Baa Bar management team can see how the business is performing in real time on a unit basis and as a multiple chain whenever they want,” Niels explains.

“One of the features of our specified epos system, built around Toshiba A10 epos terminals and a GS Systems cloud-based epos and central management solution, is the fact it can easily be developed to meet Baa Bar’s future requirements,” he adds.

“For example, we’ve fitted card swipes to the terminals so customers can redeem gift cards. This facility gives Baa Bar the option of adding a complete customer loyalty package at a later date.”

Elaine Clarke, Baa Bar Group’s chief executive, adds: “The system installed by GS will give us full transparency and cost/ stock controls across the chain – essential requirements as we look to expand the brand over the next five years.”

For busy bars, Q-Systems has developed Q-Bar, consisting of handheld scanners for immediate data collection and display of sales. It is used at live music venues operated by O2 Academy and HMV Group as well as Nottingham bars The Market Bar and The Blue Note. “When your customers are three deep at the bar, Q-Bar can increase the speed of service by up to 40 per cent by eliminating the ‘bottle neck’ of a slow cash register or a slow bartender,” explains Q-Systems general manager Mark Robinson. “Unlike any other system, there are no queues by the till as all bar staff have their own handheld scanner with which to register each item. The only time staff need to go to a cash drawer is to fire transactions in and handle the payment.”

Live data is registered to back-office software, offering graphs and reports in areas such as cash per hour and staff performance. It not only increases sales but allows for more interaction with customers, Mark adds. “The Q-Bar system allows the staff more time with each customer instead of punching a cash register.”

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NOT JUST ANOTHER EPOS PROVIDER? At GS Systems we’re proud of the fact we’re not just another EPOS provider. Our clients are too because they take full advantage of our EPOS solutions to control, manage and grow their businesses whilst giving their own customers the best possible guest experience. But don’t take our word for it. Visit our new website. Listen to what our clients say, including Marcello Distefano (San Carlo), Andy Aldrich (Viva Brazil), Jeremy Roberts (Living Ventures), Andrew Blackburn (Baa Bar) and Vicki Almond (Almond Pubs).

Visit www.gs-systems.co.uk

Taking the risk out of cash and stock management

Call 0800 655 6264 www.barmagazine.co.uk |59

bar essentials

Clean and simple

Fait accompli

To ensure customers enjoy trouble-free, hygienic warewashing at all times, Winterhalter has launched a simplified, two-tiered version of its service contracts. From £1.63 a day, its specialist technicians take care of machines and replace worn or damaged items with genuine Winterhalter quality parts.

The basic Premium Cover provides call out, labour and parts cover while Premium Plus Cover goes further by adding a regular preventative maintenance programme. Call 01908 359000 or visit www.winterhalter.co.uk.

Growing London-based bakery and restaurant chain Fait Maison has invested in SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency combi steamers from Rational. “Throughout the group we are serving up to 2,000 customers a day,” says managing director Mohamed Osman. “They know our ethos: we make things from scratch, we don’t cut corners. To keep up our reputation we only want the best – not only in terms of ingredients, but also in terms of quality of production.”

Call Rational UK on 0800 389 2944 or visit www.rational-UK.com.

Essential refrigeration

Blast smartly

True has published an updated version of its guide to commercial catering refrigeration. The new Essential Refrigeration Product Selector includes more details on the most popular types of refrigeration in the UK and has been made easier to use.

It covers True’s “essential” refrigeration models, including upright cabinets, counters, prep counters and chef bases.

It is available free to foodservice professionals by visiting www. truemfg.com/uk or calling 01709 888888.

Williams’ reach-in Blast Chiller and Freezer (WBCF) range is designed to suit catering operations large and small, offering capacities from 50kg to 10kg. Their advanced “AirSmart” airflow design ensures even product chilling or freezing and eliminates product dehydration, ensuring food is maintained in the best possible condition.

The cabinets’ Williams Easy Blast (WEB) “1, 2, 3” uses just three steps to initiate the blast chill or freeze cycle. Pictured is the WBC40 Blast Chiller.

Visit www.williams-refrigeration.co.uk.

APTITO THE ALL-IN-ONE DIGITAL SOLUTION FOR THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY For more information visit our website www.aptito.eu or telephone 0115 860 2175 and speak to our friendly sales staff.

See us at The Restaurant Show Earls Court 8-10 Oct Stand B31 60| www.barmagazine.co.uk

• All-in-One Digital Solution for the bar manager and restaurateur • Completely integrated software links Dgital Menus to our Wait-staff communicator to the Aptito POS (Point of Sale), inventory and reporting • Enhances the customers’ dining experience with easyto-use menus and direct ordering • Several menu language options available • Menus can be easily changed to the language of choice in seconds, at the touch of a button • Links to social media (Facebook) direct from the Digital Menus to drive traffic to your website • Increased revenues by up to 15% or more using visual media • Enhanced displays of your chef’s creations and bars innovative cocktails and drinks • Your own rewards and loyalty programmes stored in Aptito cloud – no more cards and coupons • Advanced payment solutions are coming soon and will make ordering and payment seamless • Screensaver allows you to project and promote restaurant/bar specials • Dynamic pricing, ability to change menu in minutes without printing costs • Faster and more efficient operations, system is quick and easy to use, with only limited training required • No contract, no hidden costs, just a low monthly fee and 90-day money back guarantee if not completely satisfied • And this is just the beginning: watch out for more exciting news from Aptito coming soon!

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Silver is on Trend Gold may be for winners in sport but, for interiors, silver is the new favourite, especially shiny metallic silver. Italian glass mosaic tile maker Trend is advancing the decorative options, with a catalogue of silver and silver-effect tesserae for adorning walls, ceilings, alcoves and even floors.

Silver is glamorous and distinguished, associated with prestige and wealth, and has inherent reflective qualities.

On one hand it is shiny and high tech, on the other it is elegant and traditional. Silver can be translated into silver-lacquered furniture, silver-grey textiles and soft furnishings, full-length mirrors, chrome fittings and the shimmering magic of silver glass mosaic.

Authentically crafted Trend glass mosaic offers a splendid choice of silver decorative effects, drawn from its extensive catalogue of square-format tiles and designer collections. There are exquisite Aureo Traditional and Aureo Modern tesserae incorporating precious metals, hand-cut Karma and Karma Mirage coloured glass designs, the exclusive Liberty collection of irregular mosaic modules, and studio-created shading blends and mixes. The visual trick is that most are not actually made from silver, but 24-carat white gold – the ultimate in precious metals.

Call 01892 509690, email info-gb@trend-group.com or visit www.trend-group.com to view the online master catalogue.

Pop uP Power Supplies Ltd. Safe

Silent

Secure Power

Electrical power that pops up out of the ground when you need it and hides underground when you don't.

In Ground Unit Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 4 GB Memory, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Barcode / RFID / chip and PIN options

UK: + 44 7787 112109 EMEA: +33 682 719 381 socketmobile.com emea@socketmobile.com ©2012 Socket Mobile, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Parks Parks Markets Markets Historic Historic Areas Areas

JT 03 Pop uP Unit Town Town Centres Centres Shopping Shopping Centres Centres

contact: Mike Brown Tel: 020 8551 8363 Email: mbrown@popuppower.co.uk

www.popuppower.co.uk

...put your contacts to work SS BarMag Ad-v1a.pdf 13/01/2011 10:39:53 Call Manjeet on 01795 509109 • manjeet@cimltd.co.uk C

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Samuel Snawdon Making quality furniture since 1843 Bar and reception counters Restaurant refurbishment Design and installation across the south west Tel: 01752 880420 samuelsnawdon@tiscali.co.uk www.samuelsnawdon.co.uk

BarMag Advert09_60x35mm.qxp

26/03/2009

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Creed Design Associates creative design solutions

t : 0116 275 2592 f : 0116 275 2593 e : info@creeddesign.co.uk w : www.creeddesign.co.uk

Raw Design 118 Hewlett Road, Cheltenham, GL52 6AT T: 01242 227342 E: design@matthewrawlinson.co.uk W: www.raw-design.com

0121 747 1111 info@tibbatts.com www.tibbattsabel.com

TIBBATTS ABEL

INTERIORS ARCHITECTURE

INTERIOR DESIGN CONSULTANTS T 01484 660400

M 07957 762280

INTERIOR DESIGN & PROJECT MANAGEMENT BARS RESTAURANTS PUBS CLUBS HOTELS 2 DURGATES LODGE CLAPPER LANE STAPLEHURST KENT TN12 OJS TEL: 01580 890123 FAX: 01580 893626 MOBILE: 07710 855208 www.interior-solutions.co.uk design@interior-solutions.co.uk

CONTACT: ROY ROBERTS

DESIGN CLD - Interior Design - Graphic Design - Project Management TEL: 020 8426 8259

w w w. d e s i g n c l d . c o. u k

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Showcase

60x80mm_ad_bar_showcase_champagne_Aw:Layout 1

Vintage

Champagne Coupe

Celebrate Christmas in vintage style with the Michelangelo Champagne Saucer, delivering intense aroma and full taste T: 020 8391 5544 F: 020 8391 4595 sales@artis-uk.com www.artis-uk.com

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fitzimpressions 0845 052 3635

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contemporary upholstery & fixed seating specialist

fitzimpressions.co.uk

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

Contemporary Upholstery and Fixed Seating Seating, Bar & Restaurant Furniture.

Does your venue need a facelift before christmas?

Specialits, Banquette Seating, Booth

Spcializing in Contemporary and traditional upholstery Fitz Impressions are quickly becoming established as the leading upholstery, bespoke furniture and fixed seating specialists in the country.

Partnering with leading pub and dining companies we operate from our 10,000 sq ft workshop in Cheshire. With quality installations from Aberdeen to Bournemouth our service offering covers the UK.

You only get one chance to impress make it Fitzimpressions

With significant investment in the latest CNC machinery we can work with your designs or we offer a design based service. We guarantee a quality product and service at a very reasonable rate..

Dont just take our word for it...

Add the ‘Wow Factor’ to your venue

“Their work has always been carried out by dedicated professional craftsmen to the highest standard. They work very effectively especially to our very tight time scales and are always willing to help us with other requirements at short notice” General Manager Cheshire 5* Golf Resort & Spa Give us a call to discuss your ideas but be quick you dont have long before the christmas parties begin.

Call 0845 052 3635 or email info@fitzimpressions.co.uk www.fitzimpressions.co.uk

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

01509 890 777

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 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

AUDIO VISUAL ENHANCE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WITH A BOSE SOUND SOLUTION

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

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

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 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

BALLOONS, BUNTING & FLAGS

BAR ACCESSORIES

Including : napkins, coasters, stirrers, beer-mats

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 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

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

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

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

INSURANCE

EPOS

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

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

LIGHTING 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

ESPRESSO MACHINES 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

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

OUTDOOR SOLUTIONS

BAR EQUIPMENT 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

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

FLOORING Broadleaf Head Office: 01269 851 910 London: 0207 371 0088 W: www.broadleaftimber.com/commercial

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

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

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

Atkinson & Kirby T: Ormskirk 01695 573234, T: London 0208 577 1100, E: sales@akirby.co.uk W: www.akirby.co.uk

CATERING EQUIPMENT 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

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

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

DRAINAGE 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

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

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

FURNITURE Craftwork Premier House, Barras Street, Leeds, LS12 4JS T: 0113 290 7939 E: sales@craftworkupholstery.com W: www.craftworkupholstery.com 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 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 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

GIANT UMBRELLAS & OUT DOOR PRODUCTS 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

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

SOUND TECHNOLOGY Velocity Event Tech Ltd Banks Mill, 71 Bridge Street, Derby, DE13LB T: 01332 268619 E: info@velocityeventtech.co.uk W: www.velocityeventtech.co.uk

TECHNOLOGY 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

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

diary

bar It felt appropriate that, to mark the launch of the newlook bottle for Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey, drinks company First Drinks held a traditional Irish wake. It took over Filthy McNasty’s pub in Islington – the “whiskey café” that has seen a few Irish knees-ups over the years. After the ceremonial arrival of an actual coffin (fortunately empty), the spirits of James Joyce and Oscar Wilde were recalled while a band played modern Irish music. With Tullamore Dew’s 183-year history, it was a fitting send-off for the old bottle and a suitably whiskeyfuelled celebration of the brand’s future, although one wonders what the company’s 19th-century boss Daniel E Williams would have made of the apple juice and whiskey cocktails.

The distant past was recalled for an event by whisky company Chivas Brothers which enlisted TV historian Bettany Hughes (pictured) to debate how “age matters” at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. It tied in with a new campaign under the banner of “Great Things

66| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Mixing it up >>

Take Time”, which links the ageing of its whiskies, such as Ballantine’s and The Glenlivet, to historic landmarks including the Great Pyramids of Giza which took 18 years to complete. However, sharing a stage with arts journalist Peter Aspden, Bettany admitted that the long history of alcohol – dating back at least 7,000 years to ancient Persia – “is slightly clouded in a happy mist”. The debate can be viewed at www. guaranteedagewhisky.com.

The more recent past was brought to life for the launch last month of Ardbeg Galileo, a new limited-edition Islay single malt celebrating a unique experiment being carried out in outer space.

Members of the trade and press were whisked to Leicester’s National Space Centre, the museum dedicated to the history of space travel. After a boneshaking 3D simulation of a trip to Jupiter’s ice moon Europa, we came back down to earth for a more relaxing tasting with Ardbeg manager Mickey Heads.

The whisky, named after the 17th-century astronomer, celebrates a two-year experiment to test how wood and spirit from the Islay distillery react in space and in normal gravity on Earth.

However, only a few thousand cases were made available and, according to the likes of supplier SohoWhisky and

Vintage House, demand has been out of this world.

The people of Romford are not accustomed to the Essex town being visited

by Hollywood stars but last month Jason Biggs (pictured), one of the leads of the American Pie series, turned up at town centre bar Missoula, after a customer won a £5,000 reunion party to tie in with the DVD release of American Pie: Reunion. It was a competition across the 12-strong Missoula chain, owned by Stonegate Pub Company, which had signed an exclusive partnership with the film’s distributors to host reunion parties in the UK. Biggs hosted the reunion party and chatted with customers.

The stars clearly turn out for Stonegate Pub Company. In another activity, staff from the group’s pubs and bars dressed up as doctors and nurses to pound the pavements of London to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital as part of a monthlong charity fund-raiser.

While passing through the West End, their efforts were praised by a passer-by Tulisa Constostavlos (pictured), the singer and X-Factor judge, although Stonegate admits that she was actually “mobbed” by them as she left a radio station in Leicester Square.

Gerry Calabrese of The Hoxton Pony on developing his own Hoxton Gin

W

ith the current market revival for gin and its ever-growing interest with more and more consumers jumping on board with “the gin thing”, Hoxton Gin is breaking the mould: a gin that is fun, bold and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

An uncanny ability to mix like no other, Hoxton is unconventional in that you are not limited to tonic as a simple serve.

Although a great-tasting G&T, you may prefer to try it with cranberry, ginger ale, Coke, lemonade, or just play around with it yourself and see what you find.

It is a gin with a juniper-driven character, distilled with exotic tones and sourced using the finest natural and ethically sourced ingredients including coconut, grapefruit, juniper, iris, tarragon and ginger.

This isn’t your nan’s gin – it’s a clever spirit for the uncanny spirit connoisseur.

A risk that the traditional drinkers will tell you can’t be taken, Hoxton Gin challenges the status quo and opens the drinker to an unexpected palate of flavours.

Hoxton Gin is going from strength to strength in the current market with more and more support growing for it in the on-trade. This is largely due to its unconventionality and ability to truly stand alone in what it has achieved in the gin category as quite possibly the world’s most distinctive versatile gin, meaning venues see it as a necessary addition to any back bar.

Key cities you can currently drink it in are Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol, Bournemouth, Brighton and London. If out in London you can find it in places such as The Dorchester, China Tang and Playboy Club in Mayfair, any of the venues in the Drake and Morgan group in the City, and many more.

T: 01268 771700 E: sales@q-systems.com W: www.q-systems.com

The quickest, simplest, most accurate and secure epos system available.... anywhere!

Why the quickest?

Q-Bar’s unique personal hand units allow staff to register any drink, anywhere.

Operators enjoy reduced serving times by up to 40%.

Why the simplest?

The process could not be easier. Each product is represented by a bar code located by the product! Easy to find - avoids mistakes. Swipe the bar code as you pour each drink, show the customer their total, collect payment and fire the transaction into the micro till.

Why the most accurate?

Every transaction is displayed in real time in the back office.

Bar totals may be monitored at any time along with staff performance, hourly sales analysis and individual product activity totals. Graphical analysis is a standard feature.

Why secure?

Individual sales staff are monitored in the system.

Management are in full control of under-rings, over-rings, no-sales, voids and corrections. Incorrect operation along with total system failure is virtually impossible.

EPoS System

EPoS System