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SPILT MILK ISSUE ONE

[DON’T CRY OVER SPILT MILK] WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED ON ALL THINGS LIQUID LIFESTYLE

COVER IMAGE CREDIT: JILL GREENBERG ‘END TIMES’

SSHHH... The world’s best hidden bars uncovered

GRAPE THERAPY Emily Harman on becoming a wine ninja

THE BEES KNEES Hiver Honey Beer - a uniquely British product

GIN CRAZE Small batch gin distillers bringing back the Londoner’s drink

7:41 AM Bermondsey Antique’s - a treasure trove of drinking paraphernalia

EAST LONDON LIQUOR COMPANY Reviving the East End’s distilling tradition

EAT THE WORM Melanie Symonds shares the magic of mezcal

CLUB KIDS Photos by Josiah Seminaro

MISC. Everything but the kitchen sink

CONTENTS

SSHHH...

We’re not great at keeping secrets but we can’t help if people keep on sharing them. From unmarked doors to hidden staircases, and codewords that would make Sherlock Holmes weak at the knees, we reveal the world’s best hidden bars.

he thrill of the speakeasy, gimmicky as it might be, has burrowed it’s way deep within cocktail culture, infiltrating cities one candle-lit basement at a time. From unmarked doors to codewords, if you can find your way inside, party like it’s 1922 and report back with tales of decadence and debauchery. NIGHTJAR [129 city road, london] Find the nightjar bird perched nonchalantly on the outerwall and be whisked downstairs for a night of theatrics that would make Marcel Marceau blush.* MOONSHINER [5 rue sedaine paris] Enter through Pizza Da Vito and push your way through the coolroom door to find dim-lit, clandestine, vibes. VINTAGE COCKTAIL CLUB [15 crown alley, dublin] Look for the unsuspecting black iron door, ring the bell and step into the cosy confines of your nanna’s loungeroom.*

PLEASE DON’T TELL [113 st marks place, manhattan]

THE BLIND PIG [58 poland street, london]

Enter through a vintage phonebooth inside cult deep fried hotdog joint, Crif Dogs. Oops. We told.

Look under the vintage ‘Optician’ sign for the blindfolded hog doorknocker.

BATHTUB GIN [132 9th ave, brooklyn] Stashed behind Stone Street Coffee Company, this one is for the gin (and bathtub) enthusiasts. The decor is complete with a copper bathtub, begging to be posed in.* MIDNIGHT COWBOY [313 east 6th street, austin] Find the shady, green entrance and ring the buzzer marked “Harry Craddock” for entry to Midnight Cowboy Modelling (formerly a brothel by the same name). 001 [97 wellington street, hong kong] Use the street address as a guide only and consider finding a friendly local to direct you. Look for a spotlight on a tiny brass buzzer.*

FALL FROM GRACE [477 collins street, melbourne] Remove a book from the bookshelf in State of Grace (restaurant) and the secret door will reveal a velvet-clad treasure. DOOR 74 [reguliersdwarsstraat 74I, amsterdam] Prepare the day before you wish to visit. You’ll recieve a text to confirm your booking and time. Once you find the unassuming door, ring the bell and enter the art-deco dominated interior. BOURBON & BRANCH [501 jones street, san fransico] To enter the Library, ring the buzzer and use the password ‘books’ - that part’s not hard. But finding the speakeasies within the speakeasy is the real challenge.

* editors note: While it might ruin the spontenaity of finding a hidden bar, owing to populatiry, it’s best to book ahead to avoid disappointing cocktail filled dreams.

GOT MILK Specifically crafted for cafe consumption, The Estate Dairy are ahead of the herd when it comes to milk science and high quality produce. Founding partner, Morten M端nchow, is a leading dairy scientist with with an extensive background in milk research. One of his specific areas of expertise is the (rather complex) milk makeup and how it reacts with coffee. This incredible understanding of milk science has lead to success at The Estate Dairy where traditional milk-making methods are matched with the latest dairy processing technologies. The ratios of Jersey to Friesian milk are adjusted with extreme accuracy to ensure consistency of flavour and foam stability.

The milk is pasteurised but not homogenised, to retain creaminess, fats and protein. With a team brimming with experience in farming, scientific research and hospitality, The Estate Dairy are committed to achieving new standards for the speciality culinary industries. This well mannered milk is now filling cups at cafes across London. Get yourself a milk moustache at Caravan Roastery, The Coffee House by the Gentlemen Baristas and Nobel Espresso to name a few.

GRAPE THERAPY

Q&A Emily Harman - freelance sommelier and wine consultant at VinaLupa

The pretense that surrounds wine can make it a frightening subject to approach as a novice. Ignoring the fanfare of sniffing and swilling that generally accompanies tasting, and learning what your palette likes is the most important step in turning from novice to ninja.

What is fundamental knowledge for any wine novice? I think the most important thing is to work out what you like about the wines that you are drinking. Regardless of price or region, get to know if you like something light, fresh, fruity, dry, rich, full - whatever it is, red or white - and then find something that suits your preferences. Can you give an example...a light and fruity red perhaps? If you like something light and fruity, a pinot noir is a very good bet, or some sort of gamay like a Beaujolais. Look for wines that have got good acidity and low tannins. Barbera from the north of Italy is also good. Should you judge a wine on how it looks? No. The appearance is the least important part of the wine even though people tend to get really hung up on it, immediately judging a glass by how it looks. Generally the colour will give you an indication of the grape variety. For example pinot noir is made from big, juicy berries with thinner skins and that’s why it’s paler in colour, while a cabernet sauvignon or a syrah have thick skins. This gives a more intense, darker colour to the wine. But the colour is not the defining factor of a wine. What temperature(s) is wine best served? I think most people drink their white wine too cold, and their red wine too warm. White wine should be served at 10 to 12 degrees, unless it’s a riesling or something with a really high acidity, and then you might want it a little cooler. For red wine, 16 or 17 degrees at the most. I think it’s far better to serve red wine a little too cool because it can always warm up in the glass but once it’s poured, it is hard to cool it down.

What is the natural wine movement all about? The whole natural wine movement has been communicated most heavily by French winemakers. I’m quite open minded with it but I don’t think it’s the be all and end all of winemaking. I’ve tried some really great natural wines but it is a very vague, umbrella term that no one seems to have a full grasp of. Essentially the wine is the rawest product it can be. The movement is about doing the best with what you’ve got and trying to show the grapes, where they are grown without masking them with additives. The most important thing is that the wine being produced is delicious and people enjoy it - the process just becomes a benefit to the environment. Is orange wine the new white? Everyone is catching on to orange wine and at wine fairs you tend to see more orange wine than white wine around. Orange wine is arguably how all wine was originally made. When you look to places like Georgia, their methods are now ‘on trend’ but it’s really always the way wine has been made there. Because there weren’t any wine barrels or stainless steel tanks, winemakers used clay pots (kvevries) which were buried in the earth, literally in someone’s garden. They put the grapes in - white grapes in one and red grapes in another - and then they would pretty much leave it for a long period of time to ferment and do it’s thing. They are really interesting wines - really good with food because they have got a level of tannin which gives them a lot of flavour. What are your favourite wines? I don’t have a favourite but more than anything I have a tendency to drink wines from a region called Jura, which is the eastern part of France, nearer to Switzerland. The wines are really interesting...and a little bit quirky. They’ve got some really light and pretty reds but also some great chardonnay. They have a lot of small growers and I just love the wine.

For more of Emily’s words of wisdom, follow her @VinaLupa

THE BEES

A brief chat with Hannah Rhodes, founder and creator of Hiver, leaves you buzzing. Her enthusiasm is infectious and extends beyond her product to the community of producers, suppliers and consumers involved. “All of the suppliers and producers we use for Hiver are all British. So then it kind of becomes this lovely British product,” she says. Hannah was first introduced to urban honey during London Urban Food Fortnight a few years back. “I had never heard of urban honey or urban beekeeping”, she tells, “I was amazed by the innovative ways people use space in the city. So I signed up for an urban beekeepers course and became part of the London Beekeepers association. And I really fell in love with it”.

KNEES Hiver Honey Beer showcases craft brewing methods alongside urban London honey, creating a uniquley British product. Hannah Rhodes, founder of Hiver, talks all things bees and beer.

London honey is a unique product. Bees forage in a three mile radius, so broadly speaking, it is easy to identify the forage sources in the city. The Victorians planted lime and acacia trees down their London streets. Lime trees are a great source of nectar, which bees take back to the hive. “The other sources of forage in London are the herbs from people’s window boxes like mint, thyme...maybe even lavender at certain times of the year”, Hannah explains, “so often you get a little bit of a menthol note in London honey”. Among her new found fascination with honey, a friend brought Hannah a bottle of honey beer as a joke. “I tried this bottle of honey beer and it was sweet, and citrusy, and gimmicky - essentially it was a beer with a load of sweetener stuck in at the end”. Something about the honey beer stuck with her. She began some research and quickly realised that honey beer has an incredible history and deeply seated roots in British drinking culture. Before hops were introduced from Germany in the 15th century, people were using honey as a means

While some shrug it off as an old wives tale, many believe the term ‘honeymoon’ stems from a tradition that the father of the bride brewed honey beer for newlyweds to consume during the lunar month after the wedding. Both a celebratory drink and aphrodisiac, it was thought that the sweeter the brew, the more ‘fruitful’ the union would be. Telling this anecdote, Hannah is quick to assert, “Hiver is a modern interpretation - we use all this technology and fantastic brewing knowledge from the team at Hepworth Brewery. But we try to stay true to the story and the history of the style”. There are two beers in the Hiver family: the blonde honey beer and the brown honey ale. “Craft beer is all about taste, flavour and exploration. You can play with different cereals, different honeys, different hops”, says Hannah, “it’s a bit like baking a cake. You can play around with the recipe and just see what happens”. And this is what she did. “At first that the idea came because I knew enough about brewing and I wanted to give it a go. I wanted to see what it would taste like. Once I had done that, given it a couple of tries - you become quite hooked on it - it seemed that people really liked the taste. So I made the decision and just went for it. It’s been a whirlwind couple of years since we officially launched in September 2013”. The honey beer is made with lighter cereals and uses a lager yeast, meaning it is fermented at a slightly colder temperature over a slightly longer period of time. The lager yeast gives a cleaner, crisper flavour which marries perfectly with the London and Yorkshire Heather honeys that are used. “There were six trial brews to get this one right (the honey beer) and it was originally just brewed with London honey. It was coming along and we had the recipe right...it was tasting great but

you could barely pick up the honey on the nose”, Hannah recalls. “I realised that if you’re going to put the honey beer on the label, you want people to be able to pick it out. You want that character there. What I love about the Yorkshire Heather honey is that there is this rich, earthy goodness and it combines really well with that malt sweetness of the beer”. The honey ale is made from a darker, roasted cereal, giving the beer a rich colour. A chocolate malt (most well known from stouts like Guinness) brings warm, toasty notes to the ale. “There is a little more hop character in this one (the honey ale) so you get a little bit more of a prickle on the lips and bitterness on the tongue”, explains Hannah. “We use a late season blossom honey in the ale. It’s quite a bitter honey and there is quite a bit of ivy in it, as ivy is one of the last sources of forage for the bees before they hibernate for the winter”. “We want to keep the focus on the original two but still have some fun in small runs and specials”, Hannah tells. “I would love to do a summer seasonal and winter seasonal but they will be more limited edition and when it’s gone, it’s gone”. All brewing is done at Hepworth & Co Brewers in Sussex. “They’ve got all the equipment that we need to brew, and make sure it’s the best quality brew that it can be. I’m a big fan of supporting other British suppliers and it made sense to support an existing brewery rather than starting from the ground”. This sense of camaraderie is intertwined with the ethos of Hiver, as Hannah seeks the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded people.

‘‘

It’s a bit like baking a cake. You can play around with the recipe and just see what happens.

of fermenting. While mead was more prevalent, brewers used honey to invigorate the yeast and create a good conversion to alcohol in their beer. The honey provided a rich flavour and aroma, and increased the shelf life of the product. “There is just such a lovely tradition to the style and for me that was enough to want to have a go”, Hannah says, “And it’s very much died out. It’s just a couple of the bigger breweries that do a honey beer these days really in the UK”.

‘‘

“I’m a big fan of sustainable produce”, she says, “I see it with the suppliers I work with too, they’re really proud of their product - the way they make it and the steps they take to make sure they’re a little more environmentally friendly. The British glass manufacturer we use has moved purely to lightweight glass and that’s to reduce energy and materials. Obviously it has a cost benefit to them as well, but it’s more about being less wasteful”. Beyond the bees and the beer, food pairing is becoming a fascinating trend for Hiver. “It’s become a bigger and bigger part of what we do. I would say that with Hiver because we’ve got the honey element in there, the conversation of food comes quite naturally. Our customers ask, what can I match with it? What can I cook with it?”. Hannah suggests rotisserie chicken, pork and even crab pair perfectly with the blond, while the brown ale holds up against darker meats and earthy vegetables. “We have chefs on board who are willing to get creative with Hiver. I’m in there doing

a team training session with the restaurant staff, tasting the beer alongside the dishes chefs have designed. All so that they have their own opinion and can recommend it. It’s amazing because it puts beer at a different level and up alongside wine”, she says with excitement. As the bees awake from a winter in hibernation in April, Hiver will launch experience days. Based at the hive in Kennington Park in South London, the day will offer consumers the chance to suit up and try their hand at beekeeping. This is an extremely important part of Hiver, and something Hannah is immensely passionate about. “Obviously it’s a beer but it’s also about telling the story of this amazing British raw honey and supporting these incredible beekeepers. There is a real sense of back to basics. People want things done properly, they want to know what’s going in there and they want to get hands on with the product” Hannah says with satisfaction.

(caf)fiends Sandows London E9 5LH Cold Brew Coffee

Founded by Luke Suddards and Hugh Duffie, Sandows London are for the hardcore (caf)fiends. The boys have honed their barista skills to craft a truly unique product for the UK market. With increasing popularity in warmer climates, bringing a cold brew coffee to Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grey skies was a bold move. And the best part, a flask of Sandows sits snuggly in your back pocket. The process of cold brewing involves infusing beans over 16 hours using only cold water, which is then triple filtered for clarity. The result is an extraction of smooth, low acidity, caffeinated goodness. A balance between flavour and strength makes the brew extremely

drinkable. Sandows only use fresh, seasonal coffees, working closely with established roasters in London to source high quality, single origin coffees. This results in regularly varying coffee origins stamped on the bottles which can be found at a number of stockists throughout London, including Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges. The brewery in Hackney Wick is reminiscent of a high school chemistry laboratory. The experimental approach to brewing uses bespoke equipment, engineered from modified beer tanks. The science behind the brew is simply part of the brands character.

Ever pushing the boundaries of beans, Sandows London have mastered the art of the nitro cold brew as pioneered by Stumptown Roasters in Portland. Serving coffee on draught brings a new element of theatre to the cafe scene. Infused with nitrogen for an elevated texture, nitro cold brew pours just like Guinness and even settles with a creamy head. You can find it on tap at the Grind & Coâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shoreditch and Holborn locations.

TIP: Gently float a shot of Sandows cold brew on the top of your next gin and tonic. Garnish with orange peel. Enjoy.

GIN CRAZE Bringing back the Londonerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drink

ondon’s history is soaked in the juniper heavy clutches of gin. From the sordid streets of the 18th century to the glitz and glamour of the Jazz Age, it has long been a Londoner’s drink. In the height of the cocktail renaissance, a new generation of distillers are gathering their botanicals and reviving time honoured traditions in the spirit of making damn fine gin. In the late 1700’s gin sated desperate hunger, offered relief from the bitter cold and was a cheap buzz that could be had for pennies on a corner. It is estimated that the average Londoner drank 112 pints of gin per year - more than enough to kill a man. Infamous signage hung above cellar doors, reading: ‘Drunk for a penny; dead drunk for two pennies; clean straw for nothing.’ The assumption was that after spending more than a few pennies on the savage liquid, the only option would be to pass out on a bed of straw. A number of Gin Act’s were passed by the government in an attempt to curb the growing consumption and ease the horrors of the Gin Craze.

A far cry from the ferocity of ‘mothers ruin’, artisanal tipples are flooding the London gin market. Unsatisfied with the commercial offerings, gin heads around London have turned their attention from the art of drinking gin to the art of distilling it. Jensen’s, Sipsmith, Portobello Road, Little Bird, Half Hitch - the list goes on. And while each distillery brings a unique product to the shelf, there is unanimity in the belief that it’s what’s in the bottle that matters the most. Christian Jensen, founder of Jensen’s (Bermondsey), turned to distilling out of a desire to make gin as it should be. After complaining to a bartender that gin tasted far better when he was a young man, Christian turned his attention to the history of gin and began collecting bottles from the early 20th century. The collection now stands at over 900 bottles, each one offering a snapshot of how gin used to be made and how gin used to taste. These historic gins inspired the idea to turn-back-time and produce a vintage-style gin for the modern market. Christian teamed up with Charles Maxwell of Thames Distillers, and the two men seized the opportunity to tinker with some tastings. Settling on two gins, Jensen’s produce a clean, crisp London Dry alongside a smooth, hearty Old Tom (the recipe coming straight out of a distiller’s handbook from 1840). Distilled in small batches, using only traditional botanicals, Jensen’s are all about sensational simplicity.

Originally from Denmark, Christian’s Scandic heritage not only influenced the minimal brand design, it also led to experimentation with infused gins. Following from the traditions of infused aquavit, Jensen’s infuse in the purest way possible - using fresh ingredients and no added sugar. From expected fruit flavours like strawberry or rhubarb, to unexpected savoury delights like shiitake mushroom or horseradish, the infusions can be served with tonic water or mixed into cocktails. The team at Jensen’s swear the shiitake mushroom infusion makes for the best bloody mary. In a converted railway arch near London Bridge, Jensen’s open the doors of their distillery on weekends with a pop up bar. London gin enthusiast’s can stop by for a quick tasting or a long drink, bringing food from Maltby Street Markets at Ropewalk, a very short stumble down the railway line.

Also at home on Maltby Street is Little Bird Gin’s vintage pop up, Sparrow Bar. Born out of the search for the perfect negroni and an excuse to drink a hell of a lot of gin, Little Bird was founded at a kitchen table in Peckham a few years back. Little Bird is yet another passion project that has produced a high quality, cocktail strength spirit. After holidaying in Italy, the team behind Little Bird Gin (originally friends before delving into the world of business partners) had quite a specific idea of what they thought a gin for the perfect negroni should be.

A unique take on the London Dry, Little Bird is citrusy and smooth. With just 10 botanicals in the mix, the recipe includes 38% juniper, balanced with ginger, sweet orange peel and pink grapefruit - the rest remains a secret. After perfecting the recipe asking “can we make it in the bathtub?”, the Little Bird team approached Thames Distillers for an expert opinion. Charles Maxwell, aptly referred to as Mr. Gin, provided the equipment and knowledge to take Little Bird from the kitchen table to a bartender’s right hand.

Little Bird Gin Best Serves

With strategy and planning playing second fiddle to the desire to make a truly fantastic gin, Little Bird’s growth has been extremely organic. A love for all things vintage and a want to credit the history of gin in some way, led to the creation of Miss Ginger as the brand’s ambassador. Blazing red hair and a little blue dress, Ginger is the perfect pin up. Glamourous, sexy, smooth and a little bit quirky, Miss Ginger embodies the spirit of Little Bird, giving consumers a tangential understanding of what’s in the bottle.

The Way Gin Intended Bermondsey Tonic Water (BTW) is the all natural, handcrafted alternative to ‘high street’ tonic waters. Originally developed for speciality cocktail bar, 214 Bermondsey, BTW captures the essence of quinine in its purest form. Available as a tonic syrup or bottled and lightly carbonated, BTW lets the gin do the talking, allowing the drinker an honest taste of the botanicals at play. Gin is the fourth largest export in the UK, so it makes sense to have a tonic that can sit beside artisinal gins in the market. Lawerence Mason, BTW founder and g&t fanatic, felt that Bermondsey was the perfect home for his tonic. “Produce coming out of South East London feels more authentic..it’s got character”, he says.

LONDON’S BEST GIN BARS NORTH Portobello Star SOUTH 214 Bermondsey Merchant House EAST City of London Distillery The Oliver Conquest Peg & Patriot Peters & Co. WEST Graphic The London Gin Club

7:41AM SE1 3UN

One man’s trash is another man’s treaure.

“Red wine lips are the height of style. Red wine teeth are just bad manners.”

36 EAST LONDON LIQUOR COMPANY Pushing the boundaries of traditional distilling and producing top quality produce is all in a days work at East London Liquor Company. Founder, Alex Wolpert, explains the importance of having fun in the process.

Alex Wolpert, founder of East London Liqour Company, was driven to bring the spirit of distilling back to the East End after failing to find a satisfactory affordable and accessible gin on the market. After setting down a gin and tonic he explains, “Historically it’s a Londoner’s drink, so we thought, let’s bring that culture back. People tend to say, ‘the gin renaissance is boring...everyone is doing gin’. And fair enough, but there is no one that we know of in the UK selling gin of our scale, at our price. And that’s the key”. A former glue factory, remembered cheekily in the upside-down horse branding, is the home of East London Liquor Company. At the edge of Victoria Park, the distillery slash bar slash bottle shop seeks to showcase some of the best spirits in town and is the first London whisky distillery to make gin in over 100 years.

Hailing from a hospitality background, Wolpert knows the value of quality produce. “We were very intent on making sure that the liquid was really consistent and really excellent before it left the building” he says. “We’re not using the word craft, we’re not using artisanal, we’re not using boutique. Those words mean nothing anymore unfortunately. We’re just making really good gin...and vodka and whisky”. With strong industry knowledge, ELLC is concerned with creating the best tools for the trade. “From a technical aspect of what we do, our vodka and gin are in tall bottles, made from lightweight glass with long necks so they can fit easily in the speed rail (behind a bar). Having worked in a bar for many years, that was kind of key for me. I wanted to get the liquid and practicality right and then let branding and everything else follow suit”. The brand has soared since distilling began in mid 2014, proving that value isn’t always associated with price. “There is a very British myth that quality is associated with cost”, Wolpert notes, “and we see that attitude when people are surprised that we’ve got two gold medals on the London dry, which sells for 18 quid in the shop”. Wolpert praises his team for the successes ELLC has achieved so far. “All the people I’ve taken on here have energy and outlook. It’s really a fun place to be. Everyone is key, there is no kind of fat on the bone.”

‘‘

The average age of our distillers is 25 so experience isn’t part of our vocabulary.

”

“We’re never going to brag about experience. The average age of our distillers is 25 so experience isn’t part of our vocabulary”, he laughs. “It’s really to say, we don’t have the experience but we’re also not hampered by what that comes with in terms of tradition and having to do things a certain way. So we get to have a bit more fun with it”.

A kid at heart, Wolpert notes fun as the secret ingredient. “You can’t be creative if you’re not playing. If you’re stressed about everything, you’ve got targets to hit and you take yourself too seriously, then there’s no fun and nothing changes or develops. We want to have a good time, in the spirit of producing something that’s excellent”.

‘‘

Although he admits it is a difficult balance to strike. “You’ve got to find a place between taking production seriously and striving for excellence, and then just throwing everything in the kitchen sink and hopefully making something really good”.

It appears that ELLC have gotten a few recipes right, producing award winning vodka, three unique gins, and with whisky well on the way (set for release in 2018).

With two copper stills visible behind a bar that is brimming with bottles and cocktail making paraphernalia, there is no denying the entire operation is a labour of love. Entering the distillery, Wolpert apologises for the aromatic punch of juniper hanging heavily in the air “there was a bit of a spill in here earlier”.

When people say they don’t like gin, my response is always ‘you haven’t tried the right one.

“With the whisky that we are making, it’s a London rye but we’re on such a small scale that we can develop and innovate and change and extrapolate as we go. There will be a core London rye whisky but there will also be single malts, there will be different barrel finishes and there will be different age segments. And that’s again part of the fun of it”. Continued conversation reveals that Wolpert is proud yet pragmatic. “I’m not offended if people don’t like our gins. We make three gins and if people don’t like any of them, fair play. A lot of people don’t like gin at all. But when people say they don’t like gin, my response is always ‘you haven’t tried the right one’. The point being that gin is such a broad category, there is always going to be something that you like”.

He gives a detailed and slightly scientific account of the distillation processes for the vodka, gin and whisky that is produced on site, including the filtration of Thames water which is used to proof down the alcohol. “All our gins are one shot” Wolpert claims. Elaborating on this, he explains “we charge the still with botanicals and when it comes off the still it is then proofed down with (Thames) water. We vapour infuse the citrus and we pot macerate all the other botanicals in our gins. With the exception of Batch No 2 where we split the bay and the thyme - some go into the pot and the rest in the basket.”

”

He explains the benefit of this split, saying “if you evaporate rather than dissolve the oils in the water you get a different quality of the flavour. It’s actually quite interesting how you can extract different flavours from the same botanical”. While juniper is the star of the show, creating a balanced flavour is dependent on both skill and quality ingredients. “Our flavour profiles are very specific and our botanical bill is purposely kept small. Both the London Dry and Batch No 1 have 7 botanicals, and Batch No. 2 has 11. Each botanical is there to serve a very practical function in the flavour profile. You should be able to taste them all and appreciate what they’re doing to the liquid when it’s in your mouth.” He breaks down each of the three gins explaining, “the London dry is

38 95% used for a gin and tonic. But it makes a great martini too. Batch No. 1 is a sour or a martini gin because it’s quite dry. It’s quite a skill to be able to extract the flavours of the darjeeling tea without it becoming tannic”, he says, noting the expertise of this distilling team. “And Batch No 2 is really chewy, really oily, and has an intense flavour complex. Just lemon - no grapefruit, alongside sage, thyme, lavender, bay leaf, fennel seeds, coriander - it’s really quite a spectrum. And that’s lovely in a negroni” he muses. Below ground is the maturation room. Dark, dusty and filled with barrels scrawled with dates, this is where the magic continues. “We are doing a barrel aged gin program that really gets started at the end of January. Every 6-8 weeks we will release a new gin with 50-150 bottles being produced depending on the barrel size”. Taking advantage of the skillset of the distilling team, this program is yet another way Wolpert is tampering with traditions. “We’ve got french oak down here, along with red wine, white wine, chestnut, new oak, ex-bourbon”, he pauses to remember, “and we’ve also got whisky, rye and bourbon barrels. All of which we will play with and rotate through the gin program. It’s a chance to hone our short term aging skills with gin in a way that hasn’t been done before”. Just outside the main bar and distillery is the bottle shop where you can grab a tipple to take home. “This is an opportunity to showcase predominantly our own products, but not exclusively. We have about 100-150 brands here at any one time. It’s all about shouting about local distilleries and taking the idea of small but great produce to new heights”. Alongside the local produce, ELLC carries a small selection of international offerings including whisky from Sonoma County Distilling Co. and a range of bitters by Miracle Mile out of LA. “It’s really important that we import brands with a similar ethos to us. It’s all about finding great stuff, bringing it to England, and sharing the passion for beautiful spirits.”

Sitting in the corner of the store is the delivery bike. Bespoke made and complete with branding, box and bell, it is used to deliver all trade accounts in a 3 mile radius from the distillery. Wolpert admits to taking the bike for the occasional spin and says simply, “we are in this for the long game. We want to establish a brand that has these core values at the heart of what we are doing. We are keeping things local, and we are keeping things London”.

1. There are only two types of beer: lagers and ales. 2. There are more than 400 styles of beer. 3. Jimmy Carter is the patron saint of beer in America. 4. Malt is just another name for the barely used in brewing. 5. Beermile.com has more than 90 000 entries and 5000 races in it’s database. 6. The world’s strongest beer is Brewmeister’s Snake Venom. 67.5% ABV. 7. The largest glass of beer contained 1499 litres of Guinness and was prepared at The Auld Dubliner Irish Pub in Tustin, California, USA, on November 21 2009. 8. Workers at Giza received about 4 liters of beer per day while building the pyramids. 9. 850 million litres of Guinness are sold annually. 10. It’s against the law to show people actually consuming an alcoholic beverage on television in the USA. 11. Zythology is the study of beer and beer making. 12. The Czech Republic consumed a national total of 1.5 billion litres from 2013-2014. 13. Beer is the world’s most widely consumed alcoholic beverage. 14. Beer is the third most popular drink in the world, after water and tea. 15. Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty beer glass. 16. Beer is rich in silicon that increases calcium deposits and minerals for bone tissue, strengthening bones. 17. Beer contains almost all the minerals needed to survive. 18. American president George Washington had his own brewhouse on the grounds of Mount Vernon. 19. Brewsters is the correct term for women who brew beer and traditionally the women had to be noble by birth or extremely beautiful. 20. Brown bottles help keep beer fresh 93,000 litres of beer are rumored to be lost each year in facial hair, in Great Britain alone. 21. Storing bottled beer upright reduces the chance of oxidation and contamination from the cap. 22. A cerevisaphile is a devout lover of beer. 23. The oldest beer advertisement was found on a clay tablet from 4000 BC. The tablet says “Drink Elba, the beer with a heart of a lion”. 24. Hops, the bittering agent in beer, belong to the same family of flowering plants as marijuana. 25. Belgium has the most individual beer brands in the world. 26. Beer was historically known as ‘liquid bread’ because of all the good it did for the body and for the soul. 27. In 19th century Germany, breastfeeding mothers would drink up to 7 pints of beer per day. 28. Drinking at Oktoberfest can only commence when the master of ceremonies – the mayor of Munich – cracks open the first barrel of beer, proclaiming ‘O’ zapft is’ (‘It’s tapped!’). 29. The first beer cans were produced in 1935. 30. Budweiser has an estimated worth of USD$22.3 million. 31. Until 1963, it was illegal to brew at home in the UK without a licence. 32. Until the 1980s, American hops were used only as a cheap substitute for highly-regarded and delicate British varieties. 33. 7.7 million litres of beer were consumed during the 16 days of Oktoberfest in Munich in 2013. 34. Homer Simpson’s favourite drink is Duff Beer. 35. For every 10 drinks sold in British pubs, 7 are beer. 36. A pint is 1/8th of a gallon. 37. Beer is qualified as a family of starch-based beverages produced without distillation. 38. The first hopped beers appear in northern Germany around the year 1000 CE. 39. ‘Small’ beer got its name from its low alcohol content and was used as a safe source of drinking water for people all over the industrialized world and in the colonies. 40. International beer day is celebrated on the first Friday in August. 41. Yeast is remarkably sensitive to temperature and can create completely different beers with only a small temperature variation in the brewing process. 42. The head sticking to the side of your pint glass is a sign of a clean glass and a good brew. 43. A labeorphilist is someone who collects beer bottles. 44. The oldest known recipe in the world is for beer. 45. Vikings believed a giant goat whose udders provided an endless supply of beer was waiting for them in Valhalla (Viking heaven). 46. Jewellers often use beer to authenticate the clarity and purity diamonds. When dropped into beer, diamonds reflect light. 47. The Japanese delicacy Kobe beef is made from cows that have been massaged in beer. 48. You can buy beer in plastic bags in China. 49. Beer contains zero fat and zero cholesterol. 50. There used to be an advert that claimed “Guinness is Good For You”. 51. One unit of alcohol is 10 ml or 8 grams of pure alcohol. 52. Sprinkle salt on a beer mat to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of your beer glass. 53. It takes approximately 36 billion yeast cells to ferment one gallon of beer. 54. A glass of beer contains more than 90% water. 55. In Japan, beer is sold in vending machine. 56. Hungarians traditionally don’t clink their glasses when drinking beer. 57. London was hit by a beer flood in 1814 when a huge vat burst at a brewery in Tottenham Court Road sending off a 323,000 gallon wave of beer. 58. A tegestologist is someone who collects beer mats. 59. Niels Bohr won unlimited beer when he won the Nobel Prize in 1922. 60. The White House brews their own beer. 61. In Czech Republic, there is a beer spa that offers a 20-minute bath in beer brewing ingredients, claiming the practice boosts blood circulation, opens up pores, softens the skin and infuses the body with vitamins. 62. To prolong beers shelflife in the on ships sailing to India in the 1700s brewers simply added more hops, creating the India Pale Ale (IPA). 63. Paris Hilton is permanently banned from Oktoberfest. 64. Medieval German monasteries would brew strong beers, like the Bock for sustenance during their Lenten fasts. 65. The head of stout should be thick and is usually tan to brown. 66. The official world record for the Beer Mile is 4 minutes and 7seconds. 67. There is a 9000 year lease on the Guinness Brewery in St James’ Gate, Dublin, signed in 1759. 68. Moderate beer consumption poses no serious threat to your belly. 69. Carlsberg advertises itself as ‘probably the best beer in the world’. 70. Heineken is brewed by more than 140 different breweries around the world. 71. Frank Zappa famously said “You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of football team, or some nuclear weapons, but in the very least you need a beer”. 72. A perfect pint of Guinness should take 119.53 seconds to pour. 73. The world record for the most beer bottle caps removed with the teeth in one minute is 74. Asian brewer Sapporo created 250 six packs of beer brewed with barley grown on the International Space Station. 75. The most expensive beer in the world is Belgian Vieille Bon Secours at USD$1000 for the 12 litre bottle. 76. Ancient Incan corn beer was made from a corn pulp that Incan girls chewed and spat back out before it was brewed. 77. China is the fastest growing beer market.

P Q

PUB QUIZ

Or maybe don’t. Meet tequila’s smoky sister, mezcal.

EAT THE WORM

Melanie Symonds is an avid mezcal enthusiast. Owner of Brahms & Liszt - specialist off licence and tasting room in Hackney - and founder of QuiQuiRiQui Mezcal, she’s spirited to say the least.

“Different agaves have different flavours. Some are really oily and viscous, some taste of fresh cut grass...some taste of bananas... some taste of pine...some are peppery. It’s really a massive category”.

“I went to Mexico and drank mezcal for the first time. And it was bad”, she says, almost flinching at the memory. “It was industrial, it was coloured and it was disgusting. I asked where was the good stuff and they (the locals) said come and try this. So I spent the next 6 months in Oaxaca, learning about mezcal and meeting some amazing families”.

Once the basics are sorted, it’s time to ask about the worm. “I tend to say if you see a worm in a bottle, don’t drink it. I don’t know of any reputable producers in Mexico who put a worm in their mezcal” Melanie explains. “But hey - it’s Mexico so there is always room for doubt”, she laughs. “There is no definitive answer as to where the worm came from. There are a number of different stories but the most accepted version is that when they were exporting in the ‘50s, they wanted to be able to differentiate mezcal (from tequila) for the American market, so they slapped a worm in it”.

Just like rum, whisky or vodka, mezcal is a category of spirits. In essence, mezcal means ‘a spirit made from cooked agave in Mexico’. The smoky, smooth and seductive sister to tequila, mezcal had been previously overlooked in the UK market. Melanie has made it her mission to share the magic. “We do tasting seminars, mezcal masterclasses and of course, a lot of try before you buy. It’s all about creating awareness because people don’t know what they’re missing out on”. Standing in wonderment of the collection of artisanal spirits filling the shelved walls, Melanie begins to explain the story of mezcal. “To be called mezcal, as defined by the rules laid out by the CRM, it must be made with one of approximately 40 types of agave, and it must be made in one of eight states in Southern Mexico.

In actual fact, the so called ‘worm’ is a moth larva that grows in the agave plant. Locals will dry the larva to make chilli worm salt, the traditional accompaniment to mezcal.“If it’s going to be drunk in a traditional style, it will be unaged and clear. They say to sip it, not to shot it. You sip it at room temperature and you have orange segments with chilli worm salt sprinkled on them as a palette cleanser”.

Melanie is quick to ascertain a clear division in the mezcal market. “A lot of mezcals that you see in the entry level are ‘Americanised’. They bring down the ABV and take out as much of the agave flavour as possible to produce a clear spirit that’s a little bit like vodka with a mild agave taste. But that’s not for me, that’s a polite mezcal”. She goes on to explain “I wanted to make a true mezcal that showed off the cause I had learned about. A mezcal that is full of flavour, with at least 45% ABV - all Mexican’s will tell you that if the ABV is less than 45%, don’t bother drinking it...it’s for tourists - and that retained the agave quality because that’s the whole point of mezcal”. The QuiQuiRiQui story is one of craft and quality. “I work with two families in Oaxaca who make mezcal and we partner to make my brand QuiQuiRiQui. They are 100% made by hand, to the traditional recipe. We don’t use any industrial processes, we don’t mess around with anything. We produce it, we bottle it and that’s it. I didn’t want to do anything that would change it too much”. Bottles labeled with the signature cockerel litter the cash desk. Melanie produces two glasses with a smirk, “Traditionally

mezcal would be drunk like a good whisky. Mezcal has got quite a complex taste so sipping it is really interesting because it gives you a lot of different flavour profiles and it has quite a long taste in your mouth”. The spirit is smooth and the smokiness of the pit-roasted agave hearts leaves a gentle warmth in the stomach. There is no need for a chaser that is so desperately reached for after an ill-advised shot of tequila at 2am. “I love to drink mezcal traditionally but I also love cocktails. You can’t really expect everyone out there to want to drink neat spirits so cocktails are a really good way to experience mezcal. Bartenders love how complex the flavours are. It’s smokey because of the way it’s pit roasted and it’s full of caramels from the agave hearts. Because it’s naturally fermented outside, the airborne yeasts give off a whole wealth of flavours that you don’t get in things that are strain fermented. Because nothing is consistent, every batch is different. Everything is complex”. It is very clear that this is not merely a hobby, this is a labour of love. “One of my QuiQuiRiQui’s is specifically designed for cocktails. Lots of smoke, lots of caramel, lots of pepper. Any cocktail that is designed to take tequila will take mezcal. It’s great in a margarita and there are plenty of twists you can put on that”. But don’t be caught thinking mezcal is a mere substitute for tequila.

The complex nature of the spirit lends itself to a huge variety of serves. “It has a bit of a botanical nature with the earthy kind of herbaceous notes you would find in gin. You can replace the gin in a negroni with mezcal and that’s absolutely delicious!”, she exclaims. “But it also has the smokiness of whisky and the sweetness of rum which means you can make a manhattan or an old fashioned - it’s very versatile and great to play around with”.

‘‘

Traditionally mezcal would be drunk like a good whisky. Mezcal has got quite a complex taste so sipping it is really interesting because it gives you a lot of different flavour profiles. and it has quite a long taste in your mouth”.

”

You’ll find mezcal in any good cocktail bar. If they have a tequila, they’ll have a mezcal but sometimes you need to ask. And beyond that, there are a lot of other agave spirits emerging onto the market, it’s really a growing category”, Melanie shares. Growth is an interesting topic of conversation. “Because it’s quite a finite business, being hand produced and relying on the organic growth of agave (which take at least 7 years to mature), sustainability is a huge talking point at the moment”. Melanie explains that the industry is concerned about the impact on future production. “We don’t really know what this (growth) is going to do to the industry. We try and source as best we can. We make sure we aren’t sourcing immature agaves and that they are replanted after harvesting”. This ethos of support and community extends beyond the production of mezcal, seeping deep into the walls of Brahms & Liszt. “I wanted to have somewhere that showcased mezcal first and foremost but also supported independent spirit makers. People are interested in the provenance of things and they are excited to see unique products on the shelf”. Melanie moves on to serve the next customer but her message is clear - don’t eat the worm, but do drink mezcal.

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we can dance if we want to we can leave your friends behind ‘cause your friends don’t dance and if they don’t dance well, they’re no friends of mine PHOTO CREDIT @JOSIAHSEMINARO

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I drank so much vodka last night, I woke up with a russian accent.â&#x20AC;?

JUNIPER DREAMS

Londoner’s aren’t the only gin crazed. Have an international affair with juniper from around the world INK GIN (AUSTRALIA) An unusual gin with a floral bouquet, citrus and peppery notes. The butterfly pea flower adds a subtle astringency leaving the palate crisp and clean

THE FLATTEST WHITE Antipodean brews around the world

The London addresses you need to know to stock your bar with Drover’s Dog [amsterdam] bespoke booze Eerste Atjehstraat 62 Federal Cafe [barcelona] Carrer del Parlament 39 Father Carpenter [berlin] Muenzstrasse 21

My Little Melbourne [budapest] Madách Imre út 3 The Coffee Collective [copenhagen] Jægersborggade 10 Kaffeine [london] 66 Great Titchfield St Cafe Melbourne [montreal] 4615 Boul St-Laurent Bluestone Lane Collective Cafe [nyc] 55 Greenwich Ave

LEOPOLD BROS (USA) Distilling each botanical separately brings out the purest flavors and aromas which are then blended together to create a softer and brighter spirit

OFF THE SHELF

KB CafeShop [paris] 53 Avenue Trudaine The Lokal [singapore] 136 Neil Road Tasman Cafe [stockholm] Torsgatan 31 Switch Coffee [Tokyo] 1-17-23 Meguro-ku

40 Maltby Street SE1 3PA Bottle Apostle E9 7HJ Borough Wines SE1 1TL Brahms and Liszt E5 0LP East London Liquor Company E3 5SN Lee & Sandeman W8 7LX P. Franco E5 0NP Noble Fine Liquors E8 4PH The Sampler N1 2UQ

MISC.

CAUTION SLIPPERY WHEN WET