WELCOME
hello cocktail lover! When it comes to the idea of eating and drinking local, there are three venues that really captured my attention early on. The first was Konstam at the Prince Albert. Talk about forward-thinking, this one opened in 2006, on the King’s Cross Road in London of all places. It was an ambitious project by an ambitious chef, Oliver Rowe, who had a vision to only use produce grown or reared within the area covered by the London tube network. It was a revelation. Who knew such a thing was even conceivable? Let alone could be so bloody tasty. For me, it was a real game changer. So when Matt Whiley opened his bar Scout, again in London but 11 years later, I was already sold. I knew that his vision for an ever-changing menu of closed-loop drinks, all made from ingredients foraged in the British Isles, was more than doable. Particularly with his creative cocktail credentials. And he didn’t disappoint. The next standout was Vijay Mudaliar’s Native in Singapore. Opening the bar in 2016, he cast his net wide, making magic with Asian spirits and ingredients. These days an increasing number of bartenders are doing what Rowe, Whiley and Mudaliar did before them – taking pride in their local produce while delivering fresh experiences for their guests. In this issue we go from Australia to Peru, Brazil to Sweden to shine a light on the bars, bartenders and brands who are championing locality in their offerings. If you’re in Sydney, Lima, São Paulo or Umeå, we urge you to seek them out, but better still, resolve to support drinks businesses close to home.
MS S
How do you define local? It might mean your neighbourhood, your home town or, perhaps, something further afield. For me it’s about an emotional connection. When I was growing up, there were a handful of nearby shops that covered most of my family’s basic needs: butcher, baker, greengrocer, fishmonger, general store and one or two others. Importantly, the people who worked in them actually knew all their customers. The relationship went beyond practically suppling goods to providing a part of the glue that held the surrounding area together. When I was older and started to explore more of London, despite its size, the whole city started to feel local as I felt at home in so many parts of it. Both examples illustrate my definition of local. I felt an emotional connection to the little shops of my childhood. And as an adult I feel an emotional connection to the buildings, parks, shops, restaurants and, of course, bars of my home city. There are even places further afield where I feel like an honorary local (I’m looking at you Athens). So it’s a joy to welcome you to our ‘Local’ issue. We’re exploring people, bars, products and more that in some way have that all-important emotional bond with their surroundings. I hope you’ll feel that special connection to the places celebrated in these pages as much as I do.
MR G
3 THE COCK TAIL LOVERS / ISSUE 45
