The Cocktail Lovers Magazine Issue 9 Autumn 2013 by The Cocktail Lovers

ISSN 2052-0603

CLEVER DICK (BRADSELL) We meet the inventor of the Espresso Martini

BARS LESS ORDINARY Cocktails with quirk

D.I.Y vs. KIT How do you shake your drinks?

PERFECT MANHATTAN Bigging-up New York’s bars

On the cover

Tristan and Thomas from Fluid Movement – Keeping check on London’s cocktails in their own inimitable style

IN-tro

T W O W O R D S:

‘LO N D O N’ A N D ‘C O C K TA I L S’

If you’d tried to put them in the same sentence 30 years ago you’d have been laughed right out of town. Dick Bradsell changed that. Thanks to his passion to the bartending craft, cocktails in the capital became clever, creative and cool. So who better to have a drink with to celebrate London Cocktail Week and to toast our London issue? Read what he has to say about inventing the Espresso Martini, his early ambitions and trying to find a decent cocktail in the 1980s (p. 40). Dick may have had a problem tracking them down three decades ago but there’s no shortage of first-class bars in the capital these days – many of which are presided over by people who have come from as far as Australia and Mumbai to work behind them. We talk to Erik Lorincz and a few of our favourite bartenders about their London calling (p. 12). As for our fashion feature, well, we wanted to capture a little of that dapper English eccentricity London is renowned for. Cue styling Tristan Stephenson and Thomas Aske in a mash-up of classic and contemporary gents collections in the Worship Street Whistling Shop, their modern interpretation of a Victorian gin palace (p. 44). Elsewhere Lucy Britner spills the beans on the World’s 50 Best Bars 2013 shortlist (p. 32); Ben Norum has fun checking out London’s quirkiest drinking spots (p. 30), and we head over to New York for some serious cocktail loving (p. 62). And as this issue kicks off the party season, starting with London Cocktail Week on 7th October, leading right through to New Year’s Eve, we talk to the Better Bootcamp crew about keeping the fun/health balance in check (p. 34). Remember folks: please drink responsibly.

Happy imbibing! Ms S & Mr G

www.thecocktaillovers.com

The Cocktail Lovers - 3

Enjoy AlizĂŠ responsibly

facebook.com/alizeuk

IN-gredients

6. IN-the know

40. IN-focus

25 reasons to be a cocktail lover this season Doing it Frank’s way and joining the turtleneckers – things we’re looking forward to in the next few months

A beginner’s guide to whisky Matt Chambers and Karen Taylor break down the barriers of the amber spirit

10. IN-terview

D.I.Y. vs. Kit Kitchenware or swanky kit, how do you shake your cocktails at home?

In the hotseat – Desmond Payne Master Distiller at Beefeater Gin

14). Can . IN-spire

42. IN-focus

44. IN-dustry greats

London calling Erik Lorincz and co. on coming to London to be the stars of the bars

Clever Dick Dick Bradsell talks Espresso Martinis and Pink Chihauhaus with plenty of fun in between

19. IN-spire

46. IN-dulge

London in drinks Playing the numbers game

Roller coasters Top spots to park your glass

20. IN-spire

48. IN-style

A few of my favourite things Herchelle Perez Terrado, awardwinning spirits buyer at Waitrose

Get the drinks in at Worship Street Whistling Shop where Victorian London gets a progressive twist – Fluid Movement style

22. IN-spire On the home front Thinking of setting up your home bar? Yolanda Evans tells you how

24. IN-spire Class acts Where to gen up on drinks

26. IN-spire Wine merchants with spirit History, heritage and outstanding liquors at Berry Bros. & Rudd

30. IN-the spotlight Un-booze-ual: bars less ordinary Ben Norum goes in search of quirky London drinking spots

32. IN-focus Capital choices Who will be top of the World’s 50 Best Bars list? Lucy Britner whets our appetites

38. IN-focus Balancing acts How to keep the fun and health factor in check

56. IN-dependent spirits Fruits of labour Apples and pears – not rhyming slang but the basis of Charles Martell’s homegrown spirits

59. IN-formed Mains and Martinis Three restaurants where the cocktails are as good as the food

60. IN-formed Word up… News, reviews and how-tos

64. IN-sider’s guide Midland grand Rob Wood picks out the best bars in Birmingham and its surrounds

66. IN-ternational American beauties 48 hours to hit-up New York’s array of mighty fine bars

70. IN-vite only Snap-shot! The best bits of the last three months

Editors Sandrae Lawrence, Gary Sharpen Sub-editor Hermione Barnett Creative Director James Cheverton at Burnt Studio www.burntstudio.com Illustrations Melanie Milne www.melmadedesign.com; Nick Schon www.nickschonillustrator.com; Becky Roberts www.doodleyboo.co.uk. Photography Ben Millar Cole www.benmillarcole.com; Liam Kennedy www.liamkennedy.com Johnnie Pakington www. johnniepakington.com; Contributors Lucy Britner, Matt Chambers, Yolanda Evans, Ben Norum, Karen Taylor, Lauryn Tomlinson, Robert Wood. For all editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact: mail@thecocktaillovers.com 020-7242 2546 www.thecocktaillovers.com Printed by Polestar Wheatons. Reproduction in whole or part of any contents of The Cocktail Lovers magazine without prior permission from the editors is strictly prohibited. Cover shot: Thomas wears light brown check overcoat, £1,675, and light brown check suit, £1,850, both Kaushal Niraula; cream Oxford shirt, £125, Budd Shirtmakers; 100% beaver felt Melusine Top Hat, £395, shape exclusive to Bates Hats; two-tone spots bow tie, £69, Paul Smith at Fenwick. Tristan wears light grey check coat, £1,675, Kaushal Niraula; three-piece Prince of Wales check wool suit with shawl collar waistcoat, £2,795, Gieves & Hawkes; white round-collared shirt, £129, S& Gibson at Fenwick; cravat, £65, Bates Shirtmakers; 100% beaver felt Bowler hat, £265, shape exclusive to Bates Hats. Cover photography by Johnnie Pakington Issue No. 9 September - December 2013 The Cocktail Lovers Magazine is published by The Cocktail Lovers in London, UK PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

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REASONS TO BE A COCKTAIL LOVER THIS SEASON Playing doctors and nurses, starting a Snowball revolution and luxe-ing it up at the movies, just a few of the things we’re looking forward to in the next three months.

Doing it Frank’s way Jack Daniel’s was Ol’ Blue Eyes’ whiskey of choice and who are we to argue? We’ll be toasting The Voice with a glass of Sinatra Select, the limitededition bottling from JD, launching in October. www.jackdaniels.com 6 - The Cocktail Lovers

Luxe-ing it up at the movies with Film & Fizz at One Aldwych hotel. Hello, three courses in Axis restaurant, followed by chilled champers, leather seats and a blockbuster to watch, what’s not to like? www.onealdwych.com

NDRINKING 4 ART o

Starting a Snowball revolution One part naff, two parts delicious, we’re making it our mission to bring back the mighty Snowball cocktail. Shake two measures of Warninks Advocaat and a quarter measure of fresh lime juice. Pour into a highball glass filled with ice, top with lemonade and you’re good to go.

No-one does cocktails quite like the Artesian crew. Succumb to the pleasures of the glass with their beautiful and simply stunning new creations. www.artesian-bar.co.uk

Munching on medicinal marshmallows

New addiction alert: try The Cockney Quick Fix (bourbon and black treacle) and Anti-Malarial (gin and tonic). Trust us, sink your teeth into these billowy, boozy bites of brilliance and you’ll be hooked. www.therobincollective.co.uk

KEEPING THE FUN/HEALTH BALANCE IN CHECK

For every heavy night we’ll be ordering a One Day Post Party Pick Me Up, complete with juices, teas and supplements – just what the doctor ordered. www.raw-and-juicy.com

EIGHT

Pouring a drink, locking the door

simone rocha

COCKTAIL COLOUR-CODING OUR WARDROBES we’re talking Pina Colada creams, deepest, darkest espresso Martini browns, minty Mojito greens and this season’s hottest shade from the catwalks, Clover Club pink (above).

and cocooning ourselves in this deeply luxurious Pod Spitfire Chair by Andrew Martin. Hibernation has never been so chic. Available from www.occa-home.co.uk

…and the ultimate accessory to go with it? Why, this Beefeater cushion of course. Available from www.littlemillhouse.co.uk The Cocktail Lovers - 7

10.

11. PLAYING DOCTORS AND NURSES

Saying ‘Amen’ to the Rev. J.W. Simpson its Spirited Sermons will see the Fitzrovia bar spreading the gospel according to rare, unused and forgotten ingredients and mixing them up in delicious cocktails. Preach! www.revjwsimpson.com

with the Thirst Aid Drinks Kit from Asprey. If looks are anything to go by, the prognosis is pretty good. www.asprey.com

12. Joining the turtleneckers Our all-time favourite winter wrapping has its own merry band of cocktailloving followers. Pull on your chicest polo and sip on Hendrick’s Gin libations at a Turtle Neck Club do, coming to a venue near you. For dates and details, see www.turtleneckclub.com

PAIRING COCKTAILS WITH FOOD

at Coal Vaults, the new restaurant where every dish on the menu is listed with a cocktail to match. Who says wine is the only way to go with your meal? www.coalvaults.com

hobbs

FIFTEEN

Upping our IQ quota

SLIPPING ON OUR GLAD RAGS for Le Caprice Jazz Sessions. With speciallymade Martell cognac cocktails, great food from the Le Caprice crew and music from an exciting line-up including Theo Jackson and Yolanda Brown, it’s got ‘date night’ written all over it. www.le-caprice.co.uk/ sunday-night-jazz

hackett

by attending Conversation Drinks at The School of Life. On the programme: Ben Haggarty on Anon and Trad; Toby Litt on Václav Havel, and Simon Garfield on Ted Hughes – that’s the thinking and drinking boxes ticked… www.theschooloflife.com

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17.

Put your order in for the You’re My Boy Blue-berry Bourbon Jam (bourbon, blueberries and vanilla), or Drunken Monkey Jam (bananas, lime and rum); better still, buy both. Your pancakes and toast will thank you for it. Available from The Jam Stand, New York. www.thej.am

Christmas is a comin’, get ready to get your bake on. Steep sultanas, raisins or currants, dried figs, candied peel, dried apricots, grated orange peel, glace cherries and brown sugar in lashings of brandy and leave it to do its magic for at least six weeks. That’s your mincemeat filling done right there.

SPREADING THE LOVE

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Steeping vine fruits in booze

EIGHTEEN...

MAKING MIXOLOGY GO TO OUR HEADS Choose your base and fragrance, add any two superserum shots and shake up your own specially blended Shampyou, marketed as the first shampoo cocktail. www.concoction.co.uk

Dimming the lights and going for a moody, wintery vibe. These candles in retro Babycham coupes will do the job just nicely thank you. Another gem from www.littlemillhouse.co.uk

Lusting after sexy glassware

We’ve seen the future of decanters and it’s Joe Cariati-shaped. Drop Santa a line and ask for a set of the ever-sosinuous, jewel-coloured glassware and who knows? If you’ve been good, he just might oblige. www.joecariati.com

...and ladies,

splash out on the deliciously decadent Martini and Manicure treatment on the menu at SoSpa at Sofitel. www.sofitelstjames.com

Consulting The Drunken Cookbook Milton Crawford’s cool compendium of tasty recipes to curb booze-induced munchies. www.rbooks.co.uk

Preening ourselves for the party season

Guys get your fix with The Hemingway, a delicious ‘because-I’m-worthit’ package comprising a Bloody Mary, aromatherapy facial and massage. www.gentlemenstonic.com

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Cracking open a home brew

Not ours, but the new wheat beer made with English raspberries and gorse flowers by the hippest baker in east London, Lily Vanilli, and London Amateur Brewers. Available from The Sebright Arms. www.sebrightarms.co.uk

25. Getting infusiastic coffee beans, split vanilla pods, black peppercorns, red hot chilli peppers – just a few of the things we’ll be steeping in vodka ready for winter-warming cocktails. Kilner bottles an absolute must. www.kilnerjar.co.uk

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- IN THE HOTSEAT -

DESMOND

PAYNE M ASTER DISTILLER

IN-terview

THERE’S NOT MUCH DESMOND PAYNE DOESN’T KNOW ABOUT GIN. LITTLE WONDER REALLY, HE’S BEEN WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY SINCE 1967. AFTER 28 YEARS AT PLYMOUTH GIN, FIRST AS ASSISTANT DISTILLERY MANAGER THEN MOVING ON TO DISTILLERY MANAGER, HE TOOK OVER THE TOP JOB AT BEEFEATER GIN AS MASTER DISTILLER IN 1995. BESIDES TAKING CARE OF JAMES BURROUGH’S ORIGINAL RECIPE, DESMOND HAS CREATED FOUR BEEFEATER EXPRESSIONS OF HIS OWN, INCLUDING THE AWARD-WINNING BEEFEATER 24 AND THE RECENTLY LAUNCHED BURROUGH’S RESERVE. How and when did gin lure you in? Way back in 1967, when I realised that the wine and spirits company where I was working had a gin distillery. Do you remember the first time you tasted the juniper spirit? If so, when was it, what was it and what were your initial impressions? My first gin and tonic was at the Holbrook Hall hotel in Scarborough. The hotel has since spectacularly slid off the cliff top into the North Sea, but I have somehow managed to keep going. I remember the drink as being the height of sophistication. It still is. Describe what being a Master Distiller entails. Everything from choosing botanicals, developing new products and ensuring consistent quality of the gin, through to tasting cocktails. It’s a dream job. How does one become a Master Distiller? There are not many opportunities to become a Master Distiller in the gin business. You may have to wait a while… However, my old boss at Plymouth Gin used to remind me that graveyards are full of indispensable people! What’s the single most important factor of being a Master Distiller? You need to develop a good sense of taste and understand how flavours work. What is the greatest lesson you’ve learnt on the job?

You’ve got 24 hours to show a martian how to drink, understand and appreciate gin, where would you take it and why? I would take it to the tasting room at the Beefeater distillery and let our brand ambassadors, Tim Stones and Seb Hamilton-Mudge, demonstrate one or two cocktails. That would leave 22 hours free for the return journey to Mars. Job done. It took 40 years before you showed Desmond Payne off in liquid form with Beefeater 24. Why so long and was it an exciting or nerve-wracking experience? The craze for new gins was just beginning in 2007 when I started work on Beefeater 24. We had recently been acquired by Pernod Ricard and there was a fresh approach to innovation. It was both exciting and nerve-wracking but it gave me the confidence to go on and develop other new gins for Beefeater. What were the high and low points of creating your first Beefeater gin from scratch? The low point was about an hour before I presented my new gin to an independent tasting panel made up of the great and good of the gin trade. I couldn’t taste anything from the samples! Fortunately, the high point came an hour later when it received top marks from the panel. Another high was taking the International Wine & Spirit Competition gold medal for Beefeater 24 in its first year.

Don’t rush it. If you were starting out all over again, is there anything about the industry that you’d change? This is a fascinating and absorbing industry. I would probably like to have prevented the minimum strength of gin descending to 37.5% though. Why do you think gin has gone from being Mother’s Ruin to the tipple of choice in the trendiest bars?

You need to develop a good sense of taste and understand how flavours work

It’s all about the quality.

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IN-spire IN-terview

left: desmond payne outside the beefeater distillery; right: the new beefeater distillery visitor centre which opens in kennington in january 2014

You’ve created Summer and Winter editions of Beefeater, which is your favourite and why? These were designed to be seasonal gins, so I prefer the more floral Summer gin in summertime and the spicier notes of Beefeater Winter gin in colder weather. Your latest addition to the portfolio is Burrough’s Reserve, how did the idea for this unique product come about? I was interested in the effect that wood could have on gin. Not only does it change the flavour profile of the liquid with the subtle introduction of sweet oak notes, it also challenges the established idea of when gin should be drunk. Burrough’s Reserve is designed to be a sipping gin. How does it differ to other gins on the market and who is it aimed at? The main difference is that Burrough’s Reserve is rested in oak casks for a period of time. This changes the way the flavours work and integrate and it challenges the status quo of gin. It is aimed at free-thinkers who are prepared to look at a traditional product in a new way.

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Liquid treasures aside, next year sees the long-awaited opening of the Beefeater Distillery Visitor Centre. What can we expect to see? It’s still a well-kept secret, but prepare to be wowed! Beefeater gin is very much associated with London, if it were another postcode where would it be? We are very happy and proud to be where we are in SE11 thank you! What’s your favourite gin cocktail? It’s the Negroni for me. It is such a simple cocktail with only three ingredients that it is hard to get wrong. Just don’t mess about with the classic recipe and I’ll be happy. Name your favourite London bars… No way! I’m not about to a) upset half of London’s great bartenders, or b) give away my drinking secrets! www.beefeatergin.com

IN-spire

London Calling For every Brit behind the bar in the capital, there’s another who has travelled miles to work in a London bar. Why? As Erik Lorincz, Head Bartender at The Savoy says, “London is the epicentre of bars and restaurants”. Here he tells us about his journey from Slovakia to London and how it shaped his extraordinary career.

the move to London. For me London is the epicentre of bars and restaurants so the move made perfect sense. I was 23, had no responsibilities and I didn’t have a problem with taking a step back in order to go forward.

“I came to London for two reasons: one to learn to speak English, and two, to work in a London bar. I was already working in bars in Slovakia where I’m from – in fact, I was manager of one of the first cocktail bars there. But Slovakia didn’t have a cocktail culture and definitely nowhere for me to gain more experience. I knew that in order to be better, learn more and go further in my career I would have to make

The first thing I did was sign up for an English course, there was no way I was going to get my dream job without speaking the language properly. You might have been the best bartender in your home town, you might make the best cocktails in the world but if you can’t communicate with your customers it’s never going to work. Communication is a vital part of the job.

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When I arrived I was the only Slovakian bartender on the circuit. There was one other guy from the Czech Republic but as I arrived he was leaving to go to Australia. He told me if I didn’t know anybody it would never work. But I wasn’t going to let his experience put me off – of course having connections helps but I think if you have vision and drive you can accomplish anything.

Herchelle Perez Terrado

A few of my favourite things Herchelle Perez Terrado, Spirits Buyer at Waitrose, has been responsible for an award-winning range of spirits in the company since 2010. With almost a decade in the buying industry working for some of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most respected British retailers, she joined the team at Waitrose to pursue her passion to develop a specialism in spirits and is now a judge for the Spirits Business.

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Under her remit, Waitrose now has the biggest selection of gin on the high street and in the past three years has launched some of the best new and exciting products. Her aim is to bring excitement to the spirits shelves at Waitrose â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to inspire and give confidence to customers to entertain at home. We gave her 20 minutes to find out what makes her tick.

IN-spire

Style icon

Musician

Gwen Stefani. For her glamorous, rock-chick style. She rocks it on and off the red carpet, and I love those signature red lips.

I’ve always dreamt of playing the guitar. So it would have to be Slash from Guns N’ Roses. The guitar solo in November Rain is just genius, and in Sweet Child O’ Mine, too.

Food

Designer

Anything Japanese, but I love a good-quality steak. The best steak I’ve eaten was at Charbon Steakhouse in Quebec City, just down the road from the one of the best boutique hotels I’ve stayed in, Le Germain Dominion.

For shoes, Manolo Blahnik. Anyone who knows me, knows I love my shoes, and I have plenty of choice but not at the ridiculous level of Imelda Marcos! For furniture, it’s not that easy to pick a favourite as I have an eclectic style, but I’ve recently bought some dining chairs designed by Philippe Starck.

Film The Devil Wears Prada. A fun, feel-good film that I can watch again and again. I think Meryl Streep is a great actress, and as Miranda Priestly she’s so cynical and ruthless. I have pleasure in reciting her quotes, “…am I reaching for the stars?”

Artist I studied fine art and product design, and so art and design are close to my heart. When visiting museums on a school trip around France, I fell in love with Cubism and the original paintings by Pablo Picasso, (one of my favourite paintings is The Dream). I also love the fantasy of Marc Chagall and the passion of Klimt, amongst others...

Retreat This summer I escaped to the Maldives for a luxurious holiday. Everything about it was effortless from the moment I left the airport. Fine resort, service, beach, sea, snorkelling, food, cocktails, and of course, fine company – with my partner Lawrence.

Inspiring quote An optimistic thought: “Tomorrow is another day” – it’s what my mum says. I also own a good little book and its title is very powerful: “It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be,” by Paul Arden.

View

Shop

From the top of Sigiriya rock in Sri Lanka, where at the very top, 200 metres high, you can find the ruins of a palace that was built in the fifth century. The sky was clear blue when I reached the top, so the 360-degree view was breathtaking, surrounded by a sea of trees, the odd building and in the distance a gold statue of Buddha.

Liberty, where I landed my first job after my degree. It was my first job in buying, assisting the Fashion Accessories buyer. The office was on the fourth floor of the shop, it was great to look all the way down to the central atrium on the ground floor. I have the best memories working there and it was where I met some of my best friends. I still love visiting and finding something special and unique.

Journey Driving from Venice to Lake Garda via Verona in a convertible, especially the journey around Lake Garda, from the south meandering along the roads, through the tunnels carved into the side of the mountainside to the very north point at Riva Del Garda (another great view). The location is featured in a driving sequence in Casino Royale.

Historical figure Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, because he was a child prodigy and composed so many great operas, including one of my favourites, Die Zauberflöte – The Magic Flute.

Building The Twin Towers. I visited New York as an art student and it was an exciting moment taking the lift to the top and it was so fast, my ears popped. Knowing the tragedy that followed many years later, makes my memory even more unique.

Technology My Bang & Olufsen sound system, it’s a design classic and looks like an art piece on the wall, and of course has the best sound quality to play rock, opera and disco! I still believe there’s a place for CDs and there’s something really exciting about opening one and reading the little booklet inside, and the B&O gets to show them off.

Person I have to choose two, and they would be my pugs Ralf and Louis. We’ve had them since they were puppies, so they’re like my children. They are chalk and cheese, yin and yang – complete opposites who have given us many years of entertainment!

Possession A dainty gold watch Lawrence gave to me as an 18th birthday present. It’s super special as I’ve had it now for 17 years.

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Class Acts BACK TO SCHOOL FOR SPIRIT-UAL ENLIGHTENMENT

There are two types of cocktail drinkers: those who blithely consume the contents in their glass, no questions asked and those on the quest of spirit-ual enlightenment. How do you spot who’s who? That’s easy. The first lot consider the best seat in the house to be where they can see and be seen, while their eagle-eyed counterparts prefer to be perched at the bar where they can check out the cocktail-making action.

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Ian Burrell’s Rum Experience University is squarely aimed at the latter camp. But don’t let that fool you into thinking the course is strictly for geeky types – “It’s for anyone who wants to learn more about the category,” confirms Burrell. “That goes for dedicated rum fans who might never have been to a distillery before, right through to industry folk who want to further their knowledge.” It’s a cracking course. Five days of rum-tastic goodness based in sunny Spain. “People have asked why Spain and not the Caribbean,” he says, anticipating the question we were about to ask. “There are a couple of reasons. The first is cost: it would be a much bigger ask getting people to pay for flights to the West Indies or Latin America, and the second reason is because Motril is in Andalusia which has a very similar terrain to the Caribbean. Historically the area was the capital of the sugar cane which went directly to the Caribbean,” he continues. “Add the fact that there’s a distillery nearby and the PreIndustrial Sugar Cane Museum is within 15 minutes of where we’ll be based – it’s actually the perfect location.”

IN-spire

Not for nothing is Burrell called the Global Rum Ambassador. Since 1995 he’s made it his business to learn everything there is to know about, yes, you’ve guessed it, rum. It’s his work, his passion, his life. And a jolly good one it is too. During the past year he’s travelled through six continents doing seminars, judging cocktail competitions and advising on the sunshine spirit – he even set up a pop-up rum shack in Antarctica.

“Our online site is just taking its first steps in turning what was an all-consuming hobby into a full time-career,” says Peter Holland, one half of TheFloatingRumShack. com. “The timing of this course was perfect. Nowhere else could we have found such a perfect match of disciplines that will allow us to enhance our skills in the promotion of the spirit category we love so much – we can’t recommend it highly enough.”

So why the course? “I would have jumped at something like this if it had been around when I first got a job representing a rum brand,” he says without giving it the hard-sell. “When I started out as an ambassador, apart from a little bit of background about the company and the product I was then working on, I learned everything about the category on the job.” Not that that’s always a bad thing. “It was okay until one particular talk I was doing in Australia. I was asked so many questions that I didn’t know the answer to that I vowed never to be caught out again.”

To ensure your place on next year’s course, see www.rum-uni.com

He took time out, travelled around the Caribbean to find out about every aspect of the rum industry – production, bottling, history – the lot. “It was entirely self-funded but absolutely necessary,” he says. “The Rum University is born out of that. I wanted to set up a validated course where anyone can find out all they need to know about the category.” For those who need it, there will also be lessons in public speaking and how to prepare and execute a rum presentation. “That side of it is specifically for brands who want to invest in their ambassadors, although anyone can benefit from public speaking,” he says. As for the teachers, well, if they’d been as impressive as the line-up here when we were studying, we’d have been top of the class. The first intake was in September and the way it worked was like this: mornings were spent in class, learning from the best in the business – we’re talking the calibre of cocktail historians and authors Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown, food scientist Bernard Lahouse, world authority on all things Tiki Jeff ‘Beachbum’ Berry, Master Distiller Richard Seale from Four Square Distillery, and for everything else, Ian Burrell. Afternoons were more interactive, with cocktail-making sessions, distillery visits, trips to local sugar cane fields and the PreIndustrial Sugar Cane Museum, plus of course, plenty of opportunities to take in a few of those Spanish rays.

Inspired to learn more? Try these Wine & Spirit Education Trust Better known for its extensive wine courses, the WSET is also an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning more about drinks. Whet your whistle at the day-long Level 1 Award in Spirits, which gears you up to understand the basic principles of production and tasting. Once you’ve got the bug take it on to Level 2, more intense at one day a week over three weeks but highly recommended. Diploma courses also available. Schools all around the world. Find out more at www.wsetglobal.com Shaker BarSchool Top on the list for anyone interested in cocktail making and shaking, whether professionally or just for fun. The popular courses include everything from a fiveday International Bartenders Course for those wishing to get started in the business, to Advanced Bartenders, Molecular Mixology and Train The Trainer Courses. Less intense is the one-day Introduction To Cocktails – five hours of essential cocktail-making tips that will see you impressing your friends. There are schools in London, Birmingham, Cape Town, Sydney, Dubai and more. Find out more at www.shaker-uk.com 69 Colebrooke Row Informal, inspiring and very informative, the wide range of masterclasses at 69 Colebrooke Row certainly pull in the crowds. Running from specialist subjects such as Cognac, Gin and Rum Cocktail Masterclasses to Tony C’s Laboratory Tour Masterclass, they pack in lots of knowledge, tips and most importantly, greattasting cocktails. Classes in London only. Find out more at www.69colebrookerow.com

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IN-spire

spirit WINE MERCHANTS WITH

What business does a wine merchant have producing its own spirits? Ask world-renowned Berry Bros. & Rudd, for them it’s been very good business indeed. In fact (and not a lot of people know this) it’s been key to their success. Mention the name Berry Bros. & Rudd to a wine lover and they’ll probably get a faraway look in their eyes. Hardly surprising, given its international reputation and long history as one of the world’s most respected wine merchants. Perhaps not so well known is the fact that it’s the company behind an outstanding gin, a liqueur that is a Royal favourite and a rather stylish-looking rum. Not to mention an iconic whisky. The premises of Berry Bros. & Rudd on St. James’s Street in London is a living testament to its 315-year history. They’re also everything an overseas visitor could want from a traditional London shop: with an old hanging sign and ancient shutters outside, while inside a tinkling bell announces the arrival of customers, wooden floorboards creak with every step and staff sit at tall, Dickensian-style desks. Look a little closer though and you realise this is no exercise in nostalgia. Take those desks. They may be 19th century but discreetly built into them are state-of-the-art computers. This reverence for tradition blended with progressive thinking is integral to the company’s success. And it’s a success that owes rather a lot to the spirits side of the business. Step back in time to 1698 and No. 3 St. James’s Street was a grocer’s shop, run by a certain Widow Bourne, under the name The Coffee Mill (the sign denoting this still hangs outside today). Nearly 100 years and various births and marriages later, Mr. John Berry became betrothed to a descendant of Bourne and the dynasty began in earnest. This period was also significant for another reason as Douglas McIvor, Spirits Manager for 12 years, explains. “In the early days Berry Bros. were selling fortified wine and spirits because wine didn’t travel very well. However, port, sherries and casks of cognac did, and back in the early 1800s cognac and soda was the gentlemen’s drink.”

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It was, however, a lunch on 23 March 1923 that proved to be particularly pivotal in the wine merchant’s future fortunes. Present were the company partners and renowned Scottish artist James McBey. Following The Great French Wine Blight, which decimated vineyards in the mid 19th-century, whisky had usurped cognac as the gentleman’s aperitif of choice. However, as Ronnie Cox, Brands Heritage Director, points out: “One of the difficulties then was the whiskies were nearly always smoky and if you drink a fine wine after drinking a smoky whisky your wine is going to taste of smoke.” The diners agreed that people wanted a modern, lighter, easier-drinking blended whisky. The clipper Cutty Sark was much in the news at the time having just returned home, and McBey felt the Scottish associations of her name (taken from Robert Burns’ Tam O’Shanter) fitted the bill. Having come up with the brand, he also designed the label. Cutty Sark Scots Whisky was a huge success and by the 1960s it was the best-selling Scotch in the USA. Moreover, it was the backbone of the business for some 87 years, a fact acknowledged by Chairman Simon Berry. “The reality is that the wine division of our business would never have survived, let alone prospered, if it hadn’t been for Uncle Cutty paying the bills for 40 years or more”. This ability to understand what a modern consumer wants from a traditional spirit is there too in another of its innovations. Take that most classic of cocktails, the Dry Martini. “Simon Berry was very keen to have a highquality gin to make Martinis” says McIvor, so the company set out to create one. “We gathered the finest writers and finest bartenders and found out what people really wanted,” explains Cox of how they went about devising the recipe. The result was No. 3 (which takes its name from their famous address). In just three years since its launch it has already established itself as a hit with juniper lovers.

Photography: liam kennedy

We simply strive to have quality in absolutely everything we do

IN-spire

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IN-spire

The King’s Ginger, meanwhile, is something of a 110year overnight success. It was originally created for King Edward VII in 1903, at the behest of his personal physician, to prevent His Majesty succumbing to a chill while roaring around in his open top horseless carriage. It has continued to be supplied to the royal household ever since. “When I joined the company I was told it was a sackable offence to run out of King’s Ginger,” McIvor jokes. But a 2010 relaunch with a slightly amended recipe (additional lemon oils for extra zestiness and cut with whisky to reduce sweetness) made it more widely appealing, opening up a whole new audience. As for Pink Pigeon, visually it is the epitome of modernity with a dark black brooding bottle design. Within lurks a vanilla-rich single estate rum produced in the oldest working distillery in Mauritius. Even The Glenrothes, despite emanating from a Speyside distillery established in 1879, breaks with convention. Unlike other single malts its maturity is not decided by a pre-determined age but by vintage, being bottled when at its absolute peak for drinking. Interestingly, rather like fine wine. The vital thing that unites the higher profile wine and the lesser-known spirits side is apparent to McIvor. “We simply strive to have quality in absolutely everything we do,” he observes. The sentiment is echoed by Cox. “When I joined the company 24 years ago, on the surface you might say it looked old-fashioned, they were still writing in ledgers, but more importantly they had values, and one of those values is that expertise is something we are very proud of.”

The folks at Berry Bros. & Rudd are keenly aware of their illustrious history and proudly acknowledge their spirits heritage. Just as importantly they also value the relevance of quality spirits to the modern drinker and to the future of the company. A challenging vodka or a premium tequila from this most British and traditional of wines merchants? You wouldn’t bet against it. www.bbr.com

• The premises overlook Pickering Place, the smallest public square in London and the scene of the last duel fought with swords • Members of both the Berry and the Rudd families still run the business today • The land on which the premises stand was developed by Henry VIII for Anne Boleyn • At one time customers could be weighed on the old coffee scales in the store • The company holds Royal Warrants for both H.M. The Queen and H.R.H. The Prince of Wales • It is rumoured that there is a tunnel connecting the cellars with St. James’s Palace

The Cocktail Lovers - 29

IN-the spotlight

Un-booze-ual : BARS LESS ORDINARY

IN-the spotlight

Ben Norum embraces the quirk at the weirdest, wackiest and most wonderful bars in the capital The one that’s in a loo… A toilet has often been compared to a throne. Less often has it been compared to a bar stool. At Portside Parlour, tucked away beneath Broadway Market’s Off Broadway pub, you can’t get close to their collection of more than 50 of the world’s finest rums before taking a trip to the loo and pulling the chain. Once inside, you’ll find a cosy, candlelit boudoir bar and some of the best (and strongest) rum cocktails in the capital. If anyone wonders why you’ve spent such a long time in the loo, just tell them you’ve got the rums… Portside Parlour, 63-65 Broadway Market, E8 4PH. www.portsideparlour.co.uk The one where you bring your own… As concepts go, they don’t get much crazier than the idea of a cocktail bar with no booze. But that’s exactly what makes BYOC special. Pay a £20 entrance fee and bring a spirit or two, then for two hours let Dan Thomson and his talented bar team whip up personalised cocktail after personalised cocktail based on what you proffer up. It’s sort of like a Ready, Steady, Drink! where an antique drinks trolley laden with fruit juices, spices, mixers, flavoured salts, sugars and bitters replaces the store cupboard ingredients. It’s about up-close bartending, a sense of theatre and trying something different that you might not normally pick from a menu, just as much as it is about drinking great cocktails. BYOC, 28 Bedfordbury Street, WC2N 4BJ. www.byoc.co.uk The one on the number 30… Any Londoner who says they haven’t had a sly drink on the top deck of a night bus is a liar. Sorry, Boris. But as drinking on board goes, it’s hard to beat Big Red. After spending its life running between Hackney Wick and Oxford Street, this particular Number 30 has parked up in Deptford and been converted into a pizza-serving, cocktail-pouring diner on wheels. It’s been modified to have seats that face each other, and there are lights on the tables to indicate when your order is ready, but it’s still all bus. Taking it in turns among your friends to play the role of ‘bus voice lady’ is entirely optional. Big Red, 30 Deptford Church Street, SE8 4RZ. www.bigredpizza.co.uk The one where Russell Brand goes mad with a blender… Lumiere is the name of this Homerton bar, and of the man who runs it. He looks like Russell Brand, decorates the bar like an adult version of Alice In Wonderland and makes some of the craziest cocktails this side of a rabbit hole. A shot of rum, a glug of beetroot juice and a slice of chocolate cake is a fairly standard mix, as is anything served in a young coconut. It’s unlikely to win a Best Bar award anytime soon as Lumiere doesn’t take himself anywhere near seriously enough for that, but go with it and you’ll

experience one of the best nights out in London. If you’re cigarette-minded, do check out the shower cubicle which acts as a rather special ‘smoking area’. Lumiere, 88 Chatsworth Road, E5 0LS. www.lumierelondon.blogspot.co.uk The one where you can write on the walls… The Doodle Bar does exactly what is says on the tin. It not only lets you draw on the black and whiteboard-covered walls, it actively encourages it. Food provided by the Street Kitchen van changes as frequently as the drawings do, but the reasonably priced and well-made cocktails, plus a happy hour from 5-7pm Monday-Thursday remains a welcome constant. The next day might end up being something of a write-off, though. Sorry. The Doodle Bar, 33 Parkgate Road, SW11 4NP. www.thedoodlebar.com The one that you won’t find on Google maps… As absurd as the concept of a bar you can’t find by tapping its postcode into a phone sounds, that’s what The Fourth Wall is all about. The guys behind Bourne & Hollingsworth create a pop-up bar modelled on their Fitzrovia original every Friday and Saturday evening, but they’ll only drop hints as to where you can find them via their mailing list or on social media. If you want to enjoy some signature prohibition-style teacup cocktails, first you have to crack the cryptic clues and track them down. The Fourth Wall, weekly changing locations. www.whereisthefourthwall.com The one with (gasp!) no booze at all… Is this a step too far? Well, maybe. But if the guys at Redemption are able to create a satisfying, lip-smacking, well-balanced cocktail without any alcohol then who are we to criticise? Following a successful pop-up on a Dalston rooftop in the summer, you can see how they fare for yourself at their permanent spot in Westbourne Park. Tequila-laden Crazy Homies is just a ten minute walk away should you get booze withdrawal symptoms... Redemption, The Goldfinger Factory, W10 5NY. www.redemptionbar.com A few more bar oddities: The one where you play detective Evans and Peel, 310c Earls Court Road, SW5 9BA. www.evansandpeel.com The one in Phileas Fogg’s reimagined townhouse Mr. Fogg’s, 15 Bruton Lane, W1J 6JD. www.mr-foggs.com The one where you get crafty Drink, Shop, Do, 9 Caledonian Road, N1 9DX. www.drinkshopdo.com The one where everything’s for sale The Shop, 75 Chamberlayne Road, NW10 3ND. www.theshopnw10.com

The Cocktail Lovers - 31

IN-focus

CAPITAL CHOICES London Cocktail Week sees the announcement of the World’s 50 Best Bars 2013. World’s 50 Best Bars editor Lucy Britner gives us a sneak preview of what to expect from this year’s list.

We finished polling in August and I’ve been in possession of ‘The List’ since then. I feel like a kid, desperate to unwrap my Christmas presents before the big day. I’m not allowed to tear the paper but I can certainly rattle a few gift boxes. So, here’s a selection of great cities, showcasing some of the bars that are on this year’s list – we’ll reveal their actual position at the awards on 10 October. I haven’t included London and New York, but rest assured: these cities are still the gifts that keep on giving.

Promotion

WAKE UP YOUR PALATE WITH ANGOSTURA® AROMATIC BITTERS Q: What do sweet and savoury dishes and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks have in common? A: A few drops of Angostura® aromatic bitters. It’s true. Just a couple of dashes adds character and depth to any cocktail; bump up the quantities in food and your dishes are in for a treat. Ever since Dr. Siegert concocted his secret recipe in 1824, the contents of the now famous bottle have been synonymous with making things perkier – from its beginnings as a cure for sorting out ailing stomachs, to its present

day incarnation as the essential ingredient for livening up all manner of food and drinks. Exactly how the special blend of roots, herbs and spices works is a mystery but work it does, teasing out every ounce of flavour and bringing a deeper, richer, more complex quality to Champagne cocktails, Old-Fashioneds, Manhattans, Mojitos – even plain old lemonade and a squeeze of lime gets more zing. And the small but mighty bottle with the iconic oversized label more than earns its keep in the kitchen. Taste the difference it

makes to a full range of sweet and savoury dishes including simple staples like scrambled eggs and goats cheese through to hearty stews, delicate cheese and fish recipes and a whole repertoire of scrumptious desserts. Go on, what are you waiting for – release your flavour with Angostura® aromatic bitters.

STRANGE BUT TRUE: Although Angostura® aromatic bitters contains 44.7% alcohol by volume, each dash contains such a minuscule amount of alcohol it remains non-alcoholic.

CHOCOLATE Angostura® aromatic bitters cherry brownies with cherry Eton Mess (serves 6)

For more details on Angostura® aromatic bitters and Angostura® orange bitters, see www.angosturabitters.com

PORK Angostura® aromatic bitters honey & mustard shredded pork with fennel, lemon and Angostura slaw (serves 6-8) Cherries 400g pitted cherries 150g icing sugar 1 tbsp Angostura® aromatic bitters Brownies

Slaw

300g 70% cocoa solid dark chocolate 250g butter 4 eggs 200g caster sugar 150g light brown sugar 1 vanilla pod 120g flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 25g cocoa 1 pinch salt

1 tbsp Angostura® aromatic bitters 3 fennel heads, finely shredded 2 carrots, grated 2 red onions, sliced 1 red chilli, finely chopped 175g mayo Juice and zest of 1 lemon

To finish

Pork

Directions: Soak cherries in Angostura® aromatic bitters for 2 hours and set aside. Chop 100g chocolate and set aside. Melt 200g chocolate with 250g butter and allow to cool. Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Gently fold the mixtures together. Add both the melted and chopped chocoate, half the cherries and a little of the juice from the cherries. Spoon mixture into a greased, lined 23x32cm baking tin. Bake for 35mins at 180c, let brownie cool. Whip the cream with vanilla and icing sugar, fold in the yoghurt and add the meringue pieces and remaining cherries. Serve a square of brownie with a big dollop of the mess.

2kg pork shoulder, remove most of the outer fat 1 tbsp chilli flakes 1 tbsp grain mustard Salt White pepper 1 tbsp Angostura® aromatic bitters 200ml white wine vinegar 250ml apple cider 3 finely sliced onions 6 finely sliced garlic cloves 1 tbsp finely chopped thyme Directions: Mix the chilli, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper. Put the pork in a roasting pan and rub in spices. Pour the cider, Angostura® aromatic bitters and vinegar over the pork and scatter on the onions and garlic. Cover with parchment, then foil. Roast in the oven for 5 hours at 160c. Remove foil and parchment and roast for another hour. To make the slaw, simply mix all ingredients together. Rest pork for half an hour then pull apart using 2 forks. Serve with pickles with soft buns.

36 - The Cocktail Lovers

12 meringue nests, broken into small pieces 300ml thickened cream 2 tbsp icing sugar 1 vanilla pod 125ml Greek yoghurt

WHAT IS A DASH?

It’s more than a droplet. Grip the bottle firmly in the centre of the palm of your hand. Aim the spout at your drinking glass at a 45-degree angle and give a firm fist pump – do it like you mean it. Then repeat.

Promotion

WHAT ARE ANGOSTURA AROMATIC BITTERS?

Good question. Think of them as a miracle seasoning for anything you eat or drink. The exact recipe is top secret safe to say like most bitters it includes an infusion of herbs, fruit barks, roots and spices steeped in high strength alcohol. You don’t need to add a lot – just a couple of dashes in drinks, more in food – and the difference it makes has to be tasted to be believed.

CHICKEN Angostura® aromatic bitters chicken with baked rice and butter beans (serves 4-6)

ORANGE ALERT! There is another bright spark in the Angostura® aromatic bitters portfolio – Angostura orange bitters. Made from the citrus oils and peels of two varieties of succulent oranges ripened in the Caribbean sun, the concentrated flavour packed inside the bottle adds an incredible depth to vodka, gin and whisky cocktails. As for food, try it in any recipe that calls for a citrus boost – seafood, savoury sauces, soups, gravies and chocolate all take on a new lease of life with the Angostura® orange bitters effect.

DID YOU KNOW…

The original 1930s classic gin Martini calls for orange bitters.

You’ve tried Angostura® aromatic bitters, now add the rum… Chicken 350g chicken breast, cubed 125g spicy sausage 3 tbsp Angostura® aromatic bitters 1 onion, sliced 2 carrots, sliced 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 tbsp parsley 1 x 400g tin butter beans, rinsed 4 eggs, beaten 1.5L chicken stock 100g butter Salt and pepper Spice mix 2 tsp dried oregano 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp paprika 2 tsp soft dark brown sugar 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp onion powder 2 tsp salt 2 tsp white pepper Rice 350g short grain rice Directions: Blend the spice mix together with a little oil and add to chicken stock and Angostura® aromatic bitters. Fry the chicken in a little butter until golden, remove from heat. Fry the sausage, carrot, onion and garlic until soft, remove from heat. Combine the uncooked rice with the sausage mix, tomatoes, beans and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Put half the rice mix in a well-buttered casserole dish, add the chicken and top with the rest of the rice. Pour over the stock and spices, cover with lid and bake at 180c for 30mins or until the rice is cooked. Remove from oven and pour beaten eggs over. Return dish to the oven without the lid and cook uncovered for a further 5 minutes. Serve with chilli sauce or garlic mayonnaise.

Angostura Reserva: Aged up to three years, rich and warming with agreeable vanilla notes this one is perfect for mixing with fruits for a lighter style cocktail. Try it in an Angostura Daiquiri. Angostura 5 year old: Aged in oak barrels for five years for a bigger, richer flavour bursting with chocolate, spices and toasted oak. Try it in an Angostura Mojito. Angostura 7 year old: Aged for a minimum of seven years in bourbon casks. The result? Christmas in a glass – maple and chocolate notes with an agreeable sweetness of toffee and honey. Try it in a Rum & Ting. Angostura 1919: Another fine blend of Angostura rums, this one is rich, spicy and creamy bursting with delicious vanilla. Try it in an Angostura 1919 Treacle. Angostura 1824: A sophisticated blend of the finest matured Angostura rums aged for a minimum of 12 years for maximum enjoyment. Try it over ice. All recipes available on: www.angosturarum.com

The Cocktail Lovers - 37

IN-focus

“The choice of ingredients came about through some research into foods with proven health benefits as well as those reputed to be effective hangover cures,” Stokoe says. “We also gave lots of thought to the sweetening agent we used.” His recipes all contain 35ml of Belvedere Vodka as a base (“enough for the vodka to be prominent without the unnecessary extra abvs and calories,” he explains) and a veritable smorgasbord of bright, zingingly fresh ingredients (“Fresh ingredients, as always, are the key to a tasty drink,” another top Stokoe tip). Pineapple, kale, coconut, watermelon, beetroot, ginger and tomato are just some of nature’s bounty which he packs into his selection. “If you’re going to drink anyway then why not think more about the ingredients that go into your cocktail and ‘drink better’?” he says. We couldn’t agree more. For more tips on drinking smarter and how to survive the party season, read on: For more information, see www.fixconsultancy.com; www.headsheartandtails.com; www.giacomofarci.com

BETTER BOOTCAMP COCKTAILS Vodka comes in at around 55 calories for 25ml. Mix it with fresh fruits and vegetables for a longer, fresher, nutrient packed cocktail. Piña Kale-Ada 35ml Belvedere Vodka 25ml freshly pressed pineapple juice 25ml freshly pressed kale juice Dash of fresh lemon juice 10ml coconut nectar Handful of fresh basil Method: Shake ingredients over ice and serve on the rocks. Garnish with a slice of pineapple. Hail Mary 35ml Belvedere Vodka

BETTER BOOTCAMP BASICS WHILE YOU’RE OUT “Match every alcoholic drink with a glass of still or sparkling water,” advises Sinclair. Take your time to sip and appreciate the contents in your glass. THE MORNING AFTER THE NIGHT BEFORE

25ml freshly pressed/blended watermelon juice 25ml freshly pressed/blended beetroot juice 15ml freshly pressed/blended tomato juice 1 inch red chilli pepper (deseeded) Dash each of Green and Red Tabasco Salt and pepper to taste Paprika Fresh lemon juice

DITCH the hair of the dog remedy

Method:

DO go for the Virgin Mary option – tomato juice contains vitamin C and lycopene, just what you need after partying hard.

Blend all ingredients apart from Belvedere Vodka together in a Mary mix. Then build drink over ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a celery stalk.

DITCH the big fry-up DO reach for eggs – scrambled or poached for much needed amino acids. “Go for good quality fibre and protein – baked beans are a good one in my household,” adds Sinclair. DITCH the sugary colas DO rehydrate with water, or try coconut water. CocoFace is about as fresh as it gets – straight from the tree ready for drinking, low in calories and filled to bursting with electrolytes. Order from www.cocoface.co.uk

Ginger & Green Tea Punch (Double G Punch)* 35ml Belvedere Lemon Tea Vodka 1 inch fresh ginger, muddled 2 kaffir lime leaves 10ml fresh lemon juice 35ml chilled green tea 1 tsp Matcha green tea powder 10ml Coconut nectar

DITCH the coffee

Ice spheres

DO go for ginger tea to reduce nausea. “Green tea is excellent,” says Giacomo. Also try freshly-squeezed lemon and lime juice in warm water. “It stimulates the liver in the morning,” says Sinclair.

Method: Shake ingredients over ice. Double strain and serve. (Can be batched and served in a punch bowl.)

DITCH the duvet. “And no sauna as it will dehydrate you even more,” says Giacomo. DO get out and get some fresh air.

*abv: alcohol by volume or how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage

The Cocktail Lovers - 39

IN-focus

the whisky selection at ‘scotch’ the new signature whisky bar at the balmoral, edinburgh

spirit. Go back and smell the whisky over a period of time. This helps your nose adjust to high alcohol levels and lets you appreciate changes in the whisky as it rests. With your first small sip of whisky expect an alcoholic burn, especially if you are unused to drinking spirits neat. By sipping, you are giving your senses a chance to adapt to the alcohol and appreciate more complex notes and flavours. If you can, on the second sip, hold the spirit in your mouth and roll it around your tongue. Each part of your mouth responds to different flavours and stimuli, so this way you gain maximum taste impact. Whisky’s complexity will often dwell on your palate for some time and may even evolve, offering new flavours. The different expressions you will discover from whisky are uniquely personal, so never let anyone tell you what you taste is wrong. This is why you find seemingly outlandish tasting notes. They are a writer’s personal (and possibly crazy) interpretation of the flavours. Whisky myths There are many enduring misconceptions about whisky, often labelled as ‘traditional views’ by connoisseurs or whisky snobs. A few of the most common ones are Scotch is king, single malts are better than blends, older whiskies are best and that you should never add water or ice. The Scots do produce the greatest volume of whisky and have some of the biggest selling and most recognisable brands. This means there are great Scotches – but also some average ones. A growing number of countries are now producing award-winning whiskies that give Scotch a run for its money. A similar situation exists

in the single malts vs. blends argument. There are great blends available that are more enjoyable to drink than single malts of a similar price. A staggering 90% of all whisky sold in the world is blended, which ensures that the quality remains consistently high. Older whisky is highly likely to be more expensive than its younger counterparts, but this is mainly due to its rareness. Conventional thinking suggests that the more something costs, the better that product must be. Old whiskies are more likely to exhibit greater depth and complexity due to increased time in oak casks, but this can make them woody and dry as a result. If your tastes lean towards fresher, more vibrant flavours then older whisky will certainly not be better for you. People always say, “I would never add water to my whisky.” Why not? Almost everyone that makes, blends or promotes whisky does. The addition of water brings down the alcoholic strength, allowing other characteristics to shine. Ice is different as it chills the whisky rapidly, locks down flavours and does not allow you to fully analyse the spirit. However, while ice may be a poor idea for a tasting, it is often the key element to a well-made cocktail. Our message is simple – how you drink your whisky is down to personal taste, which style you prefer and the way you want to drink it. Whisky is a complex spirit that is enjoyed by many people across the globe in their own personal way. Its complexity is what allows so many of us to get so much out of this flexible spirit and why its popularity is unlikely to slow anytime soon. www.whiskyforeveryone.com

The Cocktail Lovers - 37

IN-focus

D.I.Y KIT VS

Splashing your cash on fancy barware or making your kitchen tools earn their keep? Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your preferred route for making cocktails at home?

38 - The Cocktail Lovers

IN-focus

D.I.Y says Ms S

Kit says Mr G

I used to collect bits of cocktail kit – bar spoons, mixing glasses, fancy shakers, those Mexican Elbow things for squeezing the Bejesus out of citrus fruit – I couldn’t get enough of the stuff. Then one day I had an epiphany moment: who really needs it? If you’re a bartender then that’s one thing, but for making cocktails at home? Really? Come on, you can save that money and use it for good quality booze.

There’s something about kit. I love it. Maybe it’s a guy thing? Whether it’s a sports watch or the new iPad, there are certain things I like finding out about and then getting my hands on. Cocktail kit is even better – it keeps on giving.

There’s nothing I can’t do with a trusty Kilner jar that I could do any better with a shaker – no matter how fancy or expensive. Bar spoons? Try a chopstick. Jiggers? Use an egg cup instead. While Mr G wouldn’t dream of freeing up the ice from one of his (many) dedicated buckets without the aid of his trusty scoop (or silver tongs if he’s being ultrafancy and delicate); me? I just reach for a bog-standard ladle – job done. Dré Masso helped me to see the light a couple of years ago. Although he is one of the best drinks alchemists around, his sadly defunct website Gin and Tales made a big thing about breaking down the barriers for making cocktails at home. I tasted a drink he created by shaking it up in a jam jar and blow me down if it didn’t taste as good as one concocted in the conventional way. It certainly made a point and I’ve been an advocate of kitchen equipment as bar tools ever since. If the only thing stopping you from having fun making mixed drinks at home is you don’t have what you consider to be the requisite equipment, I have one word for you: improvise. See that jar with the screw-top lid? Use it to shake up your Margarita. If your Mojito calls for a muddler, use the handle of a rolling pin and gently tease out the flavour of your mint. As for glassware, yes I love the cool stuff as much as if not a teensy bit more than the next person but do you really need to buy expensive glasses for each cocktail you serve? Not really. Even posh bars are serving their drinks in mis-matched glassware and school-style beakers. Save for a Martini in a V-shaped cocktail glass and Champagne in some kind of flute, I’m going to be reckless and say anything goes. Focus on the ingredients and the rest will take care of itself.

In my formative cocktail years I muddled through with just a three-piece shaker, jigger and half a dozen Martini glasses. Muddled through? I didn’t even have a muddler. How naive. How did I manage? What on earth was I thinking of? Not any more. Shakers? Well, there’s still that original stainless steel one, there’s also a Boston shaker, vintage glass and a jumbo one (wow, was I happy when I got that). And of course there’s the small but perfectly formed travelling shaker – now there’s a thing which is as beautiful as it practical. As for mixing glasses: straight sides, sloping sides, plain, fancy, tall and taller. There’s a time and place for them all. Yes, it’s partly about having the right tool for the job (that at least justifies buying yet another type of juice extractor) but it’s also about satisfaction. The sheer joy of mixing something, from an obscure old recipe book for instance, with appropriate kit, that just takes me closer to the drink and its story. I also admit there’s something intrinsically satisfying about particular objects being, well, just lovely. Hawthorne strainers, Julep strainers, fine strainers, bottle openers and bottle stoppers, hardwood muddlers, star head muddlers, mixing spoons, Mexican Elbows, peelers and paring knives. If I see something new in a bar, book, shop or online, I want to know the why, what and where. Then I want one. Most women, I’m told, can’t resist the appeal of a shoe shop window. I can’t resist the allure of new bar kit. Ice crushers, ice buckets and ice trays, yes I admit it, I got excited when I saw a new ice tray design the other day. I bought one. And that reminds me of the clever little device I have for making perfectly cylindrical ice balls. I have cool ice tongs too. Then there’s glassware. Don’t get me started on all those shapes and sizes, modern and retro. As long as I keep discovering the new, the unusual or the vintage there will be a place in my heart for cocktail kit and a place on my creaking shelves.

Ms S’s top three shops for kitchenware as barware

Mr G’s top three places for kit

Divertimenti, 33-34 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4PT. www.divertimenti.co.uk

Cocktail Kingdom. www.cocktailkingdom.co.uk

IKEA, stores nationwide. www.ikea.com

Pullman Gallery. 14 King Street, St. James’s, SW1Y 6QU. www.pullmangallery.com

John Lewis, stores nationwide. www.johnlewis.com

eBay. www.ebay.co.uk

The Cocktail Lovers -39

CLEVER DICK Before Dick Bradsell came along and shook up the bar scene in the capital, you couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get a decent cocktail outside of a few key hotels if you tried. We caught up with the creator of, amongst other contemporary classics, the Espresso Martini, Bramble, Treacle and Russian Spring Punch, over a pint of organic lager and asked him his thoughts onâ&#x20AC;Ś

Photography: ben millar cole. www.benmillarcole.com

IN-dustry greats

Growing up on the Isle Of Wight

Doing a shift at The Savoy

“There were two choices if you weren’t sure what you wanted to do, you either went into sailing or catering. I was a useless sailor, I nearly got killed twice in my two attempts at it so I got a job washing-up instead.”

“Oh yeah, it was like the Naval & Military Club – I felt right at home there.”

Leaving home and going to London “When I was about 17 my parents said, ‘You know you had that party, when your friend beat up your sister’s friends from the rugby club and the police were called and we had to have the house redecorated? And then you went and did it again? Why don’t you go and live somewhere else?’ So I was sent to live with my uncle in London.” Getting his first job “My uncle ran the Naval & Military Club on Piccadilly. It was a good grounding because I had to do everybody else’s job: chambermaid, receptionist, cook, functions, serve breakfasts – I ran the staff canteen for a bit. I did pretty much everything really.” Becoming a bartender and discovering cocktails “A friend of mine got me a job as a runner and bar back at the Zanzibar Club in the late 1970s. It was a revelation. The owners had strong ideas of how they wanted it. The bar manager knew all about cocktails – they were his life. He took me under his wing, taught me the ideas behind great drinks and gave me The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks [the classic 1948 book by David A. Embury]. He also taught me the way to improve was not to have an ego about your drinks. If you find someone making it better, then copy it. Keep going, trying to improve. That’s why I still taste all my drinks.” Creating the Espresso Martini “It was at the Soho Brasserie around the late 1980s. A young American model asked for a drink that ‘wakes me up and then f**ks me up’. The coffee machine was next to where I made drinks – I added a double shot of vodka, Kahlua, Tia Maria, sugar, shaken with very, very strong coffee. That was when the drink was on the rocks, the Vodka Espresso. Years later at Match we served it straight up as the Espresso Martini. Then when we opened the Pharmacy with Damien Hirst it became the Pharmaceutical Stimulant.” What makes a good drink last “Lots of people have invented good drinks in the last 20 years – some are still around, some are forgotten. They have to be liked by the customer or have something memorable about them that makes somebody else want to make them. The Espresso Martini is a robust recipe, it can be played around with, altered in some way. One bar had about 15 variations on their menu, which is great.” Peter Dorelli, former Head Bartender at The Savoy “He is so good, so fast and so polite. His personal relationship with the customer is amazing. When he’s around the bar becomes a different place – it really impressed me, that.”

Tony Conigliaro, flavourist and former protégée “Tony worked with me for years. He finds it easy to do something excellent.” Early ambitions “What I wanted to do at the Zanzibar was make really high-quality drinks really fast – I don’t see why people should have to wait.” The 1980s and trying to find a good cocktail/drink scene “Most places didn’t have a f**ing clue, so we found the places that were making good cocktails, that did have a clue. Like The Savoy: you didn’t just go there for the drinks you went for the atmosphere. And Duke’s: amazing, you felt you had walked out of London and into somewhere really grand. The Ritz: the guy there was in his 70s, maybe older, he was just so good at his job. He made a great Strawberry Daiquiri, I copied it. He would explain why it was good and what he was doing.” Style bars “The first style bars were up North and Scotland, they weren’t in London. Up there it was a way of keeping builders out. In London they just made beer expensive.” Opening his first bar in the 1980s “Fred’s Club was unique. It was the first young people’s club. It became the place to go for music and fashion people, like the staff from The Face and ID.” Dick’s Bar at The Atlantic “Oliver Peyton really wanted to do something swish. It did me a lot of good that place, it made my career having a bar named after me.” Still coming up with new cocktails “I get a bigger thrill now from inventing a drink than 20 years ago. I wanted to make a drink that was pink called the Pink Chihuahua. It was going to be with mescal but the flavour was too strong, so I changed to tequila. I worked on it for about two weeks, when I got it I danced around the corridor. I knew it was a good drink, it pleased me.” Why he hasn’t written a cocktail book “I think the best cocktail book has already been written, it’s called The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David A. Embury. Bars that fail “English people don’t complain, they just don’t go back.” You can find Dick at The Pink Chihuahua, 25-27 Brewer Street, W1F 0RR. www.elcamion.co.uk

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IN-dulge

Roller coasters Protect your precious surfaces by resting your glass on a coaster. Cool or quirky, monochromatic or dazzlingly bright, we’ve rounded up ten terrific delights for your drinking pleasure. FOR ASPIRING BARTENDERS: Teach yourself the correct glassware and recipes for six classic cocktails, printed on these natty coasters. Happy Hour Coasters, £15 for a set of six, Men’s Society. www.bouf.com

FOR GROOVY BATCHELOR PADS: Fresh and flirty pin-up girl salvers to add a little sauce to your glass. Pin Up Girl Coaster, £3.50 each, Crumpet & Skirt. www.mountainandmolehill.com FOR THIRSTY MUSOS: Vinyl records get cut down to size for a musical spin on the plain old drinks rest. Retro Vinyl Coasters, £12 for a set of six. www.johnlewis.com

FOR HIPPY CHICKS: Hand-made felt citrus shapes give a folksy spin on the cocktail hour. Citrus Coasters, photo courtesy of www.purlbee. com. Pattern available from www.purlsosho.com

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IN-dulge FOR POKER FACES: Card sharps will love the premium-grade leather cleverly cut in the shape of suits. Playing Card Leather Coasters, £25 for a set of four, make the most of. www.makethemostof.co.uk

FOR PEOPLE OF LETTERS:

FOR TIRED SIGHTSEERS:

Spell out your name, favourite cocktail or cryptic message with these Scrabble-tastic discs.

Check out London’s finest landmarks without moving from the bar.

Typographic Alphabet Coasters, £4.95 each, The Letteroom. www.theletteroom.com

Waterloo and Tower Bridge Coasters, £3.50 each, Jacky Al-Samarraie. www.theartrooms.co.uk

FOR DAINTY GOTHS: Laser cut polypropylene plastic rounds in dramatic gothic black. Lace Coasters, £15 for a set of four, Rachel McK. www.rachelmcknight.com

FOR SHINY, HAPPY PEOPLE: Bright, funky colours, cheery, inspirational words – feeling grumpy isn’t an option with these chaps taking care of your glass. Happy Coasters, £10 for a set of six, Happy Jackson. www.thegreatgiftcompany.com

FOR ORDER OBSESSIVES: Walnut coasters with inlaid magnetic discs to keep them neatly stacked when not in use. Magnetic Coasters, £100 for a set of six, David Linley. www.davidlinley.com The Cocktail Lovers - 43

IN-style

GET THE DRINKS IN AT...

Worship Street Whistling Shop

Tristan Stephenson and Thomas Aske are, to put a London spin on things, well made up. After four years operating their company Fluid Movement as part of a team of four, they’re now working in tandem. Don’t think for one second that means they’re taking on half the work they did before. If anything the new, streamlined version of their modernist drinks consultancy has taken the brakes off and are going full steam ahead. There are the high-profile projects for starters, one of which is a colonial-inspired cocktail menu for recentlyopened Gymkhana in Mayfair. Then there’s the Bauhaus cocktail concept they’re creating for Prescott & Conran’s smart City eatery, Lutyens. Add in the range of six, count them, six new exciting consumer products they’ll be introducing to the Master of Malt portfolio in the next few months, not to mention Tristan’s first book The Curious Bartender – The Artistry And Alchemy Of Creating The Perfect Cocktail, which launches to coincide with London Cocktail Week and it’s surprising they actually found any time to be our featured bartenders. But we’re pleased as punch they did. Worship Street Whistling Shop, their interpretation of a Victorian gin palace, has winter drinking in London written all over it. Dark, warm and cosy, it’s bigger, smarter, more adventurous than Purl, their first much-lauded outpost in Marylebone from which they have recently relinquished their stake. No worries on that front though, this place is a real beaut. Amidst the handsome wood features, bare brick walls and magpie-like collection of period interior accessories, there’s an Emporium for multi-sensory drinks experiences, a Lab for new creations and a Dram Shop complete with vintage bottlings. Every inch of the place is typical Fluid Movement – historic in feel but very much modernist in its offering.

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As for the drinks list, let’s just say it’s a delicious mix of fiendishly clever combos given a progressive yet playful edge. Examples? Try the Exploded Martini (Belvedere Vodka, High Pressure Hydrosol, Gancia Bianco), and Late Pickings (Riesling wine, Tapatio Blanco, coriander, citrus, WS Peat & Unami Tincture); or how about Black Cats, a decidely moreish cocktail blending Tanqueray Gin, Gancia Dry and Removed Cream? Not your average cocktails, but neither are T ‘n’ T your average bartenders. Taking our cue from their vision of East End Victoriana, we styled the dapper duo in the latest menswear collections with a reverential nod to the past, ranging from classic Savile Row tailors to bright young things in funky Shoreditch: very London, very Fluid Movement. Worship Street Whistling Shop, 63 Worship Street, EC2A 2DU. www.whistlingshop.com

The Curious Bartender – The Artistry And Alchemy Of Creating The Perfect Cocktail by Tristan Stephenson, published by Ryland Peters & Small, priced £16.99, available from all good bookshops. Worship Street Whistling Shop products including Cream Gin available from www.masterofmalt.com Photography: Johnnie Pakington

IN-style

IN THE PARLOUR… Tristan wears black morning coat, £398, grey striped trousers, £208, both A Suit That Fits; multi dragonfly 6-button single-breasted waistcoat, £230, Favourbrook; white shirt, £129, S& Gibson at Fenwick; rust Kinbane bowtie, £39, Monsieur London. Thomas wears black morning coat, £398, and silk pocket square, £15, both A Suit That Fits; blue tartan flat-fronted trousers, £260, Favourbrook; cream Oxford shirt, £125, and cravat, £65, both Budd Shirtmakers.

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IN-style

IN THE LIBRARY…

STOCKIST DETAILS:

Tristan wears navy Rosa Marine single-breasted dinner jacket with grosgrain trim, £790, Favourbrook; grey tweed trousers, £245, Nicole Farhi at Fenwick; white shirt, £129, S& Gibson at Fenwick. Thomas wear lilac velvet jacket, £835; white brushed cotton shirt £245, both Kashual Niraula; blue tartan flat-fronted trousers, £260, Favourbrook; cravat, £65, Budd Shirtmakers.

A Suit That Fits, for nearest studio and nationwide bookings, www.asuitthatfits.com Bates The Hatters, 73 Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6NP. www.bates-hats.com Budd Shirtmakers, 3 Piccadilly Arcade, SWY 6NH. www.buddshirts.co.uk Favourbrook, 55 Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6LX; 19-21 Piccadilly Arcade, Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6NH. www.favourbrook.com Fenwick, 63 New Bond Street, W1A 3BS. www.fenwick.co.uk Gieves & Hawkes, No. 1 Savile Row, W1S 3JR. www.gievesandhawkes.com Kaushal Niraula, www.kaushalniraula.com Monsieur London, www.en.monsieurlondon.com

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IN-dependent spirits

Fruits of labour Charles Martell is on a mission – to save Gloucestershire’s natural bounty from extinction. First he did it by breeding Old Gloucester cows to produce his awardwinning cheeses, now he has turned his attention to fruit, replanting rare varieties of local apples, pears and plums to make into Charles Martell Vintage Spirits, all distilled on his farm. “When we first acquired Hunts Court Farm, my aim was very much to help save the Old Gloucester cow breed from extinction – there were only 68 of these cattle left in the world at the time. My way of doing this was to put the cows back to doing what they do best which is to produce milk for the making of Double and Single Gloucester cheese. Spirits hadn’t entered the picture at this stage, but I do remember thinking at the time that distilling would be an attractive business to be in, because it is a ‘high value, low volume’ product and we wouldn’t be cluttering up the place with pallets of bottles and packaging. A bit like cheese which is only 10% by weight of the milk it is derived from.”

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“Spirits only entered the equation when a neighbour in our village asked to see our farm deeds as he loves looking through old documents. He found Benjamin Hunt’s handwritten will dated 1809, which was proven in 1810. It mentions the ‘distilling house’ on the farm. This ‘distilling house’ is an old timber-framedbuilding with unusual features. It had long confounded building experts who had come to view it. Now all was explained. After this discovery it seemed to be no doubt that we would re-open our distillery. This we did in 2010, 200 years after it closed.” “Our area of north west Gloucestershire is noted for its perry pears, many of which are magnificent trees up to 300 years old and look like grand oaks. Except in spring when they may look like giant cauliflowers with their blossom. We’ve managed to save more than 100 varieties of these pear types. They have names like Painted Lady, Circus Pear, Hedgehog Pear, Blood Pear, which has red flesh, Flakey Bark which is so astringent you couldn’t eat it, and – dare I mention it? – Stinking Bishop. Most of the varieties are extremely rare and have been propagated into national collections at Three Counties Showground in Malvern and The National Collection of Perry Pears at Hartpury. This is to establish genetic reservoirs from which cuttings can be taken to propagate more trees onto farms and perry-making holdings. I think we have also documented 187 apple varieties indigenous to Gloucestershire.”

IN-formed

MAINS & MARTINIS

RESTAURANTS WHERE THE COCK TAILS ARE AS GOOD AS THE FOOD

Grill Room

Colony Club

The Morrison

Cafe Royal, 68 Regent Street, W1B 4RS. www.hotelcaferoyal.com

24 Hertford Street, W1J 7SA. www.thecolonyclub.co.uk

Ormond Quay, Dublin 1. www.morrisonhotel.ie

Who: The well-heeled, very monied set (or those who simply aspire to be). What: The three ‘Cs’: Champagne, caviar and cabaret in the most flamboyant, spectacularly restored room in the capital – the ceiling is a feast in itself. Why: Because life’s too short not to enjoy a little five-star luxury every now and again, besides Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw and Virginia Woolf were former guests. When: Special occasions, hot dates, or when that fat bonus comes in. Wear: Make an effort. As the dress code in the Grill Room states, ‘come celebrative and sophisticated’. Ms S says: Talk about moody, the Grill Room is so dimly-lit you practically need a torch to see. Not that we were complaining, it makes cosying up practically obligatory. Hot dish: The dishes are on the nouvelle cuisine side so don’t go expecting to fill up anytime soon. The Lobster Cocktail is one of the more substantial offerings – a posh twist on the retro classic. Cool cocktail: I fancied something bubbly to go with all the glitz. The Hemingway (Champagne, rum, Cointreau, lemon juice), was fresh, flirty and fun, just stopping short of being too girly. Mr G says: The Grill Room ticks all the boxes for impressing a date: it’s sexy, plush, discreet and lets them know you think they’re worth it. Hot dish: If money is no object, push the boat out and go for caviar – the lavish setting practically demands it. Cool cocktail: No Champagne for me but I still kept it classic with a Gibson (Gilbey’s gin, dry vermouth and a cocktail onion) – nice and crisp, the perfect accompaniment to our meal.

Who: Mainly those who fancy a bet but also for anyone in the know – this is well worth remembering when everything else has closed and you’re still after a quality spot for late night drinking and dining. What: Practically every cuisine you could wish for, including Middle Eastern, Asian, Oriental and European. They’ve even got teppanyaki tables, every day except Sunday. Why: Where else can have a starter of sushi, a wild mushroom risotto main followed by apple pie all under one swanky Mayfair roof? When: The bar is open 24/7 and the restaurant is open to 3am. Sign up for day membership to gain access. Wear: A bit of bling wouldn’t go amiss if you’re planning on trying your luck in the casino – or in the restaurant for that matter. Ms S says: They have dedicated chefs for each cuisine type here so rest assured your Thai curry will be as authentic as the tabbouleh. Hot dish: The Minato – a mixed selection of sashimi, sushi and Californian rolls served on a boat – flappingly fresh, great fun to share and beautifully arranged. Cool cocktail: Green Park Sour (vodka, Kummel, caraway seed, fresh lime juice and elderflower), deliciously fresh and perky. Mr G says: So many continents, so many flavours to choose from… Hot dish: As we started Japanese with the Minato, it seemed weird to stray away from that part of the world. The rich, sticky, melt-in-the-mouth tender Black Cod with house Teriyaki sauce followed on just nicely. Cool cocktail: The Jazzman (Jasmine tea gin, Punt E Mes, maraschino bitters, brandied cherries), an enjoyable twist on the classic Martinez.

Who: A nice mish-mash of groups including families, courting couples and young and old hotel guests. What: Honest-to-goodness local food with an international appeal. Why: The food is fab – mostly all cooked in a Josper oven for optimum flavour. When: All day, from full Irish breakfasts, through to brunch, tea and dinner. Wear: It’s smartly refurbished but you don’t have to be too togged up. That said, veer towards smart casual rather than grubby jeans. Ms S says: Nothing here is remotely gussied-up, so the quality ingredients are left to speak for themselves. Hot dish: I loved the Josper grill offerings but there was one item on the menu that made me wish I was starting from zero: the deeply luxurious bread and butter pudding served with caramel ice cream and sauce Anglaise. Diet be damned. Cool cocktail: Quay 14 Bloody Mary (lapsang-infused gin, beetroot and pomegranate, plus the usual BM suspects). The extra care and attention here puts other Marys in the shade – I also like the presentation, niftily served in a bottle for you to top up at your leisure. Mr G says: A cool setting that works for pretty much any time of day and occasion. Hot dish: The lamb rump, lamb belly beignet, champ mash, black olive, warm niçoise jus tasted as good as it sounds – full of earthy flavours executed to perfection. Cool cocktail: Whiskey In A Jar, come on, this is Dublin, home of The Dubliners and Thin Lizzy who sang the song after all. Like it says, it’s whiskey. In a jar. But this interpretation of the good old whisky sour is given a little twist with the addition of quince jelly and sloe gin. Nice.

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IN-formed

WORD UP... NEWS, VIEWS, REVIEWS AND HOW-TOS

HOW TO… buy sherry How much should you pay for a ‘good’ entry-level sherry? “All the leading supermarkets have their own range of sherries covering a range of styles from dry, delicate Finos to nutty Olorosos. These come in a range of qualities and prices. You can get a good branded Fino, such as Elegante, for around £7.99 for 75cl. In the past, many restaurants and bars priced sherry like a spirit leading to some eye-watering figures when customers tried to order by the bottle. Luckily things have improved a lot. Increasingly sherry is being treated, and priced, as a wine. Londoners now have a choice of sherry bars as well as restaurants with excellent sherry lists offering many styles available by the glass.”

When Sailors Clash…

Not in a fisticuffs way, we’re referring to the inspired collaboration between Sailor Jerry’s rum and Paul Simonon, the artist formerly of The Clash. Check out his limited-edition Flash Collection for Sailor Jerry’s including three rock ‘n’ roll essentials: leather jacket, T-shirt and neckerchief. All that’s missing is the guitar… Available at www.sailorjerryclothing.com

What are the key characteristics to look out for? “This depends on the style of sherry. Fino is bone-dry and has a yeasty, intensely savoury character. With the darker, oxidised styles you should be picking up rich, nutty flavours, and, with the sweeter styles containing Pedro Ximénez (known as PX), you will find concentrated raisin notes.” How should you drink it? “Again, this depends on the style. Many people don’t realise that a Fino, such as Tio Pepe, is 15% abv, similar to many new world wines, and it should be treated as a wine. Freshness is key. Ideally Fino should be drunk within a year of bottling and within three weeks of opening the bottle. It should always be served chilled and in a wine glass. Tio Pepe is fantastic with food. It has no fruit character to fight with the flavours of your meal and has wonderful palate cleansing properties. If you prefer sweet sherry, you don’t get any sweeter than PX. If you are feeling decadent, try Noe, a 30 Year Old Pedro Ximénez, poured over vanilla ice cream.” What’s your favourite serve? “Chilled Fino, straight from the fridge and with salted almonds. It’s perfect for that moment when you are cooking or waiting for food to arrive at a restaurant and it really gets your appetite going. However, some days nothing beats a Rebujito, a cocktail of Tio Pepe, lemonade, lemon and ice enjoyed by the locals in Jerez, Southern Spain during the fiesta season.” Sarah Pollard, Brand Manager for Tio Pepe at Gonzalez Byass and general sherry-head. www.tiopepe.co.uk

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Notable nibbles For every lonely Martini yearning for the perfectly matched snack, here’s where we play Cupid. Martini meet Crosta & Mollica Tarallini; Crosta & Molloca Tarallini meet Martini – even the names sound like they were meant to be together. As for the taste, well all we can say is the tiny crisp-baked dough rings pair with the clean, dry taste of a Classic Dry Martini like a dream. Trust us, it’ll be love at first bite. Crosta & Mollica Tarallini, £1.89, from www.ocado.com

IN-formed

ONE FOR THE DRINKS CABINET We’re going vintage, not old-old but something with lots of substance. In the same year that Milli Vanilli were rocking the charts and Teenage Mutant Teenage Ninja Turtles hit the bigtime, Balblair 89 was born. The subtly amber but full-bodied Highland Single Malt is proof that beyond the big hair there was plenty of class in the ‘80s. www.balblair.com

MUSIC TO DRINK COCKTAILS TO... John Legend, Love In The Future

Nights like these occasionally come to lovers. Nights where they talk for hours. They share secrets. They share dreams. They tell each other their stories of where they’re from and where they want to go. Accompanying this night are the songs of John Legend on Love In The Future. From the opening title track proclaiming, “It’s a new year, for love in the future, not the love I lost,” this is a collection of prayers, promises and optimism. The Beginning: “Last night was the last night you’ll ever spend alone.” Who Do We Think We Are: “Let’s keep the night fantastic, light it up, tell me more, explore.” All Of Me: “You’re my end and my beginning.” Tomorrow: “It’s our time, it’s our evening, don’t let it slip away.” Dreams: “Dream like lovers do and it might come true.” Finishing with For The First Time: “It’s like I can feel, it’s like I can breathe, it’s like I can live, it’s like I can love, for the first time…” What do the lovers drink? Who knows? It’s about them. They mix the drinks for each other, messing around and making them up. They’re not perfect but they’re the best they’ve ever had. The light of the final candle flickers out as the morning sunlight creeps in. Distant sounds signal another day beginning but this couple are just starting to sleep. And the last of those once cold cocktails they mixed are left warm and untouched. If you can have only have one soundtrack for your night make it Love In The Future. Columbia Records. Available from www.amazon.co.uk

LET’S PARTY! AND FOR THE NON-DRINKERS OUT THERE… It’s not always about the hard stuff. For those you can’t or simply don’t want to drink booze, make a note of The Alcohol-Free Shop. Offering everything from beers (including gluten-free varieties), cider, wine, spirit substitutes, cocktails and mixers, it’s got every drink you could imagine (minus the abvs). www.alcoholfree.co.uk

Planning a shindig at home? Forget the stress of doing it yourself and call in the professionals. Alexander & James have five party packages ranging from Tiki-tastic to molecular, all you have to do is provide the space (and friends, obviously). They’ll bring the glassware, tip-top spirits from the Diageo Reserve Brands portfolio plus your very own bartender for the evening. Soirée sorted

www.alexanderandjames.com

DID

YOU KNOW?

16 October is National Liqueur Day 8 November is National Harvey Wallbanger Day 31 December is National Champagne Day

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IN-formed

TALES FROM THE BAR Oslo

“Bartender Monica Berg’s impressive fifth place in this year’s World Class Global Finals has proved that the Norwegian cocktail scene is one to be reckoned with. In a tiny city with just over 600,000 citizens, high-end bars are popping up all over the place. These include classic hotel venues, like Chris Grøtvedt’s Theatercaféen and Alex Ruas’ Bristol Bar, both of which are creating innovative concoctions for the rich and famous. There are also newer places like my bar, No.19, and cocktail institution Bar Boca, tiki-lovers AkuAku and the pinball-and-craft beer heaven at Tilt. In the (until recently quite dodgy) area of lower Grünerløkka, Italian-chic cocktail bar Bettola opened its doors last December. According to manager and head bartender Zoë Waage, their concept of classic Italian-inspired cocktails mixed with Scandinavian retro design, plus exclusively South African bartenders behind the stick and cocktails on tap has been a recipe for success. (Trondheimsveien 2, 0560 Oslo.) Morgenstierne (literally ‘morning star’), in trendy St. Hanshaugen is the love child of rock ‘n’ roll bartender brothers Anders Bakke and Benjamin Lee. On the first floor of the beautiful restaurant Tranen from 1921, you will find them shaking and stirring up innovative concoctions like ‘I shot the sherry, but I didn’t shoot the Daiquiri’. And, oh, the sound system for their 25m2 service room cost more than my apartment.” (Waldemar Thranesgate 70, 0174, Oslo. www.tranen.no.) Jesper Host, No. 19, Møllergata 23, 0179 Oslo. www.no-19.no

Singapore

“In the past three years the cocktail scene in Singapore has been booming. A lot of great small bars have opened with very interesting concepts, amazing designs and some very good hosts in charge. But it’s not only in small bars: hotels and restaurants are changing their strategy too. While the locals love to explore new things, there’s a huge drinking culture built around a passion for whisky bottle service.

CREATE A STIR EACH MONTH October

Breast Cancer Awareness Month – something pink Rhuby Refresher 3 parts Rhuby Liqueur 2 parts vanilla vodka 1 part Kirschwasser Method: Pour ingredients over crushed ice. Top with soda. Stir gently. Garnish with fresh cherries.

5th November

Bonfire Night – something smoky Talisker Old Fashioned 60ml Talisker 10 Year Old macerated with baked apple 20ml bitters poured over sugar Orange peel. Method: Pour into a rocks glass over one large ice ball. Garnish with orange peel.

December

Christmas parties – something with fizz

Library is a small hidden cocktail which looks like a souvenir shop from the outside. To get in you need to know the weekly changing password – see the Keong Saik Snacks website for clues. It has an interesting selection of cocktails with probably one of the best presentation styles I’ve seen. (47 Keong Saik Road, 089151 Singapore. www.facebook.com/KeongSaikSnacks).

Porn Star Martini

28 Hong Kong Street is another hidden gem, with great cocktails and amazing bar snacks – I feel like I’m back in London when I’m here. (28 Hongkong Street, 059667 Singapore. www.28hks.com.)

10ml vanilla syrup

The last place I’d like to highlight opened a couple of months ago in the centre of Raffles Place, and is called The Black Swan. Located in the first Chinese bank to open in Singapore, it has an Art Deco interior and it’s done in a real Grand Café style, offering a big selection of whiskies and boutique spirits” Kamil Foltan, Black Swan, 19 Cecil Street, 049704 Singapore. www.theblackswan.com.sg

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25ml vanilla vodka 20ml Alizé Red Passion 15ml passion fruit pureé ¾ passion fruit flesh Halved passion fruit to garnish Method: Shake the vodka, Alizé Red Passion, passionfruit purée, syrup and flesh of the fruit with cubed ice in a Boston shaker. Strain into a Martini glass and garnish with the halved passion fruit. Serve with a 50ml shot of Prosecco on the side.

IN-sider’s Guide

If you fancy something tropical, visit Island Bar Birmingham and Tiki Room… downstairs you get fun-loving bartenders shaking up contemporary cocktails to a rock soundtrack (there’s even a section of the menu called ‘Drinks That Remind Us Of The Eighties). The décor is bright and fun with very little furniture; upstairs in the Tiki Bar, the cocktails were a little more to my taste. The menu ranges from a well-constructed Mai Tai to sharing vessels similar to the Treasure Chests made famous by Mahiki in London’s Mayfair. Offering good-quality drinks with entertaining service, this is an establishment to party in rather than for a quiet drinks with friends.

cocktails at the victoria

14-16 Suffolk Street, Birmingham B1 1LT. www.bar-island.co.uk If you can’t decide whether to have a pint of Bombardier or a Margarita visit The Victoria… set in an old boozer behind The Victoria theatre. The tagline for this venue is ‘from cask ales to cocktails’ which is definitely true. Walking into the old wood-lined pub you are first confronted by beer pumps – lots of them. Look up and you notice a surprising wealth of spirits for a venue of this ilk. The young staff are helpful and friendly, eagerly mixing up quality cocktails, and the food floating around smelled fantastic. The classics we ordered were excellent so we decided to stick with them, the Sazerac twist I requested was a fantastic blend of smoky flavours with chocolate and coffee notes. The Victoria Theatre Bar & Deep South Diner, 48 John Bright Street, Birmingham, B1 1BN. www.thevictoriabirmingham.co.uk If you want a glass of Champagne with a beautiful view visit Marco Pierre White… though this is a restaurant spearheaded by the eponymous chef, the island bar means you can sit almost anywhere and be greeted with stunning views of the city below. A sponsored Champagne bar serves two varieties of Champagne, whilst the bustling bar attached to the restaurant is a hubbub of conversation from people all glammed-up and looking to be noticed. We steered clear of the cocktails after watching the bartender take roughly ten minutes to put together an Espresso Martini but our waitress was very attentive and kept us topped up with ice-cold bubbly until our table was ready. Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill Birmingham, The Cube, 200 Wharfside Street, Birmingham B1 1PR. www.mpwsteakhousebirmingham.co.uk

island bar birmingham and tiki room

If you want a romantic getaway with incredible cocktails visit The Kenilworth… Yes, it’s where I work but the small, 11-bedroom hotel and cocktail lounge in sleepy Warwickshire has carved a place for itself in the Midlands as the place to go for cocktails. We pride ourselves on fantastic service from all of our team – including our hosts (other venues may call them waiters and waitresses) and of course, the excellent bar staff. Our cocktails are crafted with care and even if I do say so myself, taste pretty wonderful. One of the favourites on our menu is the Smokey Old Bastard, a blend of Ardbeg Scotch with sweet sherry and maple syrup, which seems to go down a treat. So do the Whoopsy Daisy (vodka, rhubarb liqueur, fresh lemon juice, raspberry cordial, pomegranate grenadine) and the Barrel-Aged Mulata (specially selected Caribbean rums blended and barrelaged in Madeira-finished French oak barrels). The Kenilworth, 61 Warwick Road, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 1HN. www.thekenilworth.co.uk

WATCH THIS SPACE… December sees the opening of The Edgbaston, a sixbedroom boutique hotel and cocktail lounge with more than 500 hand-selected spirits from all over the world. I’ll be managing the bar, which we’re hoping will become the number one cocktail destination in the UK. Come down and see for yourself. The Edgbaston, 18 Highfield Road, Edgbaston, B15 3DP. www.theedgbaston.co.uk

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ECC, 191 Chrystie Street, NY 10002. www.experimentalcocktailclubny.com

The Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog, 30 Water Street, NY 10004. www.deadrabbitnyc.com

Lighter and airier than we were expecting, the New York outpost of Experimental Cocktail Club is much more inclusive than you’d probably imagine if you’ve been to any of the other outposts around the world. Here there’s nice elegant seating, drapes, poufes, low tables and an allround French drawing room air. Ms S went straight for the Blackheart (Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Cynar, Luxardo Maraschino, orange oils, Bittermen Boston Bittah, East African French dark coffee and Laphroaig rinse) an almighty flavour profile, very intense, punchy and thoroughly enjoyable. Mr G was drawn to the strangely named ‘Take is going back to Japan’, an intriguing and altogether beguiling mix of Shiitake mushroom-infused Scotch, cocoa nibs-infused maple syrup, El Maestsro Pedro Ximénez sherry and black walnut bitters. Did it work? You bet.

Your common or garden Irish bar has always been a hit overseas. And cleverly Jack McGarry and Sean Muldoon have taken all the things that appeal to the crowds those bars attract and tarted up the offering to draw in the types who normally run in the other direction. It had been only opened three short weeks when we pitched up and already there were whispers of its greatness. Since then the team have gone on to win pretty much every accolade going, with a humbling letter from the Lord Mayor of Belfast in recognition of their achievements. What did we think? It certainly made us want to stay for the evening – heck, we even considered doing a jig. The Irish hospitality is infectious, so too are the drinks. The menu is a beautifully-bound tome, reminiscent of an old cocktail book, complete with plenty of descriptions to help you choose the perfect libation. Keep it simple by staying downstairs in the Tap Room, or go for the awardwinning stuff upstairs in the Parlor. Punches, Bishops and Daisies are the way to go.

PDT, 113 St. Mark’s Place, NY 10009. www.pdtnyc.com We’ve all seen the PDT model in some guise: step into one establishment – here a trendy hotdog joint – ring the telephone and if you’ve made a booking the door creaks open to let you into a whole new speakeasy-style world yadi-ya-di-ya. PDT is the daddy of the pack, the one from which the seed of inspiration has sired millions in its likeness and for that, it deserves utmost respect. We tried a Peanut Butter Cup (Bulleit bourbon, Pedro Ximénez sherry, celery juice, peanut butter syrup and a celery stick garnish) created by Jeff Bell and inspired by a childhood snack we’d never heard of, Ants on a Log (maybe its just a US thing?) Despite being open for a few years, it’s still a top cocktail spot – be sure to have it on your list. Pouring Ribbons, 2nd floor, 225 Avenue B, NY 10009. www.pouringribbons.com Ms S preferred some bars, Mr G had his particular favourites but we both agreed on the merits of this one. It didn’t start well. We had that ‘did you call to book’ malarkey, which we hadn’t, obviously. We were here for two days and were making up our plan as we went along. But we persisted and the M.I.B. on the door handled it very well. Like most of the bars in New York, this is of the dark wood brigade. The difference is there’s a modern feel. We couldn’t help but notice the precision of the bar – ask nicely and you’ll get a demo of the customised set-up, including in-built steps to access hard-to-reach drinks, washers, ice machines and all manner of clever gizmos and gadgets. And to drink? Oh, plenty of good stuff, helpfully divided into ‘Comforting’, ‘Refreshing’, ‘Adventurous’ and ‘Spirituous’. We tried the Death & Taxes (DP gin, lemon, Clear Creek Blue Plum Brandy, lavender-infused Cinzano Bianco and grapefruit bitters), a fantastic start to any evening: perky, soft, aromatic and mellow.

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1: The Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog. 2: The Standard highline hotel. 3: The taste of brooklyn on tap

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The NoMad Hotel, 1170 Broadwy & 28th Street, NY 10001.Vwww.thenomadhotel.com

THE ESSENTIALS Fly We flew with Virgin Atlantic who offer six flights a day from London Heathrow to New York. Return Economy fares from £520 per person; return Upper Class fares from £2,504 per person. his fare is available for selected departures during 2013. Prices given are subject to change. For further information contact www.virginatlantic.com or call 0844 2092 770.

Sleep The bar menu at NoMad makes its appearance each day at 12pm. We know, we were waiting for it. We’d already taken in the features having arrived early – gorgeous mahogany bar, carefully lit to showcase the haul of topquality spirits; handsome, dark, sexy, low, low lighting – all very night time hotel glamour, consciously designed to suggest the rich, clubby elegance of a gentleman’s club, while being streamlined and chic enough to appeal to style-conscious women. It’s one for the 30-plus, which is no bad thing in our books. It’s great getting down with the kids most of the time but every now and again its nice to face facts: we’re grown up. As for that menu, it takes in a selection of ‘Classics’, ‘Soft’ Cocktails of the non-alcoholic kind, ‘Aperitifs’, ‘LightSpirited’ and ‘Dark-Spirited’ drinks, all very inventive and inviting. It was early so we zoned in on the LightSpirited section. The Petticoat (Sichuan peppercorninfused Plymouth Gin, apricot liqueur, Velvet Falernum and lemon juice), was smooth, well-balanced with soft hints of lemon, a Caribbean-spiced kiss of Falernum and the teensiest note of peppercorns. The Shanty, 79 Richardson Street, NY 11222. (718) 878 3579. www.nydistilling.com/the-shanty If posh, trendy, old-school or Irish-style bars don’t do it for you, there’s The Shanty, which has traits all of the above thrown in. It’s in Williamsburg which makes it hip without trying, it has a distillery on site for a bit of cachet but it’s independent and a little rough and ready around the edges which gives it something of a modern day working man’s club/Irish bar quality. Naturally, we tried the gins they distill on the premises: Perry’s Tot and Dorothy Parker, first neat then in cocktails. In the 700 Songs (Perry’s Tot Navy Strength gin, lime, cinnamon and Bittermens Hellfire Shrub), the Perrys Tot asserted its authority as the star of the glass, just as the Dorothy Parker gin excelled in hers (DP gin, Bittermen’s Amer Sauvage, Carpano Antica, grapefruit).

The Standard, High Line, 848 Washington Street, NY 10014. www.standardhotels.com Located slap-bang in the heart of downtown Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, The Standard Highline got our visit off to the best possible start. Cool location, great views of the Hudson River, cracking rooms, psychedelic lifts, friendly staff – the list goes on and on. And if you get snowed in come wintertime, the bar isn’t too shabby either. The overall vibe is trendy but not overly so and offers a choice: The Standard Grill, serving American classics, The Standard Biergarten, a funkier, buzzier option, and rooftop bar and creperie, so you’re pretty much sorted as far as it goes with eats. Oh, and should you wish to work off the calories, there’s a well-equipped gym, free use of bicycles and an ice skating rink outside during the winter.

Eat Momofuku ssäm bar, 207 Second Avenue at 13th Street, NY 10003. www.momofuku.com Of all the wondrous places to eat in New York, some healthy, others notsomuch, this one stands out. It’s not too fussy, not too trendy, not too blah – simple but bang on. The steamed pork buns with pork belly, hoisin sauce, cucumber and scallions (spring onions) are todie-for but wait until you try the bo ssäm (whole pork butt, a dozen oysters, kimchi, rice and lettuce (must be ordered in advance, for 6-10 to share. It’s not the kind of food you take pictures of but it sure tastes good.

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SNAPSHOT:

Pictures from the hottest events, competitions and openings in the last three months

2. 2.

1. Professor Green and Millie McIntosh at the opening of INK, sponsored by Ciroc Vodka. INK London, September 2013.

4. Gem Refoufi at Warner Music summer party sponsored by Belvedere Vodka. Shoreditch House, London, July 2013.

2. Amelle Berrabah at the Cointreau Privé pop-up. St. Martin’s Lane hotel, London. September 2013.

5. Dita von Teese at Feel London launch, sponsored by Hoxton Gin. Karstadt, Dusselfdorf. September 2013.

3. Sascha Lilic and Ellen von Unwerth at the Elizabeth Walker/Moschino book launch party, sponsored by Jose Cuervo and Gilpin’s Gin. Moschino store, London, September 2013.

6. David Beckham at Global Fund Reception, sponsored by Belvedere Vodka. Apsley House, London. September 2013.

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6. 7. Punch Pong trials, Liverpool. September 2013. 8. Emeli Sandé at the opening of INK, sponsored by Circo Vodka. London, 2013. 9. Drambuie celebrations at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edinburgh. August 2012.

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