The Cocktail Lovers Magazine Issue 11 Spring 2014

ISSN 2052 0603

Small is Beautiful The diminutive drinks companies with big ideas

States of Independents Close up on seven of the best US craft spirits producers

Music for cocktails lovers Creating the perfect party play-list

views and + news, interviews from

the cocktail front

On the cover

Bright sparks – The Umbrella Project style it up at the Discount Suit Company

IN-tro

CRAFT THIS

CRAFT

T H AT

Those five letters put together are the sexiest thing in drinks right now. From the lone guy making gin at his kitchen table to the independent companies who have grown in size and stature, on the face of it, it would seem there’s never been a better time to be in boutique spirits.

In this issue we speak to six independent producers in the UK about the pros and cons of taking on the big guys (p. 12); Yolanda Evans highlights seven of the best craft spirit companies Stateside (p. 24); Michael Vachon spreads the gospel according to boutique brands (p. 32), and Ben Norum takes a look at the craft revolution and tries to work out what it really means (p. 30).

Craft and cocktail lifestyle gets a look-in too. If you’re planning a soirée at home you’ll need to curate the perfect soundtrack.

Lounge-loving DJ Johnny Vercoutre gives us his top ten tracks and suggests libations to go with them (p. 27). And what about the bits and bobs that you serve your cocktails in? Lizzy Barber seeks out a handful of the growing band of craftspeople making their mark in drinks (p. 22).

On the fashion front, our cover stars Andy, Ally and Stephen from The Umbrella Project go against the name of their bar, the Discount Suit Company, and show off the craft of this season’s latest styles (p. 44).

There’s more too – interviews, travel, restaurant reviews and tips on a mind, body and spirit spring clean – that should keep you busy until the next issue of The Cocktail Lovers magazine in July.

Happy imbibing!

Ms S & Mr G

www.thecocktaillovers.com

The Cocktail Lovers - 3

IN-gredients

6. IN-the know

36. IN-focus

25 reasons to be a cocktail lover this season Fixing up, looking sharp and funking for Jamaica – just a couple of things we’re looking forward to in the next few months

The spirit of Giffard How one French pharmacist became the toast of the drinks world

10. IN-terview In the hotseat – Monica Berg The queen of Oslo’s bar scene is now shaking things up in London. We meet her at her new post, Pollen Street Social

12. IN-spire

39. IN-focus The craft of: The cooper Behind-the-scenes with Ger Buckley, Master Cooper at Jameson

40. IN-focus Flash vs. dash Pre-batched cocktails or tailor-made libations, which gets your vote?

Small is beautiful Independent distillers making waves in British drinks

42. IN-dulge

18. IN-spire

44. IN-style

A few of my favourite things Inside the mind of Colin Field, awardwinning bartender at the Hemingway Bar at The Ritz, Paris

Get the drinks in at…

Discount Suit Company. And there’s no cheap schmutter in sight

22. IN-spire Maker’s marques Lizzie Barber tracks down cleverly crafted barware worth getting excited about

24. IN-the spotlight States of independents From Philadelphia to Portland, New Orleans to New York, Yolanda Evans looks at the rise of craft distilleries Stateside

27. IN-the spotlight Music for cocktail lovers Johnny Vercoutre chooses his ten top tracks for stylish soirées

30. IN-the spotlight The art of craft What is our obsession with craft spirits and what does the term actually mean?

Ben Norum tries to find out

32. IN-the spotlight The man with the suitcase One man’s mission to bring the best independent drinks brands to an audience thirsty for quality

34. IN-focus Take a break Spring cleaning for mind, body and soul (no booze allowed)

Tray bon!

Cool chargers for classy cocktails

50. IN-dustry greats Want to know about whisky?

Whisky expert Dave Broom talks about his latest book

52. IN-dependent spirits The distiller’s cut Jamie Baxter is the go-to guy for anyone looking to distill their own spirits – whether at home or in the bar

54. IN-formed Mains & martinis Five London restaurants where the cocktails are as good as the food

56. IN-formed Word up…

News, views and reviews from the cocktail front

60. IN-sider’s guide Up all night in Liverpool Forget namby-pamby closing hours, Joe Wild tells us how to party, Scouse-style

62. IN-ternational Cold comforts Vodka, beer and cocktails in Reykajavik

65. IN-vite only Snap-shot!

Couldn’t make it to our 10th issue bash?

The pictures are here…

Editors Sandrae Lawrence, Gary Sharpen Sub-editor Sally Briggs Creative Director James Cheverton at Burnt Studio burntstudio.com Illustrations Melanie Milne mellmadedesign.com; Becky Roberts doodleyboo.com Nick Schon nickschonillustrator.com; pezandpencil.co.uk Photography Johnnie Pakington johnniepakington.com; Ed Dabney; Gen Latour.

Contributors Lizzy Barber, Yolanda Evans, Shane Mulvany, Ben Norum, Michael Vachon, Johnnie Vercoutre, Joe Wild, Stephen Williams.

For all editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact: mail@thecocktaillovers.com 020 7242 2546 www.thecocktaillovers.com Printed by Polestar UK Print Ltd. Reproduction in whole or part of any contents of The Cocktail Lovers magazine without prior permission from the editors is strictly prohibited.

Cover shot: Stephen wears bright pink linen shirt, £165, Budd Shirtmakers; ‘Wright’ bow-tie, £42, Monsieur London.

Andy wears ‘Commo’ floral shirt, £125, New & Lingwood. Ally wears canary yellow linen shirt, £165, Budd Shirtmakers; ‘Como’ bow tie, £42, Monsieur London. Umbrellas £75 each, Beaumont & James at The Clerkenwell Collection.

For all stockist details see p. 49.

Cover photography: Johnnie Pakington Issue No. 11 May - July 2014 The Cocktail Lovers magazine is published by The Cocktail Lovers in London, UK PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

The Cocktail Lovers - 5

25

REASONS TO BE A COCKTAIL LOVER THIS SEASON Embracing the holiday spirit, wising up to wine and getting a chocolate fix – just three of the things we’re looking forward to in the next three months

01

21 is the magic number at Quaglino’s. To celebrate its 21st birthday Quaglino’s new Bellini Bar will be offering 21 variations of the prosecco-based cocktail – ideal for sipping as you check out ‘21’, Dean Chalkley’s exhibition featuring, you guessed it, 21 photographs of stars including Amy Winehouse and Daft Punk.

Until 5 July. quaglinos.co.uk

6 - The Cocktail Lovers

Amy winehouse ©deanchalkley/nme/ipc media. this image was originally shot for the nme magazine by dean chalkley

MIXING FIZZ WITH PHOTOGRAPHY

03.

IN-the know

Making 30 minutes count

No, not HIIT workouts, we’ll be using those vital 1,800 seconds to make Limoncello – organic of course – ready to drink in a few weeks’ time. #rollonsummer abelandcole.co.uk

TWO...

FOLLOWING THE FORMULA ONE ACTION

Two iconic brands, one great partnership – cheer on team Williams Martini Racing with a Martini Royale. Fill a glass with ice, add Martini Bianco and a squeeze of lime. Top with Martini Prosecco and a wedge of lime.

Job done. williamsf1.com

N6 o

UPPING THE QUALITY OF OUR CONDIMENTS

No prizes for guessing what makes the Bourbon Barrel Foods range taste so goddamned good. Straight from Kentucky and onto your plate the smoked pepper, sugars and sauces add smoked bourbon-y goodness to any dish. harveynichols.com

04

Creating a cocktail ambience Pop one of these bad boys into a coloured glass bottle and bam! You’ve got yourself some serious mood lighting. huntergatherer.info

7.

Getting a chocolate fix

Excuse us, did someone say gin, whisky, rum, pear cider and cognac?

In truffles? Sorry, but diets don’t stand a chance… Liquor Selection H-Box from Hotel Chocolat. hotelchocolat.com

08

PLAYING

COCKTAIL-OPOLY

5

Fixing up, looking sharp Bow-ties and braces, silk squares and shirt stays, clip-on buttons and collar stiffeners – great looks for snappy dressers in front of or behind the bar. Get yours at sharpanddapper.com

GOING FOR GOLD

Add the Midas touch to your cocktails with gold lemon sugar, sprinkles and an edible sheet – all nestled in a matchbox. Keep one on standby when you want to pimp up your drinks. inamatchbox.com

09

Think Monopoly with Spirit. Collect ice cubes, buy cocktails instead of property and avoid landing on the hangover spot.

Come on, what’s not to like? homewetbar.com The Cocktail Lovers - 7

IN-the know

12

BEING DRINKIFIED

10.

Ringing the changes We’re smitten with the new ‘Cornucopia’ cocktail rings from Lilly Hastedt. Each one comes with two interchangeable gemstones, so fickle fashion folk can change the look to match their outfits. Nice! lillyhastedt.com

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

17

Styling it out in a hat ‘Tis The Season of polo, tennis, racing and general merriment – it’s time for a titfer. Ladies, get your new hat off-the-peg or made-to-order from Deborah Dalton. deborahdaltonmillinery.co.uk

Pop fruit, syrups, alcohol and ice in the glass carafe of the Tea-Jay, add your chosen tea to the top chamber, pour in hot water and the next thing you know, you’ve got a delicious punch. Simple. blomus.com/tea-jay

14.

EMBRACING THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT

Summer’s coming – get your tan on in Sara Ulger’s exclusive designs for Malibu including dresses, swimwear and cocktail glasses, plus a hot new makeover for the bottle itself. facebook.com/malibuUK

13

Imagine a library for your spirits, one that’s synced to your iPad so when stock is running low you get an alert, refills arrive by post and you receive intuitive cocktail making tips. Welcome to Project Gutenberg, the new initiative coming from Pernod Ricard. Sexy, streamlined and smart. pernod-ricard.com

8 - The Cocktail Lovers

What’s that you say? Only the coolest personalised portraits service in the whole wide world. Send Dave Stolte your reference photo and the name of your favourite cocktail and woosh!

He’ll capture your spirit in no time. homebarbasics.com

Portrait of ivy mix, speedrack.com

ELEVEN

Brewing up tea cocktails

16

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BLITZING OUR CITRUS

Who wants a dull old squeezer when you can have a double-sided, brightly-coloured Citrange? Not only does it extract every ounce of juice, there’s an in-built funnel so you can squeeze the citrus directly into your glass. scandinavianshop.co.uk

EIGHTEEN

…and gentlemen,

seek out everything from formal to fun hats at bates-hats.com

MAKING LIGHT WORK OF INFUSIONS

Chilli, jelly beans, salted caramel – whatever takes your fancy the Zinger will infuse it into your chosen spirit in a jiffy. Who knows, you could be on to the next big thing… zing-anything.co.uk

IN-the know

20 PLANNING A TRIP TO ‘BEEFA’

19.

Spiking our juices

Not just for scorchio temperatures and picture postcard sunsets, we’ll be booking in for dinner, dancing and cocktails at Experimental Beach Ibiza, from the team behind Experimental Cocktail Club. eccbeach.com

no.

At Stories in East London the Spiked Juices include Bananaruma, Show Me Your Melons and Don’t Be Strawberry Fooled, all with masses of fruit and a generous glut of Santa Teresa rum. That’s your inner saint and sinner sorted. storiesonbroadway.com

Bigging up the British Aperitif

N 22 o

Kamm & Sons gets our vote. Try the

WISING UP TO WINE

newly packaged, botanically charged spirit on ice, or with bitter lemon – its beauty is in its simplicity. kammandsons.com

Don’t know your Barbera from your Burgundy?

That’s where London Wine Week comes in. New to the drinks calendar the seven day vin-fest is dedicated to demystifying those fusty, dusty wine lists. Sign up for your £10 wristband now. londonwineweek.com

TWENTY THREE...

FUNKING FOR JAMAICA

Dub Jam (p. 54), Boom Burger (boomburger.co.uk), Jamaica Patty Company (jamaicapatty. co.uk), The Rum Kitchen (therumkitchen.com) – everyone’s getting into the Jamdown groove.

Rum essential, obvs…

21

25

24

Learning more about gin

Love gin? Who doesn’t, right? Leon Dalloway’s Gin Journey is just the ticket for fans of the juniper spirit, taking in a chauffeur-driven tour of bars, cocktail tastings and all the anecdotes you need to make gin your specialist subject on Mastermind. Check for dates at shakerattleandstir.co.uk

STREAMLINING OUR KIT Q: What do you get if you ask bartenders to list their most essential tools?

A: The Bonzer Bar Kit, 10

products in one box – no home bar should be without it. bonzer.co.uk

The Cocktail Lovers - 9

IN THE HOTSEAT

MONICA BERG

IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT COCKTAILS IN OSLO, YOU’LL HAVE HEARD OF MONICA BERG. HAVING WORKED AS EVERYTHING FROM BAR BACK AND HEAD BARTENDER TO BAR MANAGER AND TEACHER IN NORWAY’S CAPITAL FOR THE PAST 12 YEARS SHE ALSO REPRESENTED NORWAY IN THE DIAGEO RESERVE WORLD CLASS GLOBAL BARTENDER OF THE YEAR FINALS 2013. SHE MADE THE MOVE TO LONDON LAST YEAR AND TOOK UP THE BAR MANAGER’S POSITION AT MICHELIN-STARRED RESTAURANT POLLEN STREET SOCIAL. WE TALK TO HER ABOUT MAKING THE SWITCH. How did you get into bartending?

What do you miss most about Oslo?

It was pretty random. I’d worked in bars and pubs to make extra money then a friend and I were travelling in Greece and came across a bar school which offered accommodation as well as training. We did the course and ended up staying in Greece for six to seven months working in bars. I loved it and carried on when I went back to Oslo. Eventually I set up a branch of the school in Oslo. It’s still going although I’m no longer running it.

I miss the bar community. My father used to say that you can do something for yourself or for the greater good, so I liked the feeling of being part of a process that was being built; I liked thinking that maybe in 20 years time people would look back and say this was when the bar scene in Oslo really took off and I was one of the people behind it.

You were very much central to the bar scene in Oslo, was it hard to leave?

It was. I was part of a crowd that did a lot to push the scene in Oslo forward and I felt like I’d let them down by jumping off mid-way.

What do you enjoy most about being in London?

The reason I came here was 100% personal and if it wasn’t for my relationship with Alex [Kratena from Artesian Bar at The Langham] I probably wouldn’t be here. But now that I am, I’m loving every minute and I’m really enjoying the challenge.

IN-terview

You took up the Bar Manager’s spot at Pollen Street Social four months ago, what attracted you to the post?

The kitchen. I’ve worked in restaurant bars before but not at a Michelin-starred level – this place really excites me.

I’m quite annoying! I’m using a lot more cheffy ingredients and techniques in my cocktails – ingredients like dulce de leche, verjus and sumac, techniques like sous vide and fatwashing – things I would never have done before.

Tell us about your new menu at Pollen Street Social and the thought processes behind it.

You’re renowned for your culinary approach to cocktails, when did your interest start?

For the first month I didn’t implement anything, I wanted to feel how the place breathed. Slowly I began to introduce a few drinks, tweaked some of the ideas I had before starting, and now my new menu is ready and I’m really happy. I’ve kept it pretty simple, there are only 10 cocktails in total as I think it’s important to keep things as pared back as possible; I also like to keep all the recipes on one page. Funnily enough, I’ve never really liked the idea of making cocktails with Asian flavours but now that I’m working with the kitchen, I appreciate how well they balance with food.

It’s always been there. Growing up in Scandinavia everybody forages for ingredients – I remember every Sunday being woken up by my mother at 7.30am if she was in a good mood and we’d go out to pick blueberries, or gathering nets for fishing. One of my chores when I was 12 was keeping the yeast alive for making sweet wine – that was pretty normal, it’s about self-preservation.

What was it like presenting your first menu to Chef Jason Atherton?

Pretty nerve wracking! But that’s only because the first time you present a menu to any new boss is like handing over part of yourself – you don’t know what their flavours are and they don’t really know you. I gave him two drinks to try, the Matcha Peachu (pictured left) with Tapatio bianco tequila, peach liqueur, yellow chartreuse and matcha tea; as well as Empire of the Sun made from kaffir lime leaf and lime infused Tanqueray gin, jasmine rice and coconut water horchata, lime and a touch of chilli – luckily he liked them both. It was like, ‘phew!’

Aquavit was a huge part of your repertoire in Oslo, are you still working with it now?

Monica’s Matcha Peachu cocktail

What are you proudest of on your menu and why?

Ooh, that’s a tricky one but if pushed I’d probably say the Plum Japonaise. It’s inspired by Tom Ford’s fragrance, Plum Japonais and features Ketel One Vodka, Akashi-Tai Siraume Umeshu, lemon juice, cedar wood sugar and a float of Peychaud Bitters. It starts off very intense then, as it’s served over crushed ice, it mellows like a perfume does at the end of the day. The float of Peychaud Bitters gives it a nice crisp finish.

How has it been working in a Michelin-starred restaurant bar?

Photography: ed dabney

I love it! I’m learning so much – here it’s all about details of service and seeing things in the bigger picture. Generally in a bar it’s about you, the drinks, and the bar whereas here it’s about the food, the wine and the cocktails so you really have to fight your corner. I like that. I also like the fact the bar is the first and the last thing guests see when they come to the restaurant, so they will linger for an aperitif on the way in and a digestif before they leave.

Do you work very closely with the kitchen?

The kitchen was one of my main reasons for coming here and I go in there as often as possible – I’m sure chef thinks

I have one cocktail on the menu, Lies and Alibies which has Aquavit as one of the ingredients. The cocktail is a blend of Britain and Scandinavia: Aquavit, Pimm’s, curry and British lager – it works really well. I’m also talking to the company in Oslo about making an Aquavit exclusively for Pollen Street Social – watch this space.

What are you proudest of in your career?

I love it when someone says one of my cocktails was amazing or if they begin by saying they don’t like a particular spirit and after tasting one of my cocktails which has it in, I’ve won them round. Other than that, probably my seminar on Nordic Flavours at the Prague Bar Show. That was the first presentation I’d done as myself – not representing a brand – and doing something I’m really passionate about. It was my chance to show that Norway isn’t just about fish and snow!

What are you working on now?

I’m finishing off the new menu for Little Social, our bistrostyle restaurant across the road at number five.

Who makes the cocktails at home – you or Alex?

We both do!

Pollen Street Social, 8-10 Pollen Street, W1S 1NG. pollenstreetsocial.com

The Cocktail Lovers - 11

IN-spire

12 - The Cocktail Lovers

IN-spire

VESTAL VODKA The Vestal Vodka Company is a unique series of artisan vodkas produced by father and son team John and Willy Borrell. Launched in 2011 the boutique family-owned distillery produces three vodkas – Vestal Blended Potato, Kaszebe and Podlasie, and a Kaszebe vintage as well as Amber, an Elderberry liqueur. John lives in Poland while Will is based in London working on tastings, events and his boat, the Vestal Voyages.

What was your brief to yourself when starting out?

To build this company organically. Most brands in the UK come to market with huge budgets a stark contrast to Europe where wholesalers ask to sample the product first before they make any judgment.

What makes your product different from the competition?

The simple answer is the love of a good Martini, but also there seemed to be a gap in the market for boutique, artisan brands offering spirits made with true provenance.

Vestal is the only unfiltered potato vodka that is singlehandedly fighting the good fight to show people that vodka is something to be savoured. We have embraced some of the techniques of whisky and cognac production and marketing, cellaring and ageing to add value to small, high-class batches of artisanal vodka. Ours are vodkas with a vintage and a very specific provenance. Ours are vodkas which improve with age and which fetch higher and higher prices as the vintage sells out. Ours are vodkas which, like an outstanding Bordeaux or single cask whisky, can never be faithfully replicated.

Did you have any previous experience in the industry?

What’s been your proudest moment to date?

I didn’t know anything or anyone in the Industry, which has proved problematic at times and helpful at others; problematic as there are certainly cliques of friends who are wary of new people coming in, positive as I have approached everything with fresh eyes and positivity.

Innovation comes from outside most industries.

When our second vintage, the 2010 Vestal Kaszebe received a 5+ out of 5 from diffordsguide. This is equal to ordering a Vestal Martini at a bar knowing that I have single-handedly created the brand with no outside investment to date.

What inspired you to set up your own boutique drinks company?

Has the process of starting your own drinks brand been easier or harder than you originally anticipated?

Illustrated by pez and pencil

ever tasted. A bold claim I stand by and something I suggest people try with the 2010 Kaszebe vintage.

When I first started the sales director of a national wholesaler said, “you’d better have deep pockets or just admit you’re insane to start a vodka brand.” This is something I’ve come across time after time, and it has been a struggle convincing the industry how different our vintages are year on year and from field to field.

Did you have a customer demographic in mind when creating your products?

My original demographic was simple – anyone who wanted to experience the best Vodka Martini they had

What’s the best piece of advice you received during the process of setting up your business?

I was reminded this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Google served Vestal Vodka to all their guests all week, by Richard Branson as we shared a Vestal Martini that, “the best measure of success is how you deal with failure”.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about setting up their own boutique drinks company?

Don’t be afraid to do things differently and challenge people’s thinking, politely of course, and over a vintage Vestal Vodka. vestalvodka.com

The Cocktail Lovers - 13

IN-spire

HUGHES CRAFT DISTILLERY Hughes Craft Distillery was started in May 2010 by husband and wife team Stuart and Barbara Hughes. From their base in Lisburn in Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland they produce four varieties of RubyBlue liqueur – Blackcurrant, Wild Blueberry, Cranberry & Chilli Pepper, with a new range to be launched later in the year.

What inspired you to set up your own boutique drinks company?

We were looking for a new, exciting opportunity to build our own family business. We were working long hours for other companies and wanted flexibility at home for the children. We came across an old method of preserving Irish berries and thought we could develop it further.

Did you have any previous experience in the industry?

None at all.

What prompted you to delve into it?

It was a bit scary at first when we knew we would be up against all the big brands with their big marketing budgets, but we noticed how the drinks industry was following the food industry with better appreciation for craft produce made with real ingredients and this gave us confidence.

What qualities did your previous experience bring to your new role?

Both my husband and I spent many years in the food industry in business development roles and our skill sets supports our business well. It’s been a learning curve getting to know the movers and shakers of the drinks industry though.

Has the process of starting your own drinks brand been easier or harder than you originally anticipated?

We always knew it would be a challenge but things take so much longer to materialise than we had anticipated. A shoestring marketing budget doesn’t stretch too far in the drinks industry so I guess it is a little harder than we had thought originally.

real whole fruit or chilli and this is how we ensure every bottle is special. We hand select the fruit and fill into the bottle by hand. Our base spirit is five times distilled and charcoal filtered for purity and only a little sugar is needed to enhance the quality ingredients. On average we use 40% less sugar than other fruit liqueurs and we carefully age inside the bottle for three months before releasing for sale. Because we pay so much attention to all the elements inside the bottle there is no need for flavourings or preservatives, this is why it tastes so clean and natural.

What’s been your proudest moment to date?

Winning several high profile awards for flavour, especially two gold and one Master award in International Liqueur Masters 2013.

What’s the best piece of advice you received during the process of setting up your business?

It’s funny how the worst advice pops into your head first… But the best was ‘Embrace the fact that we are a small producer and don’t shy away from the craft element of what we do’.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about setting up their own boutique drinks company?

Do your market research and if you’re sure and ready – go for it! hughescraftdistillery.com

BU T L

E

IN SG ’ R

Did you have a customer demographic in mind when creating your products?

Initially we would sum it up by calling our consumer the Sex In The City girls because even though RubyBlue Liqueur is perfect served on ice it is most often enjoyed in cocktails like a Cosmopolitan, or as a Champagne topper to make Bellinis and Kir Royales. But then we realised that many of our consumers didn’t fit this mould at all. Country Living folk, bartenders, chefs – they just appreciate good flavour and craft produce and would enjoy RubyBlue in desserts, on ice cream and even cook with it.

What was your brief to yourself when starting out?

Stay true to our product using only natural ingredients and hand-crafted methods that simply taste better than mass produced drinks, and have fun along the way.

What makes your product different from the competition?

RubyBlue is the only craft spirit that is bottle-aged from

14 - The Cocktail Lovers

Ross William Butler is ‘The Butler’. He developed his Lemongrass and Cardamom Gin in Hackney Wick in 2011.

What inspired you to set up your own boutique drinks company?

My career started as a designer focusing on product development. I worked with some fantastic brands bringing ideas to global products. At the peak of my career I started to notice that all my designs were stamped by some fancy brand. It was around then I tried gin for the first time in a small bar in Shoreditch; I was alone and it was a cold January week-night, I had some time to start researching on my phone about how gin was made and

IN-spire

the following morning I began ordering parts to start building my own distillery. It was Ernest Hemingway who said “always do sober what you said you’d do drunk.”

I held him to that.

Did you have any previous experience in the industry?

I became fixated on how I could navigate my career from designer to distiller. Everything has worked in favour for me and the people I share my gin with. I now run my business like a creative agency, coming up with new concepts, designing new events and integrating with other brands to bring out the full potential of my creativity.

Has the process of starting your own drinks brand been easier or harder than you originally anticipated?

I never realised the amount of licenses I would need. It took me two and a half years to get everything consistent, legal and licensed before I sold my first bottle. It rained that day, but the sun was shining in my heart.

Did you have a customer demographic in mind when creating your product?

My demographic has always been the food and drink enthusiast – the foodie pop-up lover who knows their lemongrass from their cardamom and knows how to have a good time with people they love most. Over a gin.

What was your brief to yourself when starting out?

‘Create an establishment that you gain from, with your background as a designer via international streams of social experience.’ This was not even focused on Butler’s Gin directly. I feel I’m meeting this brief.

THE RIDGE CAMB DISTILLERY

The Cambridge Distillery was founded by Will Lowe with his wife and business partner, Lucy, in 2011. The duo have made almost 500 different gin recipes, most of which are tailored blends.

They also include a seasonal Cambridge Gin and the most recent addition, Japanese Gin – a gin with Japanese botanicals.

What inspired you to set up your own boutique drinks company?

We were already making gin for friends and family when we noticed that people couldn’t agree on which was our ‘best’ blend. That was when we realised there was a rationale for making different gins to suit different people.

Did you have any previous experience in the industry?

Yes [Will]. I’ve been in the wine and spirits business my whole working life. I’ve been a world ranked bartender, made drinks for the Queen, judged wines and spirits for the

What makes your product different from the competition?

My presence. I’m a small drinks brand because I choose to be. Every event where Butler’s Gin is on offer, I try my best to be there. I do not believe in reps, advertising or big numbers in the bank account. I pride myself on knowing my customers, my market and all the bars Butler’s Gin is stocked in.

What’s been your proudest moment to date?

Being accepted. I have always had a hard time fitting in with business owners in any industry I have worked in because I am only 23. I’m proud to host local business owner evenings at my distillery each week and discuss how we navigate ourselves to grow our visions.

What’s the best piece of advice you received during the process of setting up your business?

‘You are not your past and you are not the things you have done. You are a possibility of what can be’. These words let me pace myself when I make mistakes, when I bite off more than I can chew or when I meet other people who bring me nothing but happiness.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about setting up their own boutique drinks company?

If you are tired in your job, your life, your relationship – it’s okay to give up. If you have a niche item that you want to show the world, do it. Act on your happiness and share what you love with the people you appreciate. My success has come from acting on this. butlersgin.co.uk

International Wine & Spirits Competition and International Spirits Challenge, won the Wine Spirit Education Trust Diploma scholarship, been short-listed as Wine & Spirits blogger of the year, and taught wine and spirit qualifications to over 6,000 people across the world.

Has the process of starting your own drinks brand been easier or harder than you originally anticipated?

No, we didn’t choose to do this based on how easy or hard it would be, rather how rewarding we thought it could be. We’re not turning the wheels for anyone else now, but developing ourselves and our own brand.

There are certainly some days more difficult than others, but overall we’re finding the experience tremendously fulfilling.

Did you have a customer demographic in mind when creating your products?

Our customers are people who put substance before style.

When we make tailored gins they are usually for people who don’t particularly care for branding, but are extremely interested in flavour.

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IN-spire

What was your brief to yourself when starting out?

Simply to make excellent gin. Nothing less than that would do.

What makes your product different from the competition?

We are the World’s first Gin Tailor.

What’s been your proudest moment to date?

We made a gin for Nordic Food Labs which went on to be served in Noma. We had the pleasure of tasting it there over the most spectacular lunch of our lives. It was unforgettable.

Hilary Whitney and Ian Hart are Sacred Gin. Their distillery is located in their home in Highgate, North London and altogether they have 14 products including nine gins, two vermouths, two vodkas and Sacred Rosehip Cup. What inspired you to set up your own boutique drinks company?

In 2006, Ian was out of a job. He had a large collection of Bordeaux wine and struck upon the idea of reducing the water content in ripe but dilute vintages to intensify them to a level comparable with better vintages.

While this was a very successful process, this was certainly not going to be a realistic way of making a living and having always been fond of London Dry Gin, he thought about using the vacuum distillation process to produce London Dry Gin recipes, not aware at the time that gin was about to enjoy such a renaissance. We thought that our competitive set was Bombay Sapphire and Plymouth as none of the other new gins had shown up in the market then.

Did you have any previous experience in the industry?

No. Sacred wouldn’t exist at all without Ian’s interest and knowledge of distilling, and his previous experience of running businesses is invaluable – but probably the main thing he learnt was that he didn’t want to work for anyone else any more! I had always worked in the arts and I now look after our PR. As an ex-journalist I enjoy pitching stories about Sacred – it’s quite interesting being on the other side of the fence.

Has the process of starting your own drinks brand been easier or harder than you originally anticipated?

Much harder. As we had no background in the drinks industry we had to start from scratch and learn through trial and error – which is a very expensive way of doing things.

Did you have a customer demographic in mind when creating your products?

Not really – just people with impeccable taste!

16 - The Cocktail Lovers

What’s the best piece of advice you received during the process of setting up your business?

‘Don’t do it. It’s impossible’. Nothing has ever inspired me to succeed more.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about setting up their own boutique drinks company?

Don’t do it. It’s impossible. cambridgedistillery.co.uk

What was your brief to yourself when starting out?

Photography by ben quinton

Never compromise on quality.

What makes your product different from the competition?

Well, quite apart from the fact that we distil Sacred Gin in our own house, each of the organically sourced botanicals, including fresh whole citrus, are macerated separately in the finest quality English grain spirit for a minimum of four to six weeks. Most gin distilleries simply steep their botanicals overnight.

The resulting liquors are then distilled in glassware under vacuum. This means that air is sucked out of the glassware with a vacuum pump to reduce pressure, so that distillation occurs at a much lower temperature than traditional pot stills. This produces fresher, lusher distillates which are then blended to create Sacred Gin, a London Dry Gin like no other!

What’s been your proudest moment to date?

When we became the best-selling gin at specialist drinks store Gerry’s Wines & Spirits.

What’s the best piece of advice you received during the process of setting up your business?

Well, we read the Grateful Dead Book of Marketing, which is full of really useful advice, but the main gist is to plough your own furrow. We were also told by Alessandro Palazzi, head bartender at legendary Dukes Hotel Bar in St. James’s not to worry about what other people were up to, but to keep our heads down and carry on doing what we do.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about setting up their own boutique drinks company?

Don’t underestimate the resources you will need – not just financially, but in terms of your time (and patience!) to get traction. sacredspiritscompany.com

IN-spire

ENGLISH O C Y K S I H W

St. George’s Distillery was founded in 2006 by Andrew Nelstrop and his father James, and was the first malt whisky distillery in England in over 100 years. Since then, they have produced numerous award-winning whiskies.

What inspired you to set up your own boutique drinks company?

What’s the best piece of advice you received during the process of setting up your business?

My father, James, had always had a dream of building his own whisky distillery.

I am not sure we received it but we decided to make the business have no borrowings and no investors, thereby ensuring nobody was in a hurry to get the money back or pay a dividend. This means we can run the stills as slowly as we like, ferment for as long as we like – nothing has to be rushed.

What convinced you to turn the initial idea into reality?

Having discussed it for many years, we decided to take the plunge in 2005. James had turned 60 and it was meant to be his retirement project. As it turned out it ended up far bigger than we could have imagined!

Has the process of starting your own drinks brand been easier or harder than you originally anticipated?

The process of starting a drinks company was relatively easy, the process of starting a brand was never part of the plan, it just happened; not necessarily well and certainly with no forethought – this is the joy of being the first to do something I guess.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about setting up their own boutique drinks company?

Does it really interest you or do you think it is a get rich quick scheme? Don’t bother unless you have passion for the business. englishwhisky.co.uk

Did you have a customer demographic in mind when creating your products?

We set off to make a beautiful, classic single malt and we achieved this with Chapter 6. So if you enjoy whisky or would like to try some – then you are our target market.

What was your brief to yourself when starting out?

The initial taste we wanted was a very mellow, easy to drink, classic single malt, nothing too hot or too weird.

Since then we have moved on to produce all sorts of different single malts to suit nearly every whisky lover.

What makes your product different from the competition?

Apart from being English? Hand-made, family-owned, having traceability from field to bottle – we think the whisky is lovely. Try it!

What’s been your proudest moment to date?

Watching father fill the first casks back in 2006.

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IN-spire

Colin Field

A few of my favourite things British born Colin Field is a legend in bar tending circles. Named as the World’s Best Bartender by Forbes magazine, the well-respected author, editor and educator has been tending to the rich and famous at the Hemingway Bar at Hotel Ritz, Paris since its opening in 1994. We asked him to tell us about his favourite:

the Ritz Carlton in Osaka. The whole meal, six courses, with Christophe Gibert on cuisine and Monsieur Robert in the restaurant orchestrating between my cocktails going on the tables and the dishes of Christophe. One word for the whole operation – fantasia! So many people came back for another cocktail course the next day.

Style icon

Film

Kate Moss. She has a natural style that is enchanting but her choice in anything becomes an instant benchmark to others.

Oh that’s difficult, my father was a cinema manager and my last girlfriend was a casting director. I have been spoilt with films all my life. Okay, I’ll venture for Short Cuts by Robert Altman. I saw it in the 1990’s. It had a very powerful effect on me. I could see myself in the shoes of several characters in the film.

Take the French 76 which has become the Kate 76.

It’s made in a tumbler with lemon and vodka and Champagne. Kate loves this drink and all of a sudden everyone was drinking the cocktail. That was several years ago and it’s still going strong.

Food Which foods inspire me? I believe that once a chef believes in the capacities of the bartender and a mutual confidence is installed then incredible things in the food pairing world can happen.

I started doing cocktail pairing in the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki about four years ago. It’s doing very well there but it demands a real ping-pong match with the chef. Recently I did a super dinner/cocktail pairing in 18 - The Cocktail Lovers

Artist Help! I’m torn between Christian Bale in his incredible transformations, Matthew McConnaughey and Ewan McGregor.

Renoir, Seurat, Manet and Monet, Impressionism and Poitillism help me in my daily work creating cocktails, transforming their colour/s through light.

Oscar Wilde for his alternative angle vision. Yes I’m a fan of Hemingway as a man and a writer, Rudyard Kipling too, William Faulkner and Jim Harrison as well.

IN-spire

View

Designer

Hmmm, the view from the Ozone Bar of the Ritz Carlton, Hong Kong, the view of the sea from the boat that I use for big game, or not so big these days; fishing from Sanary in the South of France in the early morning and then in the evening with a cigar and a Pastis (that’s all we have on board).

Shigero Ban because I love the way he works with wood and incorporates it into modern organic forms. Actually, I think that he’s just won le prix Pritzker for that.

The view from the Majestic Hotel in Montreux over Lac Leman and the mountains opposite whilst I have my breakfast before lecturing at the Cesar Ritz Hotel school.

The view of Mount Rose over Lake Tahoe. The view over the frosty fields woven with icy spiders’ webs in Enniskillen at seven in the morning whilst shooting or at least trying to spot woodcock and snipe. Difficult to choose.

Journey My most favourite journey was cycling through England from Kettering, Northamptonshire to the Lake District through Lancaster and torrents of rain and then back again. It was a trip of about eight days; I tore a ligament and remember spending some days in a lost village keeping my leg in a freezing brook trying to keep the swelling down. I was 18, completely free and it was my first adventure into the world totally unprotected. It’s almost a revelation when you are miles and miles from a telephone, have only a few pounds on you and are still 30 miles from the next friend’s house. I thought, back in 1980, that in the civilised world, nothing terrible could really happen to you, in the middle of England. I finally did the 30 miles cycling with one leg, arriving at the house towards 11 in the evening in pitch black. Once it’s all over, it becomes a fantastic souvenir. Once it’s all over…

Historical figure After Socrates (condemned to death by his own hand), Garibaldi (unification of Italy), Bismark (unification of Germany), Palmerston (re-inforcing British pride), Disraeli (elegance), Wellington (bravery), Nelson (Trafalgar, 1805), Gorbachev (the wall), I’ll go for the young man of action in the Boer war and the man of reflection in the 1940’s, Sir Winston Churchill.

Building The Empire State Building from the outside. A superb landmark and symbol of the early 1930’s architecture, and the Sanzenin Temple, not far from Kyoto, for the immense feeling of peace that it offers me.

Musician I used to really like Bobby Short. He was a nice man and would always speak to me in French although he knew that I was English. He was the atmosphere of the Bemelmans Bar at the Carlisle in New York. I finally got to work there a few years after his demise. They even named the street outside the hotel after him. Shirley Bassey is a marvellous person who I was able to talk to once in the Hemingway Bar. She even sang a small song for her two friends and myself once the bar had closed.

Liza Minnelli came in as well once after the bar had almost closed. We talked for ages, just herself, a friend and I; when we said goodbye I held her hand and kissed her cheek. She was so nice.

Retreat Llyn Crafnant in Snowdonia. I need to go back soon. I rent a little house there. In the mornings I wake up with the mountains. It’s quiet and there is nobody around for some distance. There’s a lovely place to go for tea and the walks are brilliant.

Inspiring quote “It’s better to have remorse than regrets”, I don’t know who said it first but for me it comes from one of my regulars, Damien.

Shop I like Colette here in Paris. Only because I like Sarah, the buyer too and I think that her vision is extraordinary and that she has so much energy. A shop dedicated to society, art and culture is very exciting when you know about one of the motors.

Technology Air France 380s’. I love them. I serve with the cabin crew for Paris-New York, Paris-Tokyo and hopefully ParisShanghai in May. I do the cocktails for the first class and have my own little bar with space enough to take care of everyone. The whole plane is delightful. There are even marvellous little beds for the personnel for relaxing an hour or so at the bottom of the plane, it’s almost like a part of a submarine. Not many bartenders get to serve Pink Gins and Serendipities at 40,000 feet. I would love to add that the personnel have always been the most splendid and professional people I have ever worked with.

Person Felix Baumgartner, what a man. He has done human wing flying, incredible base jumps and the highest jump literally from space to the ground. Also much respect for Yves Rossi who we call ‘Jetman’. These men are real superheroes.

Possession I am just finishing the first cocktail shaker designed from the inside. It’s quite brilliant because all the shakers until now have been designed from the outside: a bell, a torpedo, a skyscraper, a penguin. But what happens to the ice inside seemed to be a minor preoccupation!

It’s actually something between an egg and a Rugby ball creating what I call ‘perpetual motion’ for the ice inside; it took years to design and my friend Denis Servais is in the middle of finishing the manufacture. He’s worked so hard on this.

The Hemingway Bar at Hotel Ritz is currently closed for refurbishment. Colin was recently tending bar with Ago Perrone at the Connaught in London and can be found pouring cocktails in the sky onboard Air France.

The Cocktail Lovers - 19

IN-spire

It started with the Mason jar.

“What’s that?” I asked the waiter as I eyed the jam jar sprouting mint leaves which he set down before me.

I ordered a cocktail, not a flower pot.

“Your drink.”

“In a jam jar?”

“Yes.” The drinks trade may have moved on from jars (I must confess, I still love them – they make a great Margarita), but the trend for bespoke barware shows no sign of slowing down, and a few key players are proving that your average Martini or rock glass no longer cuts it.

If painted glass and Tipsy Tea Cups are a little effeminate for your tastes, you may want to head over to David Linley whose Trafalgar range of etched crystalline and hard wood barware will have any Don Draper enthusiast swooning over their Old Fashioned. The prices aren’t for the faint-hearted – a single wine glass is a cool 80 smackers – but each piece is a thing of beauty. Who could resist the subtle clink of ice in a Curved Whisky Tumbler (£85), or the mesmerising curves of the Captain’s Decanter (£495)? Of course, the piece de resistance is the Bar Box, resplendent in walnut with a starburst design and engravable silver plaque. The box houses two crystal decanters, four whisky tumblers, an ashtray and four magnetic coasters and is a steal if you can collect a spare £11,000 from down the back of the sofa. In all seriousness though, it is a breath-taking piece of design and once again my birthday is… oh, never mind.

But why all this fuss over barware? Surely it’s the drink that is important, not the vessel?

I put the question to Pedro Solorzano, Bar Director of Hush in Mayfair, which employs everything from Tiki glasses to titanic ice moulds in its ever-changing cocktail menu.

“The industry has been using bespoke glass for a long time,” he told me. “It allows a custom control over dinnerware which lets you further the theme you are creating with a particular drink. With Hush, we are

Bespoke Barware in Hackney Wick is a veritable Mary Poppin’s carpet bag of quaffable curiosities. Supplying some of the country’s leading drinking dens, from Artesian to Tonteria, their limit is your imagination.

Fancy shooting tequila from a cowboy boot or necking beer from dungarees? Bespoke Barware has your back.

Or would you rather share a cocktail from a disco ball, or a ship? Simple.

You may suppose that such highfalutin’ ideas are the preserve of the trade, but they also have a range of online products available for the average Joe. A particularly fetching Bamboo Cup is a steal at a mere £4.75, whilst a darling Coconut Vessel is £7 – both ideal for dreaming you’re sunbathing in Bora Bora, even if you’re in England and it’s raining.

For those less Tiki and more tipsy, Tipsy Tea Cups may be right up your street. This South Downs based cottage industry creates, in their words, “novel, quirky pieces of British eccentricity,” in the form of vintage teacups upcycled into Martini glasses – just the ticket for anyone partial to a little G with their Tea. Each piece is unique and Tipsy creations have graced tables as far afield as Australia. Prices start at around £17 for a fine bone china with pink rose design, but I only have eyes for the French Arcopal Harlequine set at £130 which has sadly been sold. My birthday’s 4th October if anyone spies another…

For topping up your Tipsy Tea Cup, take a gander at Toasted Glass which has two hand-painted boozy teapots, including one with the words ‘There may be gin in here’…best not to serve to granny with the Rich Tea biscuits. Alongside their teapots is a range of rather lovely hand-painted glassware, decorated with myriad designs from peacocks to love potions. Once again, that date for my birthday is 4th October…

constantly pushing boundaries to match our clientele expectations as being one of the leading cocktail bars in London, and so our glassware varies from Tiki cups, to elongated Martini glasses, to the Victorian stemware which goes well with the ideology and interior design of the venue.”

So bespoke barware takes the cocktail beyond the liquid and creates a more holistic experience for the drinker.

Whether you’re looking for some tropical escapism, a naughty edge to your high tea or a touch of 60’s nostalgia, these industry leaders are the keys to your imagination.

And now, if you don’t mind, I’m off to make myself a jam jar Margarita.

Lizzy Barber is co-author of Cabana, The Cookbook. Read more from Lizzy on her blog eatcookdo.wordpress.com bespokebarware.com davidlinley.com tipsyteacups.com toastedglass.co.uk

The Cocktail Lovers - 23

IN-the spotlight

STATES INDEPENDENTS OF

Ten years ago there were approximately 50 craft distilleries in the US. Now there are over 400.

Yolanda Evans gives the lowdown on her favourites

Over the last few years, the US craft spirit movement has experienced a record-breaking boom with further new companies guaranteed to emerge in the near future. These hand-crafted spirits have been revolutionising the industry with their unique whiskeys, gins, rums and vodkas, and bartenders and drinks enthusiast have been taking notice. All over the US, they are lining the shelves of liquor stores and vying for a spot behind the bar. Since there are so many on the market to sort through, here are seven American craft spirits we thought you might want to learn more about.

ATELIER VIE (NEW ORLEANS)

LEOPOLD BROS (DENVER)

Only the second distillery to be opened in New Orleans since Prohibition, Atelier Vie was founded by Jedd Haas in 2011 as a way to address the need for a greater variety of locally produced distilled spirits. There are five spirits in its portfolio, but it was its absinthe, Toulouse Red that got people talking about this relatively new distillery. Pot distilled with herbs and infused with a few more to create its lush red colour, it’s the first absinthe distilled in New Orleans since the 1912 ban.

And just recently, the distillery was rewarded for all its hard work with Euphrosine Gin #9 being awarded a Gold Medal at the ACDA spirits competition.

Operated by Scott and Todd Leopold, Leopold Bros. is a family owned, environmentally sound distillery in Denver, producing spirits that are hand-crafted, glutenfree and bottled by hand. The products are wildly popular amongst the cocktail geeks, thanks in part to its awardwinning spirits like Absinthe Verte, a pre-Prohibitionstyle whiskey, and Silver Tree American Small Batch Vodka, the highest rated vodka distilled and bottled in America according to the Beverage Tasting Institute.

The American Small Batch Gin shouldn’t be overlooked either being that it’s easily one of the finest craft gins on the market these days.

ateliervie.com

HOUSE SPIRITS (PORTLAND) Founded in 2004 by former brewer Christian Krogstad, House Spirits Distillery is a leader of America’s craft distilling resurgence and the anchor of Portland’s famous ‘distillery’ row. Its award-winning products are batchdistilled with ethically sourced ingredients. They have produced a number of outstanding spirits, including the Irish-inspired Westward Oregon Straight Malt Whiskey™ and Krogstad Festlig Aquavit™ but Aviation American Gin™ is the true stand-out spirit within the brand. Created to change the way people think about gin, it’s an American Dry that favours more of a botanicals balance than the usual over abundance of juniper. It taste great neat and has quite a following among the cocktail connoisseurs. housespirits.com 24 - The Cocktail Lovers

leopoldbros.com

Enjoy De Kuyper responsibly

DE KUYPER. ONE NAME, 19 FLAVOURS, UNLIMITED COCKTAILS.

Whether you’re a professional bartender or a home mixologist De Kuyper liqueurs are essential. Made with natural ingredients to deliver an intense experience, so you can create the very best cocktails. Amongst the 19 flavours you’ll find classic Triple Sec, Crème de Cassis and Blue Curaçao, fruits like Blackberry, Raspberry and Wild Strawberry, even Lapsang Souchong Tea, Spicy Chili and Lemongrass. Look out for the new bottle design. De Kuyper liqueurs. The only limitation is your imagination.

dekuyper.com

IN-the spotlight

Music For cocktail Lovers Don’t leave it to your iPod shuffle to dictate the mood of your soirée, take time to curate your own playlist. We asked lounge loving DJ Johnny Vercoutre to pick out his top ten tracks to sip cocktails to.

ON THE RECORD: Johnny says: “Nothing gets your cocktail party going more than creating the right atmosphere. Pick up a vintage record player cheaply on eBay”.

ON THE DRINKS FRONT: Obviously we don’t advocate pairing each record to the suggested drink, that would be irresponsible madness – these are purely suggestions for what you could serve during your party.

TRACK FIVE: Sweet Smell of Success – Anita O’Day “Such an incredible piece of music, it’s so emotive it actually does move me to tears. But as part of your playlist it adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the party.”

To drink?

A perfectly balanced Whisky Sour. With its sweet, citrus tang it’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

TRACK SIX: The Exciting Mr Fitch – Cleo Laine “Roughly mid-set and it’s time to move it up a level.

This has a sassy secret agent mood about it that works really well for a cocktail party.”

TRACK ONE: On Days Like These – Matt Monro

To drink?

A slighty bitter, fabulously louche Negroni.

“Start with something nice and light but atmospheric to ease your way into the party. This is lovely – it’s relaxing and romantic, slow and subdued – just right for the beginning of the evening.”

TRACK SEVEN: Miss Good Thighs – Burt Bacharach

To drink?

Something light, flirty and fresh like an Aperol Spritz.

To drink?

Why not try a Manhattan?

TRACK TWO: Orson Welles Great Mysteries – John Barry “Around 30% of the stuff I play is by John Barry, he created such distinctive soundtracks that provide the perfect musical backdrop for cocktail parties and bars. This particular track is the theme tune for the Orson Welles television series, it’s very haunting but distinctive and creates a really good atmosphere.”

To drink?

Another easy-drinking cocktail – try a long, cool Tom Collins to perk up your palate.

TRACK THREE: Latin Snowfall – Henry Mancini “You can listen to this one without thinking too much which isn’t a bad thing, it’s one of those gentle instrumental tracks which is there in the background but doesn’t take over from your conversation. It’s from the film Charade and is one of my favourite tracks to play early on in the evening.”

To drink?

This calls for an elegant Champagne cocktail – add some elderflower liqueur into the mix.

TRACK FOUR: Baby Elephant Walk – Henry Mancini “Now we start to pick up the pace. At this point in the evening your guests should be nice and relaxed, and this particular track will have them swaying along happily.”

To drink?

It’s Martini time! Go for a Gibson for a retro feel.

“From the soundtrack of the original Casino Royale, it’s got a nice slinky feel to it – very cocktail loungey.”

TRACK EIGHT: Let’s Slip Away – John Dankworth and Cleo Laine “Cleo Laine’s voice is just wonderful at the best times but here it’s in a class of its own. Deliciously seductive – a real audible delight.

To drink?

Take it up a notch with a contemplative Old-Fashioned.

TRACK NINE: House of Bamboo – Andy Williams “It’s always good to slot in something that everyone knows, something to make your guests smile. I love this, it’s unapologetically cheesy, corny and cool – it reminds me of 1950’s Soho, beatniks and coffee bars.”

To drink?

An Espresso Martini, naturally.

TRACK TEN: Beat Girl – John Barry “Another one by John Barry – it makes me want to fly around the room like a super hero! It’s the title track from the movie of the same name and one of the first British soundtracks to be made into a record.”

To drink?

A minty-green, retro-tastic Grasshopper. It rounds off the evening perfectly.

Johnny Vercoutre is available to create the perfect soundtrack for your party or bar. Contact him via facebook.com/johnny.vercoutre The Cocktail Lovers - 27

Illustrated by melanie milne at melmadedesign.com

IN-the spotlight

30 - The Cocktail Lovers

IN-the spotlight

In the drinks world at the moment, it’s cool to be craft. Such is London’s infatuation with it, that a stroll down virtually any street will reveal signs declaring the craft credentials of a bar’s drinks-list or the ever-changing microbrews on tap at a busy boozer. In fact, you could very easily go for weeks without drinking anything else. Ben Norum takes a look at the craft revolution and tries to work out what it really means.

As a city, we’re systematically banishing big brands in favour of sipping on locally-produced, small-scale gins such as Portobello Road or Jensen topped-up with artisanal tonic, or taking our Vodka Martinis with Sipsmith rather than anything more generic. We’ll sink beers made in the converted back room of a pub and pair drinks with cured-on-site meats or home-baked sourdough before rounding things off with an espresso made from beans that are roasted round the corner.

It’s not just the hip few either: figures across the UK show how big the little guys are becoming. The rise of craft gin brands – mainly in London – is cited as the reason for a growth in overall gin sales of around 12% last year, whilst craft beer sales were reported to have rocketed by over 70% around the same time.

CRAFTING A DEFINITION While our crush on craft seems to continually grow, we’re left firmly in the dark when it comes to defining it. The Oxford English Dictionary describes craft as “an activity involving skill in making things by hand”, and “denoting or relating to food or drink made in a traditional or non-mechanized way by an individual or a small company”. While this sets the tone for what we expect from craft drinks, it’s far from flawless.

For a start, it must be questioned whether a craft drink really ought to be made ‘by hand’. Technological advances mean that in many cases a better and more consistent product can be created by using machinery and computerised equipment, while modern health and safety guidelines would encourage as little human contact as possible. Likewise, there’s a strong argument to say that the craft-tag should be extended to highervolume products so long as the quality and ethos is there.

Nate Brown, Director of London Bar Consultants, who run the City of London Distillery Bar, is clear in his definition of what craft means and sees precise technology as contrary to what it’s all about. “Craft production is an art not a science, there is beauty in inconsistencies, provided the quality is maintained”, he tells us. He’s also of the view that craft means small. “I would love to argue that ‘craft’ is scalable, but the reality is not so. Craft comes from an essence, a deep-rooted ethos that prides the product and design above costs and business.”

Sam Lloyd, the festival manager of Craft Beer Rising, doesn’t see size as standing in the way. “I don’t think it has to strictly be associated with small companies. We have regional brewers such as Fullers who you could argue have been ‘crafting’ beers since the 19th Century.

After all, it was our traditional ale breweries that inspired the early American craft breweries that our own craft beer boom is now taking a lead from”, he argues.

The inclusion of the word ‘traditional’ in the Oxford English Dictionary definition of craft is also problematic.

Lloyd feels that craft beer is all about “freedom, creativity and flair in brewing” rather than sticking to any preset rules, and the same applies to other craft products.

Newly-launched Chilgrove Gin, made in West Sussex, is the first gin to be produced in England using a neutral spirit distilled from grapes rather than cereals: it’s not traditional, but it is otherwise an excellent example of a craft spirit and it would feel foolish to call it anything else. Chilgrove’s founder, Christopher Tetley, feels that a craft spirit “requires three essential qualities: technical ability, a passion for the spirit itself, and a desire to advance”, and that “the terms ‘craft’, ‘traditional’ and ‘small batch’ are all too easily mistaken for being the same thing. Craft is not about the size of production but rather about the human element behind the spirit”.

TO REGULATE OR NOT TO REGULATE? Whether there should be legal guidelines surrounding the use of the word craft is an industry hot topic. As Rebekkah Dooley, marketing manager at Portobello Road Gin, notes: “people care more now about the origins of what they’re eating and drinking, so if something’s ‘small batch’, ‘craft’, ‘locally sourced’ they’re more likely to buy it. It should probably be monitored more closely and there should be restrictions placed on how you describe your brand”.

The only logical way that this would work is by pinning a definition of craft down with regulation. In the US, this already exists for beers, where a craft brewery must be small (brewing fewer than six million barrels a year), independent (be less than 25% owned by a company that isn’t a ‘craft brewer’) and traditional (use real ingredients and established brewing techniques) in order to carry that tag. While the logic behind this step can be seen, it’s worth noting how little such guidelines actually say about quality – theoretically, a company could tick all the boxes in order to be able to use the craft term in the marketing without really caring about their product at all.

“Having the right philosophy is more important than an official definition”, says Sam Lloyd of Craft Beer Rising, while City of London Distillery Bar’s Nate Brown is adamant that the thought process behind regulation is “inherently contrary to that which makes ‘craft’ craft.

There is no regimented definition of art. If there was, it wouldn’t be art”. We’ll drink to that.

The Cocktail Lovers - 31

IN-the spotlight

It’s all very well being a small producer, quite another getting your products into the consumer consciousness, particularly for export. Enter Michael Vachon and Maverick Drinks, the boutique company that brings the best craft products from overseas to the UK market.

Here’s his his story.

“Many people still refer to me as ‘that guy with the suitcase full of booze’ and for several months, that’s exactly what I was. I’ll never forget that day, 23rd September 2012, when the first shipment from FEW Spirits arrived at my flat in North London. It had taken nearly four months to arrange, but there I was, staring at nearly 100 cases of craft American gin and whiskey and with only 21 days until rent was due.

Armed with a suitcase full of spirits (not dreams), I headed straight to the best bars in London to talk to some of the world’s best bartenders to try to convince them that these spirits represented something new in the market – something made by real people, something with a real story. These products were made deliberately – not to fill a gap in the market, not to appeal to a target demographic, but because someone had a vision of what they wanted their spirits to be and with that vision they put everything they had into making them.

Fast forward 18 months and Maverick Drinks now has an entire portfolio of craft spirits produced in the US, UK, Sweden and Belgium. We’ve got a small team of four incredibly talented individuals and the philosophy is the same as it was from the beginning: to bring amazing spirits to people who appreciate quality and craftsmanship. That could be bartenders we respect, discerning drinkers, or anyone with a curiosity for cocktails. We work with everyone from the globally-recognised bars to the independent pop-ups, luxury retailers to neighbourhood speciality spirits shops that have been around for decades.

We’re working with anyone who is trying to make the drinks industry, the best industry in the world, even better.

It takes a special kind of crazy to want to do this. In the first two weeks, someone flat-out said to me, “Don’t do a gin.” They obviously didn’t know I already had all of my savings tied up in 360 bottles of American gin. “A hundred gins have launched in the UK in the past five years,” they continued, “and you’ll just be a hundred and one.” That gin has been a key part of our success to date and we have way more gins now than we did then. Each one of them genuinely brings something new to market and I hope another hundred launch – it means ours will probably command more attention.

That’s because real craft spirits stand out. Every new brand says that they’re doing something different and more and more brands are calling themselves ‘craft’, ‘handmade’, ‘small batch’…the list goes on. I bet you’re shaking your head too. After all, everything is made by somebody, right? So what makes one brand ‘craft’ and not another?

Tell me who makes them. Tell me where they’re made and how they’re made. Most importantly, tell me why they’re made, because if you’re going to make another gin or any other spirit, it had better be made with purpose.

I don’t make anything. I’m not much of a craftsman and you definitely don’t want me behind the bar. I just make some of the best, well-made spirits in the world more available and with the rest of the Maverick Drinks team, on a mission to help people understand how great spirits are made and the amount of work that goes into making them.”

For the full portfolio see, maverickdrinks.com

IN-focus

puffing through the countryside. Then its back to the house for lunch, another couple of strengthening and toning exercise sessions including a steam and swim (yes, again), followed by workshops on mindfulness, nutrition and a spot of meditation.

Where Ms S embraces her inner angel If those really annoying virtuous types had their way, alcohol would never get a look in. While I could never possibly agree with them, there are times when even I admit it’s good to take a break from booze.

Three days off the hard stuff each week is recommended.

Not three higgledy-piggledy days by the way, they have to be consecutive to really count. And while you can do exactly that from the comfort of your home, it’s even better if you use those days to factor in some quality R&R. Think of it as unapologetic ‘me’ time, 100% dedicated to giving your mind, body and spirit a well-deserved spring clean.

I did. One too many cocktails, far too many late nights and a worrying number of hours clocked up sitting at a desk staring at a computer screen told me I’d earned it.

So I booked into The Body Retreat for a four day blitz. I could have chosen from a full-on detox or weight loss programme, both of which were speaking to me loud and clear. Instead I went for the Stress Re-set Retreat which combines a bit of both, plus lots of psychological stuff and plenty of rest as well. This particular retreat is based in Somerset which was a tonic in itself. It’s women-only and while that might not matter a jot to most, it makes for a more relaxing environment.

The programme starts with a much needed, in my case, liver detox – just fresh juices and vegetable broths for the first day, then salads, fish and chicken dishes are introduced thereafter. “It’s important to give the liver a break,” says Jules Abernethy, a former HR and Training Director who opted out of the high-pressured environment when she, in her words, ‘burned out’. After experiencing the benefits of eating ‘clean’ foods and mindfulness she now specialises in Neuro Linguistic Programming as well as women’s well-being and weight management. “When your liver is toxic your immune system is unable to support you and everything goes out of kilter,” she explains in one of our evening sessions curled up on the squishy sofas before our meditation. “The purpose of The Body Retreat is to work on the biological level, giving the liver a rest, strengthening the heart through cardio, sleep and mindfulness and replacing stimulation by thinking, acknowledging and reflecting.”

Each day started with hot lemon juice and body brushing to stimulate the lymph and get the circulation going, followed by a 45 minute circuit session, steam and swim – all before breakfast. The rest of the time includes something outdoorsy like Nordic Walking or some kind of huffing and

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I won’t pretend that my stomach was best pleased by the teeny portions, but the fact I was away from home with no access to the fridge meant I just had to suck it up and stick it out. Thanks to Jules’ work on the nutrition and meditation side of things and founder Julie Brealy tackling the fitness, at the end of the four days I’d lost nine pounds. I came away feeling lighter, brighter and thoroughly cleansed. And while I’m not going to abstain from alcohol in this lifetime, the tips I’ve picked up from Jules and Julie will certainly help. See box below.

Weight Loss, Detox and Stress Re-Set Retreats take place throughout the year in the UK and in Andalucia during May. See thebodyretreat.co.uk for dates, prices and details.

body retreat tips: Be kind to yourself.

Start each day with a cup of hot water and lemon.

Support your liver by taking regular saunas, drinking lots of water throughout the day and brushing your body with a dry bristle brush each morning – it stimulates the lymph and gets your system pumping!

Aim for at least two consecutive booze-free days a week.

Take some form of low impact, high intensity exercise at least three times a week to release the seratonin or ‘feel-good’ chemicals in the brain.

Be mindful about everything that goes into your body – from a cup of tea to your favourite cocktail.

Here’s how: Sit down.

Look at the tea/cocktail Feel the cup/glass in your hands Sniff to appreciate the flavours Savour the taste and temperature Enjoy!

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Illustrated by becky roberts

THE SPIRIT OF GIFFARD From small beginnings, big things grow; how one French pharmacist became the toast of the drinks world.

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We’ve got a heatwave to thank for Giffard’s award-winning MenthePastille. Had the weather in the Anjou region of France not soared to scorchio in 1885, its creator Emile Giffard might never have come up with a formula for keeping the locals cool.

The story goes like this: before becoming a distiller, and a worldrenowned, much awarded one at that, Giffard was a pharmacist. So far, so normal. Then came that sweltering summer. Reportedly so hot, so sticky (remember, no air-con or electric fans in the 19th Century), Giffard’s neighbour, the director of the Grand Hotel, asked his pharmacist friend for a formula to quench the thirst of his overheated guests.

Good job too. You see Giffard was something of a gourmet. He was also extremely curious. Up to this point he’d sated his epicurean side by creating recipes in his lab – both for his own inquisitiveness and the liquorists in the vicinity. It just so happened that one of the ideas he was exploring at the time was the refreshing, cooling, digestive properties of Mitcham Cultivar, the locally grown mint. So when asked to devise a lip-smacking-thirst-quenching-temperature-cooling formula, he didn’t skip a beat using the aromatic, herbaceous plant as the main ingredient, distilling it twice to gently extract the natural oils.

IN-the spotlight IN-focus

Menthe-Pastille, was an instant success. So much so Giffard hung up his pharmacists coat and established himself as a distiller. In the first few years his efforts were rewarded with a Diploma of Honour at the Word Fair of Nantes (1886), Toulouse (1887), Brussels (1888), and Paris and Algiers (1889) and consequently, MenthePastille became a hit on a consumer level too. It still is. In April this year Menthe-Pastille was awarded a medal at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

White Lady The original recipe of this famous cocktail created in 1919 by Harry MacElhone while working at Ciro’s Club in London.

He updated the recipe in 1923, replacing Triple Sec with Cointreau and Crème de Menthe with gin.

25ml Menthe-Pastille

Four generations and more than 100 liqueurs, syrups and crème de fruits later, Giffard is still a family-owned company.

25ml Curaçao Triple Sec 25ml fresh lemon juice Method: Fill the shaker with ice cubes. Add all ingredients, shake, then pour into a chilled Martini glass.

Menthe-Pastilla 50ml Menthe-Pastille 1 fresh lime, quartered Fresh mint leaves Sparkling water Method: Muddle the fresh quartered lime and fresh mint leaves in a Collins glass. Add Menthe-Pastille and ice. Top with sparkling water.

Giffard menthe-pastille, grenadine syrup and apricot liqueur

But it wasn’t only the creamy menthol sweetness of the refreshing liqueur that the company became renowned for, its bold, beautiful and iconic poster campaigns – cleverly calling on the talents of the famous artists of the day including Cappiello, Ogé, Baudrier Foucault and Dransy, were equally coveted. In fact, a selection were on show last year as part of London Cocktail Week.

Four generations and more than 100 liqueurs, syrups and crème de fruits later, Giffard is still a family-owned company. While you can now choose from classic liqueurs such as Coffee, Rhubarb and Cherry Brandy, and an extensive liquid library of syrups running the taste and colour spectrum from creamy coconut to deepest, darkest violet, Menthe-Pastille is still the daddy of the range.

Parisian Mojito 40ml Menthe-Pastille 30ml cloudy apple juice 20ml fresh lemon juice 4 fresh mint leaves Method: Fill a shaker with ice cubes. Pour in all ingredients and mint leaves. Shake until well chilled. Strain into a Collins or Martini glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Menthe-Pastille and the Giffard range is imported by Mangrove UK. mangroveuk.com For details and further recipes, see giffard.com

Try it neat over ice when the heat is on, or in one of the following recipes:

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Illustrattion by nick schon

IN-focus

IN-focus

Pre-batched says Mr G

Theatre says Ms S

Sometimes visiting a cocktail venue is about pulling up a stool at the bar, putting in my order, then sitting back to watch the show as my chosen refreshment is stirred, shaken or assembled. There’s something about this ritual which I can find as relaxing as the drink that follows. Sometimes.

Other times it’s about sinking into a sofa far from the maddening cocktail crowd in the front row. Whether I’m with Ms S or on my own, whether I’m sitting on that bar stool or on that sofa the thing that doesn’t change is that I still want a consistently tip-top drink.

Hey, slow down everyone, what’s the rush? Where are you going, what are you doing that demands such immediate service? I know we’re all obsessed with getting things done faster, from the speed of our internet connection to the ding of the microwave proffering up lunches ready to eat at our desks in three minutes flat, what I don’t quite get is the need to carry on that ferocious pace in your downtime.

However, when I’m on the sofa it’s not important that I see the bartender doing his or her stuff. So long as I end up with the drink that I ordered, it’s been made really well and it shows up with reasonable swiftness then I’m happy. And it’s this last prerequisite that is the key here. Sometimes I just want the drink: no fuss, no bother. Don’t get me wrong I admire the techniques that go into the cocktail maker’s craft and it can be really entertaining to watch. But on the occasions when I’ve got my tongue hanging out there’s no mixology showcase that can be an adequate substitute for the swift refreshment of the cooling cocktail itself.

This is when a well prepared pre-batched cocktail works a treat. It will have been made in advance with precision and care and is ready to go. I don’t need to watch a great chef in action. I know passion, commitment and hard work has gone on in the background to deliver the dish. And it’s not as if pre-batching is some new fangled fad either – they were doing it big style before Prohibition. Moreover, it’s something Ms S and I have rather taken to at home when we have friends heading over. We make the drinks at leisure in the afternoon, bottle them up, stow them in the fridge and when our guests show up we can be good hosts not perpetually vanishing bartenders.

There’s a time for the theatre of the mix and there’s another time for just getting a top quality drink delivered in double quick time. When it’s about the latter then bars can prebatch away until their good hearts are content.

Mr G’s top five London bars for a pre-batched cocktail 69 Colebrooke Row, London N1 8AA. 69colebrookerow.com (bottle-aged Manhattans) Coal Vaults, 187b Wardour Street, Soho, W1F 8ZB. coalvaults.com Craft Cocktail Club, Arch 253 Paradise Row, E2 9LE. craftcocktailcompany.com

Cocktails shouldn’t be hurried. Full stop. In the way you wouldn’t go to a Michelin-starred restaurant expecting your meal to arrive pronto, the same should go for cocktails.

If you want a quick-fix meal when you’re out and about you eat from paper plates at a fast-food joint; if you haven’t got time to wait for your cocktail to be crafted, take my advice: go to a pub.

Let’s be honest, we don’t need cocktails; they’re a treat, liquid treasures made to be sipped and savoured. Where’s the enjoyment in having them made in a flash? You drink them quicker and consequently don’t appreciate them as much, which to my mind is missing the point.

I do sympathise with the bars though – customers want it all. We want good cocktails at a reasonable price and woe betide the bartender that makes us wait. There’s also the business side of things to take into consideration. In the time it takes to prepare one drink in front of punters, the bar could have rung up another three, possibly four pre-batched cocktails in their tills. I’m not much of a mathematician but even I appreciate that makes economical sense.

Which is why I appreciate those who treat each drink they make like a work of art, carefully stirring and shaking their creations while taking time to engage with their guests. I want the theatre, I want to see what’s going into my drink; I love the interaction and if that means having to wait a little longer and paying a bit more for it when it arrives, then so be it. As long as I’m acknowledged with a nod or a smile and I’m assured that my order is being taken care of, I’m more than happy to linger. Life is too short to rush everything – some experiences, like drinking a cocktail made with passion and pride, deserve the wait.

Ms S’s top five London bars for theatre: Artesian, The Langham hotel, Ic Portland Place, W1B 1JA. artesian-bar.co.uk Dukes, Dukes Hotel, 35 St. James’s Place, SW1A 1NY. dukeshotel.com Happiness Forgets, 8-9 Hoxton Square, N1 6NU. happinessforgets.com

The Liquor Cabinet, 184 Hackney Road, E2 7QL liquorcabinet.co.uk

Nightjar, 129 City Road, EC1V 1JB. barnightjar.com

White Lyan, 153-155 Hoxton Street, N1 6PJ. whitelyan.com

Beaufort Bar, The Savoy, Strand, WC2R 0RJ. fairmont.com/savoy-london

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IN-dulge

Tray bon!

Who said trays had to be boring? Not us. Pass the drinks round on one of these stylish designs FOR THE MATHEMATICALLY MINDED: High gloss, lush lacquered tray to add colour and shine to your cocktails Lacquer Hexagon Tray, £175, Jonathan Adler. jonathanadler.com

FOR GETTING INTO THE GROOVE: Bring the tunes to the table with this boom-tastic design.

Portable Tray, £25, Ella Doran at Amara. amara.com

FOR GIN-DRINKING OPTIMISTS: Serve drinks to your gin loving guests with humour and a dash of hope.

‘When life hands you lemons’ Tin Square Tray, £10,The Contemporary Home. tch.net

FOR MOMENTS OF CONTEMPLATION: Sleek, stylish, limited-edition serving salver with inspiring verse from Paul Smith engraved into the surface.

Statement Serving Tray, £249, Paul Smith at Occa-Home. occa-home.co.uk

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IN-dulge

FOR RETRO DRINKS PARTIES: Spirited hand-drawn glasses and goblets by Maija Louekari.

Marimekko Kippis White/Multi Tray, $63, Marimekko at Finn Style. finnstyle.com

FOR LOVERS OF ICONIC ART:

FOR LOVERS OF FUNCTION AND FORM:

Classic Fornasetti pattern to add colour and character to your soirées.

Show-stopping stainless steel design crafted to present your cocktails in style.

Profili Su Russo Tray, £625 (stand extra), Fornasetti at Selfridges. selfridges.com

La Stanza Della Scirocco Tray, £67-£114, Alessi. alessi.com FOR THRIFTY ORDER-OBSESSIVE’S: Simple and stylish rectangular tray with a spot for every drink.

Bevista Tray, £3, ikea.com

FOR BRINGING ON THE BLING: Gilty pleasures have never been so good.

Zodiac Gold-Plated Swarovski Tray, £425, Swarovski at Luxdeco. luxdeco.com

FOR GHOULISH GLAMOUR: Adding brightness and beauty to the macabre.

Blooming Skull Tray, $85, DL & Co. dlcompany.com

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TAILOR MADE L-R: Andy wears Contemporary light blue jacket, £320, long sleeve circle print shirt, £75, both Richard James Mayfair; pink/ navy edged pocket square, £30, Sharp & Dapper. Stephen wears charcoal grey suit, £840, Brook’s Brothers; floral shirt, £130, Simon Carter; pink socks, £12.50, Sharp & Dapper; brown leather brogues, £115, Anatomic & Co.

IN-style

Get the drinks in at

Discount Suit Company Upstairs is where you go for men’s suiting for under £50, downstairs it’s all about cleverly crafted cocktails.

Welcome to the Discount Suit Company, a destination of two very distinct halves – one squarely aimed at the East Enders of old, the other at its growing band of young creatives.

“We didn’t set out to have a bar with a tailoring concept,” says Andy Kerr. He’s one third of drinks collective The Umbrella Project, the other two being Ally Tatton and Stephen Thompson. “But when we were looking at the building from outside, wondering what to call it, the huge sign spoke for itself!” he continues. Ally chips in: “We could never call ourselves a speakeasy that’s for sure.”

He’s right. That sign (which looks like it’s had a bit too much drink by the way – see our cover) has been shouting about its wares like a barrow boy for more than 50 years. So when the team signed the lease for the space below, it seemed churlish not to run with the theme.

“We wanted to revitalise the space – take it to what it would have been like when there was real craftsmanship in the area,” continues Ally. So they stripped it back and reintroduced it to its roots when the space was used for altering the suits sold upstairs.

They’ve deliberately kept it devoid of too many gimmicks. Aside from a mannequin stating its claim on the clandestine 60-seater room, eagle-eyed guests will spot the odd references dotted around, such as a hefty pair of vintage scissors hanging above the bar, bolts of tailoring fabric under it and reels of thread adding colour along the shelves. Look even closer and you’ll notice that the back bar is in fact a gentleman’s wardrobe, cut in half to accommodate the low ceilings, the counter was previously a cutting table (the brass rules to edge it are on order),

and the handsome drawers underneath come from a haberdashers.

Then of course, there’s the menu… Here it’s a photocopied sheet of technical illustrations from the Fashionistas Handbook (what else?), edged with the precise zig-zagging of pinking shears. If the definitive silhouette of ‘S pocket jeans, coveralls and bush pants don’t capture your imagination, then we’re betting the drinks on the list will.

Choose from the DSC Forgotten Classics including the Pan American Clipper (Calvados, lime, grenadine and absinthe), the Charlie Chaplin (Sipsmith Sloe Gin, Sipsmith Gin, apricot brandy and lime), and Marguerite cocktail (gin, Dolin Dry, strong anisette and orange bitters), or try one of the originals such as the Two Irish Men (Teelings Irish Whiskey, Cocchi Americano, Benedictine and Peychaud’s Bitters) and Pina Fumada (Mezcal, velvet falernum, acacia honey, lemon and fresh pineapple).

We couldn’t resist laughing in the face of discount dressing and kitting The Umbrella Project out in this season’s suiting and floral separates – we’re not sure their neighbours upstairs would approve but their style-conscious punters certainly will.

Discount Suit Company, 29a Wentworth Street, E1 7TB. discountsuitcompany.co.uk

We wanted to revitalise the space – take it to what it would have been like when there was real craftsmanship in the area

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IN-style

IN-style

SUIT’S YOU SIR L-R: Stephen wears blue suit, £485, Richard James Mayfair; Calcite floral T-shirt, £95, Nicole Farhi; pink socks, £12.50, and sky blue/ navy edged pocket square, £30, both Sharp & Dapper; Buenos Aires blue canvas moccasins, £40, Mocks. Ally wears dark grey suit, £1,558, A Suit That Fits; blue floral shirt, £125, New & Lingwood; navy and red spot silk scarf, £165, Budd Shirtmakers; light blue socks, £12.50, Sharp & Dapper; blue suede Derby shoes, £69, Peter Werth. Andy wears Contemporary light grey suit, £485, Richard James Mayfair; floral print shirt, £130, Simon Carter; orange socks, £12.50, Sharp & Dapper; blue suede slip-on loafers, £120, Carlo Pazolini.

IN-style

OFF-THE-PEG L-R: Ally wears floral print shirt, £130, Simon Carter. Andy wears navy long sleeve spot shirt, £75, Richard James Mayfair; blue suede jacket, £995, Nicole Farhi.

Photography by Johnnie Pakington STOCKIST DETAILS: A Suit That Fits, asuitthatfits.com Anatomic& Co, anatomicshoes.com Brook’s Brothers, brooksbrothers.com Budd Shirtmakers, 3 Piccadilly Arcade, London, SW1Y 6NH. buddshirts.co.uk Carlo Pazolini, carlopazolini.com Mocks, mocksonline.com Monsieur London, monsieurlondon.com New & Lingwood, newandlingwood.com Nicole Farhi, 25 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2XU. nicolefarhi.com Richard James Mayfair, available at John Lewis, johnlewis.com and House of Fraser houseoffraser.co.uk Sharp & Dapper, sharpanddapper.com Simon Carter, simoncarter.net The Clerkenwell Collection, 155 Farringdon Road, London, EC1R 3AD. theclerkenwellcollection.com The Cocktail Lovers - 49

IN-dustry greats

Are there general trends in the way whisky is consumed in different territories, if so, please give examples?

Which, if any are most unusual?

This goes to the heart of the book – that whenever whisky has been popular it has been mixed. The same situation exists today. The vast majority of whisky around the world is drunk long. We, with our belief that it can only be taken neat, are the ones who are out of step.

What we consider unusual is the norm somewhere else, so mixing with green tea or coconut water seems weird to us, but is perfectly acceptable to drinkers in Asia or Brazil.

How do you research your books?

I go to original sources which could mean library, buying books or accessing the whole text on the net.

In this book, for example, I began looking at old recipe books/housewife’s manuals rather than just the standard ‘approved’ whisky history texts which are business histories, not social histories.

[Sweden], Haider [Austria], Telser [Liechtenstein], Slyrs and Finch [Germany], Puni [Italy], Drayman’s [South Africa], Still Waters [Canada], Westland and King’s County [US] and many, many more. The stuff being made in England by St. George’s, Adnams, Hicks & Healey and London is amazing. My only issue is about how many of these new distillers realise that whisky is a business.

Which whisky brands are exciting you most and why?

That list above is a starter. In Scotland Kilchoman, Daftmill and the sudden (belated) realisation that grain whisky is worth selling. I’m very excited about what’s happening in Ireland as well … and the fact that Canadian distillers are starting to show signs of self-belief. There is something worth watching and drinking from every whisky country at the moment. This truly is the most dynamic period in its history.

You’ve written books about whisky before, what makes Whisky: The Manual different?

The sources are a lot wider than just googling ‘whisky’ – and it’s fun to build up this wide and disparate web of connections. For example, Hector Boece wrote in 1526 that when his ancestors were ‘of a set purpose to be merie’ they’d distil whisky with herbs from the garden.

That lead me into an investigation as to what herbs were being widely grown in physic and kitchen gardens in the 16th Century.

It’s about how to drink whisky, how to maximise your enjoyment of it. There are great tasting books out there that tell you what a neat spirit is like, there are great history books telling you the business history but to the best of my knowledge there hasn’t been a book telling you how best to enjoy it.

How much tasting (research, obviously!) goes into your writing and when is your preferred time for doing this?

Dewar’s and Green Tea, Lagavulin & Coke, the way that smoky whiskies went with soda. The way in which (wrongly) ignored ‘standard’ blends come to life when you add a mixer. It means if you are stuck in a pub with a paltry selection of drams behind the bar then there will always be a quality drink that’s able to be made.

A lot! I prefer to taste in the morning. The mind, nose and palate are a lot sharper. I’ll only do half a dozen per flight, rest, then maybe another half a dozen. It’s a fairly protracted process. I’ll usually spit (though for the Manual I had to drink small amounts).

Does your palate get more pronounced or diminished over time and how do you work with this?

I think what happens is that if you are open to the smells around you in the world you can become more proficient at recognising aromas. I always stop and smell the flowers!

What are your thoughts on the new craft whiskies coming through and do you have any particular favourites?

I think there are some amazing new whiskies coming out and the best are being made by people who are asking themselves those deep questions about place. I’ve just finished a new edition of the World Atlas of Whisky [out in the autumn] which is virtually a complete rewrite – only four years on from the first edition.

The new distillers are not only using what grows around them, discovering what local smoking techniques are, what wood is nearby etc., but in doing so are asking “what is whisky?” When it works the results are compelling.

Some names? Dingle [Ireland], Domaines de HautesGlaces and Brenne [France], Millstone [not exactly new but does Patrick make the best rye in the world? possibly], Stauning, Fary, Lochan [Denmark], Box and Hven

You tested 102 whiskies in six different ways in the book, can you share any particular highlights?

Has the average whisky drinker changed much over the past 10 years?

They have got younger, there are more women, they tend to be more adventurous. This book is for them.

Which whisky would you crack open to: Spend a night out with the boys?

The company is probably more important than the dram but … I’d always have more than one on offer as everyone’s palate is different: something smoky, some thing fruity, something rich, a Canadian and Irish and a bourbon.

Compare and contrast, add things to them. Enjoy!

Convince a non-whisky drinker to give the category another chance?

Highball. Whisky and soda or whisky and ginger.

Have as a digestif with a cigar at the end of an expensive meal?

Highland Park 25 year old or Hibiki 21 year old.

If it was your last drink. Ever.

Samaroli’s Bowmore ‘Bouquet’ 1966/1984.

Whisky The Manual, is published by Mitchell Beazley, price £14.99.

The Cocktail Lovers - 51

IN-formed

MAINS & MARTINIS

RESTAURANTS WHERE THE COCK TAILS ARE AS GOOD AS THE FOOD

Holborn Dining Room 252 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7EN. T: 020 3747 8633. holborndiningroom.com Who: Lots of law types from the vicinity, date nights, girly catch-ups.

What: Des McDonald’s luxxed-up British brasserie for upscale comfort eaters.

When: Mon-Fri 7am-11.30pm; Sat 8am-11.30pm; Sun 8am-10.30pm.

Takeaway also available.

Wear: Keep it smartish but not too tight – you’ll need the extra room for pud!

Ms S says: This is my kind of menu: all of my desert island dishes on one page.

The setting is right up my street too, posh enough to feel special but with a relaxed edge so you don’t have to mind your p’s and q’s.

Hot dish: I’m sneaking in two: the British charcuterie board from the dedicated counter: a wonderful selection that puts others in the shade and the shrimp burger – a squidgy brioche bun outside and crunchy breadcrumbed shrimp patty within.

Cool cocktail: Camden Town Treacle (Havana Club Rum, Harviestoun ‘Old Engine Oil’ reduction, fresh apple juice) – the London classic gets a revamp with English Porter style beer.

Mr G says: This is the sort of place that makes me want to kick back and stay a while. Partly because the atmosphere is nicely laid back, but also because I

54 - The Cocktail Lovers

want to linger over the drinks and first two courses, then ease into the oh so comforting “Afters” section of the menu.

Hot dish: The British charcuterie is delicious and not least because of the delicately spicy homemade piccalilli.

Meanwhile the Angus beef and stilton pie was so seductively rich that it could easily have satisfied two people but I rather shamefully finished off the whole thing solo.

Cool cocktail: Gentry (cucumber infused No. 3 Gin, Pimms, Aperol, Lillet Rouge). If you like a Negroni then this twisted version is well worth trying.

Dub Jam 20 Bedford Street, London, WC2E 9HP. T: 020 7836 5876. dubjam.co.uk Who: Office workers looking to add some spice to their lunchtimes, pre-clubbers, reggae fans hungry for beats and eats.

What: A Jamaican jerk barbecue and rum shack pumping out Trojan Records hits.

When: Mon-Sat 12pm through to midnight munchies; Sun mid-day10.30pm (breakfasts coming soon).

Wear: Red, gold and green if you want to be ‘scene’, otherwise keep it casual.

Ms S says: With its strictly dub-wise soundtrack blaring from oversized sound system speakers, jerk every which way, and concept and styling by Dan Einzig the graphic artist behind some of the famous Trojan album covers, it’s a hit for me.

Hot dish: The Peppa Pig jerk skewer, marinated and cooked for eight hours – well dread.

Cool cocktail: The Wray & Nephew Rum Punch gets my vote – pumped through the sound system above the counter so it’s ‘infused’ with reggae, it’s a winner before you’ve even tasted it.

Mr G says: Even if it was snowing outside the vibe inside could fool you that the sun’s shining and you need another rum punch.

Hot dish: Kool Ruler king prawn and coconut jerk skewer. You can almost hear the waves lapping on the beach.

Cool cocktail: After you’ve tried the Rum Punch then it’s time for the Pina Colada.

Believe me this is good, real good and banishes any naff memories of drinks of the same name.

IN-formed

Coal Vaults

Wright Bros

Foxlow

187b Wardour Street, London, W1F 8ZB. T: 020 7434 1550. coalvaults.com Who: Cool couples and small groups of friends.

What: Seriously good basement cocktail bar with exquisite small plates to match.

When: Dinner Mon-Sat 5pm-12.30am.

Wear: Something bright so you can be seen in the dimly, and we mean dimly, lit subterranean space.

Ms S says: This is a real corker of a spot, quirky and cool in equal measures with some of the best drinks we’ve had the pleasure of tasting recently. The cocktails are designed to be enjoyed with the food but both work perfectly well on their own. Pencil it down for date nights.

Hot dish: Pan-fried king scallops, white asparagus, balsamic bianco and truffle – the scallops were so perfectly tender and flavoured, they’ve definitely been cooked by someone who knows their stuff.

Cool cocktail: The suggested pairing of the White Velour (Little Creatures Australia Pale Ale and orange blossom reduction, Prosecco and white chocolate) is the ideal accompaniment – it’s a corker of a drink and one I would happily sip without the food.

Mr G says: This is one perfectly balanced destination; unpretentious surroundings that invite you to settle down, highly original thinking on the food front and extremely good cocktails.

Hot dish: Pulled rabbit with smoked black beans, sweetcorn and pineapple relish, avocado sour cream and flat bread.

A subtle combination of flavours that gave a little bit more with every fork-full.

Cool cocktail: Maricastańa (tequila, agave, tamarind, mole bitters and orange).

A little bit of heat and sweetness that paired perfectly with the pulled rabbit.

8-9 Lamb Street, Old Spitalfields Market, London, E1 6EA. T: 020 7377 8706. thewrightbrothers.co.uk Who: Lone diners propping up the 20 metre dining counter, couples, fishlovers and anyone wishing to top up their Omega 3’s.

What: Flappingly fresh fish and crustacea from the freshwater tank and classic gin cocktails at the bar.

When: Mon-Sat midday-11pm; Sun midday-9pm.

Wear: Keep it casual smart to fit in with the overall mood.

Ms S says: It’s decadent fayre now but there was a time when gin and oysters were food for commoners, particularly in this part of London. Good to see it back where it belongs.

Hot dish: Fruits de Mer – petit for a starter or deluxe if you’re feeling flush.

With 10,000 live shellfish in the tanks, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t.

Cool cocktail: Easy, that’s the Portobello Road Gin Martini with a lemon twist.

Mixed here to perfection it was the ideal crisp, dry aperitif after a busy day and an ideal match for the shellfish.

Mr G says: Whether drinking or dining grab a stool at the centre bar so you can chat to the friendly staff and check out what’s going on.

Hot dish: Fried skate and little gem lettuce with louis sauce. Very simple with the focus on the really flavoursome fish, while lettuce makes the whole thing feel like the healthy option.

Cool cocktail: Last Word (gin, Green Chartreuse liqueur, maraschino liqueur, lime juice). Classic gin cocktail made exceptionally well and by someone with a lot of pride in their work. Nice.

69-73 St. John Street, London EC1M 4AN. T: 020 7014 8070. foxlow.co.uk Who: Office workers at lunchtime, casual but trendy neighbourhood diners at night.

What: Hawksmoor’s little sister – hence not too much make-up; a younger, fresher face and slightly more purse-friendly price points.

When: Lunch: Mon-Sat midday-3pm; Sun midday-5.30pm; dinner: Mon-Sat 5.30pm-10.30pm.

Wear: Clerkenwell cool – not so hip as the Shoreditch set but edging there.

Ms S says: Huw and Will are masters at getting the mood and the food just right at their venues – the same can be said for Liam Davy’s cocktails – here they’ve triumphed again with a fantastic menu that tempts and delights in turn.

Hot dish: Ten hour beef shortrib with kimchi – it looks good on paper but trust me, it’s even better in the mouth. Meltingly delicious and seasoned to perfection. Don’t worry if you can’t finish it (you probably won’t), they’ll package it up for you to take home.

Cool cocktail: The Tom Ford (gin, Benedictine, lemon, soda), like most of the cocktails here, this has minimal ingredients but what’s in the glass packs a serious punch.

Mr G says: There are echoes of Hawksmoor here but its own personality comes through. I like it. A lot.

Hot dish: The Ribwich, the lunch special: slow-smoked beef, pork and bacon rib with slaw and pickles. Add a side of the daily-changing salads and you’re good for the rest of the day.

Cool cocktail: Rockerfella Fizz (bourbon, vermouth, ginger ale), simple, delicious and bursting with taste.

The Cocktail Lovers - 55

IN-formed

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

TALES FROM THE BAR Postcard from Toronto by Shane Mulvany, The Chase Toronto is booming! Recently, it overtook Chicago as the fourth largest city in North America and the food and drink scene is growing fast too. At the end of the last decade many new young chefs made the leap to becoming restaurateurs and brought with them bartenders keen on building the city’s cocktail programs. Last year world-renowned chefs, including Daniel Boulud and David Chang opened outposts in Toronto showing that America is taking note of the changes in Canada’s number one city.

It wasn’t always easy to make great drinks in Toronto. The government-run liquor store, the LCBO, used to be the only option when buying booze and it didn’t offer a great selection of spirits. However, things have vastly improved over the past five years. We are now able to source a huge selection of bitters, vermouths and liqueurs that were previously unavailable in the province. Last year Toronto held its very first Toronto Cocktail Week which attracted many of the world’s top drinks personalities and Toronto bartenders have been cleaning up at cocktail competitions across the country.

In Toronto, bars have a legal obligation to serve food, so it should come as no surprise that some of the best restaurants in the city have some of the best drinks. Places like The Harbord Room (89 Harbord St. theharbordroom.com ) and The Black Hoof (928 Dundas St. West. theblackhoof.com) were the first to exhibit great cocktail menus. Others such as Ursa (924 Queen St. West. ursarestaurant.com), take homemade ingredients to another level. Bar Isabel (797 College St. West. barisabel.com) and Yours Truly (229 Ossington Ave. yourstruly.ca) have followed suit with equal success. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some great stand alone bars in the city too. Toronto Temperance Society (557A College St. torontotemperancesociety.com), Spirithouse (487 Adelaide St. West. spirithousetoronto.com) and Cocktail Bar (923 Dundas St. West. hoofcocktailbar.com), are all drink focused venues, and make some of the best cocktails in the city. If tequila is your spirit of choice then make sure to swing by Reposado (136 Ossington Ave. reposadobar.com) whilst rum lovers should check out Rhum Corner (926 Dundas St. West. rhumcorner.com).

Despite not having a great history of hotel bars, some of the boutique hotels are now great places to drink, especially in the summer, both The Drake (1150 Queen St. West. thedrakehotel.ca) and The Thompson (550 Wellington St. West. thompsonhotels.com) provide good rooftop drinking spaces. Of course, the best rooftop drinking is at The Chase (10 Temperance St. thechasetoronto. com) which has some of the best cocktails, food and views in Toronto. But I would say that…

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buy wine.

By Beth Willard

How much should you expect to pay for a ‘good’ entry-level wine?

It really depends on what you like. If you want to buy Burgundy, then you’ll have to spend a lot more to get a really tasty wine. But for £6 – 7 in Spain or Eastern Europe, you can find absolutely amazing value wines which are complex, rich and totally delicious. I always like to go where the value is!

What are the key characteristics to look out for (white and red)?

Let’s assume you’re looking for something to breakup the weekly chore of work, or perhaps something to enjoy with friends over the weekend...In a red, I’d be looking for loads of concentration. What I mean by that is a lot of fruit, rich and juicy. Maybe a bit of oak but something that is going to pack a punch (think red berries, spice, maybe a hint of chocolate).

If in doubt, I’d go for a Rioja Reserva! For a white, I want great acidity so the wine is lovely and fresh and fruity. But to impress, why not go for a Chardonnay from Limoux: all the complexity and richness of Chardonnay from Burgundy but at a fraction of the price.

How should you drink your wine (red and white)?

With friends! OK, so you probably want something more technical here but really it’s all about enjoyment. A rich red with some age might do with some airing – don’t worry about a decanter if you don’t have one but open the bottle a bit before drinking. And for a big full-bodied fruity white, just don’t over-chill it. Maybe take it out of the fridge a bit before you want to open it. But we really do get too caught up in what’s right and wrong. For instance, I like the Spanish tradition of chilling reds in hotter weather. How refreshing is that?! This works particularly well for wines from the sunny Mediterranean Coast (our Cabeza de Toro Bobal from just inland of Valencia is perfect slightly chilled).

Beth Willard is Wine Buyer at Laithwaite’s Wines. laithwaites.com

IN-formed

CREATE A STIR EACH MONTH

MAN ABOUT TOWN DRESSING FOR THE COCKTAIL HOUR What’s hot for spring. By Stephen Williams

5th May:

Cinco de Mayo – something with tequila Pomegranate Margarita 45ml Don Julio Blanco 75ml pomegranate juice 2 tsps caster sugar 20ml fresh lime juice Lemon wheel to garnish Method: Prepare your cocktail glass by dampening the rim with lime juice then coating with caster sugar. Shake first four ingredients over ice in a shaker. Strain into your sugarrimmed glass. Garnish with lemon wheel.

15th June:

Father’s Day

– something with whisky Balvennie Spey Trip 70ml Balvennie Whisky 10ml fig syrup A few drops of Donovan Bitters Dried fig to garnish Method: Stir ingredients over ice in a mixing glass. Pour into chilled cocktail glass and garnish with dried fig.

Created by the team at The Donovan Bar, Brown’s Hotel.

4th July:

Independence Day

– something with bourbon

Cocktail attire for men has changed greatly over the last few years.

One doesn’t have to wear black to every event now, bright colours lie beautifully with black satin lapels to give a more luxurious feel.

Green and pinks are key for this season with most of the catwalks featuring blazers in brightly coloured fabrics – worn correctly, incorporating colour to your outfit can make such an impact.

For those going for a special look – team together an evening jacket with a deep floral print shirt, florals are another key trend for this season.

Texture can also be introduced for those who aren’t confident wearing bright colours or floral prints. Mixing textures in the same outfit adds depth and richness. Keeping all the colour hues the same will pull the look together. Distressed velvet with satin or loose weave flannel with leather work beautifully.

Bear in mind that it’s not always about the suit, accessories are equally important. A pocket square is a must, the pop of colour will invigorate any outfit. If the cocktail party is in the day, wear the shirt slightly unbuttoned. In the evening, a bow-tie is an essential addition and the size of the bow-tie is very important too, we’re seeing a growing demand for larger styles.

Stephen Williams is Creative Director at Bespoke HQ. The Clerkenwell Collection, 155 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3AD. T: 020 3617 6961. theclerkenwellcollection.com

Bulleit Bourbon Old-Fashioned I sugar cube 2 orange slices 50ml Bulleit Bourbon 1 cherry A few dashes of Angostura orange bitters Method: Place sugar cube in tumbler and add a few dashes of bitters to soak the cube, then gently muddle together. Fill tumbler with ice cubes, then pour in Bulleit Bourbon. Stir gently for a few minutes with a bar spoon. Garnish with a slice of orange and place the cherry on top of the drink.

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COMING UP: 14th June is World Gin Day.

Join in the global celebrations with tastings, competitions and juniper-tastic parties.

Check in to worldginday.com for details.

IN-formed The

Cocktail

Girl

In pursuit of spiritual enlightenment in London’s bars The Punch Room at the Edition Like most people, I’ve had my fair share of atrocious punches. Mostly, although not exclusively, these have been at university parties where some bright spark throws together any and everything in the drinks cabinet with no regard for the taste, the aim is simply to mix enough booze to guarantee the mother of all hangovers. Not big and definitely not very clever, hence why punch and I don’t mix.

Until recently. If like me you missed the lesson when they showcased the delights of a properly concocted punch, the Punch Room to the rear of the Edition Hotel is a revelation. Don’t just rock up, you have to book, the intimate oak-panelled room only seats around 20.

MUSIC TO DRINK COCKTAILS TO Reggae Love Songs - 50 Jamaican Lovers Classics, Various Artists When we start to feel some sun on our skin we want to taste a little rum on our lips. So let’s add another layer with the sweet sound of some lovers rock.

Ah, lovers rock, the easy listening of the reggae world.

Think of all your favourite romantic songs or better still own up to a few of those guilty pleasure love tunes. Now imagine them with a gentle chugging charm. Help Me Make It Through The Night , Everything I Own, Angel (Of The Morning), Tears of A Clown, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.

If we’re listening to classic lovers rock then we’re drinking classic rum cocktails.

We’re talking Daiquiris and Mojitos, Dark ’N’ Stormies and Hurricanes, El Presidentes, Hemingway Specials, Mai Tais, Planters Punches, even, what the hell, Pina Coladas. There’s something about easy listening music and easy drinking cocktails that sometimes gets them too easily dismissed. But these cocktails and the songs in this collection are classics for a reason – they’re irresistible. So shake up and surrender to Silly Games and Breakfast In Bed, give in to I Want To Wake Up With You and its answer song You Can Wake Up With Me, and submit to Red Red Wine, yes, even though we are drinking cocktails.

Reggae Love Songs is 50, count them, 50 tracks of cocktail-loving, lovers rockloving goodness. And did we mention there’s a Volume 2? Go on, give in, you know you want to.

Trojan Records. Available from www.amazon.co.uk

LAST ORDERS As the name implies, it’s all about punch – served for two, four, six or eight people to share. My partner and I went for the signature, the Edition Punch (Tanqueray Gin, lemon juice, oak moss syrup, orange blossom water and jasmine tea), just the right blend of sweet, sour and spirit to make this cocktail girl happy; followed by a smooth, rich and silky Oxford Punch (port, Hennessy fin de Cognac, Havana Club Rum, green tea, lemon and orange sherbet), that went down a storm with him.

There are another six to choose from, including a daily changing option but if you you fancy putting Davide Segart and his team to the test, one Sunday a month (check for details) they invite you to bring along one of those bottles you have at home that may well have made it into a student punch. Hand it over and together with spirits from a sponsored brand like St. Germain elderflower liqueur or Martini, they’ll transform it into a drink of beauty – just like the rest of their menu.

Punch Room, Edition, 10 Berners Street, W1T 3NP. edition-hotels.marriott.com

with Simon Rogan.

Mention Simon Rogan’s name and foodies get a little mistyeyed. With good reason: he’s one of the hottest, most respected chefs in the UK. Holder of two Michelin stars for his restaurant L’Enclume in Cumbria and champion of natural farming and foraging for ingredients, Rogan opens his much anticipated restaurant Fera in Claridges, London in May. Expect an inventive menu inspired by the rhythms of nature. We asked Simon to share his imaginary last drink with us.

What would your last drink be?

Gin with a few dashes of Angostura bitters and a hot, fiery ginger beer Where would you have it?

On the beach, looking across Bassenthwaite Lake Who would you share it with?

With family and friends Fera at Claridges, Brook Street, W1K 4HR. T: 020 7017 8888. feraatclaridges.co.uk

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IN-sider’s Guide

UP ALL NIGHT IN

LIVERPOOL: SUNDAY CLUB

By Joe Wild

Before I dive into my guide of Liverpool and my favourite bars in the city I want to explain how this article came about. I was in London with the lovely people at The Cocktail Lovers and I was asking about the many bars that I’ve heard and read about, and saying how surprised I was that in London – the best city for cocktails in the world – I couldn’t seem to get a decent bevy at 5am.

Now I don’t know if this is just a ‘Scouse thing – don’t get me wrong, I know if I searched hard I would be able to get a drink after 1am in London, but who wants to do that?

Why would I want to spend £30 getting a taxi to some out-of-the-way bar because it’s open for another hour?

I started explaining how in Liverpool, if I am going out to town, I usually won’t go out until at least 11pm and I know I can stay in top quality bars until 5am. And that’s not just me, it’s very common all across the city. So The Cocktail Lovers suggested I write up a guide to a night out in Liverpool and what better night out than the bartenders Sunday night, or as we call it in Liverpool, Sunday Club.

8-9pm Jenny’s First off we arrive in Jenny’s Bar. New to the Liverpool scene having only opened up at the end of November last year but already making a name for itself, Jenny’s Bar is all about 70’s funk and soul without a flare or platform shoe in sight. This theme is also reflected on the drinks menu where you’ll see their twists on sometimes forgotten classics like Grasshoppers and Harvey Wallbangers. The

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place was deserted for the best part of 10 years before these guys got their hands on it. And we’re glad they did as it has a great history which accounts for its homage to the era.

Jenny’s Seafood Restaurant was established in the 70’s and stood independently for almost 40 years, boasting guests such as President Carter, The Beatles and Tom Jones.

The Old Ropery, Fenwick Street, L2 7NT. T: 0151 230 1939. facebook.com/jennysbar 9-9.30pm Some Place Now we hit the heart of the cocktail scene in Liverpool: Seel Street, where a few great independent bars stand side by side. Some Place is for all those absinthe lovers out there – who gather under the hazy glow of green fairies and the aroma of fresh coffee – taking you right back to that cool, arty hangout in Paris you told your mates you visited that you can never find again.

43 Seel Street, L1 4AZ. 9.30–10.30pm Salt Dog Slim’s Salt Dog Slim’s prides itself on steins and brines. Serving continuously changing beers and epic dogs, this place always has a great atmosphere – the best way to describe it is like when you and all your mates meet up before your night out. You know what I mean – when the music is going, the drinks are flowing and you know you are in for a belter of a night.

79-83 Seel Street, L1 4BB. T: 0151 709 7172. saltdogslims.co.uk

COLD COMFORTS Think Iceland is just about snow, fish and Björk? A few days in Reykjavik will certainly change your mind

Reykjavik is one of those places that intrigues but takes a while to get round to visiting. Our advice: stop being intrigued and book! Maybe not at the height of winter when the temperature drops to -15º C and four to six hours of daylight are the norm, but spring when the weather creeps up to a respectable 14º C, the snow capped mountains are still winking at you in the distance and air fares are still moderately low – that’s when the smart set rock up to Reykjavik.

We’ll be honest, the drinking scene veers more to the beer side of things than out and out cocktails. But that doesn’t mean that Icelander’s don’t know how to party…

IN-ternational

THE COCKTAIL LOVERS’ HOT LIST Loftid Austurstræti 9. T: +354 551 9400. loftidbar.is/en Following in the footsteps of Slippbarinn (below), this is a bar which is focusing on elevating the cocktail offering in Reykjavik. There are relics of its former life as a tailors all around. Cocktails include easy-to-drink libations like the Grand Goji Collins (Grand Marnier, lemon juice, orange bitters, vanilla syrup, pomegranate and goji juice and soda), and the Diablo Margarita (tequila, crowberry liqueur, lime juice and agave syrup). Nearly there but not quite.

Kaffibarinn Bergstaoastræoi 1. T: +354 551 1588.

Something of an institution in Reykjavik, so much so Damon Albarn once had a teeny stake in the place. Having his name associated with it worked on the publicity front as Kaffibarinn is one of the busiest night spots around these parts. Visit in the day for coffee and chat but if you want to see what all the fuss is about, join the queues and wait your turn outside. Drinks? Stick to beers.

Micro Bar Austurstræti 6. T: +354 847 9084.

For a country where beer was banned until 1989, it’s wasted no time trying to catch up with the rest of us. This no frills, no fuss place has some of the finest sips in Iceland with those on tap from micro breweries – try all eight which are available in a flight. Even if you’re not a beer fan it’s well worth a visit for the welcoming atmosphere.

Slippbarinn Myrargata 2. T: +354 560 8080. slippbarinn.is/en This is the place to go if you’re into cocktails and not just having a drink. Located in the harbour part of town, in the foyer of Reykjavik Hotel Marina it’s where the cool kids go to try out serious libations. Very much influenced by the dynamic bar scene in Copenhagen, Asgeir Mas Bjornsson is making it his mission to get that buzz going on here. The menu changes monthly taking in drinks to test the palate of the trendy guests, including cocktails like Old Spice (Anejo Tequila, rooibos syrup, bitters), Fat Duck (duck fat washed cognac, bitters and a spray of absinthe), and Babylon Fizz (gin, port, lemon, egg white and tonic water). At the weekend a mobile bar is set up further down the lobby so you don’t have to wait too long for your cocktails. Nice touch.

MUST DO: Take a plunge in the Blue Lagoon. bluelagoon.com MUST TRY: A Super Jeep tour through the hot springs and glaciers. superjeep.is MUST BUY: The star of the show, Reyka Vodka, the first vodka to be distilled and bottled in Iceland. It makes sense: the local water runs through a 4,000 year old lava field and is the purest you’re likely to find (we tasted it straight

THE ESSENTIALS Fly WOW airlines: If you like flying in style, skip past this right now. WOW is from the Ryanair school of low cost airlines. Despite making a big deal about its wacky outlook and friendly staff we didn’t see any evidence of this – and don’t even contemplate carrying on a bag of souvenirs/Duty Free as well as your hand luggage. Still, if you prefer to save your money for when you get to Reykjavik, it’s worth it.

For further information, see wowair.co.uk

Sleep Hotel Centrum, Adalstræti 16. T: +354 514 6000. hotelcentrum.is An ideal base for a few days break in Reykjavik – it’s not fancy but it ain’t too shabby either and you’re in walking distance of all the cultural treats, shopping and nightlife the capital has to offer. The hotel bar is pretty basic but still a good spot to start your evening. Free WiFi.

Eat Two excellent restaurants, both spearheaded by Hrefna Rósa Sætran of the Icelandic National Culinary team, Fiskmarkadurinn and Grill Markadurinn. The Grill is the trendier of the two – very dark, stark and industriallooking, the wait staff, dressed in top-to-toe black, look like they’ve stepped straight out of a fashion spread.

The food comes direct from local farms and features Icelandic delicacies such as whale, puffin and lobster mini burgers, beef and tenderloin of horse (surprisingly good by the way). There is fish on the menu but it’s better at Fishmarkadurinn where Sætran cooks up the freshest locally sourced fish in dishes such as pan-fried blueling, robata grilled salmon and lightly salted cod. Worth booking up for.

Grillmarkadurinn, Lækjargata 2A. T: +354 571 7777. grillmarkadurinn.is Fiskmarkadurinn, Adalstræti 12. T: +354 578 8877. fiskmarkadurinn.is

from the spring). If you’re an eco-worrier, Reyka Vodka’s credentials will also appeal: the distillery is the only one in the world that uses geothermal energy to power its plant.

It really is a thing of beauty (and we’re not just saying that because we were their guests). reykavodka.com Also worth trying are the local liqueurs including Crowberry, Blueberry and Rhubarb made by the Reykjavik Distillery. reykjavikdistillery.is

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HARVEY NICHOLS COCKTAIL M ASTER CL ASS LEARN HOW TO BLEND PERFECT COCKTAILS AND A FEW OTHER TRICKS OF THE TRADE, PERFECT FOR GROUPS OF FRIENDS, SPECIAL OCCASIONS, OR SIMPLY TO TRY SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT. FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BOOK PLEASE VISIT WWW.HARVEYNICHOLS.COM KNIGHTSBRIDGE, BRISTOL, DUBLIN, MANCHESTER, EDINBURGH, BIRMINGHAM, LEEDS, OXO, PRISM.

IN-vite only

SNAPSHOT:

We celebrated our 10th issue earlier this year by inviting friends, family and our favourite cocktail lovers to a bash at the downright funky Apartment at Hoxton Shoreditch.

Many thanks to Joe McCanta, Grey Goose Global Ambassador for creating the amazing Ms S and Mr G cocktails, Angostura for the delicious 1919 rum that went into the 1919 Daiquiris, Laithwaite’s Wine for an amazing selection of wines and HOBO for their wonderful beers.

Also a big shout out to 69 Colebrooke Row, Alexander & James, Bespoke Barware, Carom at Meza, Easy Art, Elephant Gin, Hendrick’s Gin, Laithwaite’s Wine, Mamounia Lounge and The Rum Kitchen for donating prizes for the evening, and to Jules, Hannah and the team from Hoxton Shoreditch for being totally awesome – a jolly good time was had by all.

The Cocktail Lovers - 65

IN-vite only

66 - The Cocktail Lovers