ISSUE 18
WINTER 2016
To Boldly Go!
The future of drinks 2016: A cocktail odyssey Trends to watch on earth and beyond
Space invader
A vessel that is truly out of this world
+ What Alex and Simone did next
ISSN 2052 0603
IN-tro
JOE GILMORE AND
DAV ID
BOWIE WHAT DO THE Y H AV E IN COMMON? They both pushed boundaries and celebrated life beyond earth. This issue is dedicated to them – Gilmore, the longest serving bartender at the legendary American Bar at The Savoy who created the Moonwalk cocktail and Bowie, the trailblazer, the other-worldly star man who made us question whether there was life on Mars. With their pioneering spirit in mind, we’re heading to space. Well, not really but we’ve used that as the theme for our first issue of the year… To begin with, we ask six forward thinkers for their views on what and how we will be drinking in 10 to 20 years time (p. 10 and p. 12), and examine a glass made with space travellers in mind (p. 24). Then it gets literal, with Julian de Féral looking at venues with amazing spaces (p. 28), Rebecca Milford checking out space saving tips for home bars (p. 46), and photographer/illustrator Edd Leigh setting 11 movers and shakers in the industry in a zero gravity environment as they talk about their bold new moves in our Watch This Space feature (p. 34). The future is very much top of mind, for us and Alex Kratena and Simone Caporale who left the Artesian at the end of last year to pursue their solo project. We talk to them about their plans for 2016 and beyond (p. 20), while Ben Norum predicts the key trends coming to London bars in the next 12 months (p. 44). Travelling? Check our round-up of the hottest new bar openings everywhere from Bali to Belgium (p. 63). And don't forget, wherever and whatever you may be drinking, please join us in raising a glass to Gilmore and Bowie.
Happy imbibing! Ms S & Mr G
thecocktaillovers.com
The Cocktail Lovers - 3
IN-gredients
6. IN-the know
43. IN-focus
25 reasons to be a cocktail lover this season Spacing out, doing the robot and lusting after a Mojito – just a few of the many things we're looking forward to in the next few months
Drink, Eat, Live Don't make resolutions, says Claire Warner, be kind to yourself instead
10. IN-terview In the hotseat Food futurologist Dr. Morgaine Gaye gives us the lowdown on the next big things in the world of drinks
12. IN-spire The future of drinking What, where and how will you be drinking 25 years from now? We find out from the experts
20. IN-spire What Alex and Simone did next Mssrs. Kratena and Caporale on leaving the world's best bar and leading the service industry into a new era
24. IN-the spotlight Space invaders How do you a design a glass for drinking liquids in zero gravity? Very beautifully, as the team at Ballantine's whisky found out
28. IN-the spotlight Amazing spaces Size isn't everything, it's what you do with it that counts, particularly when it comes to bars, says Julian de Féral
30. IN-dulge App-y talk Monitor your water intake, stop yourself from drunk dialling and build your whisky library with these clever drinks apps
34. IN-style Watch this space There's a whole lot of movement going on in the bar world. We catch up to see where a few of our favourites are headed
44. IN-focus 2016: A space odyssey What are the key trends for drinkers in London this year? Ben Norum makes his predictions
46. IN-focus Space savers Rebecca Milford asks the experts for the tips and tricks you need for designing and building your home bar
48. IN-focus To boldly go? Or not Are you ready to sip cocktails in space or are you firmly rooted in the offerings on earth? We argue the case for both
50. IN-dependent spirits Luck of the Irish Meet the woman who is on a mission to revive the lost art of Irish whiskey bonding from her family farm on the Wild Atlantic Way
52. IN-dustry greats Master of Martinis No one worships the Martini more than Javier de las Muelas, that's why he's dedicated an altar to their making in his Dry Martini bars
54. IN-formed Mains & Martinis Three London restaurants where the restaurants are as good as the food
56. IN-formed Word up News, views, reviews and interviews from the cocktail front
60. IN-sider's guide Glasgow in focus Michael Cameron shines a light on the leaders of the pack in Caledonia
42. IN-focus
62. IN-ternational
New horizons gaz regan doffs his cap to the weird and sometimes wonderful world of molecular mixology
New spaces Bali, Bath, Belgium (and other places that don't begin with 'B') – eight new bars to have on your radar right now
The Cocktail Lovers are proud to be listed on The London Evening Standard Progress 1000 – London’s Most Influential People 2015 and global top four Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards 2015
Editors: Sandrae Lawrence Gary Sharpen Sub-editor: Sally Briggs Creative Director: James Cheverton at Burnt Studio burntstudio.com Illustrations: Edd Leigh edd-leigh.co.uk Melanie Milne mellmadedesign.com Mark Reihill markreihill.com Photography: Edd Leigh edd-leigh.co.uk Contributors: Michael Cameron Julian de Féral Rasmus Lomborg Rebecca Milford Ben Norum gaz regan The Departure Lounge Lauryn Tomlinson Claire Warner For all editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact: mail@thecocktaillovers.com 020 7242 2546 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 illustration: Mark Reihill markreihill.com To Boldly Go with Alex Kratena and Simone Caporale The Cocktail Lovers Issue No. 18 Winter 2016 The Cocktail Lovers magazine is published by The Cocktail Lovers Ltd. in London, UK PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
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REASONS TO BE A COCKTAIL LOVER THIS SEASON Wearing our garnishes, wising up to water and getting our matcha on – just a few of the things we’re looking forward to in the next few months
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Inspired by Tim Peake’s venture and the theme of this issue we’ll be heading to the Science Museum for 'Cosmonaut’s: Birth of the Space Age' (until 13 Mar, sciencemuseum.org. uk). To drink? Why a Grey Goose Cosmonaut of course! Build 45ml Grey Goose La Poire, 25ml lime juice, 17.5ml ginger liqueur and 1 dash cardamom bitters in a spherical rocks glass and garnish with a space candy dusted grape.
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Cosmonauts: birth of the space age/science museum
Spacing out
IN-the know
02
THREE...
Popping our corks
Embracing the cold
Think space, think popping candy. Add some to the rim of your cocktail glass and prepare for your mind to be blown. Popping candy, creamsupplies.co.uk
04
Lusting after a Mojito
05
…not the drink, we’re drooling over this offthe-scale luxe Mojito Trunk. It’s on wheels so you can transport it around your house, and get this, you can connect your phone to the speakers for an all-round taste sensation. tttrunks.com
As in brews. In the coffee corner we have Mr Black, the coolest tasting (and looking) coffee liqueur adding attitude to your glass… mrblack.co
04 …and for tasty cold brew teas on the go, this Hario Tornado does the job like a boss. brewedbyhand.com
ZAPPING OUR WINE
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Rumour has it that the Sonic Decanter does wonders to wines of the budget variety. Softer, smoother and more aromatic in 15 minutes – all at the touch of a button. Pow! sonicdecanter.com
Eating our drinks
09
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Need convincing that edible cocktails are the future? Check Eddie Shepherd’s e-book for all kinds of inspiring alcohol-based recipes without a glass in sight. eddieshepherd.com
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Doing the robot Not in a rude way, obvs. Botlr the
robotic butlers at Aloft Hotels may
be able to deliver your drinks, towels and whatnots to your room but they can’t do that. Yet… starwoodhotels.com
Going for gold Gold sugar cubes? Er, hello! Why use plain old white or brown ones in a cocktail when you can pimp your drink big style instead? firebox.com The Cocktail Lovers - 7
IN-the know
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MAKING LIKE ROCKERFELLA How else could we afford to try Watenshi, the world’s most expensive gin at £2,000 a pop? Available exclusively from selfridges.com
TWELVE Doubling up on the cold front What could be better than having a freezer full of ice and chilled glasses? Sticking this magnetic voice recorder on the door to remind yourself to stock up on essentials. Cool stuff… prezzybox.com
13 Wising up to water
Big-ups to HydraCoach, the intelligent water bottle that calculates how much you need to drink based on your weight and activity and paces you throughout the day. Clever or what? hydracoach.com
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Keeping things neutral Trust punksters BrewDog to play with sex altering hops to develop the world’s first ‘nonbinary, postgender beer’. They’re never ones for playing things straight… brewdog.com
14. Investing in a Vitamix
15. HAVING TIME OFF Two are good, three
Here’s why: it makes healthy hot soups, smoothies, dips and spreads to feed your virtuous self and tip-top cocktails when you want to indulge. What’s not to love? vitamix.com
are even better – we’re talking days off the sauce (and they only count if they’re consecutive…) #keepingitreal2016
our 16 Getting matcha on Green tea in HD. Want to know more? Try a Matcha Mixologist Course at bluebirdtea.com
SEVEN TEEN PREPPING FOR SORE HEADS
Not that we need it you understand but the Girl Guide/ Boy Scout in us just loves to be prepared. Grow Your Own Hangover Kit, by the Gluttonous Gardener. notonthehighstreet.com
IN-the know
EIGHTEEN 19. GRINNING AND BEERING IT
And we mean that quite literally folks. Get down with the in crowd and buy yourself a D.I.Y. Craft Beer Kit from homebrewtique.com
Make like the fash pack and look to your glass for wardrobe cues this season. Orange is the hot shade at Hermés, Lacoste, Narciso Rodriguez and Paul Smith, while lemons are looking lush at Dolce & Gabbana.
dolce & gabbana
Wearing our garnishes
20:
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MAKING LIGHT WORK OF WHISKY What better way to learn about drams than reading The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Whiskey – it does exactly what it says on the tin. amazon.co.uk
22.
SIGNING UP FOR WINE
balls: the evening before the morning after – drinking sculpture, 1972 – gilbert & george
Brushing up on art
Everyone knows Hogarth’s Gin Lane but what about booze-inspired works from other British artists? Check out Art & Alcohol at Tate Britain and find out for yourself. Until Sep 2016, admission free. tate.org.uk
A private member’s club for wine lovers you say? Sign us up immediately! Spread over three floors with a wine library, events for the modern oenophile and access to courses at the Wine Spirits and Education Trust, it’s definitely our kinda place. 67pallmall.com
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HAVING FUN WITH WORK OUTS Come on, you’ve got to laugh… ellieellie.com
23 PAWSING FOR THOUGHT Hooch for your pooch? Why not? Pour Bowser Beer (made with USDA beef or chicken, sweet malt barley and a smidgen of glucosamine), over ice to quench your doggy’s thirst. bowserbeer.com
25
Giving desserts a kick
You could just add your favourite liquor to cream to top your puds and drinks, or you could try this – vodka-infused cream in five fab flavours instead. firebox.com
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IN-terview
IN THE HOTSEAT
DR. MORGAINE GAYE
TALKING TRENDS, FADS AND THE WAY WE'LL BE DRINKING IN 10 YEARS TIME Firstly, in its most basic terms what is a food futurologist? We identify new global trends and translate them into actionable insights. I apply modern scientific research to history, nature and global cultural theory, branding, marketing and consumer behaviour and help ad agencies, PR companies and brands with new brand extensions, future gazing and trend reports. What’s the difference between a trend and a fad and can you give examples in drinks? A big trend in beverages at the moment is water – waters with slight added benefits such as artichoke, coconut and birch water. It’s been a big trend for at least a decade but it’s becoming more of a critical mass so we’re starting to understand it in a bigger way.
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photography: nathan pask
Only last year I was talking about the things in our water supply and what we’ll start seeing in 2016/2017, including flooding, which hadn’t happened at the time. The water trend also extends to using ice in creative ways – as an added ingredient in drinks, not just as cubes. We’re also looking at how we deliver the water coming out of our taps – artistic water designs to save water. Fads are things like matcha tea. It’s been around for a while and is very much a healthy thing – there was a big matcha buzz in 2014/15 but it's slipped away a bit. It’s like Buck’s Fizz in the 1990s and Babycham in the 1970s – fads have their moment. Was the resurgence of gin a trend or fad and do you have any insights into the next big spirit categories? The trend on gin came about because it’s easy to make and was a great Prohibition drink, which led to a bespoke craft process with small companies starting their own labels. But gin has had its day.
IN-terview
Rum is very interesting for bartenders and there’s something exciting around whisky; brands are looking at opportunities to bring what was once seen as a pipe and slippers spirit with male names (Johnnie Walker, Jim Beam, Jack Daniel’s) to the mass audience. I also think we’ll see lots more botanicals and drinking vinegars mixed in with cocktails; alcohol meeting some kind of micronutrient levels. What food and/or drinks trends are exciting you right now? What’s exciting me personally is specific DNA based nutrition. The way it will work is after we’ve had our analysis we’ll know exactly what we need on a very personal basis – our individual nutritional micronutrient balance will be monitored on a moment-bymoment basis based on our DNA. How do you see brands/bars engaging with customers going forward? Bars and drinks will be promoted as more of a niche enjoyment moment, something much more treasured than just knocking back a few pints. People used to go to the theatre and then dinner, now dinner is theatre – going to a bar and watching a barman make your drink is theatre – people are choosing different ways to have experiences. Bars have already started to change the way they engage. They have to. If it doesn’t feel special, like a real night out people will go to the supermarket, pay half the price and go home. There’s got to be a reason to go out and bars are already on it. Which key ingredients should bartenders be looking to incorporate in their cocktails? More savoury items, particularly with the issues with sugar; vegetables are the new fruit and we’re seeing them used more, whether its beetroot or carrots in syrups and juices. We’ll also see more bitter notes coming through. What about colour? We thought the future was all medical, clean, white and perfect when in fact we’re looking to imperfection and realness. We’ll be seeing more blacks, browns and earthiness in food and drink – there’s already BLK, a black water on the market. We’ve seen bartenders embrace pre-batched cocktails, do you think there’s a place for vending machines in bars? There’s a big place for them in cocktails but I’m not sure if it’s in the bar – we need the theatre and experience. I imagine we’ll see more vending machines selling high end products, some of which might be cocktails
– ready to make, not pre-made but they could have the intelligence to make the cocktail while you wait. The only way I can see vending machines in a bar is a bar that only has vending machines, so the highlight is it’s a bar with vending machines.
Although to-go drinks will still be popular, plastic will be banned and containers will be edible Please give us your prediction for drinking in 10 years time The future of beverage will incorporate a number of major trends going forward to 2025. Although to-go drinks will still be popular, plastic will be banned and containers will be edible; either edible glassware or edible membranes as complete containers for the liquid. The membranes or vessels will be used as a second texture and in some cases an additional flavour. Drinkware will be part of the USP. Non-edible containers will be multifunctional vessels that will have a second purpose or already be re-purposed. Multi-functional benefits will be commonplace in all beverages. Botanicals, micronutrients and trace minerals will be part of the drink offering. Cocktails and mocktails will offer a variety of possible benefits, such as energy or relaxation. Stylish non-alcoholic beverages will be on the rise as wine notes and complex flavours will be available in a variety of special occasion drinks, from speciality ‘wines’ to non-alcoholic ‘spirits’ – which will be complex and versatile. We will see big price rises on alcoholic beverages but not in food, so alcoholic foods will be much more prevalent; boozy jams and mustards, alcohol laced jellies, sweets, ice creams and chocolates, plus all kinds of unexpected foods. For more information, see www.morgainegaye.com Twitter: morgainegaye Instagram: morgainegaye
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THE FUTURE OF DRINKING Cups that you eat, urine as drinking water, 3D ice – what does the future hold for drinkers? We ask those who have a better idea than most…
Photography: nathan pask
IN-spire
Sam Bompas and Harry Parr Jellymongers and flavour innovators A new epoch of space travel is beginning. At Bompas & Parr we feel it’s important that tourists of the galaxy celebrate appropriately. Twenty-five years in the future we’re confident we’ll still be consuming alcohol – though its source components may be rather more alien than what we’re used to – accompanied by a range of new products that will simulate all the highs of booze without its ill effects. As we embark on long weekends to the Moon or start the long trip to our colonies on Mars, we’ll be used to purifying our urine for drinking water, but we’ll also have started using it as the source for locally brewed space beer or Martian Moonshine, leveraging off-planet bacteria and the oxygenating algae that we’re using to create an atmosphere. A new generation of fermenting yeasts and hitherto unknown maturation materials mined from passing comets will unlock new tastes and flavours. Simultaneously, we’ll be planning how to harvest the billion-kilometre-wide clouds of ethanol that float across distant
galaxies – after all, it’s New Year's Eve every day on those newly discovered, fast-spinning planetoids in the delta quadrant. 4D-printed cocktail makers will be standard in interstellar kitchens for instant parties, using edible gel materials to create 20th century cocktails, served with historical holographic son et lumières that immerse guests in multisensory recreations of famous but long-closed bars – from Harry’s Bar to Hooters, at the touch of a button. Meanwhile, we’ll enter a new realm of neuropharmacological pleasures: it’s a case of soma meets synthehol as we deconstruct the effects of a cocktail. Breathe in synthetic whisky or cognac clouds that emanate from integrated flavour capsules in your home and get boozed via a capsule of chemicals – minus that Jupiter-sized hangover. Who knows what extra terrestrials will be joining us in the watering holes of the future? Which just leaves the question of which way is bottoms-up in zero gravity? bompasandparr.com
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Professor Charles Spence Head of Crossmodal Research Laboratory, University of Oxford 10-20 years from now we’ll look back and think how boring the glassware of today was. We’re already seeing an explosion of new plating and plateware ideas in restaurants and gastropubs, and somewhere like Artesian, at London’s Langham Hotel, hints at where this could be going when it comes to the world of cocktails. I feel sure that technology will increasingly be integrated into the serviceware of the future too. For example, one idea we are currently working on, with colleagues in Bristol, is a glass that plays music or a soundscape when you pick it up and bring it to your lips. The other big trend that I foresee crossing over from the world of molecular gastronomy to the world of molecular mixology is the notion of multisensory experience design. If you look at many of the top modernist restaurant openings of the last five years or so (think Ultraviolet in Shanghai or Sublimotion in Ibiza), then increasingly they are about designing the multisensory environment to tell a story with each dish, or to enhance the moment in some way. The lighting, projections and sonic backdrop change course-by-course. While this approach is obviously going to be easier at a single-sitting tasting menu than in those environments where everyone orders something different, I feel sure that multisensory atmospherics designed to match the serve, and directed to an individual diner, or table, are not outside the realms of possibility. My third hope for 10-20 years hence is that we’ll be seeing a lot more insects on the cocktail menu. No guarantees about this one though, as people’s aversion to insects is pretty deep-seated; such a shame given that many critters deliver a great and unusual flavour… psy.ox.ac.uk/research/crossmodal-research-laboratory Twitter @xmodal
Suzy Badaracco President, Culinary Tides, Inc. My background is military intelligence and chaos theory so I’m used to looking at patterns. One thing that will determine what drinks will be like in 20 years time is what the economy is looking like; whether we’re in an upswing or a recession. Broadly speaking, if we’re in a recession no matter how far in the future it is, you’ll be looking at more light – cheap wine and beer and simple cocktails. If we’re in a good economy, cocktails are definitely the rock star: you see more complicated cocktails, higher priced wines and craft beers – drinks get more complex and you have to be much more knowledgeable as a consumer. Let’s say we’re in a good economy going forward, I think we’ll go in three directions at the same time. Cocktails will be more complex, more three-dimensional, historical cocktails will be celebrated and we’ll be looking at ingredients more geographically. For instance if Arctic foods are hot in the US then there will be Nordic influenced cocktails – presentation will also be key. Add-ins will be important too. Already there are interesting ice machines that deliver alcoholic and smoked ice but we’ll be getting more culinary add-ins such as the herb de jour or super foods; single spirits will pick up on those flavours as well. Also the form of the cocktail will be consequential, so we’ll see frozen or solidified cocktails and lots of interesting ice and garnishes – particularly with 3D technology. culinarytides.com
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Photography: christian seel
IN-spire
Micah Melton Beverage Director, The Aviary, Chicago In general I think there will be more small and local products. People are becoming hyper aware of the production process and of everything that they are putting into their bodies. We will know which farm the grain came from, where it was distilled and bottled (at least I hope). Beyond that, I hope we are drinking more modern classics – more Penicillin and Juliet & Romeo – and less classic classics. Also, I hope people are drinking more innovative and stylish presentations. Let’s move out of the speakeasy and
into the bars of today, or better yet, tomorrow. I don’t think bitter will go away, so more Amaros will be consumed. Finally, I think Pisco, Cachaça and Japanese whiskies will be more prevalent – they are finally starting to gain ground. Bye-bye flavoured vodka and whisky! We’ll also be seeing Champagne cocktails with 3D printed sugar cubes and possibly there will be more 3D printed (or cut) ice out there. theaviarybar.com
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photography: thomas whitehead
Zoe Burgess Head of Research & Development, The Drink Factory 2015 seems to have been quite a year in terms of discoveries and achievements in space. For me, the excitement about space exploration is the approach to problem solving, it’s utterly inspiring. How does this translate into the future of drinks and bar service? Well, there will be obvious hurdles with drinks in space, such as no gravity. Ballantine’s Space Glass has addressed this through the engineering of a vessel that works in micro gravity and is beautiful to hold. Drinking in space or on earth, I think purity will be embraced; flavour and drink serves will be streamlined but we won’t lose the human touch involved in making drinks. If anything I hope the bartending and beverage community embraces the problem solving attitude held by the scientists involved in space exploration. If we can do this we‘ll keep the elegance held within a great cocktail and be able to create a new set of classics suited to the 2025 crowd. thedrinkfactory.com
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Cocktail set: Martyn Pugh
IN-spire
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE What Alex and Simone did next Photography/illustration: Edd Leigh summer at grain store
“What’s beautiful about our status now is we can make decisions”, say Alex Kratena. He’s talking about life after the exit he and Simone Caporale made from the Artesian bar late last year. Was it a surprise? Not really, but cor, was it dramatic. Not just because it came less than a month after they’d pickedatup the trophy for Drink light floods through bar termini International's World’s Best Bar for the fourth consecutive year, but as nine key members of the team left with them. Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. Was there a big kerfuffle – a conflict that prompted their bold decision to bow out of their cocktail nirvana in the Langham hotel? “We had to leave Artesian because by slowing down we could speed up,” says Simone cryptically. Alex is more matter-of-fact. “For the last two years we’d been thinking about it – thinking what our next step would be.” Which is only to be expected. In their time at the Artesian the dynamic duo accumulated numerous awards including Best International Cocktail Bar, World’s Best Bar Team, World’s Best Hotel Bar and Best International Bartender for both Alex and Simone, and that’s the edited version of their joint accolades – it’s only natural that they should consider their options. The fundamental reason behind the move stems from a vision they have for the future: “London is about pushing things forward – what’s new, what’s next – it’s a city that is very open to new things. There’s a huge focus on the product in bars, by that I mean the drinks,” begins Alex. “We started to look at other elements of operations and management structures and discovered perhaps it’s not the products that we need to rethink. Service has evolved but we still build and operate bars like back in Harry Johnson’s time in the 19th century– we need to evolve these things.” It’s roughly two months since the breakaway and we’re sitting in another London hotel – in downtown funky east rather than uptown swanky west. They’re dressed in casual clothes, not the smart Artesian work wear we’re accustomed to seeing them in, and they’re in serious conversation mode rather than the light-hearted approach they are famed for bringing to
five-star environments. The duo are discussing their plans for 2016 and beyond as well as their thoughts on the advancements of hospitality. They’re hesitant at first, mindful of the fact that their next step, let’s call it Project A/S, is in its infancy. “We’re only at the beginning. We want to talk less now and make things happen,” says Alex. That should be their mantra. Since joining the Langham and taking on the bar at the Artesian, they’ve worked tirelessly on ‘making things happen’. Put it this way, we remember the bar when it was known for its lush David Collins refurb rather than its cocktails. Then Alex was brought on board. “Artesian evolved slowly, we used those first three years to be consistent, to get negroni barastermini up to speed,” he remembers.rosato He got the at gig Head Bartender in 2008 and took Simone on three years later. “There was an instant connection between us – I won’t say chemistry because that sounds sexual, but we clicked straight away,” Alex replies when asked why Simone was the best person for the role of Assistant Head Bartender. They put their heads down with the rest of the team and got on with doing the job in hand – creating what would become regarded as the best bar in the world – not just by industry folk but by consumers as well. “When people think about the Artesian, they think there’s always been a lot of noise about it, they don’t remember that for four years it was heads down, learning, improving things every day – it happened organically.” Blame the transition on the boogie. Or disco to be more precise. “The original menu had a theme for each of the pages, we began to change that slowly. The turning point came when we introduced the Disco Drinks section and brought in a slushy machine. The menu was still in its classic format at that point and then we said, wouldn’t it be exciting if we changed the entire thing?” And the rest, as they say, is history. Whether devising cocktails to grace beautifully intricate vessels, like the exquisite tumbler strategically positioned behind a mirror with a straw pierced into it so that the drinker is faced with their own reflection in the Forever Young, or the giant copper ant containing a freeze-dried granola mix at one end and a wheat/almond mix at the other, they’ve pushed drinks and serviceware to extraordinary limits.
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IN-spire
But that was then, what about now? And why now, come to that? “One of the main reasons we left was down to the fact we’ve been looking at different management systems – there are things that can be done that are more suitable to the needs of the bartender.” Like what? “Bars, restaurants, hotels are very dynamic places yet they all operate a flat management system. It doesn’t work because it’s not dynamic enough,” begins Alex. “For the past six months we’ve looked around, thinking what other industries have in common with bars – other dynamic industries – like tech start-ups. Through that we discovered holacracy.” Created in 2007 by former programmer Brian J. Robertson, holocracy is a management system that abolishes traditional hierarchy and concentrates on distributing the power amongst the people who should be making the decisions. That’s the way Alex and Simone describe the principle. “It’s a way of working where there are no job descriptions or titles, instead you have roles,” Alex explains further. “Often the people who make decisions in companies are not the most qualified. In this system the person who is filling that role is the most suitable person and no one else can overrule them – you’re filling that role because you’re the most suitable person to do so.” Simone expands on the theory, “So for instance, say you’re in a restaurant and you order a glass of Champagne and it’s flat, you call the waiter over because you want to change it. In the traditional flat system, the waiter acknowledges the problem but doesn’t have the power to make the decision to give you a fresh glass. Instead he has to go to the manager. The manager then comes over to you and asks you to explain the problem all over again. In the end you feel like an idiot or that you’ve made too much fuss – that kills the meaning of hospitality to me.” He does have a point. “Not to criticise the Langham or be negative but we needed to go our own way,” Alex picks up. “If this is the best way, or one of the better ways, to run a bar and if other people can then discover it, it’s definitely beneficial.” Project A/S has already launched – its name will be revealed at a later date. “This is our vision, rethinking everything, not just the drinks but the real ingredients. Our group is already operating but this is only the beginning.” So far it comprises a core team made up of Alex, Simone and drinks consultant Monica Berg. Joining them are Bernard Zieja, Clementine Mitchell and Marek Mysicka. “We’ve brought on board people in design, photography, video – creating a platform for people to work on projects as and when needed. The team opens up a whole new universe – things can come up that none of us could achieve on our own,” says Alex. Simone agrees. “We’re all part of a collective and will be working to create a dialogue; our aim is to question things and see where it’s possible to reimagine drinks.” There will be a space where all of this comes into play
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but true to the principles Project A/S is embracing, don’t even try to get them to define it. “It’s not a bar, a lab or a test kitchen – if we call it a bar, we’ve already put a constraint on it. We don’t want to create a box for ourselves,” says Alex. “You have to have some borders in life so there’s something to push against but we don’t want to build that box around ourselves,” Simone chips in. “Our new projects are bigger than anything we have worked on before.” There are going to be a lot of risks, a lot of freedom and a lot of creativity – one thing's for sure, prepare for the unexpected.
DOWN TO EARTH Alex & Simone’s favourite things… Style icon Alex: Jean-Claude Ellena, house perfumer at Hermès. Simone: Johnny Cash. Food Alex: Tacos. Simone: Bread, butter and anchovies. nightjar
Film
Alex: The Godfather – when you take out the violence, there’s a lot of wisdom between the lines. Simone: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory – the original one with Gene Wilder. Journey Alex: The beginning. I enjoy the excitement and getting into the mindset of travelling. Everything about it excites me – walking into the terminal makes me feel like I’m in a movie. I get a real high from travelling. Simone: The same for me. I have lots of adrenalin when I leave home to go to the airport – we travel a lot but we choose to do it, we genuinely enjoy it. Historical figure Alex: Marco Polo – we talk about jetsetting but imagine the experience at that time… Simone: José Marti – he's a Cuban national hero. Musician Alex: Looptroop. Simone: Social Distortion. Inspiring quote Alex: The future is not to predict but to create. Simone: Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Keep up-to-date with Alex and Simone's plans at thecocktaillovers.com
IN-the spotlight
AMAZING SPACES Size isn't everything, according to Julian de FĂŠral
Clockwise from top: lucky liquor co, edinburgh; bar americano, melbourne; pouring ribbons, new york
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IN-the spotlight
Remember how video gamers in the 1990s were automatically handed geek badges? How choosing to play games that weren’t affiliated to sports meant choosing to never have sex? Well, a while back, over in the States the geeks who dropped their joy pads realised that being different was cool and picked them up again. Now, the gaming industry is worth more than the film industry and gaming bars are big business. Put it down to nostalgia or a postmodern embracing of all things retro, the simple fact is that those gamers who blistered their thumbs twenty years ago now confidently run companies, set trends, crowd-fund and open bars. A bit slow on the uptake, London eventually joined the gaming bar party with the likes of Loading Bar; originally crammed behind a juice bar in Soho and sporting a pixelated paradise of old school and modern games with so-so cocktails. Then PimpShuei opened last year to a sigh of relief and a lo-fi squeal of excitement as bar veteran Sipheng You gutted a function room below a restaurant, filled it with enough hardware to make a child of the 90s weep liquid memories and turned the fire exit into a sneaky bar entrance.
back-of-house. Over in Melbourne, acclaimed painter/ trend-breaking bar operator Matt Bax’s Bar Americano manages to squeeze an enviable amount of innovation into a teeny space; dishing up daily Amaro serves in a room that provides standing-only accommodation for just 15 people. Every year the cocktail menu is solely based on a classic cocktail book, with replicas of this tome serving as menus. The bar nibbles are wedges of local cheese and bread, and there is space for only one brand of each spirit on the back bar, carefully chosen and reverentially poured into a crystal decanter.
Five arcade machines with an emphasis on ‘gun fu’, multigame cabinets, impressive HD/3D projection and ultra-rare vintage black-and-white TV/boombox hybrids (which Sipheng has been collecting since 2007) showcase back-to-back martial art movies, wirelessly controlled by a bespoke state-of-the-art eight channel internal video broadcast system. Original vintage movie posters and kung fu graffiti adorn the walls and decorate the tables alongside lamps made by Sipheng from Chinese take-away boxes. Importantly the drinks, food and service are all on point, elevating this gaming watering hole far beyond a dive bar with a pinball machine, and providing amply for the new demographic of adults who are as discerning about their beverages as they are their consoles and kaiju flicks. Based on feedback from its fans, PimpShuei continues to evolve (Sipheng assures me “more cool shit will happen”), the impressive collection restrained only by the diminishing range of vintage-tech on the market and the space itself. Physical space, or lack thereof, has always pushed innovative bar operators into coming up with creative and occasionally brilliant solutions. Tokyo is famed for its tiny high-rise-hidden shoebox bars, formed out of necessity due to the sky-high value of each square metre in the city. The resulting style of service, where elegant attention to detail and service-led theatre caters for no more than a dozen guests, has influenced the bar industry on a global scale, whether you have space to spare or not. Bar Termini in London manages to admirably cram an impressively concise selection of aperitifs, snacks and affordable coffee into a very tight area with no
lucky liquor co., edinburgh
As much as I enjoy the competitive nature of building up huge bartender-boner spirit collections, I equally love the current trend of exercising a degree of informed restraint: just as lack of space can push operators to innovate, restricting one’s spirit selection drastically can make for a real point of difference and weed out brand-calling guests who aren’t down with drinking something unless they’ve seen it endorsed by a celebrity. Spirit singularity is sexy, and compromise doesn’t need to be a bad thing. The moment I walked into The Lucky Liquor Co. in Edinburgh I was in my element. The bartender had just laid down the next piece of vinyl on the turntable, and looking at their white-tiled ‘back bar’ the first thing that struck me was its absence, no bar ephemera, no cocktail trinkets and no nonsense; just 13 bottles of branded spirits to inform the playful and ever-rotating cocktail menu, and a lonely shelf with a backlit rainbow of house-
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Above: le syndicat, paris; right: bar termini, london
made liqueurs. No doubt this kind of setup encourages (nay, forces) the kind of creative and open-minded approach to drinks selection and guest journey that ‘regular’ bars needn’t necessarily consider. In Paris Le Syndicat has considered its offering and approach with the kind of joyful irreverence that is fast making Paris the city to watch when it comes to bar creativity. Behind a decrepit shop front, a cosy bar houses a selection of proudly and exclusively French liquors on cheap shelving punched into perforated plasterboard. Making great use of the growing French ‘craft’ spirit category as well as historical and overlooked Francotipples, cheeky contrasts are further emphasised with gaudy gold curtains and hip hop from the golden era. It’s pretty clear that this bar was created by bartenders with a fresh energy and sense of fun that is becoming harder to find in increasingly jaded ‘cocktail capital cities’.
avoiding over zealous government officials in Malaysia by restricting entrance to their ‘café’ to a side window, rebellious street bars in Ghana using local distillates and ingredients to blend up glass tankards of hilariously potent slushies and proving a counterpoint to new swanky nightclubs with eclectic French DJs and local talent, and floating off the Brazilian island of Boipeba, an old wooden top drifts around with a couple of knives, fresh cocoa straight off the tree, dark sugar, limes and an abundance of Cachaca… the well-travelled will see delicious innovation in the most unlikely of places.
For all its incredible bars and exemplary service, New York City might risk falling into this category, many of its bars being represented by cut-and-paste rehashes of pseudo-‘prohibition’ bars, offering up boring twists on vintage classics. Things are changing though, and leading by example Pouring Ribbons has neatly avoided that cliché since opening a couple of years ago.
We are lucky enough to be living in a golden age of bartending where creativity and innovation is reaching lofty heights I could never have imagined the first time I fumbled my way through a cocktail. Even Dry Martini, the bar where I first blagged my way through mixed drinks – which was a pretty average 90s hotel bar – now houses an ‘altar to the Martini’, a back of house ‘lab’ which would make most chefs green with envy, and serves cocktails in living plants. There are countless innovative bars out there I haven’t mentioned that justifiably get column inches in glossy mags and scoop up all the awards, and we like to slap ourselves on the back and talk about a return to consumer-facing service.
It’s a wonderful example of a bar opened intelligently and intuitively by a bartender; here Joaquín Simó and friends have created a space that, whilst being sneakily hidden above a liquor store, is refreshingly bright and breezy rather than dark and dingy. I cannot even begin to list the vast amount of game-changing innovation in this bar, from simple touches such as the discreet and convenient cocktail menu slots custom-built into each table, to the wonderfully creative yet accessible and beautifully designed cocktail menu, not to mention quite possibly the best thought-out and ergonomic bar stations I have had the pleasure to stroke.
My best friend came to stay with me recently, and we ended up playing old video games making the same silly jokes that we’ve been making for over twenty years. If I were to take him to half of these bars he would probably give me a ribbing and call me bad names. If we were floating around Boipeba drinking cocoa Caipirinhas from a wooden top he would probably think we have found the best bar in the world. If I were to take him to PimpShuei and challenge him to a gun fu battle whilst sipping a banging beverage and listening to tasty beats, he would probably pee a little. Something to think about.
Of course, not all innovation needs to be conjured up by cunning metropolitan bar veterans. Reiterating the point that necessity is the mother of invention, are innumerable bars around the world that will never grace the pages of industry magazines or blogs: expats
Julian de Féral heads up the drinks department at leading bar, restaurant and hotel consultants, Gorgeous Group, gorgeousgroup.com
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Twitter.com@gorgeous_group
< Chris Moore ex Beaufort Bar at The Savoy, London How long in previous role? 5 years What now? “Every bartender wants to open their own bar and I’m no different. Realistically I know that won’t happen straight away so until it does, I’ll be doing some consultancy work and travelling. First though I intend to take January off, getting into shape and exercising during the day and trying one cocktail in a different bar every evening for the month – it's all about finding the perfect balance.”
Marian Beke ex Nightjar and Rusty Cerven ex Connaught Bar, London How long in previous roles? Both 5 years What now? “It was important for me not to just copy and paste what I’d achieved at Nightjar, especially as it’s just down the road,” says Marian. Instead he and Rusty have opted to celebrate the Gibson, the pickle-based cousin of the Martini in a 45-cover late night bar in Clerkenwell. Check in for a range of out-of-thisworld Gibsons, pickles and tartares. The Gibson, 44 Old Street, London EC1V 9AQ. thegibsonbar.london
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e mi
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IN-focus
TO BOLDLY GO SAYS MS S
NOT SAYS MR G
“Hello Mr Branson, what’s that you say? Would I like to travel on your Virgin Galactic spaceline? Are you freakin’ kidding me? You bet your booty I would! Just give me a chance to kiss Mr G and my daughter goodbye and I’ll be at Spaceport America for the requisite three-day training faster than you can say beam me up Scotty!”
Cocktails in space. Let’s just think about that for a moment. Cocktails. In. Space. Apparently it’s on the cards. Does it get me all excited? Well, not exactly.
This despite the fact I’m not the teensiest bit interested in sci-fi films. This is something Mr G and I do agree on. Confession time: make believe doesn’t do it for me – never has, never will do but experiencing the wonders of space and the comedy effects of weightlessness while I’m up there? I’m totally down for that. I remember when the idea of visiting space seemed like a fantasy, a vision of Paco Rabanne designs (Google them, they’re fab) and tin foil helmets. The thought that in my lifetime I could be one of the 550-odd people who have already made the journey into the stratosphere tickles me immensely. Obviously I’m not amongst the 700 or so who have paid $250,000 upfront for the privilege – I haven’t won the Lottery just yet. However, if I were offered a seat (yes, I’m back to you Mr Branson), or when the prices come down to an attainable level, I wouldn’t hesitate. Seriously, how else are we going to learn if we don’t look ahead? As George Whitesides, CEO Virgin Galactic puts it, “Space is not only important for the future of transportation, it’s important for the future of imagination.” I couldn’t agree more. That’s the rationale behind my thinking, on a superficial level it goes without saying that I’d want to celebrate the occasion with a tipple. Responsibly of course. A little birdy tells me that Champagne will be offered before take off. And I’m also guessing Grey Goose cocktails will be served at the spaceport in New Mexico given the fact the vodka brand is one of the major sponsors of Branson’s initiative. That’s before lift-off. Once the two hour flight reaches its destination and myself and the other five passengers were able to bob around the spacecraft, I’d be first in line to try the Ballantine’s Space Blend in its revolutionary glass in the environment they were conceived for (see p. 24). What effect drinking in zero gravity would have on me is anyone’s guess but I’m volunteering to do the essential research. As I write, Tim Peake has become the first British man to walk in space. How can you not by inspired by that? Space tourism will be a reality sooner than you think and I for one can't wait.
Don’t get me wrong I’ve got nothing against space. I’m all for it. The moon landing must have been a lot of fun. Right now there’s the good old International Space Station whizzing around the Earth at ridiculous miles an hour. Not to mention billions of stars and planets all over the shop. Marvellous. The thought of space travel though, and all that goes with it, isn’t quite for me. Zooming all over the galaxy. Why? Don’t tell anyone but I’ve not seen the new Star Wars film. Or the previous six instalments come to that. And watching the old Star Trek TV series always left me cold (apart from from the lovely Lieutenant Uhura obviously). As a child I admit I did pore over those kind of science books that predicted that the not too distant future would find us all taking our vacations on the moon. Okay, there was something vaguely intriguing about the idea but that was before I discovered cocktails. I suppose combining the two should hold some appeal. The space tourism on offer isn’t even going to the moon though. Apparently passengers will fly up, float around for a few minutes, then come back down. I thought travel was about getting somewhere. And don’t say “but you’ll be going into space”. Leaving the ridiculousness of this pointless round trip on one side let’s assume the journey could actually take us somewhere. When the cabin crew (I’m assuming there will be such a thing) decide to bust open the refreshments what exactly is the plan? Martinis in vacuum packs with straws? Dehydrated Old Fashioneds in tablet form? Or is a Negroni going to float from its glass like the escaped contents of a lava lamp with me in pursuit trying to get my lips on the liquid. I don’t want to sound picky but I do have standards and this kind of thing just won’t do. Some might say for such a journey surely I could pass up a cocktail or two. They don’t know me very well I’m afraid. However, the thought of space does inspire me to travel. All the way to the American Bar at The Savoy to order a Moonwalk Cocktail. Specially created by the late and extremely great Joe Gilmore at that establishment, in honour of Neil Armstrong being the first man to set foot on the moon. It may not be the most challenging of journeys but it’s one on which I’m all set to boldly go.
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IN-dependent spirits
Luck of the Irish
Louise McGuane left a successful corporate career working for companies including Diageo, Pernod Ricard and Möet Hennessey to set up The Chapel Gate Whiskey Company. Her mission? To revive the lost art of Irish whiskey from her family farm in Ireland.
When and why did you decide to set up The Chapel Gate Whiskey Company?
How will the location of the family farm contribute to the character of the whiskey?
I always thought I’d like to start a brand some day – big businesses tend to bounce you around a lot, so every three years you end up living somewhere else. I’d been married for two years but my husband Dominic was in London while I was living in Singapore. You get to the point when you have to make a decision: do you keep going on that track or settle down? I decided to come back home. I wasn’t thrilled about it but I had to do something that made me want to be back, so I did it on condition that I start this business. That was two years ago. It was a natural progression of doing what I’d done in the past, the timing being right and lifestyle circumstances.
The farm is located in what is called the Wild Atlantic Way. It’s approximately a mile from the ocean as the crow flies – all the weather that comes across the Atlantic Ocean from America hits this coastal area first. It’s really wild, wet and windy and there’s nice humidity here – it’s not unusual for us to get four seasons in one day. But it never gets below zero. With the occasional temperature fluctuations we can get longer, consistent ageing throughout the year – more than a massive warehouse up in Dublin or down in Cork. The whiskey will be very affected by the weather. My hope is it will create a really unique flavour.
Why Irish whiskey? It’s in my blood, I’m connected to it. More specifically though I’d been keeping a close eye on the rise of Irish whiskey and craft distilling in the US for the past five years or so, the category has been growing and the timing was right.
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What was the original aim of the business: to revive the Irish whiskey category or secure a future for the family farm? Originally, it was about reviving the lost labours of Irish whiskey. But when I left Diageo I spent two months at my house on the farm. Seeing my father work it every day I became acutely aware that there was no-one to
Photography: kent wong
IN-dependent spirits
take it on and it’s been in our family for generations. Even though I knew I wanted to create my own brand of Irish whiskey, it hadn’t occurred to me to do it there – originally I was going to go big, raise £25 million and have a distillery. But after spending time on the farm I decided to start with what we have here and solidify the future of the farm. So in answer to your question, it ended up being both.
Where are you with the business now?
How did your family respond to your plan to evolve the farming business to whiskey?
And in the meantime?
They’re Irish farmers and I mean that in the nicest possible way, but they don’t understand it all! I’m sure they’ll be proud the day the first barrel rolls in. What are the pros and cons to having worked on the corporate side of the industry before launching your own drinks business? The biggest pro is I understand the process, I’m used to the various stages that go into getting a product to market so that side of things doesn’t phase me at all. Plus I have fantastic contacts which is invaluable. On the cons side, I don’t have big budgets which obviously has its drawbacks. But the biggest thing for me is I’ve had to completely change my way of working. In the past me sitting at a desk all day doing Powerpoint presentations, sending emails and going to meetings would be considered a day of work and I’d do that for three months in a row. If I did that now, I’d be a total failure. Powerpoints are meaningless, four hour meetings are meaningless – I’ve completely changed my attitude. Now I’m really hands-on. Which do you honestly prefer? My life used to be four months of the year scouting exotic locations for Diageo World Class. I won’t lie, there are moments when I’m working on my own when I wish I was sitting on a beach somewhere in the name of work. That said, I much prefer working for myself – I don’t have to run things past 15 people for a start! There are different challenges – the most fulfilling one has been breaking out of the corporate mindset. I’m building something for myself – it’s the last job I’ll ever have and I’m so much more invested in it. What are you’re doing differently to other whiskey companies? People in Ireland are still maturing their whiskies in big industrial warehouse spaces. The way I intend to do it is how whiskey bonders used to do things in the 1800s – the renowned whiskey bonder J.J. Corry who’s shop is located down the road from us is my inspiration. My theory is we’ll get a much more unique, subtle flavour that hasn’t been around for a 100 years since the big whiskey companies took over production in Ireland. We want to bring back the old methodolgy for the modern whiskey drinker.
At the moment we’re building the rack house which will be finished in mid-February. The Grade A barrels which I sourced in Louisville, Kentucky will be hitting the water now – they’re third party new fill; I’m working with the guys at Great Northern Distillery on the mash bill. We’ll get the new fill into barrels and storage by March, then it will be a three year wait. Minimum. I’m working with a whisky expert and we have access to some aged Irish malt. We’re being allowed to roam around in the Cooley warehouses and pick out individual barrels to do interesting blends. These will show the direction that we’re going in. We’re planning to launch them in September. Why do you think there has been such a dearth of Irish whiskey? There was a time when Irish whiskey was bigger than Scotch. Then Mr Coffey invented the Coffey still which enabled more rapid production of whisky. Everyone in Scotland adopted that method, the Scotch Whisky Association was formed and they all started working together. The Irish whiskey guys didn’t do that, they stayed with the pot still, were stuck-in-the-mud, didn’t work together and consequently the production was a lot smaller and slower. Add to that famine, Prohibition and the fact that Ireland became free of the United Kingdom so the Commonwealth and American were shut off, plus there was infighting. Is it any surprise they all shut down and only four or five were left? Like a lot of new businesses, you turned to Kickstarter for investment, what valuable tips can you pass on from the process? You have to plan six months ahead, it takes that long to build an online presence which is really integral. Know your audience: I aimed my campaign at the US market and created rewards with them in mind. The other thing you need is a good video. After the campaign goes live, be prepared to spend five to six hours a day working on it, doing the social media, answering questions, whatever needs to be done. Don’t pin all your hopes on it – it's not just about the money but it is a good indicator as to whether your idea has legs. Other than Chapel Gate, what hopes do you have for the future of Irish whiskey? There are 30 distilleries planned at the moment. They won’t all make it to fruition but there are some very good ones like Dingle, Teeling, Glendalough, and Mark Reynier at Waterford – watch out for him, he’s going to kick ass. I think it has a very bright future indeed. For more see chapelgatewhiskey.com
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IN-dustry greats
M A STER OF M ARTINIS
JAVIER DE LAS MUELAS
Javier de las Muelas trained as a doctor before diagnosing that his true passion lay in cocktails. More specifically Dry Martinis. With four outlets around the world, an academy and numerous books and products under his belt, his Dry Martini cocktail bar in Barcelona has been listed in the The World’s 50 Best Bars list for seven consecutive years. My fascination with the industry started when I was seven, there was a small bar in front of my house and I was riveted by the theatre inside. I loved it. There were people laughing, being happy and really having a good time; the bartenders were telling stories and entertaining the customers and it stirred something inside of me. Then when I was 17 I visited Boadas, the famous bar in Barcelona and that was it – I fell in love with everything about it – the music, the style and Maria Boadas herself, it was very special. That’s when I knew I wanted to work in the bar environment.
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I visited Dry Martini for the first time in the 1980s. I already had my own bar Gimlet at the time, but Dry Martini was something else. It was owned by Pedro Carbonell and the beauty of the place instantly struck a chord with me. The only way I can describe it is, some bars are like churches, others are like cathedrals and only a very few are so special the only thing you can compare them to is the vatican – that’s what the original Dry Martini felt like to me – a vatican. That’s why the Martinis in all our bars are prepared at what we call the altar. It’s a raised three metre placement made of stainless steel and it elevates the Martini above all of the other drinks we serve. Only Martinis are made here, nothing else and only the most senior bartender is allowed to prepare Martinis on it. I remember the day I plucked up the courage to talk to Mr Carbonell about the future of the bar. I said if at any time you don’t want to continue with this piece of art please think of me. He didn’t have any family and I didn’t want the bar to disappear. He told me that I was the only one he wanted to continue with the bar. “If you don’t want to, I’ll close the business,” he said. I was so moved, it felt like a movie to me. Some time after he called and asked me if I remembered the conversation we’d had and that’s when my love affair with the place really took hold.
IN-dustry greats
Dry Martini was originally a Martineria, only serving Martinis.
The best thing that’s happened to this industry is that women are now part of it.
Two years after I took over I introduced classic cocktails – but Martinis are still at the heart of the place and always made to the same recipe: half London Dry Gin, half French Vermouth, one dash of orange bitters.
I always think of our female customers and make sure they feel comfortable in all of our bars – that goes from the colours and furnishings to offering softer styles of drinks on the menu.
Our Martinis are stirred in a mixing glass, never shaken
There are three key ingredients to being a good bartender:
The most important ingredient in a Martini is the temperature and the best way to control that is through stirring. This slow, controlled method also results in a cleaner, clearer drink – that to me is how a Martini should be served – never shaken and cloudy. Mr Carbonell passed away a few years ago but his spirit lives on in the bar. He trusted me to continue with it and raise its profile a little. Hopefully, I’ve done him justice. The most important cocktails were created a long time ago. The Dry Martini is one of them. Gin and tonics are very popular in Spain but I see it as a trend – Dry Martinis are on the rise again, particularly in places like London. I don’t drink cocktails. I try them but I don’t drink them. I love going to bars for the experience. We have a lot of vintage elements in our bars and work around classic cocktails. However, we always try to be modern and relevant. Some of the bottles and artefacts behind the bar are more than 90 years old but we’re evolving the drinks menu and the style of the bar all the time, with new products and innovations, like my Droplets which can be used in cocktails and food. Service is at the heart of everything we do. I love Salim Khoury, when he was working at the American Bar at The Savoy, he was the perfect host. He understood the importance of the customer and the bar. Who else do I like? The whole style and service at the American Bar at The Savoy, Hidetsugu Ueno at Bar High Five in Tokyo, also Simone Caporale, Salvatore Calabrese and Charles Schumann from Schumann’s Bar in Munich – they all go further than cocktails and have great respect for the bar itself.
Humility first and foremost, then knowledge and the ability to read your customers. The dream is important… but it’s not the most important thing – clients are. Too many bartenders these days think that they are bigger than the bar they are working in and that’s dangerous.
The most important ingredient in a Martini is the temperature and the best way to control that is through stirring. London is the cocktail capital of the world. That’s why we opened our latest Dry Martini there in September last year. We’ve created a special menu with 100 Martinis and an incredible – it’s our little Martini bubble in the middle of the Meliá White House hotel in Regent's Park. Smart creativity is important. My wife always says she has a creative husband because he’s always creating problems. I think she’s right. Meliá White House, Albany Street, London NW1 3UP. For details of Dry Martini bars around the world see drymartiniorg.com
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IN-formed
MAINS & MARTINIS
RESTAURANTS WHERE THE COCK TAILS ARE AS GOOD AS THE FOOD
The Stafford 16-18 St.James's Place, London, SW1A 1NJ. T: 020 7493 0111. thestaffordlondon.com Who: For people who want to do more than just go to a bar, drink a cocktail and leave. At The Stafford Hotel they can make it a full-on occasion with a classic old-school bar, an indulgent restaurant and the kind of accommodation that will make them believe they’re actually bona fide St. James’s residents. What: Back in the 17th century 16-18 St. James’s Place consisted of private residences. Following various incarnations The Stafford Hotel arrived in 1912. And during the 1930s, as was the fashion, it added an ‘American Bar’ to appeal to visitors from across the pond. Today it’s one of only two of these classic style bars remaining in London. When: Mon-Fri 11.30am-1am; Sat 12pm-1am; Sun 12pm-12am (11pm every evening for non residents). Dinner served daily until 11pm. Wear: The homely atmosphere invites a little bit of smart and casual but for the evening, go on, dress up a little. Ms S says: I can do luxury with the best of them. And that's a fact. The Stafford is just the ticket for when you fancy a bit of posh with equal doses of charm – everything here makes you want to slow down and savour the moment. As you would do, we'd booked into a suite – a delicious treat and a wonderful place to while away a weekend. It was difficult to tear ourselves away from our room but cocktails were calling… Entering the American Bar too feels just a little bit special, like stepping back in time. Everywhere you look there's a memento of some kind, from photographs of famous guests to baseball caps and flags hanging every which where. It may feel a bit claustrophobic for some but it worked for me – particularly with the wintry weather – here it was all about hunkering down and feeling the evening draw on.
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Hot dish: This is real elasticated waistband stuff. My advice? Either skip a meal during the day in anticipation or make the tricky decision of going for either starter or dessert. Or be greedy and go for broke. I played it safe and went for a main and a pud meaning that after the excellent line caught baked cod and river mussels, I could happily squeeze in a deconstructed lemon tart and enjoy every last crumb – both courses were superb. Cool cocktail: The Shiver and Shake (Remy Martin VSOP Cognac, maple syrup, homemade ginger syrup and lemon juice). If you want bonkers drinks, you're in the wrong place. The Stafford does classics and does them rather well. This was nicely balanced and warming – simple but perfect. Mr G says: It may only be a few minutes from Piccadilly but its discreet location makes arriving at The Stafford feel a little bit like you’re in on some sort of very luxurious secret. The whole environment creates a welcoming home from home feel but The Mews Suites especially make you feel like you’ve moved into your very own pied-à-terre. Complete with large comfy sofas and private balcony we felt very swanky thanks very much. Add in the fact that the bar and restaurant are about a 50 second walk away and this was very much our kind of residence. Hot dish: Leave your calorie controlled diet plan at home and replace it with the way more inviting menu of The Lyttelton. The smoked organic lamb belly is just as satisfyingly indulgent as it sounds and was complimented nicely with rosemary crushed potato, Jerusalem artichoke with Anglia pea and mint purée. Cool cocktail: The McLennium (Laphroaig 10 whisky, vanilla syrup, egg white, lemon juice and Angostura bitters) had an understated elegance perfectly at home in the smart but unpretentious surroundings of a very classic bar.
IN-formed
Wringer and Mangle 13-18 Sidworth Street, London E8 3SD. T: 020 3457 7285. wringerandmangle.com Who: Anyone who lives in the neighbourhood, but definitely a destination venue worth making a journey for. What: The new venture from Gerry (Hoxton Pony) Calabrese, this former industrial laundry is now home to a Collins inspired drinks menu, great modern British food, an all-weather terrace and ongoing art exhibitions. When: Mon-Thurs 11am-11.30pm; Fri-Sat 11am-12 midnight; Sun 12pm-10pm. Wear: Absolutely whatever you want, it’s that kind of place. Ms S says: I dare you not to like Wringer and Mangle, it feels decidely hip and modern, yet instantly comfortable – think your coolest friend's pad with original cocktails and tasty food on tap. They also offer an alternative take on afternoon tea with scones, clotted cream and strawberry infused vodka. Hot dish: Order the Devon leg of lamb with aubergine and salsa verde – flavoursome, comforting and cooked just-so. Cool cocktail: I went about as classic as you can get with a beautifully simple and tasty Tom Collins (Old Tom Gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup and soda) before heading to the funkier sections of the menu. The Crumble Collins (Finlandia Vodka, cinnamon syrup, fresh nutmeg, demerara sugar, fresh blackberries, apple, ginger root, lime and honey soda and crumble crust garnish). A sexy dessert of a drink and simply delicious. Mr G says: Taking the humble Collins and producing a menu of 30 variations is genius, and super tasty genius at that. Add in some very cool interior design, a very relaxed vibe, super knowledgable, friendly staff and this place is winning on a lot of fronts. Hot dish: The braised pork cheeks with mashed potato and greens was melt-in-the-mouth sublime, a big warm blanket of comfort food loveliness. If their Sunday roast is even half as good it’s another perfect reason for a return visit. Cool cocktail: The big hit of tequila in the Casco Collins (Casco Viejo Reposado Tequila, lemon juice, sugar syrup and soda) from the Classics section kicked things off nicely, followed by the Pemberton’s Collins (Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey infused with duck fat roasted walnuts, homemade cola syrup, lemon and lime sherbet and peppermint soda) from the Reverse section. Who knew that a Collins could be so sublimely complex?
45 Jermyn Street
45 Jermyn Street, London, SW1 6DN. T: 020 7205 4545. 45jermynst.com Who: Anyone who needs a little glamour in their lives. What: The new restaurant from the iconic Fortnum & Mason has all the elegance you would expect from such an association but, while located in the same building, it has its own discreetly self-contained entrance on Jermyn Street – hence the name. When: Mon-Fri 7am-11.30pm; Sat 8am-11.30pm.;Sun 8am-10.30pm. Wear: The atmosphere here carefully balances smart with relaxed, so dress accordingly. Ms S says: Fortnum & Mason has seen various eateries come and go within its walls over the years but they've hit the sweet spot with this venture. Great food and creative drinks all packaged in a nicely grown-up space. Hot dish: Swinton Estate red leg partridge with Jerusalem artichoke and fried polenta – so good, if we hadn't been in company, I would have licked my plate. Cool cocktail: The Rickies section of the menu features an intriguing selection of homemade syrups and in a nice touch it leads with five non-alcoholic serves, while suggesting appropriate spirits if that’s the way you want to go. The Ricky No. 8 (passion fruit, thyme, acid and soda) would work beautifully as an any time of day drink but as this was predinner the addition of Ocho Blanco Tequila was a must. Mr G says: As tasteful as you’d expect but with an appealingly friendly air. Light and airy in the daytime but subtly sensual in the evening. Hot dish: The call of the sea is rarely a strong one for me in restaurants but the Eddystone rocks turbot on the bone with purple sprouting broccoli was highly recommended so I gave it a go. Absolutely delicious and, on the side, some of the best chips I’ve tasted in a long time. Cool cocktail: There are a selection of serious drinks here but also some real fun to be had exploring the playful section inspired by London’s first soda fountain which was originally housed on the site. The Apéritif Soda No. 1 (Oloroso Sherry, Martini Riserva Ambrato, tomato cordial, acid and soda) was refreshing and complex. In keeping with the style of the original soda jerks it came with a pipette and a small bottle of acid to adjust to personal taste. Perfectly balanced, it wasn’t needed.
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IN-formed
WORD UP... NEWS, VIEWS, REVIEWS AND HOW-TO’S
POSTCARD FROM COPENHAGEN When in Copenhagen, a visit to the luscious Ruby is a must – it’s been voted one of the 50 best bars in the world for good reason. Here owner Rasmus Lomborg gives his tips on the other great bars to have on your must-visit list in the capital of Scandi-cool. Okay, Copenhagen is a pretty cool place, great infrastructure, clean, everybody speaks English and the restaurant scene is amazing. The rise and rise of new Nordic gastronomy has resulted in a wave of excellent restaurants, with great experiences in every price bracket. But, I hear you say, what about its bars? Like so many other capital cities around Europe, the bar scene in Copenhagen has had a somewhat explosive growth in the last five to six years. These are the ones to look out for: Duck & Cover duckandcoverbar.dk Small cocktail bar in Vesterbro, owned and operated by Kasper Riewe Henriksen. A great little bar, with excellent cocktails and 50s Danish decor. Great vibe, very personable service and a lovely spot to visit. Curfew curfew.dk
CREATE A STIR EACH MONTH Throughout January
Something tasty, low-cal and nonalcoholic Seedlip Martini 50ml Seedlip non-alcoholic spirit 5ml olive brine 5ml jalapeno brine Nocellaro olive Method: Stir ingredients over ice, serve in a chilled Coupe glass. Spritz lemon oils over glass, then discard and garnish with a Nocellaro olive.
22nd-28th February: London Beer Week Something with London Pride Ale Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew
A new bar on the Copenhagen scene, Curfew is run by Humberto Marques, who has done a great job of creating a setting to fit his cocktails; you’d have to search long and hard to find more beautiful cocktails in Copenhagen.
50ml homemade ginger syrup
The Barking Dog thebarkingdog.dk
35ml Beefeater Gin
One of my favourite drinking holes is this bar in the neighbourhood called Nørrebro. It’s a no-nonsense bar; very unpretentious but with great bartenders and an excellent selection of spirits – a must-go for tequila and mezcal afficionados. Gilt gilt.dk and holmenskanal.com Wonderful little neighbourhood bar, also located in Nørrebro. It's a great place to go if you want to escape the masses, and when you do, you’ll be surrounded by locals. Quality cocktails are served up by owner Peter, who also owns Holmens Kanal, a grand cocktail bar in the city centre. Strøm strombar.dk Owned and operated by the Nilsson brothers, this city centre cocktail boozer is serious about its cocktails. Expect Art Deco interior, dark corners and a good rum and cigar collection. Ruby, Nybrogade 10, 1203 København K. rby.dk
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50ml freshly-squeezed lemon juice
100ml London Pride Ale Method: Blend first three ingredients with half a cup of ice. Strain through a sieve and pour into a frozen beer mug. Top with London Pride Ale.
8th March: International Women’s Day White Lady 50ml gin 25ml Cointreau 25ml fresh lemon juice Egg white (optional) Method: Shake all ingredients over ice. Pour into a chilled Coupe glass.
IN-formed
MUSIC TO DRINK COCKTAILS TO... Space Age cocktail party Still enraptured by the return of Star Wars? A few of us remember The Force the first time around, and recall how it influenced all corners of the popular culture. Cocktail aficionados, however, have had a much longer love affair with the Space Age. The best cocktails represent an advanced civilisation, a sophisticated outlook with an eye towards the future. Cocktail music does exactly the same. Take my hand, let’s go, boldly… • Geoff Love & His Orchestra turned out album after album in the 1970s. Every young man worth his salt had a copy of Big Bond Movie Themes, but Love’s Space records were mindblowing. Let’s get on the launch pad with the Theme from Logan’s Run, a broad-smiling glass-clinker. • A must-have album for cocktail time is Astro-Sounds: From Beyond The Year 2000 by 101 Strings Orchestra. Every track is a wonder, but push the button on Barrier X-69. • Unsung British Lounge Legend, Brian Bennett brings us this pensive Space Age discourse. Solstice (from the album, Voyage) is a Saurian Brandy confection washed down with synths and hi-hats. • Les Baxter, arguably the King of Space Age Lounge Pop brings us Winds of Sirius from his seminal record Space Escapade. Beautiful. • There are so many cover versions of the wonderful theme from Star Trek, but one of the very best must be the one that appears on the album, Leonard Nimoy presents Mr. Spock’s Music from Outer Space. The word ‘groovy’ was invented for this track.
• Next up, a track from legendary John Schroeder and his album, Space Age Soul. Listen to Soul Trek while sipping a Romulan Ale. • Our list would not be complete without this dystopian cut from German composer and arranger, Peter Thomas. The World Is Gone starts off as a news report about the end of the world and then explodes into the craziest three minutes ever committed to record. Mental, but supercool. • Barry Gray composed music for most of Gerry Anderson’s classic science-fiction adventure series’. One criminally overlooked theme is that for series one of Space: 1999. It spectacularly straddles that fine line between Funk and Space Adventure. • Back to the incomparable Geoff Love now and his disco version of Dudley Simpson’s theme from the BBC television series, Blake’s 7. Lush, romantic, inventive. • Allow me to take you back to that cantina in old Mos Eisley. Yeah, I know it’s a wretched hive of scum and villainy, but it does have some cool bands playing. Cantina Band from the original soundtrack of Star Wars by John Williams is a classic bar room tune that breathes in the years and can even bring a smile to Greedo’s face. Join us in The Departure Lounge for Space Age Lounge Pop for The Jet Set 24 hours a day. thedeparturelounge.playtheradio.com. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/thedepartlounge Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Music4TheJetSet
THINGS THAT MAKE US GO ‘OOH’
Raise your glasses to the Dead Rabbit menu, volume four – it’s an absolute cracker. Featuring familiar faces in the global cocktail scene cast in roles from pimps to boxers, it tells an actionpacked story set in crime-ridden 1970s New York. And let’s not forget the cocktails – all 30 of them, running from light to boozy and serious – much like the stunning 24-page graphic novel illustrated by Mark Reihill itself. Building to a four-part chronological collection over two years, we predict this is going to be a block-buster. Get involved! deadrabbitnyc.com
LAST ORDERS British soap star Sophie Austin shares her imaginary last drink with us. What would your last drink be? An Amaretto Sour. I discovered it on a girly holiday to Barcelona and it always reminds me of that time. I’d just found out I’d landed a really good role so we went away to celebrate :)
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Who would you share it with? I have a few drinking partners, one being my best friend Georgie, as we always have the best fun, making up dance moves and giggling non stop. The other being my sisters; we have a great time together and love trying out new cocktails. Where would you have it? There is the most amazing cocktail bar in Liverpool called 8LTD on Seel Street, where they make the best cocktails. Also, I love the W Hotel in Barcelona, it has beautiful views, with great music and even better cocktails!
IN-sider’s guide
Glasgow in focus The lowdown on the best bars in Glasgow by local, Michael Cameron “It’s time for us to start leading the pack” James Kemp, Marketing Manager for Kained Holdings in Glasgow, could be speaking for fair Caledonia itself. Finnieston is waking up; neon spills and sirens ring as early scenesters tumble through the neighbourhood’s perennially swinging saloon doors. Argyle Street kindles like a freshly struck match. We’re discussing The Finnieston, Glasgow’s original gin joint and the district’s eponymous flagship. “I think we’ve been integral to the regeneration of the area. When we opened, Finnieston didn’t have that restaurant experience, coupled with an extremely high standard of cocktails. We cottoned on to the new Gin Craze before it happened.”
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James broke through under the tutelage of the great Frank Murphy (now proprietor of Glasgow’s iconic Pot Still bar and recipient of the Scottish Bartenders’ Network Legend Award 2015), going on to hone his skills at Gleneagles. His progress caught the eye of legendary industry ‘scamp’ (and current Diageo Ambassador) Ervin Trykowski, who led The Finnieston’s opening team for Kained Company Director Graham Suttle. Bartenders such as Dean Evans (former SLTN Mixologist of the Year) and Ally Martin (UK Bacardi Legacy 2015 champion) graced The Finnieston then as the venue became the conduit for the times; the winning philosophy has never faltered.
IN-sider’s guide
“If you can conceptualise a drink, there’s always going to be a way to achieve it.” James considers his point. “The key thing that any bartender has to get a handle on is the balance of flavour. Drinks are greater than the sum of their parts; you’re essentially creating a new product.” Popular serves include his elegantly deconstructed interpretation of Caribbean style; Tiki Down channels the joy and flamboyance of rum’s heartlands in a way that suits a refined environment: Eldorado 5 stirred with pineapple, lime and coconut solution, Angostura bitters and apricot brandy. “We’re giving a bit of a two fingers up to people in the trade who are so set in their ways; at the end of the day, drinking’s about having fun.” A few doors up, the immaculately restored front of a fabled Victorian ice cream parlour gives way to another of Finnieston’s essential bars. Passing through the beautiful vintage façade into a tight, buzzing space, I am struck by a definite sense of Glasgow’s past immaculately blending into its future. The Kelvingrove Café is the brainchild of Mal Spence, possibly the most influential Glaswegian bartender of his generation and current Global Ambassador for Black Bottle. His impressions on the scene as it stands now are temperate yet optimistic: “Glasgow is my favourite city in the world, but an archaic licensing board keeps independent operators down. The good bars we have are now on a par with the best the rest of the world can offer; we just need more of them to allow the scene to flourish.” I sit down with his Bar Manager Danny Whelan as the prelude to a storm gathers momentum over Kelvingrove Park. “I’ve watched this area totally grow up,” he muses, casting a bright eye over his remarkable career. This is a boy who cut his teeth in Finnieston way before gentrification, working the old whisky bars on the strip when the area was one of the knife-crime capitals of the UK. Drifting to London via the Hebridean malt trail, Danny made his name as part of a lauded team at Covent Garden Cocktail Club before returning to the warm embrace of home.
A perfect example is Danny’s ‘Elmhurst’ cocktail, a recent star of Glasgow’s Boutique Bar Show. He uses RinQuinQuin Peach Aperitif as the soul of the drink, modifying it with overproofed Wray & Nephew, a weave of bright pineapple sugar and Bittermens ‘antibitters’ Orange Cream Citrate. As Danny walks me through the bar’s peerless selection of fortified and aromatised wines and I watch sleek, mostly unadorned libations flirt with the room, it’s impossible not to let the vitality of this business wash over me. The ‘bunch of scruffy sods’ even managed to win the title of Most Stylish Bar at the Scottish Style Awards. I put it to Danny that the Café, despite being achingly hip, maintains an approachability and, crucially, an affinity with real Glaswegians, and he sparkles in response: “I always say you’ve got to be able to serve it to both the wankiest bartender and your gran, and they’ll both love it!” Immersed in this relentless quest for originality, it’s easy to forget that plenty of Glaswegians are still just after a bit of fast, loud, fruity mischief. Thank heavens, then, for the city centre. Tiki Bar & Kitsch Inn, where such things remain proud tenets, is a warm patch of sun below the rain-splattered pavements of Bath Street. Under the guidance of cane spirit poets Ian Sanderson and Ben Louthean (whose monthly Rum Clubs have gleaned cult status), Tiki has woven its magic and claimed a place at the heart of the people’s Glasgow. A fair share of Tiki’s headlines in 2015 have been down to Jamie Moran, one of the most exciting prospects in the Scottish trade. Jamie has illuminated elite competition of late with a series of accomplished performances, earning an SBN nomination for Young Bartender of the Year. Jamie grins broadly as he lays down Tiki Bar’s philosophy in his own words: “We’re a high volume party bar. Drinks have to be fun, fast, look amazing and taste even better. At the good ship Tiki, we keep that balance of serious and silly that makes us who we are.” If you’re down that way, it would surely be churlish not to drop into The Salon at Blythswood Square for a bit of Death in the Afternoon.
tiki bar & kitsch inn
We’re discussing the ‘Inverso,’ Mal’s iconoclastic approach to original drink design that now characterises the Café’s list.
“It’s the idea of flipping the way you build drinks completely on its head; to use traditional modifiers as the base for drinks, and traditional bases as the modifiers.”
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IN-sider’s guide
Clockwise from top: kelvingrove cafe, tiki bar & kitsch inn, guy's restaurant & bar & the salon at blythswood sq.
The ‘Glesga Ritz,’ where Mal Spence forged his international reputation, still shines against the farthest cutting edge. In fact, the Salon took home the prize for Best Hotel Bar at 2015s SBN Awards; there is no better place in town to enjoy the classics treated with progressive reverence. Hemingway’s timeless signature has seldom tasted better. So, to the Merchant City. This tiny pocket of Victorian grandeur on the doorstep of the East End is home to Guy’s Restaurant & Bar. Our unique brand of elevated vice has consistently drawn the industry eye in 2015; it was enough to win me the SBN Award for Bartender of the Year, anyway. Our Liquid Poetry menu (co-authored with my protégé Cal McMillan, Scotland’s Mount Gay Black Barrel champion) is designed to showcase the synergy between bar, lab and kitchen that makes us tick, sketching as we do in the colours and textures of Glasgow’s delightful eccentricities. Definitive serves now include my Malt Mastermind winner Ours is the Fury (Glenfiddich 15 stirred with Drambuie, hickory-smoked Muscat, black walnut and vanilla salt), and Cal’s stark, glacial, sushi-inspired Spirited Away (nori-infused Konik’s Tail, dry sake, shiso/lychee bitters, pickled plum and ginger cordial).
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Our one goal is to see Glasgow’s culinary arts reach the threshold of the sky; kinsmen in the clouds, we can always be found there.
The Finnieston, 1125 Argyle Street, G3 8ND thefinniestonbar.com Kelvingrove Cafe, 1161-1163 Argyle Street, G3 8TB kelvingrovecafe.com Tiki Bar and Kitsch Inn, 214 Bath Street, G2 4HW tikibarglasgow.com The Salon at Blythswood Square, 11 Blythswood Square, G2 4AD townhousecompany.com Guy’s Restaurant & Bar, 24 Candleriggs, Merchant City, G1 1TD guysrestaurant.co.uk