ISSUE 28
SUMMER 2018
The Travel Issue
ISSN 2052 0603
Destination: cocktail hour! 10 bars worth travelling for
Journeys through drinks
- Photos: Fotolia
PUT A SPELL ON YOUR COCKTAIL
Caribbean Pineapple Premium Liqueur Product of France
www.giffard.com GIFFARD – 49240 Avrillé (Angers) - FRANCE / Tel: + 33 2 41 1885 00 – contact@giffard.com
IN-tro
TRAINS, PLANES AND AUTOMOBILES
WE’RE BIGGING UP
ALL MODES OF
TRANSPORT
IN THIS ISSUE
More specifically we’re looking at travel and the many ways it has shaped how and what we drink. It's not a new thing. Jared Brown starts the journey by shining a light on the many bartenders who, as far back as the 19th century traversed the world to hone their considerable skills (p. 26) – that’s the history side of things. Moving on to present times we talk to five drinks professionals about the way travel impacts their work (p. 18), Jane Ryan highlights some of the best cocktail menus inspired by adventure and exploration (p. 30), and Rebecca Milford checks in to the airport lounges to see who offers what on the cocktail front (p. 50). We stop off in the US to catch up with Gn Chan and his mobile cocktail bus (p. 46), and talk to brothers Daniel and Joe Schofield about the joys of the guestshift (p. 56). Jetting off somewhere in the next few months? Be sure to pick up an exclusive in Duty Free (p. 58) and don’t even think about travelling without reading globetrotting ambassador Dickie Cullimore’s invaluable tips spread throughout the issue. Happy travels!
Please imbibe responsibly
Ms S & Mr G thecocktaillovers.com
Like
meet.thecocktaillovers
View
@thecocktaillovers
Follow
@cocktaillovers
The Cocktail Lovers - 3
IN-gredients
7. IN-the know 25 reasons to be a cocktail lover this season
Rethinking cans, pumping up the volume and getting our chocs off, just a few of the things on our radar this season
36. IN-the mix
Destination: cocktail hour!
Escape to Milan, Manhattan, Hawaii, London and France by pulling up a seat at the bar
44. IN-dulge
12. IN-the hotseat Anya Montague
On the joys of being a travelling bartender
18. IN-spire Tours of duty
Catching up with five people in the drinks industry whose work sees them clocking up some serious air miles
26. IN-the spotlight
Drinks on the go
From a simple hand-held coffee press to a portable cabinet for high-rollers, our pick of the best kit for drinks on the move
46. IN-focus Cool moves
Catching up with Gn Chan and his bright yellow mobile bus
Have shaker, will travel
Drinks historian Jared Brown on how bartenders – past and present – have been influenced by travel
30. IN-the spotlight Journeys through drinks
Jane Ryan picks out some of her favourite cocktail menus inspired by adventure and exploration
50. IN-focus What's on board
Rebecca Milford on the tipples that you can enjoy in lounges and on board your favourite airlines
54. IN-focus A question of taste
What to drink at 35,000 feet and other modes of transport by Professor Charles Spence
4 - The Cocktail Lovers
IN-gredients
56. IN-focus
Editors: Sandrae Lawrence Gary Sharpen
Be our guest
Brothers Daniel and Joe Schofield on how guest shifts benefit bartenders and their guests
Sub-editor: Sally Briggs Creative Director: James Cheverton at Burnt Studio burntstudio.com
58. IN-focus
Inside the world of duty free
The allure of shopping on the sixth continent
60. IN-formed
Mains and Martinis
Brunch, lunch and dinner with cocktails
62. IN-formed Word up
News, views, reviews and interviews, plus essential travel tips
66. IN-ternational
Illustrations: pezandpencil.com Contributors: Jared Brown Rebecca Milford Danil Nevsky Eddie Rudzinskas Jane Ryan Daniel Schofield Joe Schofield Professor Charles Spence With special thanks to Dickie Cullimore for his Essential Travel Tips throughout Cover composition: Ed Fairburn edfairburn.com For all editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact: mail@thecocktaillovers.com T: 020 7242 2546 thecocktaillovers.com Printed by Stephens & George Distributed by Gold Key Media
Ten bars worth travelling for
As picked out by Danil Nevsky and Eddie Rudzinskas from Cocktails For You
Reproduction in whole or part of any contents of The Cocktail Lovers Magazine without prior permission from the editors is strictly prohibited. The Cocktail Lovers Issue No. 28 Spring 2018 The Cocktail Lovers magazine is published by The Cocktail Lovers Ltd. in London, UK PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
The Cocktail Lovers are proud winners of Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication, Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards 2016 and The London Evening Standard Progress 1000 – London’s Most Influential People 2015 and 2017
This issue is dedicated to Travis Watson (1990-2018), music maker, videographer, photographer, collaborator and dreamer. Gone but never forgotten. Here's to the journey he's embarking on now.
The Cocktail Lovers - 5
Contributors
Professor Charles Spence Professor Charles Spence, is Head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at Oxford University, and a gastrophysicist working on ‘the everything else’ that affects our enjoyment of food and drink. For our travel issue he explains how altitude and cabin pressure impacts on our enjoyment of drinks and puts forward suggestions for the best options to try while you fly. Favourite place for cocktail lovers: “Bogota for cocktails –as the country opens up [there's] an explosion of new venues for drinking and eating, and [it's] great to see how the creatives of flavour are making the most of the rich and exotic array of unusual fruits and flowers that one finds here. Exciting times for mixology in a revitalised capital city.”
Danil Nevsky and Eddie Rudzinskas Cocktails_for_you was founded in 2013 by bartender Eddie Rudzinskas as a platform for displaying his cocktail creations to the world. It grew over the years into a bartending platform for sharing cocktail pictures, videos, recipes and bartending ideas. In 2017 he partnered up with fellow bartender Danil Nevsky, and together they expanded the website globally to grow it into the world's largest bartending network on Facebook, followed by over 900,000 people worldwide. Read their pick of the 10 bars worth travelling for on p. 66. Favourite place for cocktail lovers: “(At the moment) New York for its sheer diversity of bars and first-class hospitality.”
Rebecca Milford
Ed Fairburn
Rebecca is originally from Bath, but had to leave when she exhausted all its cocktail drinking opportunities. Now a proud Londoner, she's in her element – whether it's a limited edition pop-up, bar takeover, fresh concept or creative new menu, there's always something exciting to try, and boundaries are continually being pushed.
With his passion for paper maps and his ability to combine human portraits and topography to make it appear as though the two are seamless, Ed was the natural choice to compose our cover. “I intervene with a range of original maps, making gradual changes to contours, roads and other patterns. These changes allow me to tease out the human form, resulting in a comfortable coexistence of figure and landscape.”
For this issue, she checked into various airline lounges to discover their drinks offerings (p. 50). Favourite place for cocktail lovers? “Apart from London? Definitely Singapore, the creativity is reaching incredible levels, there are some exquisite bars and the variety of fresh Southeast Asian ingredients epitomises everything I love about this part of the world.”
6 - The Cocktail Lovers
His many clients include British Airways, Nike, BMW, Penguin and Fenwick. Favourite place for cocktail lovers? "Denver, Colorado – there are some amazing craft beers over there."
25
IN-the know
REASONS TO BE A COCKTAIL LOVER THIS SEASON Scrubbing up nicely, getting our chocs off and rethinking cans – three of the fab things we're looking forward to this season
N1 o
The single glove, crotch hold, killer dance moves, one helluva singing voice and that distinctive, high-pitched ’ooh!’ – just some of the many ways we remember Michael Jackson. Now check out his influence on the contemporary art world at ‘Michael Jackson: On The Wall.’ Featuring work from over 40 leading artists including Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Grayson Perry, this is one you won't want to miss. Drinks-wise, it's got to be something that you won't stop until you've got enough, something with its own cool, imitable style. We suggest a Mint Julep – what else could it be? Those initials were made for this occasion. ‘Michael Jackson: On the Wall’ is at the National Portrait Gallery until 21st October 2018. npg.org.uk
michael jackson portrait for interview magazine, september 2009 by kaws 2009. courtesy of kaws
Remembering MJ
The Cocktail Lovers - 7
IN-the know
02
Dancing like no-one’s watching
Calling all festival goers: thanks to SafeSip you can now bust your best moves, drink in hand, without ever spilling a drop. You’ll wonder how you managed without it. safe-sip.com
04
3
Getting tiki with it
Give your summer party some serious swagger with your own slice of tiki paradise. Wicker rattan tiki bar with stools and chairs, johnlewis.com
05
06
…to drink? Rumbased cocktails natch. Mix it up with Lugger Rum – Caribbean rum aged in Devon. New from lymebaywinery.co.uk …to serve? It doesn’t get more fitting than this. Pineapple tiki mug, bnifty.co.uk
No. seven …or how about a brand new taste altogether? Try Sorghum barrel-aged cider vinegar or the light, floral Orange Blossom, both from outsiderdrinks.co.uk
N8 o
Scrubbing up nicely Merlot De-Stressing and Rejuvenating Face Scrub & Mask or a Sangiovese Detox Wrap anyone? Fix up, look sharp with the luxury selection of wine-based pampering face and body treatments at elladirocco.com
8 - The Cocktail Lovers
Lightening up When aperitivo o’clock strikes, switch things up with a new vermouth. We recommend the cool expressions from KissMy.be
09
… Prefer a DIY fix? We love The Hungover Coffee Scrub. Not only does it leave your skin tingly fresh, it makes you feel good on the inside too – as it’s made from coffee grounds collected from London bars. optiat.co.uk
IN-the know
10
13
Soaking up the rays Beach loving beer fan? This one is yours! Beer Beach Towel, bnifty.co.uk
11
Getting our chocs off
Love chocolate? Love wine? Get both in one tasty hit at cacaodivine.com
N 12 o
Rolling with it
Even high street store Zara is doing cocktails. Okay, the Cherry Sling and Sweet Daiquiri on offer are rollerball perfumes, but it’s only a matter of time…
FIFTEEN
zara.com
Rethinking cans Bye, bye second division cans of booze, hello premier league material with great looks and bags of attitude. Get your palate acquainted with the bad ass, low-abv tipples from aceandfreak.me
14
… and these cans of light, dry, sparkling English wine by wearetheuncommon.co.uk
Popping serious style on the glassware front. These elegant mash-ups work a treat. Hybrid-Clarice Glasses by Seletti at amara.com
N 16 o
Drinking our greens Vodka with kale, gin with lovage – not exactly health drinks but they sure taste good. vingvodka.com; Tanqueray Lovage Gin available from gerrys.uk.com
SEVENTEEN
Enjoying a bit on the side as in nibbles with our cocktails. Check out Olly’s Olives – unpasteurised and packed with flavour they come in at a waistlinefriendly 95cals per pouch. We say cheers to that. ollysolives.com The Cocktail Lovers - 9
IN-the know
EIGHTEEN
Marking every occasion Forget Facebook messages, go old-school and send a card. We love the designs at Crispin Finn – seriously stylish with fab quotes to match. crispinfinn.com
19
Pumping up the volume
Any old cooler can keep your drinks chilled but what makes the Brekx stand out is its in-built heavy-duty bluetooth speakers. Every outdoor party needs one. Brekx Party Cooler, brekx.com
20
Having fun with puns With names like Mick Lager, Red Zeppelin and Born in the IPA, you’ve just got to love Cerveja Musa beers. cervejamusa.com
TWENTY TWO
21
NICING UP OUR ICE
Pimp up your vodka, tequila and bourbon drinks in a flash with these pre-prepared ice cubes, bursting with fruit, herbs and bitters. Cocktail Infused Ice Cubes, uncommongoods.com
Bottling it
23
How to funk up your spirit and mixer game in one simple step? Present them in Eva Harlou’s cool-as-youlike Double Bottle. Bam! materdesign.com
Feeling the blues
TWENTY FOUR Adding oomph to tea Earl Grey Tea and a healthy dose of gin – Noveltea have got the quintessential British drink licked. noveltea-drinks.com
10 - The Cocktail Lovers
or pinks, or reds… add colour to your hot and cold drinks with the natural, organic powders from matcha.blue
25
Taking sartorial cues from gin
Like the funky limitededition kilts designed by Siobhan Mackenzie for Caorunn Gin. Two Scottish brands, one great look (and taste). Kilts available from siobhanmackenzie.com
ENJOY THE ST~GERMAIN SPRITZ
40ML
ST~GERMAIN
®
ELDERFLOWER LIQUEUR
60ML
DRY SPARKLING WINE
60ML
SPARKLING WATER
METHOD: Fill a tall collins glass with ice. Add sparkling wine first, then St~Germain, then sparkling water. Stir to mix ingredients and garnish with a lemon twist. @STGERMAINDRINKS.UK
ENJOY RESPONSIBLY © 2018. ST. GERMAIN AND ITS TRADE DRESS ARE TRADEMARKS
IN-the hotseat
IN THE HOTSEAT
ANYA MONTAGUE One half of The Travelling Bartenders
12 - The Cocktail Lovers
IN-the hotseat
What came first, your love of travel or your love of bartending?
Has the work that you’re called on to undertake changed over the years? If so, how?
Definitely travel, my parents were super nomadic. They took me to Turkey when I was a couple of months old and we used to spend summers (and winters) in India, Indonesia and across the Mediterranean. When I was old enough to do my recce, I backpacked through South East Asia.
We focus a bit more on sustainability behind the bar, like growing our own produce, minimising waste and taking a “root to fruit” mentality with our ingredients. It really comes down to flavour and paying as much attention to detail to the drinks as to the food. Naturally with any bar programme we ebb and flow with culinary trends; a couple of years back we did a blue coconut water drink with a homemade coconut cream foam and edible sand. It was delicious but I wouldn’t dream of it nowadays.
The name tells us what you do but how and when did the idea for the company come about? Me and fellow Travelling Bartender Leo Boys opened a bar in Hawaii, worked with a resort in Phuket and were working with Potato Head Beach Club in Bali, where one of the owners would introduce us as “my Travelling Bartenders”. It kind of stuck so we rolled with that for the name. The operations manager, and now our great friend, Steve Cromie bought us the website domain for $5 in Naughty Nuris (a suckling pig and Margarita bar). Who is it aimed at? Most of our work is with hotels and resorts so the consultancy is aimed at them, but our recipes, stories and photos are our way of staying connected to the worldwide bartender community. We’d like to get more involved with smaller, grass roots companies in the future. How do you go about spreading the word? We started by writing a Tumblr blog that had our recipes on, as well as updates from projects and interviews with other travelling bartenders. We spent lots of time writing emails, knocking on doors and having Skype chats with resorts and hotels. I remember being on a Skype interview with someone in Hong Kong when we were sitting in a tropical storm on Koh Mak, lightning struck the tin roof next door to us shutting off the internet for three days! Now it’s really through networking and Instagram. Who was your first client, where were they based and how did you help them out? We worked with 80s rock star Todd Rundgren and his wife Michelle to open a tiki bar in Hawaii. We designed their menus (with our lovely pal Alexx Mouzouris), oversaw the opening, trained the team, helped designed the bar and looked after their seven sausage dogs!
Where have your travels taken you since starting the consultancy? We’ve worked in Hawaii, Thailand, Borneo, Hong Kong, Bali, Jakarta, Sumba, Paris, Vienna, Amsterdam, Mauritius, Singapore, New York and soon Colombia and Panama. What’s your favourite part of the job? Teaching, travelling, exotic ingredients, meeting people, the hustle, sunsets. What are the most challenging parts of the job? Language barriers are a fun challenge, especially if we don’t have loads of time to work with a team. We try to learn as much of the local lingo as we can, even if it’s just to make them laugh at us! Getting steady jobs one after another can also be a challenge when you’re jumping around countries. Sometimes we might spend one or two months out of work before the next project, which makes it hard to save money.
Getting steady jobs one after another can also be a challenge when you’re jumping around countries
The Cocktail Lovers - 13
IN-the hotseat
Tell us about some of your favourite projects and why they stand out? Potato Head Folk in Singapore was such a beautiful transformation to do. It started as just a shell of a building in Chinatown and was turned into this whimsical fourstorey, four concept wonderland. Singapore is a tough place to open a business so we were a super tight knit team. Me, Leo, Dre Masso and the executive chef Adam Penney all lived in an old-school Singaporean flat where we’d walk through a hawker to get home. I’ll never forget the burnt 4am roti channai. Nihiwatu on Sumba island in Indonesia is such an incredible place to work, we pick all our fresh ingredients from the organic garden and make everything from scratch because all you can really order there are the base spirits. We’d prefer to do that everywhere if we could.
What are the benefits of travel to a bartender? Networking, meeting people from different backgrounds, trying new ingredients, opening your mind! You learn a lot about yourself being out of your comfort zone. Even working behind a different bar station will make you more versatile and creative. Working and travelling has made us more flexible, empathetic, patient and skilful in our work.
Nihiwatu on Sumba island in Indonesia is such an incredible place to work, we pick all our fresh ingredients from the organic garden What are the benefits of a travelling bartender to the consumer? Working in lots of different ways of life gives you a worldwide view of hospitality – you pick up lovely little local etiquettes and social graces. I often find myself bobbing a Thai wai [traditional nod] and saying thank you at the same time! travellingbartenders.com
A drink from the travelling bartenders repertoire
In the five years since you launched have you found that travel features more in bartenders lives? There’s a lot more scope for travel in the bartending world; brand trips, competitions, guest shifts and general time off/discovery. Our advice for any bartender travelling is to respectfully take inspiration from markets, bars, textiles, art, smells, people, restaurants, landscapes and nature and use it to shape your craft.
14 - The Cocktail Lovers
ESSENTIAL TRAVEL TIPS #1 Checked luggage… • Roll your clothes instead of folding. Check out YouTube for the best ways to do this. • Use packing cells/cubes – incredibly helpful if you have multiple stops, they’re like travelling with a set of drawers and keep your clean clothes separate from your dirties.
IN-the spotlight
Travelling bartenders are nothing new, as cocktail historian Jared Brown points out From the beginnings of the profession, bartenders and bartending have been shaped by travel and exploration. The undisputed forefathers of mixology – Jerry ‘the Professor’ Thomas, Harry ‘the Dean’ Johnson and ‘the Only’ William Schmidt – sojourned far from home to shape and hone their skills. More followed. Trader Vic Bergeron, Donn Beach and Sloppy Joe Otero all encountered broader worlds that they brought back home to their bars.
Thomas also crossed the Pond, where he plied his trade in an American bowling saloon in the Cremorne Pleasure Gardens in Chelsea, London. He brought all manner of Americanised mixed drinks with him. However, his landmark 1862 book contains at least six recipes adapted from the world’s first celebrity chef Alexis Benoit Soyer, who headed up London’s Reform Club kitchens and the Universal Symposium of All Nations. Harry Johnson followed a similar path, sailing from Prussia to San Francisco and then crossing to Chicago and New York to make his claim to fame during the later mid-1800s, imparting knowledge and gaining it every step of the way. William Schmidt had already acquired stature in his craft in Hamburg before following in Johnson’s footsteps, heading the bar team at the Tivoli Gardens in Chicago and entertaining Manhattan’s élite in downtown New York. While individuals moved about for ages, the greatest single bartender exodus was triggered by Prohibition in the US. Although they were not exactly out of work if they were willing to chance plying their trade in an illegal speakeasy, reputable bartenders saw no reason to go to jail for practicing their profession and deserted in droves to places as far flung as Cuba, Europe, the South Pacific and beyond.
While individuals moved about for ages, the greatest single bartender exodus was triggered by Prohibition in the US
In the 19th century, Jerry Thomas sailed from New Haven, Connecticut, to New York and then all the way around the southernmost tip of South America, Tierra del Fuego, and back up the Pacific coasts of South, Central and North America. The journey took ages. The clipper ship Flying Cloud set an enduring speed record in 1854, completing the voyage in 89 days (an average voyage stopping in every major port took nearly twice as long). By the time Thomas disembarked at San Francisco, he claimed to know every drink made in every one of the cities along the way. His journey was one of intense study of regional ingredients and techniques. And he did it more than once: it was considered far safer than crossing the American Wild West by land or the fifty miles of swamp across the isthmus of Panama.
At one time there were approximately 7,000 American bartenders working in Havana. There, they discovered a whole new world of fresh ingredients while they imparted their secrets for serving American tourists. Tropical drinks that had quietly existed on Cuban shores found their way around the globe and those peripatetic bartenders never forgot the flavours they encountered there. When Donn Beach and Victor Bergeron made their pilgrimages to Cuba in the next decade, they learnt the flavours and formulae that became the framework for tiki drinks.
The Cocktail Lovers - 27
IN-the spotlight
In my own travels, I’ll never cease to be a student. After teaching a masterclass at Schumann’s American Bar in Munich, I discovered that one of his bartenders was running late so he was short staffed. I volunteered and stepped behind the bar. It wasn’t particularly busy, just a few locals stopping in for a beer. I could handle that. At least I thought I could until I reached across the deep bar to clear away a few empty beer glasses. From across the room came a sharp rebuke. Charles, the owner shouted, “Never pick glasses up by the rim!” He’d forgotten for a moment that I wasn’t one of his bartenders and rightly scolded me. He quickly began to apologise but I stopped him.
While we have more options for armchair travel than any generation in history, with television, YouTube and social media bringing the world to our laptops and phones, there’s still no substitute for actually being there and experiencing the sights, sounds, smells and tastes, and interacting with the locals in their bars.
He was right to shout. And he was the first to tell me not to do this. I learned a valuable lesson that day. No one wants a bartender to touch the rim of their drink when serving it. That’s like having a stranger stick their fingers in your mouth. And no one really wants to see a bartender get their fingers covered with a customer’s saliva. Picking up dirty glasses by the rim is unsanitary unless you’re going to wash your hands after every glass you clear. Lesson learnt and now shared. But I may never have learnt it if I hadn’t made that trip to Munich. Today, it doesn’t take three months to get from New York to San Francisco (or the thriving cocktail scenes in LA, San Diego, Portland and Seattle). It only takes a day to get from London to Singapore where places such as Manhattan Bar and 28 Hong Kong Street are proving the island nation has retained its touch as a drinks destination. It’s worth going to Hong Kong to check out what Antonio Lai and his peers are doing. And let’s not forget the precision and graceful techniques to be revered at the altars of Japanese bartending – Star Bar and Bar High Five.
While we have more options for armchair travel than any generation in history, there’s still no substitute for actually being there
Apps for travel… • Airline apps – for up-to-date info on your flights. • Google Translate – download the language you’re going to need for offline use.
ESSENTIAL TRAVEL TIPS #2
• Beanhunter – if you’re a coffee lover. • City Mapper – it’s the best navigation app out there.
• Uber and taxi apps – check to see which one’s best for the city you’re visiting. It also massively decreases your chance of getting ripped off. • Trip Advisor and Lonely Planet – if you have some free time and don’t mind looking like a tourist. • XE – for exchange rate.
Also, it’s a good idea to update your apps before you fly (or when you have access to decent Wi-Fi).
The Cocktail Lovers - 29
Promotion
Mixing cocktails. Making a difference Meet The Mixing Stars: Tom Soden, Nine Lives The Disaronno Mixing Star project is all about shining a light on the very special people in the global bartending community who are thinking in new ways about the drinks world. In the UK Tom Soden is doing just that. At first glance his bar, Nine Lives, is an easily appealing neighbourhood spot with cool artworks and quirky touches that make you feel like you’re hanging out at a hip friend’s house. Ordering a drink, though, can start a whole different conversation. Nestling in ours was a bamboo straw. Tom explains that: “Plastic straws take about 250 years to biodegrade. In the US they use about 5.5 million a day, so it's a major problem. We wanted to offer consumers a better alternative. They get one bamboo straw on arrival and that’s theirs for the evening.” It’s a simple but significant touch. It’s no gimmick though, nor is it jumping on the sustainability band wagon. It’s symbolic of the whole thoughtful approach of Tom and his team. The furniture is reclaimed and made good again. There’s also a garden where ingredients are grown for use in the drinks, such as the lemon, lovage and bell peppers used in the Disaronno serve featured here. Not only does the garden help with Nine Lives’ carbon footprint it also gives fresher flavours to the finished drinks. There are additional benefits for the wider community too. “We realised we didn’t know a whole lot about gardening. Then we discovered a local charity called St. Mungo’s that helps homeless people get back into society. They now help us maintain the garden, making sure it delivers the right crops all year round.” The great thing is Nine Lives works on whatever level you choose. If you simply want a tasty cocktail in a friendly neighbourhood bar then that’s exactly what you can look forward to. If the conversation goes a little deeper, thanks to that bamboo straw, you can engage further and learn more of the story.
It’s inspiring for both the bartending community and the wider one too. Making a difference doesn’t have to be massive or daunting, it can start modestly and grow. And in doing so Nine Lives is delivering an experience to guests that’s as meaningful as it is enjoyable. To find out more about Tom Soden and Nine Lives, along with all the Disaronno Mixing Stars, watch the films at facebook.com/TheMixingStar/ Since launching in 2017 The Mixing Stars has showcased bartenders from Athens, Milan, Amsterdam and London, with more to come. Watch out for updates in The Cocktail Lovers Magazine.
We wanted to offer consumers a better alternative
The Mixing Star serve: Verde 40ml Disaronno 15ml home-made lemon balm, red bell pepper and lovage liqueur* 20ml lemon juice 1 lemon slice 5 basil leaves Method: Muddle and build all ingredients in a Julep tin and fill with crushed ice. Garnish with a basil leaf and lemon twist. *Macerate a red pepper in 250ml high proof neutral alcohol for 24 hours. Infuse with one tablespoon of lovage leaves and one tablespoon of lemon balm leaves in 250ml of boiling water for 15 minutes. Strain off and mix with 500g of sugar. disaronno.com Please drink responsibly
The Cocktail Lovers - 33
CRAFTY COCKTAILS IN THE GREEK CAPITAL This year World Class Fine Drinking Athens was all about celebrating craftsmanship. We were there, and what a celebration it was. Arriving for the launch of World Class Fine Drinking Athens on a pleasingly warm June evening, we knew we were in for something special. Taking place in a beautiful neoclassical building in the heart of the city, there was already an expectant crowd gathering. Stepping inside we ascended a majestic marble staircase and the experience kicked off in earnest. But what exactly was the experience?
Craft cocktails and more Along with its bars and legendary hospitality, the serving of expertly crafted drinks has been key to Athens’ growing reputation in the cocktail world. The capital, though, is also home to craftsmanship in fashion and furniture design, graphic art, culinary creativity and much more. World Class Fine Drinking Athens was all about bringing these worlds together with inspired cocktail collaborations. Take the Tanqueray No. TEN Gin room: a living aromatic botanical garden – beautifully styled by florist Emi Drizou – that reflected the unique qualities of the spirit itself. And what better way to complement our surroundings than with the equally aromatic Southside (Tanqueray No. TEN Gin, sage syrup, apple liqueur, fresh mint, lime juice and edible flowers). Next up was Cardhu Single Malt Whisky. Imagine a room that’s homely yet exquisitely designed. This was the work of designer Spiros Kontakis and took inspiration from Scottish Speyside. Among his creations were a dining table, lamp and chaise longue. Our favourite, naturally, was the drinks trolley – a must-have on our shopping list and perfect for preparing the accompanying super smooth Vegan Milk Punch (Cardhu 12 Year Single Malt Whisky, almond milk, agave syrup, cinnamon, lemon sorbet, green apple juice, oat flakes and berries).
34 - The Cocktail Lovers
If you like quality chocolate (and we really do) then the exceptional Zacapa Solera 23 Rum room couldn’t have been more inviting. Here leading pastry chef Stelios Parliaros had constructed a beautiful, handcrafted chocolate sculpture, while our pick of the pairings was the richly satisfying Zegroni (Zacapa Solera 23 Year Rum, red vermouth blend, Italian bitters, Eau de Vie William Poire and soy, served with chocolate). Moving on we strode into the world of Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve Whisky blend and the iconic Striding Man. Reimagining this classic image were digital art graphic designer Nikos Tsimouris and director Giannis Mikros with a mesmerising screen installation depicting the walking figure in new and contemporary fashion. Equally creative was the invitation to be guided through making our own personalised Old Fashioned with a selection of syrups, bitters and garnishes. We went for maple syrup, walnut bitters and orange garnish. Super delicious. A little bit of Mexico arrived in Athens next through a vibrant and striking street art mural evoking the spirit of a modern fiesta from mister.achilles for Don Julio Tequila. Perfect refreshment came in the form of the Palomita (Don Julio Blanco Tequila, grapefruit cordial and pink grapefruit soda with a salt, pink pepper and dried grapefruit rim). Sartorially we had two choices. Courtesy of CÎROC vodka there were elegant and sophisticated dresses from fashion designer Stelios Koudounaris. Equally elegant and sophisticated was the aptly named Riviera (CÎROC vodka, red grape cordial, rosato vermouth and tonic, garnished with grapes). Meanwhile in the Talisker room a photographic exhibition showcased the work of top Greek tailor Vassilis Bourtsalas. The jacket on show from his workshop was exquisite, as was the accompanying Highball (Talisker Skye Single Malt Whisky, melon liqueur, cranberry bitters and ginger beer).
Promotion
The cream of craft cocktails As if this wasn’t enough to keep us and the thousands of other visitors happy, there were further celebrations of craftsmanship each evening. The first was a supergroup of national bartending talent as five previous winners of the World Class Greece title got together behind the bar, each showcasing a personally crafted creation. We’re not picking any favourites, they were all damned good.
Experience Athens cocktail craftsmanship for yourself While the event lasted just three evenings, World Class Fine Drinking Athens continued the celebration across 40 bars in the city who created and served original cocktails for another ten days. And you haven’t missed out. Next time you head to Athens we suggest checking out some of these bars for yourselves. Just look out for the Fine Drinking sign and enjoy cocktail craftsmanship at its finest.
World Class Fine Drinking Athens bars 7 Jokers 42 Barstronomy A for Athens Balthazar Barreldier Beauty Killed The Beast Bel Ray Blends BookAli Brokies City Zen Coyoacan CV Distiller Dizzy Mo Dodo’s Drunk Sinatra Electra Metropolis Faust Feedel Urban Gastronomy Fouar Summer
El Rey Alobar Grande Bretagne Hide & Seek Holy Garden Juan Rodriguez Bar Kuko’s Monk Grapes and Spirits Mosaïko Noel Pairidaeza Paliatsos Recipe Bar Rockfellas Tailor Made Tall’s Toy The Bank Job Theory Upupa Epops Zambri Zurbarán Athens
Day two saw the top team from Manhattan Bar, Singapore (ranked No. 1 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars and No. 7 in the World’s 50 Best Bars, no less) serving up four beautifully balanced beverages. We particularly loved the Campino (Tanqueray No. TEN Gin, pineapple syrup, Italian bitter aperitif and chocolate bitters with dehydrated orange wheel). Completing the three special evenings was another dream team in the shape of two previous World Class Global winners; David Rios, from Spain, and local hero Aristotelis Papadopoulos. As well as creating outstanding drinks they were paired with dishes from Michelin starred chefs Nikos Karathanos of Cookoovaya and Asterios Koustoudis of Grande Bretagne – cocktail and cuisine heaven.
For details of future World Class Fine Drinking events see thecocktaillovers.com Please drink responsibly The Cocktail Lovers - 35
IN-the mix
DESTINATION:
Cocktail Hour! Pull up a stool at the bar, order one of the following cocktails and allow your imagination to take you on a journey inspired by the drink itself Illustrations by Pez & Pencil
IN-focus
Expect delights like their New York Beets Salad, made using pureed roasted beets, pineapple juice, cranberry reduction, lemon and white rum, garnished with a mixture of mascarpone, yogurt and simple syrup charged in a nitrogen canister and topped with dill, freeze-dried raspberry and a sprinkle of black pepper. Trust us, it’s a veritable taste sensation.
Gn won the Bacardi Legacy Global Finals in 2015 and will always be remembered for his cool, distinctive look as much as his showstopper of a winning drink. He’s got the same impact with his new venture. Unpretentious, unique, funky and bang-on for intricate flavours, the van is its owner in mechanised form. “We do 12 hours straight which means in one night we attend to a maximum of 24 people. During each session we serve a tasting menu of four drinks – everything is based on the style of the drinks that we’ll be offering when we get the site.”
Like the search for the permanent space, transforming the bar has been a labour of love. “The bus took me almost a year to fix, it’s pretty old which means that it has a tendency to break down. The first time we drove it we got 40 miles from New York and the engine caught on fire – there was smoke everywhere – we ended up getting towed back. I’ve even pushed it on the highway!” he laughs. “We’ve just done a trip across Miami, Houston and New York, that’s a total of 9,000km in the bus. It was long, the bus is slow – it only travels at 80km per hour – but the journey was really fun and people absolutely love it,” he smiles. The cocktails are just one part of the story. The bus connects with people on a different level. “It’s really iconic for a lot of Americans – particularly those who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s. When we’re at gas stations we get a lot of people taking pictures and coming up and talking to us about their memories of their vans, it’s really nice to hear their stories.”
The Cocktail Lovers - 47
50 - The Cocktail Lovers
IN-focus
Lounges are also ideal places for top-notch cocktail collaborations. Virgin Atlantic takes some beating on this front, with each of its Clubhouses boasting partnerships with some of the best bars in its corresponding city. For instance, at Heathrow, not only will you find a swanky 16-metre bar winking at you from across the room but you can take your pick from cocktails from multi-awardwinning bar Dandelyan, while sister bar Superlyan is the star of the show over at Gatwick. At JFK there’s a menu from everybody’s favourite New York bar, Employees Only; Newark has a stunning selection of drinks from the team at BlackTail and on it goes in San Francisco (Smuggler’s Cover), Los Angeles (Walker Inn), Washington DC (Ruka) and Johannesburg (Mootee). In Dallas Airport, The Centurion Lounge has partnered with acclaimed mixologist Jim Meehan. His Texas-inspired tipples include the likes of the Tex Mex (Tito’s Vodka,
Cabeza Blanco Tequila, corn, honey, lime and jalapeño), ideal for channelling those holiday vibes. Grounded travellers can also enjoy the perks of some expertly crafted libations via the Eurostar Paris Business Premier lounge, thanks to JJ Goodman, founder of London Cocktail Club. The bespoke cocktails combine the best of British and French spirits – try their signature Angelique which contains Toujours 21 (Eurostar’s very own lavender infused gin – designed by Raymond Blanc and created by Silent Pool Distillers), French botanicals, honey from the Kent countryside, Chartreuse, Chardonnay and fresh lemon – it’s a taste of Provence in your glass! You can also, of course, stick to a bog standard Bloody Mary, famed for its umami flavours, but where’s the fun in that?
Items to carry on… • A water bottle, ideally with a clip. Take it through airport security empty, fill it up on the other side.
ESSENTIAL TRAVEL TIPS #3 52 - The Cocktail Lovers
• Decant your toiletries. It’s amazing how much you can actually fit in a 1-litre bag. • Noise cancelling headphones, even better if they’re wireless!
• A portable charger and cable. • A travel wallet with a zip. Always put your passport away as soon as you’ve used it. • A travel pillow. Well worth it if you’re aiming to get forty winks.
A question of taste A quick guide to what to drink in the air, on land or at sea. By Professor Charles Spence Drinking on the move is not like drinking while stationary, and our beverage choices should be adapted accordingly. By far the most has been written about the changes in our perception of taste – both what we can taste and how much we like it – when we’re in the air. There are three main atmospheric factors that are worth thinking about here, the dry cabin air, the lowered cabin air pressure and the noise of the engines. The first two reduce our aroma perception – which is key given that around 70-95% of what we think we taste we actually smell. Meanwhile, the noise of the engines – which comes in at 80-85dB depending on the type of plane and where
54 - The Cocktail Lovers
you’re sitting – suppresses our ability to taste sweet and salt, while enhancing our ability to taste the mysterious fifth taste, umami. This is the yummy proteinaceous taste we find in parmesan cheese, mushrooms and, crucially, tomatoes. Combining these various factors helps to explain why it is that tomato juice seems to taste so much fresher in the air than it ever does on the ground. It also explains why a quarter of us will religiously order a tomato juice, or Bloody Mary, while up in the air but would never think of doing so with our feet planted firmly on the earth. It’s why there was such a backlash against United Airlines when they threatened to withdraw their tomato juice breakfast option recently. If you prefer a glass of wine to a cocktail, you might look out one of those wines that express a hint
PHOTO BY JOHN LUKE LAUBE ON UNSPLASH
IN-focus
IN-focus
of umami. And while we’re on the topic of wine, there’s often a temptation to go for a grand vintage if you happen to be travelling at the pointy end of the plane. You can make the most of the famous name Bordeaux wines that you’ll find, say, in Business Class on Air France. But you might actually be better advised to go for a high altitude New World producer instead, perhaps Sauvignon Blanc for white and Malbec for red. They seem to stand up especially well in the air. You want something fruity, rather than something with more structured tannins. The suggestion here (from my colleague Professor Barry Smith in London) is that this could be because these wines have been blended and tasted at an altitude that is much closer to the 6-8,000ft above sea level that the airplane cabin is set to. Take the Zapata grapes in Nicolas Catana’s Argentinian vineyard that are grown at an elevation of 5,700ft above sea-level. Order one of these wines and, in a sense, you get to taste them as the chef du cave intended. Intriguingly, a number of other producers now formulate their beverages especially for the air. Everything from the Twinings tea served on British Airways through to the beer you’ll find on SAS airlines. Last year I worked on a project with Cathay Pacific in which a special limited edition beer, called Betsy Beer, had been produced with more of the sweet notes coming from the exotic Dragon Eye fruit and honey to ‘up’ the fruity and floral notes in the air. The research shows that meals served in the air need to have as much as 20-30% extra salt and sugar to deliver the same taste as they do down here. One might wonder, therefore, why it is that more drinks aren’t mixed especially for this hostile atmosphere at 35,000 feet.
engines. So going for an umami-forward tipple ought to work well across all of them. One other thing to note is that travel, be it on land, at sea or in the air, can be a stressful business. As such, you might prefer comfort foods and sweeter flavours rather than new and exotic ones. And then, for those modes of transport where instability is a danger – think turbulence in the air or a swell at sea – perhaps you should be choosing a drink that won’t stain your outfit if it spills – maybe white wine rather than red? And the final tip from me is to get yourself a pair of noisecancelling headphones. They really are the best flavour enhancer under any noisy drinking conditions. Looking to the future, it won’t be too long before some mega-rich tourists take a trip into space. But what should they drink to celebrate their once in a lifetime journey? Well, the answer is probably nothing, given that sickness is likely to be the order of the day – unless they’re experienced with weightlessness…
Intriguingly, a number of producers now formulate their beverages especially for the air
You should, however, probably avoid too much carbonation, both because of the flatulence that may ensue, and also because – as Taittinger Champagne showed a few years ago – altitude messes with the mousse bubbles. And while I’m not much of a fan of the sparkling stuff at the best of times, I really do wonder why so many airlines make such a deal about serving Champagne to their premium passengers while at the same time delivering it in a plastic cup. The heavier the glassware the more aromatic the drink you hold. Weight in the hand really helps to accentuate the olfactory notes that are so central to delivering a great flavour experience. What’s common to many different modes of transport, think rail travel or luxury coach, is the noise from the
The Cocktail Lovers - 55
IN-focus
BE OUR GUEST What’s all the fuss about guest bartending shifts? We ask brothers Daniel and Joe Schofield for their views LOOKING OUTSIDE: by Daniel Schofield “Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you can change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life – and travel – leaves marks on you.” – Anthony Bourdain I don’t think this quote could be truer or more relevant to guest bartending. As bartenders we get to share our ideas and our creativity with a new audience in a new environment where we’re out of our comfort zone. This enables us to think differently, to observe and to learn. In doing so, we may get to pick up new techniques, new ingredients and to see hospitality from new perspectives, hopefully trading some of those lessons along the way. We may discover a new way of running our bars, a fresh concept for a drink, or even a different approach to service. These all add to our repertoire and make us better bartenders.
56 - The Cocktail Lovers
There are many benefits to guest bartending events and the like. On a personal level, it gives us the opportunity to meet people and travel. On a professional level, it’s great for our profile and experience. For me, one of the best things about working in hospitality is knowing that I can travel anywhere in the world and be treated like family. Guest shifts are an extension of that. We get invited into someone’s home in return for sharing a piece of our home with them and their guests. We meet people that will become part of our life. People we’ll bump into at every bar show, every cocktail week across the world and like old school friends, we’ll pick up exactly where we left off, as if nothing has changed or no time has gone by. The main reason why I do guest shifts is for the travel. Both Joe and I were pushed by our parents when we were younger to travel at any given chance. When we first started out they were a little sceptical – like many parents of bartenders at the time. But now they’ve seen the opportunities we’ve been luckily enough to get, I feel like we’ve made them proud.
IN-focus
LOOKING INSIDE: by Joe Schofield I’ve been extremely fortunate during my time in the industry to have met some amazing people who’ve gifted me the opportunity to visit their bars and experience their hospitality. It’s opened-up travel experiences I would never have believed would become reality. I’ve climbed the great wall of China and visited a -25ºc Siberia in the middle of winter. I’m sure there are many bartenders out there with great stories to tell from their work overseas. But what benefit does this have for the bars and their customers? When I was at Tippling Club in Singapore we used to host guest bartenders regularly. One of my favourite things about this was that my team and myself could get insight into the thought processes of some of the best bars and bartenders in the world. For me, that’s one of the greatest things about bartending, there’s always something to learn. Our guest bartending events were consumer-focused and we created a following of sorts with our Once Upon A Time series. We were able to share with our guests completely new experiences from cultures all over the world. We hosted these bartenders in our event space, utilising an extra source of revenue for the bar. These events also created a huge amount of PR, keeping us in the spotlight in Singapore which is a very competitive market.
ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE EXPERIENCES: It’s hard to pick one guest shift that has stood out for us both as the best, as each one has been unique and special in its own right. But in April, we did another of our Schofield Brothers guest shifts in Central Station in Lebanon. We were invited out by Jad Ballout and Varia Dellalian. From the second we arrived we were treated with the utmost hospitality. They were obviously no strangers to hosting guests. What we found so special about this trip was that it was more than just visiting bars and restaurants, it was about creating memories. We were taken to so many special places, places that we could see they were proud of, places that they wanted us to remember when we looked back on our time there. This for us, is the definition of hospitality.
Creating events with colleagues from many different countries also gives us the opportunity to show them around our city and make them feel at home
I believe that hosting is the most important aspect of being a bartender. Creating events with colleagues from many different countries also gives us the opportunity to show them around our city and make them feel at home. More often than not, our guests bring ingredients from their respective cultures; you get to taste new flavours from all over the world. I’ve been inspired by our guests countless times. The Cocktail Lovers - 57
IN-formed
INSIDE THE WORLD OF
DUTY FREE AKA THE SIXTH CONTINENT B Y
J A N E
We all know someone who habitually misses flights, who never leaves the house on time and has mad dashes through the airport. To them duty free is a blur of people and products they’re knocking over as they rush for a closing gate. But for the rest of us who aren’t such thrill-seekers, duty free has its lures; cheaper sunglasses, noveltysized bars of Swiss chocolate and the opportunity to sample some spirits.
58 - The Cocktail Lovers
R Y A N
It’s here, between security and the plane, that a whole continent of the spirits world exists – and many of us rarely think about it. It’s been decades since the EU put an end to ridiculously cheap spirits for those of us jetting between the UK and the continent. Today, Jameson Irish Whiskey, for example, will cost you £10 less if you’re flying outside of the EU than within it. But duty free isn’t all about the discount. It’s a chance to engage a plethora of new customers – and if you can’t give them discounts, why not give them exclusives? Just a quick look at June shows how brands throw a lot of thought, time and money into what airport customers see – regardless of whether the price is cheaper than in the supermarkets.
IN-formed
At the time of writing, in the last 20 days in duty free Tío Pepe unveiled an Andy Warhol-themed Sherry Traveller edition with Dufry – the owners of World of Duty Free, while Licor 43 introduced a new coffee flavour. Aberfeldy 12-year-old appeared in a gold bar tin packaging, Diageo partnered with Dufry for its Johnnie Walker Black Label Triple Cask Edition exclusive, Jägermeister revealed an exclusive series of city-themed bottles and Brown-Forman launched its new BenRiach travel-retail exclusive. One of the most exciting launches 2018 has given the world of duty free shoppers is Johnnie Walker Blenders’ Batch Sherry Cask Finish. Made from a blend including whisky from Blair Athol, Cardhu and Strathmill, it’s aged for 12 years before being finished in sherry casks. “This is a special launch for Diageo Global Travel because it’s exclusive to our shoppers. It’s the first travel retail exclusive from the Johnnie Walker Blenders’ Batch series and we’re thrilled to offer shoppers a glimpse into the world of flavour exploration from the world’s biggest scotch whisky brand,” says Dayalan Nayager, managing director of Diageo Global Travel. At the end of 2017 Bacardi partnered up with Virgin Atlantic and instead of going for the exclusive liquid angle, tried something altogether new for its shoppers – an immersive bar experience where it served signature drinks from bars around the world through a virtual reality tour. London’s Dandelyan, New York’s BlackTail and Employees Only, San Francisco’s Smuggler’s Cove, LA’s The Walker Inn, Washington’s Columbia Room and Boston’s Ruka all took part. Customers in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Heathrow could order a drink from one of the bars and, through a virtual reality headset, sit at the actual bar and watch it being made, before removing it and finding the drink was waiting in front of them in real life. As the endless launches and activations suggest, duty free works for both the brands and the companies that own these shops. Dufry is without question the largest fish in the pond with shops in most airports, seaports and international train stations. For the first quarter of 2018 it turned over 1,820 million Swiss Francs, about £1,387.8 million. Of that cash flow, spirits and wine represent a cool 16% – or £222 million – making it the third biggest category behind cosmetics and food. Other notable names include DFS, Heinemann and Lagardère.
So this world is a complicated one with many players. It’s a market subject to geopolitical challenges, currency issues and general unrest. Trump’s election may not have stopped you going to a bar down the road, but it does change who’s flying and where. “Currency volatility has been around for as long as I’ve been in travel retail,” says Nayager. “It’s not something new and I don’t think it’s something that’s going to go away.”
duty free isn’t all about the discount. It’s a chance to engage a plethora of new customers Diageo has opened its first American retail space in Dallas Fort Worth Airport, designed to offer a luxurious interactive spirits experience with a feature wall displaying new and exciting variants from both Scotch and American whiskey categories. “Dallas Fort Worth is an integral international travel hub in North America with 67 million passengers travelling through the airport last year alone. This makes it a prime location for the first Diageo airport retail experience in North America,” says Marcos Bibas, the commercial director for Diageo Global Travel Americas. What has happened in Dallas could be the future of duty free – brands having entire shops within airports dedicated to their portfolio. The major international hubs certainly have the footfall to support it. However, the real impending change for travellers in the UK will, of course, be Brexit. Duty free may actually become duty free again. Yes, we may be pulling apart a political and economic union, but at least the gin and whisky will cost less at the airport. It’s the small victories in life for us Brits.
This enormous expansion and profit doesn’t all go to Dufry, Diageo or Bacardi though – not to mention Tom Ford, Chanel and Toblerone. It’s the airports who are queuing up to make more space for shopping and there’s an easy answer as to why. Figures released last year by Heathrow show that retail revenues are growing considerably faster than aviation revenues, which are stagnant.
The Cocktail Lovers - 59
IN-formed
MAINS & MARTINIS
Brunch: Roast The Floral Hall, Stoney Street, London SE1 1TL. T: 020 3006 6111. roastrestaurant.com (££) The vibe: As much a part of the area as the esteemed Borough Market in which it’s situated, Roast is comfortable in the evening but also a delight during the day with light flooding in through large windows, and some lovely views. The food: The word ‘ultimate’ is a bit overused these days but they might just be right with the Ultimate Breakfast Burger. Check this; cinnamon and raisin bagel, pork patty, maple bacon, Portobello mushroom, tomato and pepper relish, kale and a fried hen’s egg garnish. It’s a big way to start the day, bursting with flavour and the kale allows us to pretend it’s almost healthy. The drinks: There are four takes on the perennial brunch favourite, including a Classic Blood Mary and a traditional Red Snapper, but we went for the variations. The Bloody Smoked (Chase Smoked Vodka, fresh lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and fresh tomato juice) had an agreeable smokiness which sat nicely with the spiciness of the drink, as well as complimenting the burger. The Bloody by Roast (vodka, Noilly Prat dry vermouth, Cognac, fresh lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and fresh tomato juice) had depth from the Cognac and smoothness from the vermouth – an absolute beauty of a breakfast drink and the perfect buddy for that burger.
60 - The Cocktail Lovers
Lunch: The Marksman
Dinner: Hawksmoor
254 Hackney Rd, London E2 7SJ. T: 020 7739 7393. marksmanpublichouse.com (££)
157A Commercial St, London E1 6BJ. T: 020 7426 4850. thehawksmoor.com/ locations/spitalfields (£)
The vibe: The ground floor is a bustling traditional kind of pub and a very agreeable one too. Head upstairs and it’s like you’ve dropped into the rather nice kitchen diner at your best friend’s house – intimate space, understated furnishings and a very laid back kind of feel.
The vibe: While the restaurant on the ground floor is tip-top, it’s the basement bar which is our more frequent destination. It’s super informal and works for every occasion from quick after work drinks to special celebrations.
The food: It’s all about hearty comfort, which takes familiar dishes, utilises the very best quality ingredients and serves them up in the most perfect home-cooked way. The Tamworth belly ham, braised peas and green onion was a real lunchtime treat, but it’s pies like the outstanding chicken, leek and tarragon that’ll keep us coming back. There’s the occasional quirky touch too, like the sublime Darjeeling ice cream. Bring friends or bring an enormous appetite. The drinks: As a pub rather than a bar the cocktail offering has been kept sensibly short (just six on the menu) but the quality was spot on. We loved the White Negroni (ELL Batch No, 2, Suze and Lillet) which was silky and slipped down incredibly easily. If you like your drinks big and bold then try The Stout Drink (OVD Rum, vanilla, stout and pecan). It’s an intriguing combination that works surprisingly well, especially with the more robust dishes.
The food: Some evenings you don't fancy sitting down to a formal meal, but you want something substantial enough to keep the cocktails company. Step forward Popcorn Chicken and Devilled Mayonnaise, and Short-rib Nuggets and Kimchi Ketchup. Both were perfect to kick things off alongside the first cocktail, while mains, like the Brick Lane Sub with crispy pakoras, mint yogurt, lime pickle and mango ketchup, and sides, including Vinegar Slaw, were just the job for later in the evening. The drinks: There are still Hawksmoor Favourites to warm our nostalgic hearts like the Marmalade Cocktail (Beefeater Gin, Campari, marmalade and lemon) but be sure to check out the new menu too. The Second Calling (Fords Gin, Amontillado Sherry, Rinquinquin, lemon and sustainable syrup) is clean, strong and a perfect start to the evening. The Nick & Nori (Rittenhouse 100 Rye, nori infused vermouth, falernum and sesame bitters) was rich, with a lovely savoury finish and ideal to round things off.
price guide: main course and drinks per head: £ up to £25; ££ £25-£49; £££ £50+
This issue: where to eat brunch, take lunch and enjoy dinner with cocktails along the way
IN-formed
THINGS THAT MAKE US GO, OOH!
The
Cocktail
Girl
In pursuit of London’s coolest bars. Black Roe
Uniquely handsome, handmade furniture, that’s what. Spiros Kontakis designs are to diefor. Conceived as functional pieces of art, just one piece, like this drinks trolley, turns a room into a statement. kontakidesign.com
This Cocktail Girl is certainly riding the summertime high – partly due to the fact it’s stunning weather for exotic drinks and partly because this unexpected heat-wave means I have no desire to fly off to warmer climes. What better excuse to track down the most tropical tipples possible, and indulge in some island-hopping without the need to shell-out on plane tickets? Enter Black Roe, the poke bar and grill in Mayfair. Its latest menu takes your taste buds on a swoon-worthy trip from Bora Bora to Tahiti, with more hotspots in between. The décor certainly helps to instil that vacation mood: sunset blossoms, Asian poppies, orchids and the bloom of peonies all spill from the ceiling, practically daring you not to have a good time. Let’s start at that honeymoon hotspot, Hawaii, with the stunning Aloha cocktail – Tanqueray No TEN Gin, grapefruit juice, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, yuzu juice, peach and Prosecco foam – to mirror the frothy breaks from the rolling azure surf, no doubt. The serving is almost as beautiful as a #nofilter sunrise – a decanter filled with coral-hued cocktail and frivolous foam just waiting to be poured into a glass holding ice balls that are serious eye-candy. The citrus zing of yuzu and grapefruit, combined with juicy peach and the fizz of Prosecco, makes for one thoroughly moreish drink. Staying in Hawaii, try their Hau’oli Kawaii (Bombay Sapphire Gin, Manzana Verde, cucumber, spiced vanilla sugar and lemon juice). Hau’oli is the Hawaiian word for happy, Kawaii is the Japanese word for cuteness and this drink is intended to give you that fabulous feeling of stepping off the plane and seeing the first palm tree of your holiday. Next, pop over to French Polynesia for some rum-soaked fun with the Spicy Mai Tai (El Dorado 3 Rum, Gosling Rum, Cointreau, chilli, almond and pineapple). Close your eyes, take a sip, and you could be sitting on a secluded beach. That kick of chilli alongside the tropical pineapple really takes this classic to the next level. No alcohol? No problem – it’s time to indulge your craving for coconut with the Quiet Storm – made from passion fruit, lime, lychee, coconut cream, apple and mint. If you weren’t already feeling like you were wrapped in a sarong, being shaded by palm leaves while attempting to keep sand from those tricky crevices, then you sure will be after sipping this.
Notable nibbles We don’t know about you but we just love us a bit of cheese. The stronger, the whiffier, the better. Sure, it pairs nicely with a good port but fellow cheese fans, have you tried it with gin? Burrough’s Reserve is just the ticket. Have a sip on the honey-tinted small batch gin, rested in oak Bordeaux casks for added complexity as you nibble on Blacksticks Blue. People, the deliciously creamy, perfectly tangy cheese is the ideal accompaniment. Trust us, you won’t look back. Available from butlerscheeses.co.uk
Now, if this doesn’t have you either a) raiding the savings and booking a flight across the globe or b) hot-footing it to Black Roe for some seriously sun-soaked sips, then this Cocktail Girl will eat her straw hat. Dig out your best floral attire, pop a lei around your neck, and make the most of summertime while it’s here. blackroe.com
ESSENTIAL TRAVEL TIPS #4
What to wear for your flight… • Pockets with zips are your friend! • Pick breathable fabrics – they’re great when it’s hot and even better when it’s cold and you need to layer up.
The Cocktail Lovers - 63
IN-ternational
66 - The Cocktail Lovers
IN-ternational
TEN BARS WORTH TRAVELLING FOR... By Danil Nevsky and Eddie Rudzinskas Loggerhead Bar, Kiev, Ukraine. loggerhead.bar Set inside an 18th century building erected by a local merchant in the heart of the city, you could dub this place a speakeasy if you were trying to put a label on it, yet it’s anything but. The whole concept surrounds the loggerhead poker used in old taverns to make the original Flip – there’s even a 16th century poker proudly displayed on the wall. The Loggerhead team bring the technique into the modern day by heating their own pokers – designed with a local blacksmith – to over 1,000 degrees in a unique smelting pot, to make cocktails how they did 500 years ago.
Mootee Bar, Johannesburg, South Africa. mootee.co.za
behind the bar at cafe moderne, paris
They say tough times create the toughest of people and real creativity is born from a lack of resources. And that’s certainly true of Mootee Bar. In a post-Apartheid South Africa it has brought the different races, cultures, clans and ideas of the region together. It’s a truly modern South African bar paying homage to the country’s past and striving boldly into its future with modern techniques and equipment. It breaks down all the stereotypes and builds you up anew as you realise “This IS Africa”.
drinks at mootee, johannesburg
The Cocktail Lovers - 67
clockwise from left: ales & tales, beirut; nomad bar, new york; panda & sons, edinburgh
Ales & Tales, Beirut, Lebanon. facebook.com/alesntales Set in an area historically controlled by the Lebanese Socialist Movement where Beirut’s 20-somethings now come to party, lies a bar that can be described as a mad scientist’s fantasy. Bartenders dressed in dystopian/steampunk attire make drinks inspired by philosophical movements and fantasy ideologies. Fusion is the key term and there are no limits to your imagination. And where others might fail in mixing elements that just don’t seem compatible, Ales & Tales marches forward – kind of like Beirut itself.
BackDoor 43, Milan, Italy. facebook.com/ BackDoor43-357242831139149/ BackDoor 43 is possibly the smallest bar in the world, with no menu but a list of boxes to tick based on your personal desires. This is the epitome of personalised experience; you even pick the music and the bartender’s full attention is on you and your needs. Every inch of this magical space feels like putting on your most comfortable slippers after a hard day's work to relax over your favourite tipple. Oozing with character and charisma everyone has a different story about this bar because you make it yours when you enter.
68 - The Cocktail Lovers
Nomad Bar, New York, USA. thenomadhotel.com/new-york/dining/ spaces/the-nomad-bar The Nomad is the benchmark of service, style and hospitality in our opinion. Every member of staff lives a hive mind of excellence, pumping out cocktails at breakneck speed with the elegance of a ballerina. They even have a job for someone called the “Wishmaster” who pays attention to guests’ needs and grants them their wishes. On a recent visit, a couple on their first trip to New York had missed seeing the Statue of Liberty. So the Wishmaster drew a quick picture of the couple eating with the Statue in the background and presented it to them as a gift with their check. Truly a one of a kind experience!
Panda & Sons, Edinburgh, Scotland. pandaandsons.com A fictitious family of pandas, a hidden barbershop, a completely unpretentious atmosphere and delicious cocktails to boot. Step behind that bookcase to be transported to a world where up is down and down is up! There’s no better way to escape than to get lost in someone else’s crazy imagination – where your own problems are washed away under a river of Bamboo cocktails.
IN-ternational
back door bar, milan; below: cafe moderne, paris
Cafe Moderne, Paris, France. cafemoderne-tbmb.com You walk into a bar and the bar feels like home. That bar is Cafe Moderne. Moroccan meatballs, fresh foie gras, hip hop and cocktails are served over an 80-yearold bar counter, wrapped with a certain chic only found in this area of the French capital. If a bar had a soul this one would be a French cabaret performer with Arabic roots who’s spent years touring with the Cirque du Soleil only to settle down with a lifetime of stories to share through food, music and cocktails. Visit at your own risk, you might not want to leave...
Apoteka, Vilnius, Lithuania. apotekabar.lt
Two Schmucks, Barcelona, Spain. facebook.com/schmuckordie/
The Baltics have some of the richest history in Europe, and Lithuanian just happens to be one of the world’s oldest languages. Raising its head in a post-Soviet climate to re-discover the wealth of knowledge and heritage rooted in the area, this bar is at the forefront of the Baltic bartending scene. It’s as if we’ve turned back time and the prohibition days of the US are relocated in an eastern European setting as Boardwalk Empire style bartenders weave magic in an Apothecary setting.
Two Schmucks say they’re fixing the plane as they’re flying it – that it’s not just a bar but a living social experiment. And you can expect the experiment to evolve every month, as all the profits are re-invested back into the bar to fund its development. One day there’s new chairs, then new AC, or most recently a top-of-the-range bar station. One thing that doesn’t change is the quality of the cocktail menu, although the drinks on it do to keep up with the expectations of both locals and tourists. The name is Two Schmucks and you never know what to expect from a schmuck. Reggaeton? Sure! Old school hip hop? Sure! All vegetarian food list this month? Sure! There are no limitations and everyone’s invited.
Xaman, Mexico City, Mexico. xaman.bar Salsa? Tequila? Corazon? What do you really know about Mexico? We once saw a shaman in Mexico City and he made us see things we didn’t know existed but were always there, he made us taste ingredients we thought we knew but the flavour was a mystery. Come to Xaman with no prejudices or expectations and simply sit, drink and enjoy. Here you’ll discover the real heart of the Mexican people as well as their traditions, history and culture. And once you’re tried it you’ll never look at a sombrero the same way again.
The Cocktail Lovers - 69
New menu drop at The Connaught Bar Foundation, finesse and flair, the three key elements at the heart of the new menu at The Connaught Bar. It's a good one, as you might expect from master of the mixing glass Ago Perrone and his outstanding team. Carefully curated to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the bar, it celebrates the architecture of the team that form the foundation of the bar and draws inspiration from their myriad guests. Green Light (Grey Goose Vodka, Roku Gin infused tomato skin, Electric Bitters, osmanthus & timur pepper cordial, passion berries and grapeseed oil), is just one of 21 cleverly conceived drinks on the list. Make a pact with yourself to discover the rest. the-connaught.co.uk
Subscribe
The Cocktail Lovers magazine Published in print four times a year. And it’s free! You just pay postage. For details see TCLsubs.com
+ Plus SIGN UP
Visit
Get updates, alerts and promotions by heading to thecocktaillovers.com/contact-us
thecocktaillovers.com News, products, events, recipes and general cocktail stuff we love to share.
NEWSLETTER
Like
meet.thecocktaillovers
View
@thecocktaillovers
Follow
@cocktaillovers
Team up If you’re a brand and you’d like to work with us in our magazine, on our site, producing an event or anything else cocktail related and fun, drop a line to mail@thecocktaillovers.com.