FOOD AND BEVERAGE
MIXING IT UP FROM BRANDED GINS TO FINE-DINING OVER ZOOM, PLANT-BASED RESTAURANTS AND NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS, THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE SCENE IN HOTELS HAS TURNED HEALTHY, FUN AND BESPOKE. JAMES WILKINSON AND MATT LENNON LOOK AT THE TRENDS YOU NEED TO KNOW.
QT Hotels is bringing the chaos with its new drinks collab
BRANDED DRINKS COLLABORATIONS
It’s no secret that collaborations between hotels and drinks suppliers have traditionally been around promoting legendary and emerging labels. That has changed tact in recent months thanks to several brilliant collabs in the industry, including NSW distillery, Archie Rose, partnering with Crown Sydney on a tipple for the minibars and QT Hotels and Resorts’ partnership with the Yarra Valley’s Four Pillars to create an ‘Ordered Chaos Gin’. The popular designer-brand also recently debuted a new QT Riesling from Seppeltsfield’s Quelltaler Vineyard in South Australia’s Clare Valley. 32 HM The Business of Accommodation
FINE DINING BY ZOOM
Sydney’s Harbour Rocks Hotel, part of Sofitel’s MGallery collection, has hosted over a dozen virtual drink and dine experiences, primarily with the family owned De Beaurepaire Wines from Rylstone during the city’s lockdown. The events have been so good that General Manager, Silvia Kypriotis, has become legendary within Accor globally. She said the idea of the virtual wine and dine experiences was to create “an element of escapism during these turbulent times” and was a fantastic way to connect with both regular guests and Accor Plus members alike.
Sydney’s Harbour Rocks Hotel has been hosting virtual dinners
LOCAL GINS ON POINT
There are over 300 small batch gin distillers across Australia and New Zealand as the segment continues a meteoric rise and savvy drinkers call for more unique experiences. Leading the way are world’s first natural black gin Scapegrace from New Zealand; Canberra’s award-winning Underground Spirits, which has released its latest limited-edition gin in collaboration with the Australian National Botanic Gardens; Cairns’ Mt Uncle Distillery, which just won ‘Gin of the Year’ at the London Spirits Competition for 2021 and the Yarra Valley’s Four Pillars, which just released a sensational Single Vineyard Bloody Shiraz Gin with Yarra Yering. Scapegrace is the world’s first natural black gin
