Bar Magazine May 2012 Issue

May 2012

www.barmagazine.co.uk

Developing premium bar excellence

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news

New MD plans Searcys bar growth

Contract caterer Searcys has appointed Christian Rose, formerly chief executive of gin producer G&J Greenall, as managing director of retail to head expansion of its bars.

He will be looking to expand Searcys’ champagne bars and also develop new bar and brasserie-style concepts.

Rose, who headed the relaunch of Greenalls Gin and the launch of Bloom and Berkeley Square gins, has extensive experience in the retail sector, including director of food at pub operator Spirit Group and chief executive heading the operator of bar and restaurant Albannach in London’s Trafalgar Square.

He said:“Searcys has proven the popularity of the champagne bars in some great locations and there is a fantastic opportunity to take that success further afield – both nationally and internationally.”

Somerset brewery Butcombe has expanded its retail estate to 21 after taking over the Imperial Brasserie in South Parade,Weston Super Mare.The site is being renamed Pub Bar and Bistro, but the overall feel of the Imperial and the quality of food and drink on offer remain the same.

Searcys at St Pancras

Until a management buy-out in 2010, Searcys was part of Alternative Hotels Group, now the De Vere Group which also owns G&J Greenall.

Searcys operates restaurants and champagne bars across London in high-profile locations such as St Pancras station,Westfield shopping centres in Stratford and Shepherd’s Bush and the top of the Gherkin tower in the City.

Malibu makes up for summer

Bristol bar and restaurant Spyglass has undergone a makeover to mark its 10th anniversary, which has seen the creation of a new bar.The venue, in the city’s floating harbour at Welsh Back, runs throughout the summer, serving up a barbecue-based menu and drinks including pitchers of cocktails.These include a sangria using Brugal rum and a Harbour Breeze made with vodka, cranberry, grapefruit and lime.

BEDA set to merge with ALMR The two largest trade bodies representing bar, pub and club operators have announced plans to join forces.

The committee of the Bar Entertainment & Dance Association (BEDA), which was set up in 1952 and formerly operated as Noctis, has agreed in principle to merge into the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR).The decision is expected to be ratified ahead of the ALMR’s 20th anniversary conference and celebration on May 3.

ALMR chairman Steve Richards said:“ALMR already operates across all segments of the market and the new combined group will give us greater strength in depth.

Crucially, for the first time, government will have one single, clear retail voice to listen to which represents the whole of our vibrant and diverse industry.”

BEDA chairman John Hayes will head the ALMR’s late-night division and represent those operators at ALMR council.

A new summer campaign has been launched in the on-trade for coconut-flavoured rum Malibu.

Consumers can claim a free limited-edition make-up kit worth £20 if they buy a Malibu drink for themselves and a friend from participating outlets.

The make-up kit contains a mirror, coconut-flavoured lip gloss, eyelash curlers and eye shadow, all from Models Own. Consumers receive a voucher and are directed to the Malibu UK Facebook page to enter their unique voucher code.The kit is then sent directly to their home address.

Launching in 4,000 outlets, the brand will also be promoting its summer serve of Malibu with cranberry and lemonade by offering it in a pitcher with a carrier tray for up to four glasses.

Italian restaurant Fratelli in Ponteland, north-west of Newcastle upon Tyne, has recruited Simone Sedda (pictured) from Sardinia to shake up its cocktail offering.Although only 21, he has worked in bars for four years and has professional qualifications in bartending and flair having trained at Italy’s leading bartending school Planet One. He hopes a new menu will encourage more people to drink cocktails.

A pop-up venue has opened in London’s West End celebrating Sailor Jerry rum, combining it with clothing, music, film and the original art of tattoo master Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins. Running until the end of June, it is at 120-125 Charing Cross Road and named Hotel Street after Honolulu’s infamous Hotel Street District where Collins made his name.

Flavoured Pretzel Pieces, a popular snack from Snyder’s of Hanover in the US, is being promoted to bars and pubs in the UK after the appointment of Haywoods as distributors.The initial UK range comprises: Jalapeno; Honey Mustard & Onion; and Cheddar Cheese.Two more will follow: Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper, and Hot Buffalo Wing.The 56g packs are likely to retail at £1. www.barmagazine.co.uk |5

news The Best Bar None scheme in Scotland has been given a major boost by the injection of funds from two new sponsors, Molson Coors and Heineken.They are joining lead sponsors Diageo to provide major new funding to develop Best Bar None Scotland which is administered by the Scottish Business Crime Centre.

Alistair Reynolds (pictured) of London steakhouse Hawksmoor Guildhall has been appointed

by J Wray & Nephew as brand champion for its Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum in London and the south. His role is primarily focused on brand training in the on-trade, tastings and promoting the brand among bartenders, working alongside UK brand ambassador Jamie MacDonald.Alistair was previously at Hausbar in Bristol and Pollen Street Social in London.

Stonegate Pub Company has introduced a new training programme across its 560 pubs and bars called Albert’s Theory of Progression. Based on Albert Einstein, it covers all aspects of career progression up to highperforming managers, with the character of Albert taking people through their progress. It is largely online, with unique log-in details and profiles for each individual so they can manage their career supported by managers or area managers. Packaged into short modules, the e-learning method also uses Facebook and Twitter.

London nightclub Movida, near to Oxford Circus, has reopened after an extensive month-long refurbishment.The interior has been brought in line with the aesthetic of its newer sister opening in Dubai. VIP opening nights were due to be held on April 25 and 26. Movida was first opened in 2005 by Chinawhite co-founders Fred Moss and Marc Merran with Samy Sass.

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Private equity boosts Loungers expansion plan The team behind the Lounge bar chain plan to expand from 20 to 70 sites over the next five years after receiving a £16million investment.

Piper Private Equity has injected the funds into Loungers, which was founded in 2002 and has expanded to 20 locations in the south for its Lounge and Cosy Club concepts.

Piper specialises in the licensed trade having supported the launch of Pitcher & Piano bars and invested in ventures such as Be At One cocktail bars and Las Iguanas restaurants.

Founders Alex Reilley, Jake Bishop and Dave Reid plan to open another 50 outlets within the next five years, supported by Piper partner Peter Kemp-Welch who has joined the board.

Reilley said:“We see Piper as a great cultural fit for us and very much like the company’s desire to understand our brand and customers and the driving forces behind our success, as

Cosy Club in Taunton

well as its obvious commitment to work with us as partners who can add significant value to our business.”

Kemp-Welch added that Loungers was “an exceptional business with a highly driven and energetic management team” with bars that offer “a completely new alternative for customers and have the potential to be the ‘pub of the future’”.

Clubs compete for Smirnoff nights

Karaoke Box Soho, which has led the karaoke scene in London for 14 years, has been totally revamped by owner Nobu Moryiama.The contemporary new interior, designed by Mark Hatter and Clara Wan of HatterWan, now includes a bar, serving up cocktails.

Karaoke Box also has sites in Mayfair and Smithfield.

Diageo GB is investing in a heavyweight campaign to cement Smirnoff No 21 Vodka as the drink of choice for late-night bars and clubs.

“Smirnoff: Battle of the Clubs” will involve 14 clubs across the UK that will compete to win a “Smirnoff Illuminates” night. Promoted through Facebook, the campaign will reach up to two million people.

Consumers will be invited to vote for their favourite nightclub to win, having the opportunity to buy tickets online and win prizes.The top seven clubs will host a “Smirnoff Illuminates” night which will include competitions for groups to make their own cocktail with top bartenders.

Bathe in champagne at Bellini bar The super-cool Supperclub in London’s Notting Hill has created a dedicated Bellini bar where customers can bathe in champagne.

The chic new bar area features leather bar stools, black marble and large mirrors to create an air of decadence and style.The focal point of the room is a roll-top black bath filled with champagne where one customer can bathe each night (so long as they have a bathing suit).

The menu includes the classic Bellini cocktail, which dates back to the 1940s and Harry’s Bar in Venice, but other unusual variations include a Chocolate Pear Bellini, a Sparkling Cosmo

Bellini, a Vodka and Bubblegum Prosecco Bellini and a Lime and Elderflower Bellini.

Supperclub, part of the global Amsterdambased supper-club concept, opened in 2009.

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venue profile

1871 Bar & Lounge A mix of retro and modern come together at the new cocktail bar at Leeds’s Marriott hotel

N

ot much drinking went on at the Trevelyan Temperance Hotel in Leeds when it opened in 1871.This changed after the teetotallers moved out in 1918 and, more recently, it has become the Marriott Leeds hotel. Its bar, John T’s, has now been completely revamped at a cost of £500,000 to become the 1871 Bar & Lounge – referring back to the landmark building’s history but with a contemporary interior by leading designers DesignLSM and an intemperate new cocktail menu.

It is being promoted as a stand-alone bar – something of a departure for Marriott – although hotel guests are obviously welcome.This has meant creating a new entrance on Boar Lane, the road that heads east from Leeds central station. It has a free-standing bar, new seating and standing areas and a vibrant new colour scheme.At the same time, historical Leeds artefacts have been included, such as an original atmospheric gas engine from 1871, once used in the former clock store Dyson & Son in neighbouring Briggate to lower and raise their window displays.With the contemporary furniture, it presents a blend of old and new in a cosy and artistic atmosphere.

Simon Spiteri, architectural director at DesignLSM, says the brief was to design a bar that would appeal to the 25- to 35-year-old crowds at weekends as the site was identified as being in a key location between the nightlife areas of Leeds.“We wanted to create a raw space that would

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appeal to the target clientele,” he adds.

“This was through the use of strippedback concrete columns, surface-mounted conduit lighting, brick walls and a palette of warm, worn browns, tans and reds.The artwork and bric-à-brac were intended to give a retro vintage feel and create talking points for the clientele.”

The bar is a key feature, with timber cladding, a concrete top and fairgroundstyle lighting, and it also draws customers towards the adjoining new Midtown Grill steakhouse.The space also needed to be suitable for hotel guests and conference delegates during the week, including highspeed wi-fi.

Open from 11am, 1871 Bar & Lounge offers a light-bite menu in the morning and small plates and traditional meals during the daytime. In the evening, it becomes more of a cocktail bar, with a list put together with mixologist Patsy Christie of Mixxit UK, the training and consultancy arm of drinks company Maxxium UK.The cocktails, priced at £7, are predominantly classics with a twist such as an Agave Margarita, a French 75, a Golden Mojito and a Hemingway Daiquiri.There is also a five-strong list of Old Fashioned-style cocktails made with Courvoisier VSOP Exclusif, Maker’s Mark, Macallan, Canadian Club or Stolichnaya vodka.

Signature cocktails include the best-selling Raspberry Balsamic Caipiroska made with Stolichnaya Razberi, Galliano Balsamico liqueur, pure cane syrup, freshly squeezed lime juice and fresh raspberries.Another

Pictures by Anton Stark

Where to find it Marriott Leeds 4 Trevelyan Square Boar Lane Leeds LS1 6ET Tel: 0113 236 6366

Who did it

Design: DesignLSM Furniture: Hill Cross Furniture Lighting: INTO Lighting Wall tiling: Grestec Artwork:Tracy Brent Timber floor: Havwoods Tile Floor: Solus Ceramics refreshing drink is the Basil-Berry Mule, made with Stolichnaya Vanil, pure cane syrup, freshly squeezed lime juice, chopped strawberries, fresh basil and ginger beer.

Recalling its temperance past, the menu also has a well-crafted “Prohibition” list of non-alcoholic cocktails.

Alongside a good selection of wines and premium spirits, particularly whiskies, the bar focuses on craft ales, with a list including Liefmans Cuvée-Brut,Alhambra Reserva, Blue Moon, Fuller’s Organic Honey Dew,Abbot Ale and Leffe Brune.

The bar manager is Glen Whitaker whose background includes general manager of several Revolution bars, most recently Huddersfield’s.“It’s something unique,” he says.“It’s a relaxing bar with a crazy New York feel to it.”

venue profile

Zio The Cairn Group has unveiled a new Italian bar concept at its hotel in Newcastle upon Tyne

A

fter growing up in the rolling hills of Tuscany and enjoying the café society of Rome and Venice, Italian bar owner Zio has ended up in the Newcastle upon Tyne suburb of Jesmond.With a twinkle in his eye and his old-school Italian charm, Zio lives by the motto that “a man must make his own fortune, a fool must make his own Mojito”.

Sadly, Zio is a fiction – a character invented by hotel, bar and restaurant operator The Cairn Group as the inspiration behind their new bar, Zio, at the Holiday Inn Newcastle-Jesmond hotel.

Taking the name from the Italian word for “uncle”, his story is told in the menu to reflect the company’s efforts to create an oasis of traditional Italian hospitality.

The Cairn Group, which owns more than 20 bars, hotels and restaurants across the UK, already has an Italian concept through its Frattello’s restaurants, which has branches at the hotel in Jesmond as well as the DoubleTree by Hilton Newcastle International Airport hotel and the Holiday Inn Darlington A1 Scotch Corner Hotel.

Zio, which is accessible through its own private entrance in Jesmond Road, operates as an informal bar and eatery from midday until late on weekdays and transforms into a livelier cocktail lounge with live music and a 2am licence on Fridays and Saturdays. Food is served daily until 10pm, with a wide range of bar meals and snacks that are a more informal version of the dishes at Fratello’s.

Its design was developed by the Cairn Group’s in-house interiors team, working with hospitality specialist Collective Design, headed by interior designer Simon Mcilwraith.The Italian concept is reflected in the bar’s hardwood wall-panelling and stylish outdoor terrace, while there are Italian touches to the drinks menu such as a range of twists on a Bellini. It offers a broad range of draught beers, bottled beers and ciders, wines, alcoholic hot drinks and nonalcoholic cocktails plus a wide collection of spirits.

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The classic and contemporary cocktails are inspired by sister venue Jalou, a Parisianstyle bar opened by The Cairn Group at the Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle city centre last year. Zio boasts a mix of vintage and modern classics, including a choice of nine different Mojitos, plus an extensive range of original cocktails.There are coolers such as the Kool-11, made with Disaronno, Midori melon liqueur, orange, cranberry juice and a squeeze of lime, while the numerous Martini-style drinks include Uncle Zio’s Martini made with Californian gin No 209, infused with orange and mixed with parfait amour, lemon juice and sugar.

The drinks, which are mostly priced from £5.50 up to £7.50 for a champagne cocktail, were created by Simon Wright, group operations manager for Fratello’s, and Zio’s bar manager Steven Mikkelsen.

“Zio is a new concept for the Cairn Group, bringing together the best elements of the company’s other brands and

Where to find it

Holiday Inn Newcastle Jesmond 97-103 Osborne Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 2TJ Tel: 0191 2811358 www.cairnnewcastle.com

Who did it

Design: In-house, Collective Design Contractor: Concept 9 transforming them to create a relaxed lounge-style bar, where you’re just as likely to see your dad enjoying a beer as you are to see your sister sipping a cocktail,” Simon explains.“This is a place where everyone is welcome, where the young and young at heart can come together to enjoy some good food, live music and mouth-watering drinks and share a taste of Italy in the heart of Jesmond.”

venue profile Picture by Adam Johns Photography

Where to find it 108 Bold Street Liverpool L1 4HY Tel: 0151 709 6607 www.ludusbar.co.uk

Who did it

Ludus

Architects: KDP Architects Design: R2 Architecture Reclaimed light fittings:Trainspotters Glass pendants: Davey Lighting Filament bulbs and cages: Historic Lighting

A new bar featuring a 1920s-style speakeasy is making an impact on Liverpool’s nightlife

T

he past and the future come together at new Liverpool bar Ludus. On the ground-floor is a contemporary laid-back bar, with an interactive “i-table”, but when you step downstairs, you are taken back in time to a 1920s Chicago speakeasy. Since opening in December, the stylish venue in the city’s bohemian Bold Street has become well known for its cocktails and late-night parties.

Ludus – which is Latin for “game” – has been created by Middle England Developments at the base of the Beacon Building where it has converted the upper floors into student accommodation.

Manager Luke Russell explains:“We have aimed our upstairs area at daytime shoppers, students and local workers with a fantastic selection of finger food to share as well as our own blend of coffee.” The main bar also features the region’s first Samsung i-table – Samsung’s Microsoft Surface, which has a table-top featuring digital display technology that interacts with people’s hands and other objects placed on it. Ludus also has an outside courtyard seating area.

The basement bar is tucked away at the bottom of a staircase behind a discrete doorway.“Downstairs is a step back in time with a Prohibition theme to it and the 1920s: a real speakeasy vibe with exposed walls and old oxblood leather seating,”

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Luke explains.“This really comes alive of a weekend and is also available for private hire.”

The venue was designed by R2 Architecture which has worked on many other high-profile Liverpool bars including Alma De Cuba,The Noble House and Leaf. Director Richard Eastwood says: “With Ludus’s location on Bold Street, we developed a concept that could move from day to night upstairs with a dedicated late-night venue downstairs. Upstairs plays with the notions of a neighbourhood New York bar while hiding the technology behind media glass.The basement is an unapologetic homage to the speakeasy and gentleman’s club aesthetic.”

A cocktail list made up mainly of classics was compiled by Luke with assistant manager Simon Beard and head bartender Alex Pascoe.While the menu promises that bartenders will try to make any classic cocktail that customers ask for, it features the likes of a Mai Tai, a Singapore Sling, a Margarita and a Martini – many with a twist.

With an emphasis on spirits from Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands, it also features champagne cocktails such as the Grey Goose Le Fizz made with Grey Goose, elderflower cordial and lime topped with champagne. Other cocktails include The Grateful Dead – a mix of Finlandia vodka,

Bacardi rum, Cazadores tequila, Bombay Sapphire gin and Cointreau shaken with lemon and gomme, strained over ice and topped up with soda and Chambord.

There is also an extensive selection of spirits and liqueurs on the back bar, especially whiskies and rums, plus a strong range of bottled beers ranging from Cuba’s Palma Cristal and Mexico’s Dos Equis to Britain’s own Timothy Taylor Landlord and Shepherd Neame Spitfire. It also offers its own-branded Ludus beer on draught.

In its first few months, Ludus has attracted glamorous events, from the Miss Liverpool 2012 after-party to the Liverpool Lifestyle Awards. Last month saw the launch of a new club night in the basement called Luna from the creators of nights such as Freeze,Aztec and Coco de Mer.At the same time, the main bar has become a popular destination for watching sports, although the owners have quietly dropped the original plan to call it a “sports café”. It all adds up to an exciting new addition to Liverpool’s buoyant Bold Street.

Are you ready for summer 2012?

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trade profile

Screen test

Mark Ludmon reports on Odeon’s development of its Ambar concept into a destination bar

T

hirsty film-goers normally expect nothing more than a giant fizzy drink, or at best a glass of bland wine or a bottle of beer, when they go to the movies. Odeon Cinemas is trying to change that by investing in its Ambar concept – a contemporary stylish lounge bar that offers cocktails and customised music programming. More than that, they hope the new bars will attract people for drinks and food even when they are not going to see a film.

Ambars have been added to a handful of Odeon cinemas over the past six years in Newcastle, Manchester, Gateshead, Norwich and Kingston-upon-Thames, but the company brought in Bhagwant Singh as brand development manager nearly two years ago to develop them further. His background ranges from independent bars and restaurants, including Ronnie Scott’s in London, to theatres in Birmingham, and he was tasked with bringing the concept up to date.“They had been successful to a point but it needed finessing,” he explains.“The concept was to create a local bar within a cinema environment that would not only appeal to cinema-goers but also appeal to the general public at large.The idea is that, if you were taken in blindfolded, you would just see you were in a quality lounge bar and it wouldn’t occur to you that you were in a cinema. It is more than a crush bar – somewhere that is a proper destination bar where you want to spend some dwell time.”

The first outing for the updated Ambar is at the Odeon in Swiss Cottage, near Hampstead, in north-west London. It has been created out of the 1937 building’s original Palm Court bar which had been used as a cinema screen for some years.

It revealed some of the original Art Deco features which were retained within the contemporary new interior design

by Birmingham-based practice Bignell Shacklady Ewing.

Working with mixologist Leanne Davidson of Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands’ training team,Ambar’s bar manager Giovanni Colombini – formerly of All Star Lanes – has come up with a list of classic and original cocktails.The biggest seller is, typically, a Mojito but other popular drinks include the long Velvet Elvis made with Jack Daniel’s, Chambord and fresh lemon juice.

Pouring spirits are premium brands such as Tanqueray No 10 and Grey Goose, with a

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Ambar at Swiss Cottage

strong list of Scotch and American whiskies.

There are 25 wines and champagnes by the glass – thanks to Bermar’s Le Verre de Vin wine preservation system – including Dom Pérignon 2002 at £35 a glass. Drinks can also be taken into the cinema screens.There is also a good-quality food menu of sharing platters, main meals and desserts.

Bhagwant says they have paid great attention to “mood management” with a sophisticated lighting system and music programming system from consultancy C-Burn.This music playback system, Revolution 100, comes pre-loaded with hundreds of hours of songs chosen for Ambar. It can be adapted through the day from the 11am opening to suit different trading patterns and promotions, with new tracks added regularly via an online link. Up to 10,000 tracks can be stored on a single system, with the added function of Secret DJ where customers can control the music.

This involves a free smartphone app that allows people to choose a number of tracks from a digital jukebox which are then played in the bar.They can also share which tracks they like through integration with Facebook and Twitter.

It might have been a challenge to persuade non-filmgoers to come to Swiss Cottage’s Ambar which is only accessible via the cinema foyer. However, Bhagwant

says increasing numbers of people are discovering this oasis of cocktails, which is open until 2am, meaning now only about 50 per cent of the clientele are in the bar because they are seeing a movie.

Odeon is considering new locations for Ambar across the UK alongside its investment in the luxurious Gallery private screens which are licensed spaces with their own bars.“Given the success at Swiss Cottage and from improvements at other Ambars around the country, they know it’s something that guests do want and that it’s adding value,” Bhagwant says.

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new york report The NoMad bar

New in New York Mark Ludmon reports from New York City on some of the newer bars of Manhattan and Brooklyn

M

ost visitors to NewYork City stick to Manhattan where some of the world’s best bars can be found but, for cocktail lovers, it is becoming essential to head east or south to the borough of Brooklyn on the other side of the East River. In last month’s Time Out NewYork Food & Drink Awards, not only the winner for best cocktails but one of the three runners-up were in Brooklyn, reflecting the growing number of great bars and restaurants opening on the back of the area’s increasing affluence.

The winner was Maison Premiere in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which its owner Joshua Boissy describes as an “oyster house and cocktail den”. Inspired by hotel lobbies in Paris and New Orleans, it has a classic “distressed” look that belies its newness, with a typical lack of signage outside.

The bar claims to have the biggest list of premium absinthes in New York City: its 19 products include some familiar to British drinkers such as Lucid, La Clandestine and Jade Absinthe Nouvelle-Orléans but has others chiefly produced in the US, from New York state to Montana and California.

As well as some inventive absinthe cocktails, there are cocktails using the many other spirits behind the bar.

South of Williamsburg is the leafy Brooklyn suburb of Carroll Gardens which has already become a destination for food and drink lovers because of acclaimed cocktail bar Clover Club and popular restaurant and bar Prime Meats.

In December, an offshoot of the East Village’s French-inspired bar The Bourgeois Pig opened here, going on to be another runner-up for last month’s Time Out award for best cocktails. It is the latest project

for Ravi DeRossi who is behind some of the East Village’s best bars such as Death & Company and Mayahuel.With partner Frank Cisneros, the new Bourgeois Pig Brooklyn has a decadent look with velvet Louis XIV chairs, black chandeliers, redand-gold patterned wallpaper and a tin ceiling.The cocktails are ingenious and made with some unusual ingredients sourced from Europe and beyond, such as amaro, pelinkovac wormwood liqueur, arrack and ratafia. Heading the list is a Zombie Amaro whose many ingredients include Amaro Montenegro, Nardini acquavita, Fernet Branca and absinthe. Only a few minutes by subway from downtown Manhattan, Carroll Gardens last month also welcomed the newest branch of Momofuku’s iconic Milk Bar cafés.

Momofuku is something of a phenomenon in New York City, with five Milk Bars and

four restaurants, developed by chef David Chang. In January, he and Dave Arnold – the director of culinary technology at the French Culinary Institute – opened Booker and Dax within Momofuku Ssäm Bar in Manhattan’s East Village. Bottles share space on the back bar with lab equipment which Arnold and his team – including bar manager Tristan Willey – use to create inventive but simple drinks. Cocktails include the Laurel & Hardy, made with rye whiskey, cognac, maraschino, fernet, Bénédictine and chocolate mole bitters, and the Mustachi-ode, combining Nardini amaro, becherovka, bourbon, egg white and pistachio.

Booker and Dax was another of the runners-up in last month’s Time Out best cocktails award, as was another East Village establishment,The Beagle, a restaurant and cocktail bar opened last year by Matt

PH-D at Dream Downtown

www.barmagazine.co.uk |17

new york report

Liquid Assets at the Millenium

Booker and Dax (picture: Travis Huggett)

Piacentini.This is a classic-looking venue, with walls clad in white tiles and blue-andwhite William Morris wallpaper, serving up vintage-style drinks, under bar manager Dan Greenbaum.

Cocktail heritage and local history come together in the plush, lowly lit bar at the new NoMad Hotel, named after its location north of Madison Square. Under bar manager Leo Robitschek, the drinks menu features classic-style drinks such as Satan’s Circus – the name once given to the area by religious reformists – which mixes rye whiskey with chilli-infused Aperol, Cherry Heering and lemon.The 1903 cocktail is named after the year the Beaux-Arts building was completed and is made with cognac, Cocchi Americano aperitif, apple brandy and Cocchi Vermouth de Torino.

A more contemporary approach has been taken at the new Conrad Hotel in Manhattan’s waterside development of Battery Park City. Part of Hilton Worldwide’s luxury Conrad Hotels brand, it includes a stylish Mediterranean-influenced restaurant and bar called Atrio at lobby level. One of the few bars in New York City to have an Enomatic wine-preservation system, it offers 24 wines by the glass as well as proseccos, cavas and champagnes.

Cocktails are twists on the classics alongside originals which – like the food created by executive chef Anthony Zamora – uses local ingredients wherever possible such as Averell Damson Gin Liqueur from upstate New York.The Brooklyn Beauty is a sparkling mix of the juniper-heavy Brooklyn

Gansevoort Park Avenue

18| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Gin, St-Germain elderflower liqueur and lemon juice topped with prosecco, while Atrio’s delicious twists on a Manhattan and an Old Fashioned feature small-batch Hudson whiskeys from the Hudson Valley, north of Manhattan.A signature cocktail is the Loopy Doopy, based on a Cosmopolitan and made with white cranberry juice, Grey Goose vodka, Cointreau and orange and lemon juice, garnished with an orchid.

The Loopy Doopy is named after a giant swirling blue-and-purple painting by the late American artist Sol LeWitt in the 15-storey atrium lobby. It is also the name of the rooftop bar which opens in May, offering views of the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty. Its summery drinks list will be complemented by alcohol-infused popsicles that can be dipped in prosecco.

Other new hotel bars have been opening up across Manhattan over the past year or so, such as Mondrian SoHo hotel’s Mister H, with a plush, decadent interior inspired by nearby Chinatown.The luxury Chatwal hotel, which opened in Midtown in 2010, is home to The Lambs Club bar which serves up vintage-style cocktails developed by Sasha Petraske of Milk & Honey New York.

A more recent launch from Vikram Chatwal Hotel group is the chic Dream Downtown hotel in the Meatpacking District. It features several venues including The Beach, a poolside bar with sand and cabanas, and PH-D – a rooftop lounge bar with views of the Manhattan skyline.

One of the driving forces behind the Meatpacking District’s regeneration was the Gansevoort hotel which opened in 2004.This spring, Gansevoort Hotel Group unveiled a refurbishment of the building, which includes a popular rooftop bar with a 45-foot heated pool and 360-degree views.

In February, the group opened its second “urban resort” in Midtown, Gansevoort Park Avenue.The top two levels feature the Rooftop complex of venues including the Blue Room bar, the Red Room club, and the Pool Bar which adjoins a sundeck and pool

Mr H at Mondrian SoHo

The Bar at The Lambs Club

for guests that opens up to non-residents for Sunday pool parties in the summer. It is part of The One Group which will run London’s revamped Hippodrome bars.

At the end of last year, Hilton Worldwide unveiled a new look for the lobby bar at its downtown Millenium Hotel (craftily misspelt with one “n” so it heads alphabetical lists of millennium businesses). It opened next to the World Trade Center a year and a half before 9/11 and, after being damaged, reopened in 2003. It has now undergone a second refurbishment to create a more contemporary lobby bar, Liquid Assets. It is tended by Andy Setticase, a one-time actor, stand-up comedian and bass trombonist who has worked in Manhattan hotels for 33 years. He and his colleagues serve up classic cocktails and original recipes such as the Key Lime Pie Martini, made with Absolut Vanil, pineapple juice and Rose’s lime juice, and Andy in the Afternoon, combining Texan handmade vodka Tito with peach nectar and a splash of cranberry juice.

Andy has seen New York’s cocktail scene change over the past three decades.“When I started, it was still the three-Martini lunch,” he recalls.“Now they just want bottles of water or soda or juices in the afternoon.” But he says New York is very much on its feet again.“Last year, people were saying we were in a recession but we had our best time ever.When people are unhappy, they want to get away from it and have a drink.”

drink

May 2012

www.barmagazine.co.uk

A Bar magazine supplement

Glass of the summer wine Cocktails made with still wines are just one idea for refreshing summer drinks

Also inside: hot drinks – wine trends – distil and liwf – mixology

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news

New York small-batch whiskeys head for UK

A small-batch American whiskey that has been a hit with US bartenders is to be introduced into the UK after it was acquired by William Grant & Sons.

Hudson whiskeys have been produced in Tuthilltown in the Hudson Valley, north of New York City, since the distillery was founded eight years ago

by Ralph Erenzo and Brian Lee. The first shipment is expected in the UK in late summer, with a focus on two of the distillery’s five whiskeys: the rich, oaky and smoky corn-based Baby Bourbon and the smooth and spicy Manhattan Rye. William Grant & Sons acquired the Hudson whiskey range from Tuthilltown Spirits in 2010 but, due to the small production levels, it is being selective in

adding export markets.

“The amount of excitement has been huge, particularly in the bartending world,” said Mark Collins, marketing controller at UK distributor First Drinks.“There’s quite a cross-pollination between New York City and London and we have had a lot of people asking when Hudson was coming.”

He said only a limited number of premium bars would be able to stock the Hudson whiskeys, mainly in London.“It is a very small-batch craft producer so we have only a very small amount for the UK to start off with this year.”

Stone’s grows for summer Accolade Wines has gained two major ontrade listings for its alcoholic ginger beer, Stone’s Ginger Joe. Stonegate Pub Company will list the brand for its chain of over 70 Yates’s bars around the UK, while it will soon be listed in one of the UK’s key on-trade wholesalers, Carlsberg UK. It builds on current listings with Matthew Clark, Makro and Molson Coors and in Marston’s managed and tenanted estates, university specialist TUCO and the Jersey-based Liberation Group.

For the classic Stone’s Ginger Wine, Accolade has introduced “Fabulously British” limited-edition packaging, incorporating a union flag on the label.

Available until September, the packaging promotes a summer serve, the Stone’s Ginger Lemonade Cup: 50ml of Stone’s Ginger Wine per person, lemonade, lots of ice, slices of cucumber and ripe fruit, garnished with mint.

Red Bull rewards perfect serve A nationwide incentive scheme has been launched for energy drink Red Bull in on-premise, rewarding bar staff with £1,000 cash prizes.

It encourages the “perfect serve” of a full cold can of Red Bull open, not poured. Mystery shoppers will visit 500 outlets in the first wave of activity, looking to award hundreds of on-the-spot prizes ranging from iTunes vouchers and iPads to 10 rewards of £1,000.

The incentive has been communicated to bars operated by Yates’s, Revolution and G1 Group as well as independents.

VK lights up the weekend with neon promotion Global Brands has vowed to drive growth back into the RTD category with a consumer promotion for VK offering £4.5 million worth of prizes.

The “Win the Ultimate VKend” campaign will appear on the neon neck tags of 18 million bottles between May and October, partnering with brands such as Club 18–30 holidays, Barry M cosmetics and Zavvi music to offer weekend-enhancing prizes.

As well as supporting the promotion in the licensed trade with neon point-of-sale materials,

Global Brands will encourage on-trade outlets to host neon-themed VK parties by offering party kits with neon visors, wristbands and glasses and ideas for fishbowl serves.

Marketing director Simon Green said:“The neon theme is very prevalent in the music and fashion industry at the moment so we know it will grab [consumers’] attention, and it gives licensees the opportunity to get creative with their upcoming promotions and capitalise on the opportunities the summer months present.”

A major new campaign is planned for ready-to-drink brand WKD under the theme of “WKD Weekends – Bring It On.” Packs and promotional activities, including events in bars, will feature a “Head of Weekends” character.WKD Blue carries “augmented reality” labels which allows people to view hidden interactive content using an app on their smartphone.

A new brand identity runs across packaging for Frobishers fruit juices alongside a new strapline, “We know juice”, to mark its 20th anniversary this summer.The company also promises new products later this year, joining its 10-strong range of single-serve juices, including Bumbleberry, and three smoothies.

A nationwide programme of music events is to drive trial and awareness of herbal liqueur Jägermeister.The Jägermeister Music Tour, which began last month, hosts gigs in O2 venues in Leeds, Glasgow, Newcastle, Brixton and Bristol, followed by a presence at over 25 festivals including Download,Wireless, Hard Rock Calling,V, Leeds and Isle of Wight.

It will promote the ice-cold serve among the brand’s loyal audience of music lovers as well as its core 20- to 30-year-old consumers. It includes The JägerIce Truck, the UK’s first moving ice bar, with a room chilled to below zero housing a bar carved from real ice.

Kent brewer Shepherd Neame has launched a limited-edition ale to commemorate five generations of the Neame brewing family. It has undergone a 12-month ageing process to create a rich, full-bodied ale, with only 3,000 bottles released. www.barmagazine.co.uk |21

news Halewood International has launched Faith, a carbonated soft drink made up of three delicate blends of grape juices infused with natural fruit flavours. Faith White blends Sauvignon Blanc grapes with an infusion of elderflower and lemon, while Faith Rose combines Chardonnay grapes with cranberry and raspberry flavours. Faith Red adds plum and blackberry notes to Merlot grapes. Distributed to both the on- and off-trade and aimed primarily at women, Faith comes in 750ml glass bottles for serving in a large wine glass over ice.

Wold Top Brewery in the Yorkshire Wolds has introduced its first IPA in its eight-year history, inspired by Scarborough’s maritime heritage. Scarborough Fair is made with Progress, Cascade and Willamette hops and has a malty sweetness, with an ABV of six per cent.

Tamdhu whisky from Speyside is to be relaunched in 2013 as a premium brand aimed at aspirational connoisseurs around the world.The distillery was mothballed in 2010 but is being brought back to life after being bought by Ian Macleod Distillers.A new look for the whiskies is being devised by design agency Good.

Belgian beer Vedett is linking up with the blogosphere by creating new labels featuring its drinkers’ favourite blogs. Consumers submit a blog post via www.vedettgazett. com and the best will appear on back labels, plus a QR code which, when scanned, automatically directs smartphones to the blog post.The UK-exclusive campaign follows Vedett putting pictures of its fans on labels since 2003.

22| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Bars take up offer of Jack Daniel’s single barrel

Bars and restaurants in the UK are taking up the opportunity to have their own barrel of individually crafted Jack Daniel’s.Trade accounts can taste a number of samples of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Whiskey from different barrels before choosing their preferred whiskey.

A representative from the bar can either travel to the distillery in Tennessee to take part in a tasting or they can work with the brand team to select their own barrel in the UK by arranging a tasting session. Alternatively they can have the Jack Daniel’s master distiller and a panel of expert tasters select a barrel for them, based on their preferences.

The single barrel at JW Steakhouse at Grosvenor House, London, was chosen by beverage manager Pierce du Plessis after tasting samples in the UK with Nidal Ramini of brand owner Brown-Forman.

However, Martin Luney and Colin Church,

Darkest magic happens in bars A campaign,“Magic Happens on the Darkest Nights”, has been launched for Islay single malt whisky Bowmore to support its core expression, Bowmore 15 Years Old “Darkest”.

It spans advertising, digital, PR and the off-trade, including a linkup with Paul A Young Fine Chocolates.

To support the on-trade, a series of consumer events, Darkest Nights, will take place at premium accounts across the country, where guests can experience stargazing, in-depth whisky tastings and food pairings. Confirmed venues include Eight members’ club in Moorgate, London, in May and Paramount in London’s West End in June.

As well as chocolate “perfect serve” kits, support includes tailored recipes of classic cocktails – Blood and Sand, Rusty Nail and Rob Roy – to complement the 15-year-old Bowmore’s fruity notes and smokiness.

Produced by Morrison Bowmore Distillers, Bowmore is distributed in the UK by Cellar Trends.

Colin Church, Jeff Arnett and Martin Luney

whose company The Big Red Teapot operates Treacle and Hamiltons in Edinburgh, chose their barrel in Tennessee with master distiller Jeff Arnett. Martin said:“Being able to choose our own barrel was a thrill. It is rare that an opportunity arises to sit with a master taster and select a premium spirit that matches your own personal taste profile favourites and pass these on to friends, colleagues and customers.”

Gin harks back to 1783 The makers of Geranium Gin have launched a new gin to match the original taste and appearance of English gin from 1783.

Old English Gin has been developed by Henrik Hammer of Hammer & Sons based on a recipe from 1783 and made in the oldest pot still currently being used in England.

Henrik said:“Gin has been the preferred spirit for cocktails for more than 220 years, and I wanted to recreate English gin how it was made in the old days, offering bartenders a tool to make classics such as the Julep, Smash, Crusta, Martinez and Tom Collins, and have them taste as they were intended.”

The gin comes in champagne bottles as was a tradition in English gin shops in the late 18th century.

It is smooth and well balanced with a crisp juniper nose, sweet orange flower notes from the orris root and orange peel, and with a spicy finish from liquorice, cassia and cinnamon, and a hint of cardamom at the end.

Global spirits winners named The winners of the 2012 San Francisco Global Spirits Competition have been announced, with products receiving both category awards and medals.

They include best-in-category awards for Isle of Jura, Whyte & Mackay 30 Year Old and Yamazaki 18 Year Old whiskies, El Tesoro extra-aged tequila Paradiso, Knob Creek Rye and Bushmills 21 Year Old whiskeys, JM Rhum Agricole Millésimé 2001, Cockspur Fine Rum,Tanqueray London Dry Gin, Effen Cucumber Vodka, Mozart Gold liqueur, Hennessy Cognac Richard Hennessy, Maison Leblon Cachaça Reserva Especial and Comte de Lauvia Armagnac VSOP Superior.

For the full results, visit www.sfspiritscomp.com.

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Bartender ‘borrows’ grandma’s old china to win Sloane’s Gin ‘Twisted Traditions’ competition

A

fter four tense nationwide heats involving over 60 top bartenders from England and Scotland, the winner of the Sloane’s Gin “Twisted Traditions” national cocktail competition has been announced as Robin Webb of 64th & Social in Clapham, south London.

Coming in a close second was runner-up Matteo Corsalini from restaurant 34 in Mayfair, London, and third place went to Ash Bovey from Sahara Bar in Reading.

In addition to cash prizes, all three competitors will join Sloane’s Gin on a trip to Holland where they will visit the distillery and explore Amsterdam’s bar scene.

Taking place at new “gin palace” The Blacksmith and The Toffeemaker in Islington, north London, on April 16, competitors faced a tough panel of judges including Gary Sharpen from The Cocktail Lovers, Joel Harrison from Caskstrength, Simon Webster from BarlifeUK and Sloane’s brand ambassador Joel Constantino.

Unashamedly inspired by the great gins of the past, Sloane’s launched the competition to find the UK’s best cocktails based on the traditions around drinking culture.

Robin Webb’s winning Grandma Sloane’s Tea Time Tipple certainly met the brief by marrying the British love of tea with floral notes and Sloane’s Gin. Moreover, Robin’s determination to win saw him “borrow” his grandma’s best bone china teacups to present the drink and also make his own vanilla macaroons to accompany it.

Produced in the Netherlands by Toorank Distilleries, Sloane’s is inspired by the great gins of the past and named after 18th-century botanist Sir Hans Sloane. It differs from most other gins due to its unique distillation processes, using individual distillates as well as fresh citrus fruits as opposed to dried peels.

The nine botanicals include juniper berries and iris root from Italy, coriander from Morocco, angelica root and liquorice root from India and whole vanilla beans from Madagascar.

Robin Webb making his winning cocktail

Grandma Sloane’s Tea Time Tipple “I came up with this idea for a drink as I see a ‘cup of tea’ as one of the most traditional pours in the world,” Robin Webb explains. He worked with the staff at Orange Peko tea house in Barnes, south-west London, to find the best tea for matching the gin rather than overpowering its botanicals.

The Botany Matteo Corsalini of 34, London.

A Natural Curiosity

45ml Sloane’s Gin 15 ml Martini Bianco vermouth 15ml Suze gentian liqueur 15ml Elderflower cordial 2 drops of Dr Adam Elmegirab’s Dandelion and Burdock Bitters Mint Lemon thyme Lemon verbana

Ash Bovey of Sahara, Reading.

Mix the ingredients in a mixing glass, stirring with ice for no more than 15 seconds, and double-strain into a frozen coupette. Garnish with a lemon balm leaf.

Hard shake until chilled and double-strain into a pre-chilled coupette glass and garnish with a lemon zest. Also wipe the zest over the rim and stem for extra aroma.

60ml Sloane’s Gin 15ml Home-made coriander seed/lemon rind syrup 7.5ml Green Chartreuse 3 dashes The Bitter Truth Orange Bitters 3 dashes Angostura Bitters 4-6 mint leaves

50ml Vanilla Rose pouchong (black tea) infused with Sloane’s Gin for 10 minutes (no heat needed) 25ml lemon juice 10ml rose syrup Egg white 2 dashes of orange bitters Optional violet essence atomiser Dry shake, then hard shake over cubed ice.

Serve straight up in grandma’s best bone china. Garnish with two vanilla macaroons and, optionally, give a quick spray with the violet essence.

Available from Forth Wines Ltd.Tel: 01577 866000 e-mail: orders@forthwines.com and good local wholesalers. website: www. forthwines.com / www.drinkaware.co.uk Visit Sloane’s Facebook page www.facebook. com/SloanesGin for more details www.barmagazine.co.uk |23

news Miller Brands has launched a new spring/summer advertising campaign for Peroni Nastro Azzurro beer across the UK. Complementing previous successful campaigns,“Primavera 2012” continues to celebrate timeless Italian style, passion and authenticity. Captured in and around Lake Como, the new cinema and outdoor campaign encapsulates the spontaneity and charm of Italy in summer. It will be completed by print and digital advertising in style media.View the new ad at www.facebook.com/ peroniuk Miller Brands is carrying out “experiential” activity in bars and pubs around the UK for its Czech beer Kozel. Promotional staff are hosting an interactive game Czech Mates which challenges consumers to answer questions about their friends. If they answer three questions correctly, they win a two-for-one Kozel beer token redeemable at the bar.The activity is running until the end of 2012 to encourage consumer trial and support sales in outlets.

Wells & Young’s has introduced two limited-edition beers drawing on the heritage of its portfolio acquired with McEwan’s and Younger’s in October last year. McEwan’s 80/- Cask and Younger’s No 3 Cask, which are both brewed in Scotland, are available in cask from distributors including Heineken, National Drink Distributors members and wholesalers in Scotland and across the UK.

On-trade push for Freixenet with Matthew Clark

Freixenet Group has signed an agreement with drinks supplier Matthew Clark to make its cavas and a selection of its still wines available across all sectors of the on-trade.

The Spanish company hopes to drive significant growth by widening distribution for its brands in the UK on-trade, including the top-end Elyssia cavas and the group’s still wine brand Mia. Gerald Chislett, Freixenet’s newly appointed trade sector manager, said:“We see a fantastic opportunity to develop the sector and will be highlighting the quality factors of cava in general, while recommending various levels of Freixenet cava to suit the commercial aspirations of different outlet styles.”

Simon Jerrome, Matthew Clark’s purchasing director for wines, added: “We are delighted

Honey due from Jim Beam

Maxxium UK is launching a honey-infused bourbon for its Jim Beam brand after last year’s successful introduction of black cherry-infused Red Stag.

It is made with four-yearold Jim Beam, slowly infused with natural honey to produce a sophisticated, deep and rich flavour profile with a sweet honey finish, with ABV of 35 per cent. It is being promoted for drinking neat or mixed in long serves.

Maxxium UK’s marketing controller for imported whiskeys, Eileen Livingston, said: “The addition of Jim Beam Honey to our growing portfolio forms part of our increased investment in the brand to drive interest and growth in the bourbon category through innovation.”

to be introducing this new range from Freixenet, building on the work we have already done with Codorníu in the UK’s on-trade. We understand the growing popularity of cava and are pleased to offer our on-trade customers a variety of cava from the two market-leading producers.”

Wine and spirits supplier Bibendum has also added cavas from Freixenet Group’s premium Segura Viudas range to its portfolio alongside the core Freixenet offering.The five Segura Viudas expressions are Brut Reserva, Brut Rosé, Brut Vintage, Reserva Heredad and Torre Galimany.

Leading bar designer creates whisky ritual

Designer Lee Broom, who worked on London bars such as the Nightjar and The Lost Society, has created a new limited-edition serving ritual for Ballantine’s 12 Year Old whisky.

It features a crystal decanter that breaks into three sections – the base acts as a whisky glass, the middle section contains ice cubes or can be another glass, and the top can hold water or a mixer.The top two sections could also be used to hold cocktail ingredients.

It was launched at last month’s Salone Del Mobile show in Milan, where Broom’s showcase was inspired by the interior of a British pub.

Japan triumphs in whisky awards Freedom Brewery has released new tankards as an alternative to glassware in the on-trade – incorporating QR codes.When scanned by a smartphone, these codes direct people to the Freedom website.They are also being added to the bottles’ labels.

24| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Yamazaki 25-year-old-single malt whisky from Suntory in Japan has been named the world’s best single malt whisky at the World Whiskies Awards. Japanese whiskies continued their dominance of the annual awards, organised by Whisky Magazine, with Nikka gaining the title of best blended whisky for the fourth year running with Taketsuru 17 Years Old. For the first time, a South African

blend,Three Ships 5 Years Old, took the title of best blended whisky.

Best North American whiskey was Eagle Rare 17 Years Old from the Buffalo Trace Distillery, while best grain whisky was Greenore 15 Years Old from Ireland.

Best new release was Scotch whisky Black Bull 40 Years Old from Duncan Taylor & Company, and best whisky liqueur was Dunkeld Atholl Brose.

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NV Absinthe Verte enquiries contact Cellar Trends: lafee@cellartrends.co.uk La Fée’, ‘La Fée Absinthe Parisienne’, The ‘La Fée Eye’ device, ‘THE PERFECT PARTY SPIRIT’ and ‘NV®’ are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Green Utopia Ltd and/or La Fée LLP ©. Imported to the USA by Green Utopia Manhasset, NY, under license from Green Utopia Ltd. & La Fée LLP, UK brand & trademark owner. International distributor BBH Spirits. USA bottle shown – other countries may vary slightly

news Glenfarclas has released a limited-edition bottling of four hogsheads of single malt matured since 1967 in cognac casks. Only 150 bottles of the malt, with an ABV of 40.7 per cent, have been allocated to the UK market, priced around £445 each.The aroma offers dried apricots, malty sweetness, honeycomb, light spicy notes and Demerara sugar, with dark bitter chocolate, crushed almonds and light oakiness to finish.

A new range of handmade fruit cordials and juices from Norfolk has been introduced by Norfolk Cordial, using only natural ingredients and no concentrates, preservatives or flavourings. Developed by John McFarlane, the cordials are:Wild Elderflower; Rhubarb, Orange & Ginger; Strawberry & Lime; Red Gooseberry & Wild Elderflower; and Raspberry.

Norfolk Cordial also supplies three different apple juices.

International Beverage Holdings has unveiled the third release of the 1989 vintage of Balblair Highland single malt whisky.As with the 2001 vintage launched in November, this expression is nonchill-filtered, naturally coloured and bottled at 46 per cent ABV.The full-bodied malt has distinctive aromas of bananas, apples, raisins and lemons, while maturation in American oak ex-bourbon barrels adds notes of warm toffee and vanilla.There is an abundance of fruit and a rich spiciness on the palate, leading to a complex yet notably smooth finish.

Drinks company Love Drinks has added the award-winning El Dorado range of rums to its premium portfolio.They are produced in Guyana by Demerara Distillers and offer a range of outstanding rums with true age statements, from the zesty threeyear-old to the vintage 25-year-old.

26| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Adnams unveils beer ‘eau de vie’

Drinks producer Adnams has unveiled a unique “eau de vie” distilled from its Broadside beer at its Copper House Distillery in Southwold, Suffolk.

It will be released in its stores and in the on-trade in May to coincide with the 340th anniversary of the Battle of Sole Bay, which also inspired the launch of Broadside ale 40 years ago.

Chairman Jonathan Adnams said:“Spirit of Broadside is distilled in a similar manner to our whisky spirit and is then transferred into heavily toasted Russian oak casks for maturation in the brewery cellar. It has been in the casks for 12 months and we believe it is a remarkable spirit that we hope people

Kopparberg goes Naked with new apple cider

Premium Swedish cider Kopparberg, which has helped to drive the cider market through fruit flavours, has launched an apple cider in the UK. Kopparberg Naked Apple Cider, produced in Kopparberg in Sweden, promises to offer “a genuinely different taste to what is already available”.The new variant is less sweet than existing Kopparberg fruit ciders, with a clean and crisp taste.

UK managing director Davin Nugent said:“The Kopparberg brand is growing at 58 per cent year on year in the on-trade, and this growth is driven by new consumers who are attracted to our innovative approach to cider.

With Kopparberg Naked Apple Cider, we believe we will offer something truly alternative.”

Listings for the new variant have been secured in key on-trade accounts including Mitchells & Butlers, Spirit, Intertain, Greene King, Enterprise and Punch as well as all major national and regional wholesalers across the UK.The launch is supported by a marketing campaign including TV, online, outdoor and social media.

will enjoy.”

The spirit is suitable for sipping neat like a whisky or mixed in simple classic cocktails such as a Manhattan, an Old Fashioned or a Sour. It is thought to be the UK’s only beer “eau de vie”, which can be found in other countries such as Germany.

Distiller John McCarthy added:“Spirit of Broadside is a rich and complex amber spirit packed full of wonderful fruit and spice aromas.

The final spirit has whisky aromas and notes.

What makes it so distinctive is the hop flavours that come through from brewing and fermenting the beer.”

Sake finds its Hiro Hiro Sake, a newly created superpremium sake imported from Japan, is being introduced to the UK. The brand, which was launched in the US last year, is made in the traditional way and handcrafted by a master brewer using specially polished sake rice from the Murakami plain in the Niigata region.

Hiro Red is a premium junmai sake, created for enjoying neat, hot or chilled, or in a cocktail, while Hiro Blue is a super-premium junmai ginjo sake which is best served chilled, over ice or in a cocktail.

It was served in cocktails at the London opening of the play The King’s Speech in March:The King’s Hiro combined Hiro Red with a premium dry gin, English breakfast tea, Japanese green tea and Indonesian cinnamon-infused syrup.

Cider adds orange and ginger Premium Swedish cider brand Rekorderlig is building on its success in the UK over the past three years with the launch of a new variant Orange & Ginger.

Senior brand manager Nicol Mason said:“It offers an incredibly refreshing, totally new taste and gives consumers and stockists another quality innovation from Rekorderlig. It has scored incredibly well in research with consumers, publicans and buyers and from this exciting feedback we think it is going to perform extremely strongly in trade.”

The launch will be supported by a heavyweight marketing campaign.

Broader activity for the brand has included a link-up with live music through partnerships with the NME Awards and the O2 Brixton Academy.

www.barmagazine.co.uk |27

ICE FOUNTAINS

ICE CANNONS

ICE GLOWS

ICE SPARKLERS

summer drinks

Celebrate summer Mark Ludmon reports on ideas for freshening up your drinks menu with serves for the summer including the Diamond Jubilee

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ith the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee kicking off a summer of celebration in Britain, bars have a great opportunity to attract customers and drive sales.Thousands of street parties are planned across the country and, with the extra bank holiday and extended opening hours on June 1 and 2, many bars are organising their own outside events.Archer Street bar in Soho, London, is taking the lead with a party in its street, decorating it with bunting and having its all-singing staff leading people in British sing-alongs.They have created a Jubilee cocktail made with Martin Miller’s Gin, Chase Rhubarb Liqueur, Lady Grey tea, rose syrup, cranberry juice and rhubarb bitters, served in vintage teapot.

Bars should not miss out on opportunities throughout this summer, says mixologist Patsy Christie of Mixxit UK, the training arm of drinks company Maxxium UK. “With the London Olympics and England competing in the Euro Championships, we’re set for a Great British year overall, so it’s the perfect time to push ‘British summertime’ and focus on these great occasions.”

She points out that long mixed drinks and pitchers tend to offer the biggest profit opportunity at this time of year, such as Courvoisier which is again being promoted for refreshing punches this summer.

“Courvoisier is a refreshing long drink served with lemonade, and it also works well with cranberry and apple Drambuie with ginger beer

juice, all served in a tall ice-filled glass.”

She also suggests a number of recipes for Courvoisier VX such as mixing it with ginger beer, apple juice and fresh squeezed lime juice, served in a pitcher with ice-filled glasses.“Sherry is also showing positive signs of growth, and we have created a range of Harveys drinks that are perfect for drinking outside with friends this summer.”

Pernod Ricard UK is helping the ontrade to make the most of the summer’s events across its brand portfolio, from a Wimbledon partnership for its Jacob’s Creek wines to pitcher and long drink recipes for Malibu.There will also be limited-edition packaging for two of its brands to celebrate Britishness: a traditional

“Inside London” red bottle for Beefeater gin and a contemporary take on London by graphic artist Jamie Hewlett for Absolut vodka.“Premium spirits are sometimes seen as weighted towards Christmas but they are all year round for the on-trade and, with all the occasions this summer, it is a significant opportunity,” says Ian Peart, on-trade channel director for spirits. He recommends stocking higher-margin brands for popular summer cocktails such as Cosmopolitans, Brambles, Mojitos and Daiquiris.

The promotion of Drambuie whisky liqueur outside of the winter months continues this year with long refreshing summer serves including the simple mix of one part Drambuie with three parts

soda or ginger beer, plus fresh lime wedges.

“These offer drinkers refreshment with an edge and can be served in pitchers for sharing – a great way to attract larger groups into your venue,” says global brand ambassador Jamie Stephenson. Point-of-sale materials including pitchers are available.

Drambuie is also promoted for classic Rusty cocktails as well as adding a twist to a Margarita as an alternative to triple sec or adding sweetness and spice to a Bellini.

Diageo GB is continuing to develop its partnership with soft drinks company Coca-Cola Enterprises.

A new campaign,“A Celebratory British Summer”, promotes simple mixed drinks such as Pimm’s and Schweppes Lemonade, supported by themed point-of-sale materials and merchandise such as collectable union flag drink stirrers – one has a sceptre shape as a handle for the Jubilee while another has a tennis ball shape.There will also be limited-edition bottles of Pimm’s and Gordon’s.“Last year, the royal wedding helped spirits sales in the on-trade increase by 13 per cent,” says Diageo GB’s senior category manager Amy Mooney, citing CGA figures.“Following the increase in British patriotism around the royal wedding in 2011, we anticipate a continued consumer appetite for British brands during the summer’s activity.”

Global Brands is promoting summertime serves across its portfolio, www.barmagazine.co.uk |29

summer drinks

Spring into summer A new collection of fresh and vibrant cocktails have been introduced at the Skylounge on the 12th floor of DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel London by the Tower of London. Created by bar manager Phillip Bennet, they include a Floral Fizz made with Bombay Sapphire gin, rose syrup, egg white, lime juice, sugar syrup and soda water.

Another twist on a classic is the Cucumber Cooler, combining Hendrick’s gin with St-Germain elderflower liqueur, elderflower cordial, lemon juice and pressed apple.

The Hanoi High (pictured) uses Finlandia vodka infused with coriander and lemongrass, mixed with The King’s Ginger liqueur, lemon juice, and ginger and lemongrass cordial.The English Rose contains basil-infused vodka and rosé champagne. including its ready-to-drink brands.“VK and Reef as base ingredients in pitcher serves look bright, they appeal to consumers who want refreshing fruit-flavoured cocktails and, most importantly for the customer, they are margin-enhancing,” explains marketing director Simon Green. Ideas include the Reef Refresher made with two bottles of Reef Orange & Passionfruit plus 50ml of Teichenné Peach schnapps, topped up with lemonade with plenty of ice. It is promoting long drinks for its Teichenné schnapps range such as a Fuzzy Naval made with 50ml of Teichenné Peach and 25ml of gin topped up with orange juice, garnished with orange or fresh raspberries.

Drinks company Hi-Spirits is launching new summer long drink and cocktail serves for its brands Antica sambuca, Buffalo Trace bourbon and Fireball cinnamon whiskey liqueur, supported by point-of-sale materials including glassware.“In summer, customers’ drinks repertoire expands, with people looking for lighter drinks and alternatives to beer and wine,” explains Hi-Spirits chairman Jeremy Hill. He says the popular Buffalo Julep, made Hibiki with mint-infused Shoman Buffalo Trace served from the fridge, has helped

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Diamond Jubilee >>

Up on the roof The Vista rooftop bar at the Trafalgar Hotel in London’s Trafalgar Square has reopened for the summer, after it was significantly extended last year.

Alongside a new food concept featuring Mediterranean and North Africaninfluenced dishes, it has a new list of classic cocktails.

They include the Leila Lavender Martini made with Gin Mare – the Mediterranean gin with botanicals such as olives, thyme, rosemary and basil – plus a spray of lavender.

The Hot Chilli Woman contains a hint of house-infused chilli vodka balanced with Black Moth truffle vodka and finished with elderflower, lemon and homemade vanilla syrup. to drive sales of the bourbon while Antica is extending sambuca’s appeal by encouraging bars to serve it as a long drink with ice and mixers such as ginger ale, cranberry juice and lemonade.

The list of new recipes available from Hi-Spirits includes The Fire Extinguisher, a long drink made with 35ml of Fireball and 25ml of cherry liqueur, topped up with lemonade.

Summer is the perfect time of year for bars to introduce cocktails to their drinks menus as consumers look for refreshing fruity flavours when it is warmer, says Andrew King, chief executive of puree and cocktail mix specialist Funkin.“Fruits that proved most popular in cocktails in 2011 were strawberries, morello cherries lychees

Cornish brewer Skinner’s has created a new ale, Royal Wave, to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.Available nationwide throughout May until the end of the jubilee bank holiday, it is a hoppy golden ale with ABV of 4.4 per cent.

The labelling portrays the Queen surfing “with dignity” in full regal attire on a Cornish wave.

The Sourz non-cream liqueur range is marking this summer’s events with a limited-edition Spirited Summer Berry flavour in a bottle emblazoned with the union flag. Eileen Livingston, marketing controller at Maxxium UK says:“It’s the perfect way to help consumers celebrate a unique summer in 2012.”

An exclusive commemorative bottling has been released of Portobello Road Gin to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Just 500 bottles have been produced at the micro-distillery above the Portobello Star in London’s Notting Hill, each individually numbered.The gin is being promoted for a Street Party Punch, combining it with Pol Roger Brut champagne, watermelon juice, Robinson’s Lemon Barley Water, freshly squeezed lemon juice and Angostura Bitters.

Belvoir Fruit Farms, which produces cordials and pressés, has launched a special blend to mark the Diamond Jubilee.The Summer Celebration Punch is a refreshing, gently bubbly combination of real pressed strawberry juice with lime juice and a hint of mint.The label features a 1953 photo of a street party for the Queen’s Coronation.

Simple mixed drinks are being promoted for toasting the Queen by Maxxium UK for The Famous Grouse whiskies.

They include the Royal Rust made from the juice from one wedge of lime and 25ml of The Famous Grouse poured over cubed ice in a tall glass, topped up with Schweppes Ginger Beer and stirred.The Snow Queen is the juice from one wedge of lime, 25ml of The Snow Grouse grain whisky and 12.5ml of Thorncroft Wild Elderflower cordial poured over cubed ice, topped up with Schweppes Lemonade and stirred.

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summer drinks and passion fruits,” he adds.“The two clear cocktail winners in 2011 were the Mojito and the Strawberry Daiquiri.” Last year, Funkin added a Strawberry Woo Woo mixer as a new summer cocktail idea, based on a surge in consumer demand for strawberryflavoured drinks.

Summer will be a key time for lighter wine styles from Accolade Wines but it is also promoting its Stone’s Ginger Wine for mixing.A key serve is the Stone’s Ginger Lemonade Cup, using a 50ml measure of the ginger wine with lemonade, lots of ice, slices of cucumber, ripe fruit and a mint garnish.

Other recipes use Scotch whisky to create a Stone’s Ginger Mac, or a lemon-flavoured vodka, cranberry juice and freshly squeezed lime juice to make a Stone’s Ginger Cosmopolitan.

A new seasonal suggestion for Monin syrups is to flavour ales and lagers, meeting demand for long, refreshing drinks and reflecting the popularity of flavoured beers from Belgium and the Netherlands. Monin’s UK brand ambassador James Coston says this can boost gross profit.“Each 10ml shot of Monin syrup costs 8.5p, with two shots recommended per pint.We would suggest adding a premium of 30p to 50p for flavoured beers, yielding a generous profit margin.” At the Red Lion in Hemhill, Kent, licensee Ben Edwards is adding Monin Chestnut and Peach syrups to ales and lagers.“It’s proving popular with younger drinkers, male and female, and a particular favourite is Guinness flavoured with Chestnut,” Ben says.

Mixologist Zoran Peric – UK brand ambassador for Suntory whiskies in the UK – has unveiled his latest creations to mark Japan’s 24 seasons. Rikka, the beginning of summer in early May, has inspired him to devise the Hakushu Rikka which is made by pouring 50ml of Hakushu 12 Year Old single malt over a matcha green tea ice ball, stirred 24 times. For Shoman in late May – the time “when flowers are in mid bloom” – Zoran has invented the Hibiki Shoman, stirring 50ml of Hibiki 17 Year Old blended whisky with 20ml of aged sweet vermouth with ice and straining it into a Martini glass, garnished with orange peels on a bamboo skewer. Further recipes use Yamazaki

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The Flag Flyer 50ml London dry gin 20ml Monin Elderflower syrup 15ml Monin Coconut fruit mix 25ml Pressed apple juice 20ml Lime juice Egg white 10ml Monin Grenadine syrup Rim a champagne flute with blue-coloured sugar, Pour the grenadine syrup into the glass. Shake the rest of the ingredients and pour them carefully into the glass. Garnish with an Opies Cocktail Cherry.

12 Year Old and Hibiki 17 Year Old to celebrate the June seasons of Boshu (cereal seeding time) and Geshi (midsummer).

Drinks company CWF has come up with ideas for summertime drinking for its portfolio of good-quality alternatives to mainstream brands, which includes Lixx vodka shots and Perfetto flavoured sambucas. Its Orchards Peach Schnapps is suggested for a Bellini, while its Bali Rum and Coconut can be served in pitchers mixed with fruit juices, lemonade or cola – perhaps alongside Caribbean-style decorations for themed outdoor events.

“Publicans and bar owners should look at the 2012 events calendar to try and develop some events linked to the key ones coming up,” says trading and marketing controller Vicky Lee.“With an extra jubilee bank holiday this year, there will be more consumers out and about seeking to spend time with friends and family in bars and pubs.

There will be lots of competition though to attract a crowd so it is vital to ensure time and effort in advance is put into ensuring your establishment stands out.”

Diamond Jubilee >> The classic Royale sparkling cocktail serve is a perfect partner for royal celebrations this June.A simple twist is the Chambord Kir Imperial (pictured), pouring 10ml of Chambord black raspberry liqueur into a champagne flute, topped up with champagne and finished off with a raspberry.Another British twist on a classic is the English Martini, mixing 15ml of Chambord with 35ml of Bombay Sapphire gin and 40ml of pineapple juice, shaken and strained into a Martini glass and garnished with a raspberry.

Bottled water brand Ty Nant is coming into its own this summer thanks to its packaging.As well as being a British water sourced from organic land, the bottles are available in the red, white and blue of the union flag.“In keeping with this summer’s royal festivities, what better way to enjoy the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations,” says spokeswoman Anna Martin.

Ready-to-drink brand WKD is offering bars free point-of-sale materials to tie in with the long bank holiday of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee under the brand’s umbrella theme of “WKD Weekends – Bring It On!”. It focuses on the royally coloured WKD Purple, with messages such as “Cheers for the four-day weekend, Ma’am” and “One is going to bring on the weekend”.

New recipes have been created for the Diamond Jubilee for melon liqueur Midori by its global brand ambassador Manuel Terron.They include Royal Blush which is built over ice in a highball glass with 25ml of Chambord and 25ml of Bombay Sapphire gin, topped up with lemonade and garnished with fresh lime.

Sommeliers, bar and restaurant owners visiting the 20$2 )ondon 'nternational ,ine &air will #nd new initiatives designed speci#call- with them in mind. )aunching at the event this *a- will be the new Small Independents Pavilion - an area dedicated to those niche importers and producers who have specialist ranges ideall- suited to restaurant needs% while for the #rst time, the #nals of the UK Sommelier of the Year will take place at the &air which will undoubtedl- attract man- of the #nest sommeliers in the countr-, taking part and watching.

A schedule of specialist on-trade brie#ngs and tastings will once again offer valuable experience and insight, featuring iconic wines and guest speakers such as the ever-exciting +icolas (ol-.

And couple all this with a full programme of )',& masterclasses, industr- brie#ngs, seminars, specialist tastings and, of course, 20,000 wines and spirits from over 35 producing countries, and -ou have ever- reason to visit the &air in *a-.

Simpl- visit www.londonwinefair.com to register in advance.

wine

Grape picking Suppliers provide advice on how to put together a wine list for your bar

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here is no longer any excuse for bars and pubs not to offer good wine.“Gone are the days of the poor-quality vin de table wines – replaced with much higher-quality wines from all areas of the world offering excellent breadth and scope of choice,” saysVicky Lee, trading and marketing controller at drinks supplier CWF.“All the wholesalers can now offer an exceptional array of quality entrylevel wines which you can be proud to name and serve as your house wine through to more premium offerings that consumers can be enticed to trade up and perhaps trial for the first time.”

Bars should not be afraid of tapping into the vast knowledge of their wine suppliers to find out what is up and coming and what consumers are looking for,Vicky adds.

CWF specialises in unbranded wines such as Casa Gheller in Veneto in north-east Italy to proseccos and spumante sparkling wines.“Most consumers are in your establishment as they want to escape the trappings of their everyday life and be treated to the quality of the experience you have on offer,” she adds.

“They therefore do not wish to see mainstream brands on your list at, in their eyes, much inflated prices to the supermarket down the road.”

However, the Wine Intelligence UK on-trade wine report states that 55 per cent of consumers are open to seeing branded wines in the on-trade.“They provide reassurance in much the same way that beers, spirits and soft drinks do,” explains Lucy Bearman, head of marketing for wine at Pernod Ricard UK, whose brands include Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate and Campo Viejo. “Consumers will often default to a wine they know and trust when looking to impress friends and colleagues,

or reduce potential embarrassment around the wine-purchasing decision.” Last month, Jacob’s Creek launched a branded range of wines exclusive to the on-trade, Jacob’s Creek Winemaker’s Collection, comprising a Shiraz, Chardonnay and Shiraz Rosé.

Choosing what to put on the wine list depends on your customer base.“City centres often have a crowd that is happier to experiment so speak to your wine supplier and peers and check what the competition is doing,” suggests James Stoddart, business development manager at on-trade wine distributor Enotria.“A more experienced wine-drinking clientele may be more receptive to ‘off the beaten track’ wines due to increased knowledge and, potentially, more disposable income.

A younger crowd will know only key international varieties and may have a limited budget so will stick to what they know.”

James points out that an ideal bar wine list will consist of four to five wines, all available by the glass.“Start with this if you’re a new site and build from there. Offer too much too soon and you’re going to get a lot of wastage. If you’re a busy, high-volume site and have good training behind you, then a good Argentinian Malbec, Central Otago Pinot Noir or a Loire Sauvignon at the top of a ‘by glass’ list is a clear indication that you like to pour quality wines.”

In contrast to a restaurant, a bar should normally try to keep it simple, James adds.“At entry level or house, go for something good but relatively unknown such as Cortese Del Piemonte from Italy, Colombard from the south of France and Viura from Spain. Beyond entry level, stick to key varietals such as Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon. You

Wine cocktails Pernod Ricard UK is picking up on bars’ growing trend for using still wine in cocktails by developing a range of recipes for its Jacob’s Creek wines.Working with consultancy Create Cocktails, it has developed light, refreshing long drinks that highlight the varietal character of the wines.

Greene King,Whitbread and Stonegate Pub Company are looking at adding them to its lists, while they will be served at Wimbledon as part of Jacob’s Creek’s partnership with the tennis tournament.

Recipes include a Grass Court Cooler mixing Jacob’s Creek Sauvignon Blanc with apple juice and lemonade over cubed ice, garnished with a mint sprig, and a Match Point Mimosa made with Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Rosé, orange juice and lemonade. The 15-Love (pictured) uses red wine Jacob’s Creek Shiraz or Shiraz Cabernet mixed with cranberry juice and lemonade over cubed ice with orange and lemon slices. www.barmagazine.co.uk |35

wine may only have a few seconds to appeal to a customer so you must offer them something they recognise. It may be a delight to offer Pinot Blanc, Dry Riesling to your customers but price is still a key factor.

Go off the beaten track too much and you may alienate a lot of your guests.”

The latest list for the on-trade from Vivas, the joint venture between wholesaler 3663 and Bibendum Wine, features a broad selection of 150 wines including the exclusive additions of Moata Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and Palena wines from Chile.“When putting together a [bar’s] wine list, it is important to ensure your portfolio contains a good breadth of varieties, countries – both from the New and Old Wines – and price points that encourage trade up and trial,” says Vivas marketing manager Henry John.“Staples such as Chilean Merlot and Italian Pinot Grigio, which give customer confidence, work well as house wines.”

With rosé the fastest growing sector in the UK wine market, it should now be front of mind when planning a wine list, Henry recommends.“The beauty of rosé wine is that while it has mass appeal during the summer months, it is also becoming increasingly deseasonalised, meaning it works well year round. New World still rosés offer the best value for money.”

He recommends a “super trendy” Pink Zinfandel from Califia Falls and Cambio 7 Rosé from Chile, while a popular alternative is sparkling prosecco rosé.“Prosecco also continues to go from strength to strength as consumers seek out the celebratory impact

Discover the Origin For bars looking for new ideas to match food and wine, an EU campaign called Discover the Origin has come to the UK to offer free masterclasses for trade professionals. It focuses on five PDOs (Protected Designation of Origin): Burgundy and Douro wines, port, parma ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Details of the masterclasses, running till September, at www.discovertheorigin. co.uk.

36| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Abode Chester

Natural selection

of fizz without the price tag of a champagne house. Its lighter style and alcohol is winning over the female consumer, as are the rosé variants.” His recommendations include Conti Neri Prosécco di Prosecco.

Rosé is a focus for Percy Fox & Co this summer, with its £1.2million “Get things started with the taste of summer” campaign for Blossom Hill Rosé. It aims to tackle consumers’ uncertainly about rosé, with Nielsen research suggesting that nearly a quarter of consumers do not choose it because they do not know when to drink it.

Britons’ love for cava also continues, with producers introducing new products to the UK. Grupo Codorniu this month launches Codorníu Brut and Codorníu Brut Rosado at the London International Wine Fair, while Freixenet Group has this month introduced its premium Segura Viudas range into the UK through Bibendum.

English wines are a current focus for Bibendum which is working with bars to promote them to consumers through its “British Summer Time” campaign. Supported by point-of-sale materials including branded deckchairs, it is highlighting wines from a’Beckett’s in Wiltshire, Furleigh Estate in Dorset, Nyetimber in West Sussex and Kent producers Chapel Down and Hush Heath Estate.“There is a growing demand for quality English wines in the on-trade and we are delighted to be working with a range of brilliant producers to raise the profile of the category in bars, hotels and restaurants around the country,” says Bibendum trading director Richard Cochrane.

More English wines are on the horizon, such as the first releases of sparkling wine from Hattingley Valley in Hampshire due next summer. Next month’s English Wine Week, running from June 2 to 10, will be bigger than ever, organised by the industry’s marketing association, English Wine Producers.

On-trade drinks supplier Molson Coors UK is seeing something of a renaissance in Old World wines, with good sales of its

This month sees a focus on natural wines, which are made from organic or biodynamic grapes with minimal intervention in the vineyard or winery.

Real Wine Month will see bars, pubs and restaurants across the UK give their customers a chance to try natural wines by the glass, with each pledging to offer at least one red and one white.

Participating bars range from The Bon Vivant in Edinburgh to Abode Hotels.

It is in conjunction with The Real Wine Fair which takes place in Holborn, London, from May 20 to 22.This allows visitors to taste organic, biodynamic and natural wines from a large number of growers and winemakers around the world, alongside artisan food products, seminars and other events.Visit www.therealwinefair.com.

On May 20 and 21, the artisan wine fair RAW will be at the Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane, east London, featuring around 150 growers for organic and biodynamic wines, including champagne.

Events include talks, debates and a popup cinema.Visit www.rawfair.com. exclusive ranges from Spain, Italy and France. Its senior buying manager Gary Keller adds: “Popular grape varieties that continue to sell well, including Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, have to be well priced and offer good fruit, lovely balance and that enjoyability factor.The use of blends and dual varietal wines are massively important to ensure the wine is well presented and easy drinking – suitable for a plethora of food matches.

Drinkers are looking for great value when they go out – this means the house wine selection has never been more important.”

show preview

Discovery time A look ahead at May’s London International Wine Fair and Distil

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ore than 20,000 different wines, spirits and liqueurs will be brought together under one roof at this year’s London International Wine Fair (LIWF) and Distil show.The focus of the trade-only event is “discovery”, with new products, emerging wine-producing countries and new releases alongside information-packed seminars and masterclasses.

It takes place at ExCel in London’s Docklands from May 22 to 24, featuring about 1,000 exhibitors from 36 countries.

Each year, the show attracts about 3,000 on-trade visitors, from sommeliers to bartenders and licensees.This year, LIWF will host the finals of the annual UK Sommelier of the Year competition for the first time, organised by the Academy of Food and Wine Service (AFWS) and sponsored by Moët & Chandon.AFWS will also run a series of sommelier tastings.

Tastings, seminars and masterclasses run throughout the three days, both on stands and in the briefings, masterclass and on-trade theatres.There will also be the LIWF Conference on the Monday before the show opens, looking at trends and issues in the wine industry.

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) will host 11 diploma-level tutored tastings on its stand, including a blind spirits session, food and wine pairing workshops and a Royal Tokaji tasting.

Tasting sessions will take place on Freixenet Group’s stand, exploring its cavas and still wines. It will showcase not only its Freixenet cavas but also the newer Mia still wines and its cavas from Segura Viudas, its Solar Viejo riojas and its Valdubón range from Ribera del Duero. Codorniu will be launch six new wines, including cavas Codorniu Brut and Codorniu Brut Rosado and still and sparkling wines from its sustainable Spanish winery Raimat.

Neige apple ice cider and wine from Canada will be presented on the Boisset stand alongside other wines. Neige Premiere and Neige Winter Harvest were introduced to the UK this year, but visitors

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Last year’s Distil show

New products at Distil to LIWF will be able to sample others not yet available such as Neige Sparkling. Neige is used in cocktails, especially mixed with vodka.

Wine supplier Bibendum will be doubling its footprint at this year’s LIWF.The stand will include a seven metre wall illustrating its exclusive consumer trends insights,Taste Test, as well as showcasing a range of English wines.Wine-producing countries at the show will include Lebanon, Turkey, Brazil, Russia, India, Ukraine and Israel as well as more established markets such as Argentina,Australia, California, Chile, France, Italy, Portugal, South Africa and Spain.

For a list of exhibitors and a timetable, visit www.londonwinefair.com, where people in the trade can register for free tickets.

Spirits and liqueurs from around the world feature in Distil, part of the London International Wine Fair.This year, it includes a pavilion from Hungary which will showcase the nation’s brandy-like spirit, pálinka, which is distilled from fruits and marc wine and aged.A range of distillates will be available from Gusto Pálinkas, which is among a number of companies at Distil seeking UK partners.

Products new to the UK will include the Mezan range of single cask rums from importer Eaux de Vie.They are unblended rums from individual islands and countries in the West Indies and South or Central America, produced from a single vintage year’s distillation, aged in oak Barrique. Eaux de Vie will also showcase its other products from Clos Martin armagnacs to ultra-premium Siberian vodka Mamont.

French liqueur producer Combier will introduce l’Original Combier, a crystalclear orange liqueur. It is composed of a blend of sun-dried orange peels steeped in alcohol and triple distilled in the family distillery’s 175-year-old copper alembics.

Also new will be Berryshka, a mix of juniper spirits and fruit, and Bear Hug Infusions, a range of infused ultra-premium spirits from Innovative Liquors. Other exhibitors will include ABK6 Cognac,Thunder Toffee Vodka and Maison de la Vodka with Viche Pitia aperitifs from Russia.

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mixology

Dan Thomson of Zenna bar in Soho, London, charts the spread of Indian flavours

The rise of the ‘Asian fusion’ cocktail Mention the words “Asian fusion” to any bartender in London and their automatic response is to start to think about Japanese techniques, styles and ingredients, but that’s all starting to change. Indian cocktail bars are popping up all over the capital, each with their own unique take on fusion drinks. Or at least they’re coming back: the Indian trade routes founded the original “punch” cocktails in the early 1600s.

But they’re not alone: Indian ingredients are also gaining in number, quality and popularity.

Over the last two years we’ve seen an emergence of some really fantastic products.

Take for instance Amrut Fusion, the semipeated Indian whisky that Jim Murray ranked as his number-three whisky in the whole world.

It appeared at the start of a series of lightly peated whiskies that now grace our back bars.

To add to these products, I’ve seen many cocktail recipes that have begun to use spices traditionally found in Indian cuisine appearing in bars that have no Indian affiliation. Ingredients like cardamom, saffron, cinnamon and chilli are

becoming increasingly popular due to their versatility in flavour combinations.That said, it is well documented that I am a fan of using chilli infusions in cocktails to offer something other than the typical sweet, sour or bitter flavours, but it appears that I am no longer alone in this quest for spice and Indian inspiration. Several other instalments of Indian-themed cocktail bars have arrived in London since we opened Zenna, and it looks like they’re here to stay.

D&D London has transformed Meza into Carom, an Indian restaurant and cocktail bar using a wide range of flavours and spices in their extensive cocktail menu, and Moti Mahal in Covent Garden has started to push its Indianinspired cocktail list. Mint Leaf and Anise are two bars at established restaurants that also offer some innovative and tasty drinks using some of these key flavours.

It really does seem that wherever you look, Indian inspiration is on the way up. Even at your local Indian, I wouldn’t be surprised if they have started to experiment with their lassi to create new and exciting flavours.

Drinks company Spencerfield Spirit has become the sole UK distributor for Bittermens Bitters and Bittermens Spirits.The Bittermens brand was created in 2007 in New York City and all products are handmade in Brooklyn. Recipes are based on classic techniques of highalcohol maceration using a bitter herb base and high-quality botanicals.

Bittermens Bitters contain no glycerine, artificial colours, artificial flavours, sweeteners or propylene glycol. Flavours include Xocolatl Mole Bitters, Hopped Grapefruit Bitters, Elemakule Tiki Bitters, Hellfire Habanero Shrub and Orchard Street Celery Shrub.

Mixologists’ corner Hive & Seek Wemyss Malts has joined forces with Jason Scott, co-owner of Bramble and Saint in Edinburgh, to develop cocktails, including this one, for its blended malt whisky,The Hive, to complement its honeyed sweetness.

The White Lady The classic White Lady, made famous by legendary bartender Harry Craddock, has been given a twist at the Nightjar in London using Giffard Pastille de Menthe, which was created by Emile Giffard in 1885.

40ml The Hive whisky 12.5ml Campari 20ml Fresh lemon juice 10ml Saffron honey or orange blossom honey A dash of pasteurised egg white

50ml Hennessy cognac 15ml Grand Marnier 20ml Giffard Pastille de Menthe 30ml Lemon juice

Pour all ingredients into a shaker and dry shake.

Fill with ice and shake rapidly. Double-strain into a champagne coupe. Optional garnish of three strands of saffron.

40| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Shake hard and strain into a champagne coupe that has icing sugar spread evenly round the rim plus a dusting of cocoa powder all around the bowl of the glass.

Garnish with a cherry.

ML

A new Bloody Mary flavour has been introduced for Belvedere vodka, using a maceration technique to infuse it with the key ingredients of the classic drink: black pepper, bell pepper, horseradish, lemon, vinegar distillate and tomato. Unlike some other flavoured vodkas, it uses only natural ingredients, with maceration lasting at least a month. It is being positioned for brunch, promoted through a partnership with restaurant Randall & Aubin in Soho, London, which is running a special brunch menu at weekends till May 30 with accompanying cocktails. New serves created for Belvedere Bloody Mary include the Pineapple Mary, combining it with pineapple, orange, lime and paprika.

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Customer service M.O.T. In the first instalment of mixxit maintenance, Patsy Christie looks under the hood of customer service.

I

t beggars belief that you can still find a bartender today who insists that the bar has run out of mint so cannot make a Mojito during a busy period; refuses to make an espresso after cleaning the machine too early; partakes in a lengthy personal conversation with colleagues behind the bar while guests wait to be served, debates the quality of a drink or ingredient with a guest; or worse still, who is intoxicated while working.

Of all the areas mixxit training focuses on, the art form most difficult to instruct is indisputably the most significant success factor for any bar and that is, exceptional customer service. Hats off to organisations like the Institute of Customer Service and many multiple operators the world over, tackling the oversight with a one-sizefits-all approach from a smile to a thank you as standard.Theory and technique can be explained, demonstrated, copied and repeated but if the bartender doesn’t subscribe to the philosophy that guests’ needs supersede their own, cracks in the surface are sure to appear.

It’s this genuine approach that’s missing and this philosophy that’s so difficult to translate.

Japanese geishas are devoted artists able

to transform the atmosphere in a room by reading their guests. Besides drama, dance, music and poetry a geisha will master the art of tea service and conversation, delicately balancing humble intelligence, sophisticated flattery and charming wit.

It is never their goal to overshadow the presence of their guests, but to accentuate their guests’ prestige and confidence.A few dedicated bartenders are even learning the ritual of tea service from geishas and incorporating their subtle theatre and fluid movements behind the bar.

In 1993 former Buckingham Palace butler, Cyril Dickman, advised Anthony Hopkins, for his role as a butler in The Remains of the Day, that a room should feel emptier when a butler enters it.That’s quite a profound statement, one that inspires deep thought.A butler’s most impressive skill is the ability to anticipate the needs of their employer before they themselves know.

Giving your team projects (as a team and independently) will help break the daily monotony, build initiative and a sense of ownership, critical for independent thinking and problem solving.

The striking similarities between a geisha and a butler are the level of commitment to serve someone else’s comfort over

their own and the increasing demand for this high-priced talent.There is well proven commercial benefit to good customer service, a connection directly apparent to North American bartenders due to the strong (un-prompted) gratuity culture across the pond.

Gimmicks such as price specials, themed menus, décor and entertainment are short lived.These may get customers through the door, but that investment is still dependent on good service for the return business and invaluable word of mouth reference.

A perfectly made cocktail can’t make up for poor service.

A creative recruitment and interview process, a comprehensive in-house training programme complemented with external training such as mixxit and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, defined targets, sales or customer feedback incentives, promoting from within, exposure to different service styles and leading by example are key to achieving genuine, exceptional service and long-term sustainability.

Your mechanic @mixxit_patsy.

For information about mixxit log onto www.mixxit.co.uk or email mixxit.uk@maxxium.com.

Asia Martini Ingredients: 50ml No.3 London Dry Gin, 5ml Bols Triple Sec Liqueur, 10ml Bols Lychee Liqueur, 5ml dry vermouth, 3 fresh basil leaves Method: Add basil to mixxing glass, fill with cubed ice and all remaining ingredients, stir for 20 seconds, strain into chilled cocktail glass Garnish: Grapefruit zest

Mo-Tea-To

Ingredients: 50ml Brugal Extra Viejo Dominican Republic Rum, 12ml freshly squeezed lime juice, 10ml Monin Pure Cane Syrup, 3 barspoon(s) loose leaf tea, 8 – 10 fresh mint leaves, splash of soda Method: Tear mint and place with all other ingredients except soda in mixxing glass, half fill with crushed ice and churn vigorously for 10 seconds, fine strain over fresh crushed ice in tall glass, top with fresh crushed ice and soda Garnish: Fresh sprig of mint

www.drinkaware.co.uk

www.barmagazine.co.uk |41

mixology An event pairing Monkey Shoulder whisky with chocolate was held at a pop-up bar in Soho, London, last month in partnership with London Cocktail Club bars and chocolatier Niko B. The venue was decorated with moss and grass sculptures, inviting people to hunt among foliage for Easter eggs, which they could swap for a Monkey Shoulder cocktail paired with a handmade chocolate.

Cocktails included a Monkey Jam Sour (pictured), made with apricot jam and Drambuie, paired with a Masala Chai Truffle, and a Rhubarb & Rose Julep paired with a lemon, ginger and cayenne pepper truffle.

Barts in Chelsea, London, is getting ready for the Chelsea Flower Show from May 22 to 26 by creating an exclusive cocktail,The Chelsea Flower. Bar manager Grzegorz Mantey invented the blend of Grey Goose vodka, crème de peche de vigne (peach liqueur) and Metté Spiritueux de Lavande (lavender eau de vie). It is served in a Martini glass, garnished with an edible pansy.

Hire the Barman, the events and staffing specialist, has teamed up with mixologist Michael Stringer to develop a new molecular mixology masterclass called Alchemists Anonymous.They are looking to offer the interactive masterclass as a team activity for consumer and corporate events or adapted into a training session for bartenders.

The picture of Michael at the first masterclass at Battery Club, Canary Wharf, is by The Image Pantry.

42| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Jubilee inspires the north-west’s bartenders

Joey Butcher (pictured) of Epernay bar in Manchester has been named best bartender in the first North West Cocktail Competition run by gin brand Greenall’s.

He demonstrated his cocktail flair with his winning cocktails Greenall’s Cold Fusion and Lizzy’s Vesper, gaining him a £500 cash prize.

He beat nine other bartenders at the final at Manchester Malmaison’s Ember Lounge.

They were challenged to create a unique twist on a gin and tonic plus a new long cocktail inspired by the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, both using Greenall’s Original London Dry Gin. The Greenall’s Cold Fusion is made with

Sweet success for Réunion

A limited-edition “Old Fashioned Sweet Shoppe” themed cocktail menu was introduced at the Réunion bar at London’s Grosvenor Hotel.

Throughout April, the bar, next to Victoria station, offered drinks such as a Pineapple Rock, made with pineapple-flavoured ice cubes and a hint of Seriously Pinky liqueur. Others included Pontefract Cake, made with dark crème de cacao and absinthe, and Pear Drops, featuring Wyborowa Pear vodka and limoncello.

The Humbug was made with white crème de menthe, caramel syrup and Teichenné Butterscotch Liqueur, while the Butterscotch combined Monkey Shoulder vatted malt whisky and butterscotch schnapps. Head bartender Paul Bradley, said:“This is our latest monthly themed cocktail menu, designed to celebrate the rich history and heritage of Réunion and the hotel itself. ”

35ml of Greenall’s gin, 10ml of Giffard’s Lichi Li liqueur, 10ml of Kamm & Sons ginseng spirit, half a shot of apple juice, half a shot of pineapple juice and a dash of cherry bitters, shaken and served over ice in a sling glass, garnished with an apple chevron speared with Chinese liquorice.

The Jubilee-inspired Lizzy’s Vesper uses 35ml of Greenall’s plus 12.5ml of Lillet Blanc and 1ml to 2ml of Laphroaig Quarter Cask, shaken with ice and strained into a Martini glass and then topped up with tonic. It is garnished with an extra-long lemon twist.

Other Greenall’s recipes can be found at www.gjgreenall.co.uk/cocktail-recipes/.

Twists triumph with Sloane’s Gin The inaugural Sloane’s Gin Twisted Traditions cocktail competition has been won by Robin Webb, co-owner of 64th & Social in Clapham, south London.

He beat seven other top bartenders in a final at the Blacksmith and the Toffeemaker Robin Webb in north London with his cocktail, Grandma Sloane’s Teatime Tipple, which infuses the gin with vanilla rose pouchong tea.

Second place went to Matteo Corsalini of London restaurant 34, while third place was won by Ash Bovey of Sahara in Reading.The top two received cash prizes but all three will travel to the Sloane’s Gin distillery in the Netherlands as guests of brand owner Toorank.

It followed regional heats in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London, where judges included leading mixologists and others from the industry including Bar magazine editor Mark Ludmon. For a full report, visit page 43.

High flyers sought for Yorkshire contest Leeds Bradford Airport and airline Ryanair have launched a new cocktail competition inviting bartenders in Yorkshire to create a drink themed around one of their latest routes.

The competition, organised by SLB PR, is looking for cocktails that are inspired by the airline’s destinations of Dublin, Kaunas, Kos, Milan or Montpellier.

It will initially be judged in-house by

representatives from Ryanair and Leeds Bradford Airport and then the top 10 will compete at a final on stage at the Leeds Loves Food Festival on May 26.

The deadline for entry is May 7.The winner will receive two return flight tickets to a destination flying from Leeds Bradford Airport with Ryanair.

Details on how to enter at www.facebook. com/DestinationCreation2012.

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Café

style With the annual Caffe Culture show coming up this month, Mark Ludmon looks at trends and ideas for hot drinks in bars

B

ritons just cannot get enough coffee. Despite the economic downturn, high-street coffee shops have been growing, with Costa Coffee – now at 1,400 outlets in the UK – reporting like-for-like sales up 5.8 per cent for the year to February 2012. Last month’s London Coffee Festival was bigger than ever, and the annual Caffe Culture show at Olympia in London in May has been growing year on year. Data from research group Allegra Strategies, which specialises in this sector, shows an upturn in people visiting cafés, bars and pubs for coffee in 2011, with total coffee servings up by 2.5 per cent.

With the rise of the gastropub, consumers are increasingly expecting pubs and bars to offer the same levels of hot drinks as cafés and restaurants, says Anthony Wilkinson, marketing manager of food supplier Kerry Foodservice. Citing Allegra Strategies’ research, he adds:“With one in 10 UK adults now visiting coffee shops daily, a hot drinks menu that is able to compete in either the branded or independent markets will see a healthy market growth.”

Bars are in a good position to enhance their coffee offering by using a product they already stock: syrups. Kerry Foodservice supplies DaVinci Gourmet syrups from a classic range including almond, hazelnut and vanilla to a new fruit range including passion fruit and strawberry.“Consumers are willing to pay an extra 25p to 40p for a single shot of syrup, and the caterer should be actively and effectively promoting these additions, not only to allow the consumer to personalise their beverage but to also increase the perceived value of the drink, allowing a higher price point.” Anthony says.

Bennett Opie is promoting Monin syrups for cocktails in the bar trade but it will be at this month’s Caffe Culture show to promote them for coffees and teas, focusing on dessert flavours such as Tiramisu, Crème Brûlée and Macaroon.“Customers are increasingly looking for diversity,” explains Monin UK brand ambassador James Coston.

“Although the likes of Vanilla Lattes and Gingerbread Mochas will always be popular, cafés and coffee houses are looking for new flavours to satisfy demand for variety.”

The variety of coffee roasts, teas, chais and other brewed drinks at the Caffe Culture show reflect many consumers’ hunger for something new.An incredible range of coffees and teas will be presented by the likes of Beyond the Bean, Matthew Algie, Nestlé Professional, Drink Me Chai and Teapigs.The Drury Tea & Coffee Company, the speciality tea blender and coffee roaster, will introduce a lighter roast version of its popular Café Cuidado espresso coffee which is Rainforest Alliance Certified.

Decaffeinated alternatives are also being introduced to the UK.At last month’s London Coffee Festival, Southamptonbased Orzo Coffee launched organic Italian roasted barley – caffè d’orzo.The caffeinefree hot drinks are well-established in Italy but little known in the UK.

However, the UK remains a nation of tea drinkers, with new research from Mintel in March revealing that nearly nine in 10 Britons still drink tea. Sales of tea were steadily growing until a decline of one per cent in 2011, but Mintel predicts it will revive, growing by eight per cent over the

Lavazza JD Wetherspoon identified the opportunities from coffee five years ago when it formed a partnership with Italian brand Lavazza. In the first two years, coffee sales more than doubled, and sales continue to rise year on year. It fitted the pub chain’s strategy of opening earlier and serving breakfast.

Staff from the company’s 787 pubs are trained through weekly Coffee Academy courses, created specially by Lavazza, which also provides point-of-sale marketing materials.“They invest a great deal of time and energy in supporting our coffee sales,” says JD Wetherspoon’s catering development manager Gary Holmes.“We’ve noticed a definite shift in our customer demographic, not only through the introduction of breakfasts, but also in terms of business people popping in for afternoon meetings over coffee.”

The pubs also switched to the more eco-friendly Tierra coffees from Lavazza. www.barmagazine.co.uk |45

café culture Twinings Tea Deli tetra-mesh range

next five years.While English Breakfast teas account for 70 per cent of the UK market, sales are falling year on year while more exotic varieties storm ahead. Sales of fruit and herbal teas grew by 10 per cent between 2009 and 2011, according to Mintel, while decaffeinated tea bags were up 16 per cent.The biggest rise was in green tea, up 83 per cent over the past two years.

Stephensons, which supplies catering equipment to the trade, has seen a 400 per cent increase in sales of high-end tea products.“Tea is proving to be a huge growth market at the moment, and as a result establishments that are trading up and serving good teas are managing to keep busy during normally quiet times,” says managing director Henry Stephenson.

“People have reverted back to making teadrinking more of an occasion, to indulge and savour the pastime of drinking tea. Because of this, we have seen a revival in demand for delicate pottery and fine bone china from pubs and bars instead of the usual hardwearing products, as well as a rise in sales for three-tier cake stands. High tea is part of a growing trend for pub and bar owners looking for new ways to generate revenue and attract customers at quieter times of the day to help cover fixed costs.” He adds that they are also seeing a growing trend for bars to offer breakfasts and coffee in the morning to help boost footfall.

The revival in afternoon tea in hotels, restaurants and bars has led to barware specialist Artis to launch the Sphere range of stylish teapots and milk jugs. It offers two small sizes of teapot and milk jug in a choice

46| www.barmagazine.co.uk

of black, red or white, complementing six new designs in Artis’s cake stand range.

Marketing manager Kathy Birch explains: ‘We have seen growth in the afternoon tea sector – this range offers operators something a bit different.”

Tea is about theatre, and how you serve it in your bar is as important as the tea itself, says Jacqueline Chapman, customer marketing manager at tea specialist Twinings.

“There is certainly a growing demand for the premium tea experience, with customers looking for something different compared to what they can have at home.

People are willing to pay more for an experience that offers them something truly memorable, giving caterers the opportunity to really profit from their tea service.”

She points out that consumers want different types of tea through the day, from English Breakfast tea in the morning to more delicate alternatives such as Earl Grey in the afternoon through to caffeine-free options such as peppermint or camomile in the evening.“The beauty of tea is that it offers a fantastic GP, when you think a bag costs a few pence,” she adds.

The ever-growing choice of teas includes Eros Tea, a new range of Fairtrade and organic gourmet bagged teas from foodservice distributor Peros. Coming in larger bags developed for the foodservice sector, the teas range from English Breakfast, Earl Grey and green tea to peppermint, camomile, vanilla chai and combinations such as Lemongrass, Ginger & Citrus Fruit.

The new Charbrew range, developed by 23-year-old entrepreneur Adam Soliman, has been launched into foodservice through 3663, boasting “fresher-tasting teas… appealing to the younger tea drinker”.

Teapigs, which is well established in the pub and bar trade and will be exhibiting at Caffe Culture, is expanding its range with organic matcha tea, which has health benefits from being extremely high in antioxidants.There is the added attraction that matcha tea is proving popular for cocktails, such as the Matchito at the Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Bar in London.“Matcha stands out as a real hit for 2012,” says bar manager Dominic Jacobs.“It’s vivid colour and elegant flavour make it a joy to work with.”

Scottish & Newcastle Pub Company encourages its lessees to sell tea and coffee wherever possible, providing them with advice on maximising income from it. Its lessee support manager Simon Thomas recommends that licensees look at their local competition and prepare a plan to distinguish their coffee proposition from others. “See what is on offer and decide what you could do better, be it free refills, superior quality, greater comfort, parking, food, and extras such as wi-fi,

The Barley The Barley is the largest venue in the market town of Newport in Shropshire.

Adding a strong coffee offering was one the first changes made by Nigel Senior (pictured) when he took on the Scottish & Newcastle Pub Company lease.After investing in a coffee machine, coffee now accounts for 25 to 30 per cent of all wet sales.“We sell a Fairtrade java coffee from 10am right through the rest of the day and are known locally for our coffee quality,” Nigel says. “Our prices are competitive with the rest of the town: we price our coffee at £2.10 for a large coffee and provide a free piece of homemade tiffin.”

The pub also offers fresh home-made cakes and, at the weekend and on Fridays, people can bring in their own mug for filling up with coffee, regardless of size.“It’s a gimmick that people seem to like,” Nigel says.“We meet and greet all our customers and have taken on quite a few new customers through selling coffee.” newspapers and business facilities,” he suggests.

Cakes and snacks or a take-away option may also provide a sustainable additional income stream, Simon adds.“Pubs can make an additional £5,000 to £13,500 per annum from selling take-away coffee, based on 10 to 25 sales per day at £1.50, and that doesn’t include sales of takeaway food.” Point-of-sale material, flyers and A-boards should be used to make sure potential customers know you offer hot drinks, he points out.“Having generated initial footfall, consistency will be the key to turning customers into regulars.To do this you need to invest in the right equipment and staff training.”

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Dream machines

La Cimbali Viaggi

A look at some of the latest equipment for bars seeking to grab a slice of the café market

W

hether you want to compete with your local Caffè Nero or just offer good coffee as an added extra, different options for equipment will be presented at the Caffe Culture show this month. Exhibitors include leading German manufacturer Sielaff which will be presenting the new touch-screen version of its popular Piacere Touch bean-to-cup machine. It offers a menu of speciality hot drinks from espresso and cappuccino to latte macchiato and hot chocolate, all prepared to order by simply touching the screen.

Nestlé Professional will be showcasing its range of Nescafé Milano machines at Caffe Culture, which is a fully automated solution offering between eight and 14 different premium café-style drinks at the touch of the button. It uses skimmed milk powder to avoid the storage and hygiene issues of handling milk.“It doesn’t require trained specialists so every cup tastes as good as the last, regardless of who serves it,” says Martin Thorpe, head of beverage solutions at Nestlé Professional.The company is also launching the Viaggi system from Italian manufacturer La Cimbali. It offers an extensive menu of espresso-based and chocolate-based drinks at the touch of a button.

La Cimbali itself will be at Caffe Culture to present its most popular and newest equipment.The new entry-level Cimbali M24 Plus is a high-performance traditional espresso and cappuccino machine aimed at staff who do not have specialist barrista training. It can come with two, three or four group heads and has thermal balancing to ensure consistent quality every cup. Other new machines will include the automatic Cimbali S54 which can produce up to 260 cups of espresso an hour.

Caffe Culture also presents equipment

Caffe Culture Caffe Culture takes place at Olympia in London on May 16 and 17, bringing together international brands and suppliers.The bar trade can find out about the latest equipment and products but also pick up advice on café-style service from masterclasses and seminars.

Register for free at www. caffecultureshow.com, which also has a full list of exhibitors, seminars and masterclasses.

48| www.barmagazine.co.uk

suitable for any operator from cafés to bars. Nelson Catering Equipment will be showcasing its latest Advantage 400 dishwasher which – at 400mm – is the smallest in the range and compact enough for fitting behind the bar.

Rational will be showcasing how the combi steamer technology of its SelfCookingCenter whiteefficiency can help bars and cafés to expand their menus.

It can cook up to 30 per cent more food than standard combi ovens within the same footprint, and is easy to use. Rational will also present Ultravent Plus which allows food to be grilled or roasted front of house without steam or cooking odours.

Another option for bars with limited space is the new Merrychef e2 which will be launched at Caffe Culture by Manitowoc. It can cook a variety of snacks such as paninis and chicken wraps quickly and evenly using a new heat-transfer method.An easy-to-use control panel can store up to 1,024 sixstage recipe programmes.

Alongside equipment and hot drinks, Caffe Culture will also exhibit food and drinks from the biscuit-based Almondy tarts and Beyond the Bean cookies to Belvoir, Metro Drinks, Luscombe and Wenlock Spring.

Although not exhibiting at Caffe Culture, Gaggia has introduced Concetto automatic espresso machines that are perfect for pubs and bars.At a touch of a button, the bean-to-cup machine can make 150 cups per day, with a built-in coffee grinder plus a separate steam wand if bar staff want to froth up milk and add fancy finishes.They are marketed in the UK by Watermark.

Fracino, the UK’s only manufacturer of cappuccino and espresso machines, offers the Attimo model for bars, which at the press of a button can produce an 8oz white coffee in six seconds. It also has the easy-touse Heavenly and Cherub machines, suitable for use with both pod and ground coffee.

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furnishings

Finishing touches A change of soft furnishings and accessories can be an easy and economical way to give a bar a facelift but this can be a hard brief to meet, reports Juliet Davies

D

iscovering the unexpected – urban chic when out in the sticks, or a rural retreat in the city – can make a bar a real find. Designers though, without the luxury of knowing exactly what people want to find, use all of their skills to forecast trends.

Martin Spencer and Melony Swinden of Birmingham-based bar, restaurant and hotel designers Spencer Swinden claim that, while luxury has played a prominent part in interior design over the last few years, as we are coming out of recession extravagant and indulgent environments seem out of place, and the interior design world is changing to reflect that, particularly in the design of bars and restaurants.

“Honest, stripped-back design featuring raw materials and simple furniture is flourishing at the moment,” Martin explains, “with a much stronger focus on happiness, health and comfort rather than all-out luxury.The likes of Pizza East and Spuntino [in London] have been leading the way in restaurant design, and pubs seeing an increase in food trade have evolved to focus on comfort.”

Textiles are becoming more important to bar and pub design too: upholstery, window dressings and cushions are playing a more central role in design schemes to build the individual character of the venue and to create a strong brand identity.

“There is a definite swing towards resourcefulness and a quirky use of objects,”

Martin adds,“and pubs and restaurants are increasingly starting to think ‘outside the box’. Design trends have been very nostalgic in style over the last six to 12 months, with 1950s design influences and a ‘post-war’ attitude towards simplicity and economy.

“Stripped-back industrialism is a big trend, playing on the juxtaposition of raw materials like exposed brickwork, steel and concrete against softer decorative or textile accents.

Vintage style is carrying through from the catwalks and the fashion world, with animal imagery and traditional prints featuring in textiles, wall finishes and decoration.This is further emphasised by the trend for upcycled goods and reclaimed materials.”

Spencer Swinden’s work at the Village Gate

The Chalet Bar in Liverpool

Understanding who you are designing for is the single most important factor in establishing a profitable design scheme for your bar, from lighting and layout to colours, textiles and fabrics. Establishing a great relationship with your designers is also key to a successful design, as you need to be able to trust your designer’s expertise and industry knowledge.

Surface design is a vital element to the interior design process so it is important to consider your materials and fabrics carefully.

The material you choose will depend on a number of factors and criteria, such as longevity, aesthetics, cost, durability and availability. In commercial premises, you will also need to think about meeting legislative obligations, such as rub tests and fire ratings.

“It’s especially important to consider the ‘life cycle cost’ of a fabric,” Melony at Spencer Swinden points out,“as a lower purchase cost will usually mean more expensive upkeep or quicker replacement, which will cost you more long term.With building materials, as with most things, the less expensive something is initially, the shorter its lifespan usually is.

“Aesthetically, lighter-coloured materials and finishes will optically enlarge the perception of your bar space, whilst darker colours will make an area feel smaller and more enclosed.You can use these aesthetic tricks to good effect to resolve problem areas that feel too enclosed or too open. In addition, reflective or gloss www.barmagazine.co.uk |51

furnishings

Rattan from Inn-fresco

surfaces will accentuate the sense of space.”

At the Village Gate bar in Wendover in Buckinghamshire, Spencer Swinden used natural fabrics to add warmth and charm with dark wood and leather.

Jerry Hodkinson of furniture specialist Andy Thornton says the continuing trend for vintage furniture for bars is unprecedented.“This trend has taken the hospitality industry by storm and is one that

Mix and match from GO IN

52| www.barmagazine.co.uk

seems to have captured the imagination of pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels alike.The main features are shabby chic, distressed finishes, industrial-style period cast-iron furniture, recycled timber and heavy-duty lighting.”

To meet this demand,Andy Thornton has launched a new furniture and lighting collection called “Urban Vintage” which includes aged leather armchairs and sofas, cast-iron refectory tables, bistro bar stools and chairs, distressed tables and drink stands.The eclectic mix of styles, fabrics, metals and wood combined with the hard-wearing, industrial nature of the furniture make it ideal for bar or restaurant refurbishments.

Similarly it is clear that traditional-style furniture, such as farmhouse, bentwood and country classical, is popular again but different finishes differentiating it from traditional furniture from the past.This time around primary paint colours are popular with or without antique finishes and natural clear matt lacquers on timber give a natural earthy feel.

“Bespoke banquette seating is still very much on trend,” adds Hodkinson.“Nearly every bar that opens at the moment features an area of fixed seating, combined with an assortment of loose tables, chairs and stools.This is both comfortable and versatile in areas that change function throughout the day. Banquette seating is ideal for use in areas that double as casual dining at certain times of the day then revert to drinking areas at other times.”

Hospitality furniture specialist GO IN’s latest catalogue introduces around 100 new furniture products and 270 new cover fabrics to help designers mix and match colours and materials to create unique and individual interior solutions, and its online configurator tool can be used to build bench seating combinations and help visualise room layouts.

Léon de Bruxelles Léon de Bruxelles on Cambridge Circus in Soho, London, is the first of a Belgianstyle brasserie franchise to open in the UK, and features furniture sourced almost entirely from hospitality furniture supplier Andy Thornton. In the main restaurant area bentwood side chairs made of stained dark wenge, with seats and backs upholstered in rich green leather, are combined with stainlesssteel table bases and a mix of square, rectangular and round marble and dark wood veneered table tops.The furniture mixes well with the medium oak flooring and red leather-upholstered fixed seating.

Fronting the gloss black restaurant bar counter are Miami bar stools, upholstered in poppy red leather with dark walnut frames.These bar stools have also been combined with high poser tables in the neighbouring area, creating interesting variable height seating options.

For the outside pavement area of this prominent corner site in the busy West End, the designers went for a Parisian street feel, using folding slatted hardwood terrace furniture from Andy Thornton, to contrast the striped awnings and green barriers.

Robert Walton of Agua Fabrics notices trends when designers request samples.

“We’ve seen a large increase in demand for samples of metallics, textured fabrics, and dual texturing on banquettes and chairs – using tactile fabrics on the backs and faux leather on the seat,” he says.

Natural fabrics can add warmth and charm with dark wood and leather, or a cool

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furnishings sophistication with a lighter timber such as ash and paler palette. Leather’s durability and stain resistance make it a popular choice in entertainment environments.

CrestJMT Leather has launched its latest collection of upholstery leathers titled “Collection 3”.The new collection combines careful selection of raw materials from around the world to produce six great-value ranges, each with their own unique look and characteristics to give customers a far greater choice of quality.

The Chalet Bar, an Alpine-style après ski bar and club in the Mathew Street area in Liverpool city centre, uses many materials from reclaimed timber specialist Lawson’s.

Bespoke hand-sanded reclaimed pine was used for the bar tops and wall cladding, with some very chunky oak trees made into funky tables.The floorboards used in the bar were originally from the Gannex textile mill in Halifax.“We pride ourselves on using recycled materials as much as possible,” says Adam Lawson, director for Lawson’s,“so we were thrilled to work with The Chalet Bar, which specifically wanted to keep the character of the very distressed and rustic wood flowing through the bar.

We love mixing contemporary ideas with old products and I think we did a great job at the Chalet Bar.” Wall murals can provide a bar with the wow factor of striking images that fit in with the interior design concept or the venue’s branding. Frames UK is a largeformat printing company that specialises in printing bespoke wall murals, either from a range of images on its website or from an image supplied by the bar.The self-adhesive fabric textured wallpaper from Art-Fever is easy to install, with a peel-off back sheet, and no need for glue. Its website offers a varied range of images to select from, from Brooklyn Bridge to iconic London scenes.

As all of the wall murals are made to order, the sizes range from as small as 30 inches by 72 inches up to a full wall. Frames UK can also print onto canvas, again with a library of images to choose from.

And interior decoration shouldn’t stop at the bar’s interior – outside space is at a premium at many premises, and its

Metallic finishes are in demand at Agua Fabrics

54| www.barmagazine.co.uk

The Fleece at Cirencester Interior designer Rachel Wootton describes the importance of creating the right look and feel for the Fleece at Cirencester, part of the Thwaites Inns of Character portfolio.The inn, which also has 28 bedrooms, was refurbished after a £750,000 investment from Daniel Thwaites which also owns the Shire Hotels portfolio.

“The Thwaites Inns of Character concept and philosophy focuses on individuality.

It’s about offering a wide range of cask ales, great, locally-sourced food, a warm welcome and comfortable surroundings.

We want people to feel at home,” Rachel explains.“When it comes to creating the right interior, the property itself has a large impact on the design process and there is a strong sense of responsibility throughout the project to be sympathetic to the building’s architecture, period and local surroundings.Along with the brief, this is essentially the starting point for any Inns of Character including the Fleece at Cirencester.

Rachel, who is in-house designer for Shire Hotels, adds:“Honesty, authentic, timeless and quality remained front of mind when selecting materials for the interior of the Fleece. Several fabrics were used for the upholstery and furnishings, all of which had an assorted pattern and texture that related to one another via colour and tone, or scale of pattern to create an eclectic mix, for instance flat weaves and plains, cotton, linen, wool and leather.Warm colour palettes of orangey reds, purple heather and a hint of soft forest green were used.There was certainly a no-fuss approach, no unnecessary decoration.The space had to be functional and practical.

“It was important to achieve a wow factor without being too overly designed or fashionable. It needed to be comfortable and authentic rather than a contrived stage set. Colour and fabrics were applied to zone the areas subtly, and create intimate dining spaces without physically breaking up the space.”

customers feel sheltered from the hustle use should be encouraged.According and bustle of everyday life. Creating the to outdoor solutions specialist Innright environment through the right choice fresco, rattan furniture looks stylish and of furnishings will make your customers feel contemporary and, with comfy cushions, relaxed and sociable, whether inside or out. your customers will happily sit outside for longer enjoying a drink or two. Inn-fresco recommends providing customers with shelter from the sun or rain with an awning or retractable cover so that customers can enjoy all the benefits of alfresco dining whatever the weather.

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mobile bars

Ready to pop

The Walker Hut at Goodwood Revival

W

ith summer on the horizon, the season of the pop-up is back upon us. Mobile bars will be appearing at festivals and in town centres, on rooftops and in basements, or simply as additional serving areas in bar gardens.

Visitors to Goodwood Revival, the classic motor racing event last September, stepped back in time to 1959 at the Walker Hut – a “brand experience” created for Johnnie Walker whisky. It was devised by marketing agency RPM to celebrate Rob Walker, the 1950s heir to Johnnie Walker and owner of the most successful private motor racing teams in Formula One history.

The pop-up bar was furnished with old posters, trophies and other memorabilia, offering themed cocktails such as a Johnnie Walker Stirling Collins, inspired by racing driver Stirling Moss.They were served from a mobile bar unit that was designed and built specifically for the event, including chillers for mixers and a freezer for

MOVERBar from ServaClean

Even if a mobile bar is being set up for the summer or just a few days, it needs to be as operationally efficient as a permanent installation crushed and cubed ice, hired from Lowe Refrigeration. RPM brought in trained and engaging bartenders to make sure the experience was perfect.A small support kitchen to the rear of the bar provided the preparation space required to pour the thousands of Johnnie Walker samples that were distributed in and around the bar area.“Site fees for high-footfall events always come at a premium so you have to make every square metre of your site space count,” says RPM’s production director Rob Price.“To optimise the use of your space and to create an impactful presence with an engaging brand experience, space for back-of-house operations tends to be compromised. Being self-contained is key but, if for whatever reason the backof-house operations are reduced, then you must give careful consideration to the locations of the site services such as ambient and chilled storage or water and waste, ensuring that these facilities are easily accessible to you throughout the live event hours, allowing you to better support the front-of-house operations of a busy bar.”

Cantilever Bars, a specialist in permanent bar systems, provides bar equipment for outdoor spaces, using its patented Portabar system. It helped Pablo Flack and David Waddington of bar-restaurant Bistrotheque in Hackney, north-east London to create a pop-up bar on the Westfield Stratford City site while it developed a customised semipermanent mobile bar for outdoor space at

Bourne & Hollingsworth London bar Bourne & Hollingsworth, with its quirky 1920s living-room interior and top-quality cocktails, is on the move.

While the original venue remains in Fitzrovia, it has also been popping up for one night at a time around the capital under the banner of The Fourth Wall.

The location is kept secret until the day, posting clues in advance on The Fourth Wall’s Facebook page.

Running about once a month, it has seen a replica of Bourne & Hollingsworth, with a full bar operation, re-created at locations such as the basement of 1920s office building Victoria House, Bloomsbury (pictured). the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank.

Cantilever Bars projects director Simon Knowles says operators should avoid the www.barmagazine.co.uk |57

mobile bars

Outdoor space

Royal Festival Hall mobile bar

temptation to cut back on equipment and operations in favour of front-of-house aesthetics even though budgets may be tight.“However temporary the event, the customer still wants great service and is no more understanding than if it’s a permanent fixture,” he says.“They still want quality drinks delivered quickly. So often at events you see bars that look great, but when you get nearer they are so disappointing with staff serving from small ice buckets on wooden shelves – not conducive to great drinks and therefore disappointing in delivery.”

He believes that many operators should look at pop-up and mobile bars as a longterm commitment and buy equipment that can easily be reused from venue to venue. “Often these bars are built on a project-by-project basis and are seen as a disposable item, wasting budgets,” he explains.“If you start with a good structure of bar equipment and then dress it on an event basis, the budgets will be more effectively spent and the client will not be reinventing its bar every time, and delivering a clear brand message from event to event.

This equipment needs to be easy to set up and take down and be able to be stored and transported between events in a safe environment. All mobile equipment needs to have that built-in flexibility to be adaptable from event to event.”

Cantilever’s Portabar is designed for these situations and can be set up in different lengths and shapes. It has interchangeable worktops and can be easily dressed to suit different styles – plus it has its own flight cases for easy and safe storage.“By investing in equipment such as this, mobile bars and pop-up events can be viable, but some investment is necessary to deliver the quality of drinks required, and this investment may need to be over a number of events rather than just budgeting for the

58| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Portabar from Cantilever Bars

first event,” Simon says.

ServaClean, which specialises in stainlesssteel bar equipment and systems, continues to extend its range of products for mobile and pop-up applications. Its MOVERBar mobile counters and backfittings allow customers to choose the combination of ServaClean fitments most suitable for their particular style of service, whether it is keg beer dispense or bottles-only service through to full cocktail-mixing facilities. Fitments are supported within a “BARFrame” structure mounted on a sturdy but easy-to-manoeuvre stainlesssteel base.The screw-together assembly can easily be reconfigured to meet future changes of operating requirements.

Simon at Cantilever expects demand for mobile bars to be particularly strong this summer, with events such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics encouraging bars to create new serving counters in their outdoor space.At the same time, the popularity of pop-up bars and restaurants, inside and out, continues unabated across the UK.“Mobile bars are very much on show,” Simon points out.

“How the bar is set up is vital to the image of the pop-up event or brand. They are often limited on space and serving huge numbers of drinks so how the equipment is set up will make or break an event, and we all know slow service will affect the bottom line.”

A new outdoor solution was tested this winter at The Oast House (pictured), which was opened last October in Manchester’s Spinningfields development, off Deansgate.The Bambusa range of wooden parasols are made from bambusa, which is a genus of the bamboo family and among the world’s fastestgrowing plants. Bambusa parasols are far stronger than hardwood parasols, wind tested to gale force nine.After their successful trial at The Oast House, they have now been launched in the UK by Breezefree, the design and build specialist for outdoor areas.They are available round, square or rectangular up to 13 square metres.

A funky new concept in outdoor lounge furniture has been launched in the UK by international outdoor furniture brand Gloster.The Nomad range is made up of generously sized but light seating blocks that can be easily moved and reconfigured. Created by London designer Mark Gabbertas, they have a bold curvaceous shape with easy-to-fit fabric slip covers over a comfortable aluminium and sling base. It is pictured with mixedand-matched Italian milled vibrant stripe fabrics which are easy to remove and washable, designed for outdoor use.

New outdoor furniture from GO IN includes additions to the Terrazza table and bench set. It is now available with high-density laminate slats which, with aluminium frames in a stainless-steel finish, provide a functional but stylish look.

Let us come and test your IT. Before they come and test your IT. Summer 2012. Britain’s busiest ever summer of trading.

The Olympic Torch Relay, Diamond Jubilee Weekend, UEFA European Championships, Wimbledon and London 2012 Olympics coming one after another means bars, pubs, clubs, hotels and restaurants face 12 straight weeks of thirsty and hungry crowds.

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Call us today, and we’ll arrange to put your systems through a comprehensive review designed to assess your preparedness.

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bar essentials

Combi steamer advances

Samsung service pledge

At May’s Caffe Culture show, Rational will be showcasing the latest combi steamer technology.The new SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency can improve food quality, increase profits and speed up production.

It will also highlight its Ultravent Plus hood, which makes it possible to cook front of house.

Ultravent absorbs and dissipates steam while special filters trap odour and smoke so it is possible to grill or roast food in front of customers. Call 0800 389 2944 or visit www.rational-UK.com.

Samsung has launched an aftersales service commitment on its commercial microwave ovens that it believes sets new standards in the hospitality market.The Samsung Service Promise, delivered by a nationwide network of trained engineers, is applicable throughout the three-year warranty.

It offers a 92 per cent first-time fix rate and a promise the unit will be working within 24 hours of a call-out. If it cannot be repaired, it will be replaced by a new oven free of charge.Visit www.samsung. com/uk/professional/microwave.

Bonzer dispenses new products

New washer from Nelson

Café products specialist Mitchell and Cooper will be bringing new products to Caffe Culture.All have been designed and manufactured in the UK and provide innovative storage solutions for both lids and cups alike.

The Bonzer Hexdome is a unique, stylish and flexible solution to cup dispensing that stabilises cups and lids while increasing hygiene and brand presence. Other launches include a new range of colour options for the Bonzer Cup Dispensers.

Call 01825 765511 or visit www.bonzer.co.uk.

Nelson Catering Equipment, together with sister company Nelson Dish & Glasswashing, provide bars with costeffective, space-saving solutions to increase efficiency and boost turnover.

At this month’s Caffe Culture show, Nelson will present its latest Advantage 400 dishwasher.The 400mm machine is the smallest in the Advantage range for when space is at a premium but exceptional results are demanded. It will easily accommodate a selection of cups, mugs, plates and glasses and has a choice of three wash cycles.Visit www.nelsonwash.co.uk.

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Image used for illustration only.

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Ripples of bafflement ran through the drinks industry in March when it was announced a vodka infused with rum was being launched

by Ian Burrell, global rum ambassador and the driving force being London’s annual Rum Fest.With a full-on website and pictures of the bottle, he proudly promoted his Gannibal vodka, named after the 18th-century African-born major-general Abram Petrovich Gannibal.

The recipe, using wheat from Kazakhstan combined with Dankowski diamond rye from Poland, claimed it was distilled 69 times (which is nothing compared to other vodkas’ multiple distillations such as Buffalo Trace’s HDW CLIX which is distilled 159 times). But it all turned out to be a hoax, created by Burrell to “poke fun at the marketing of certain vodka brands that take advantage of gullible consumers”. Despite announcing it in the media over a week before the end of March, he later described it as the “ultimate April Fool’s trick on the industry”.

After four years as a bartender and latterly group head bartender with the Rushmore Group, Lefteri Christodoulou is drawing on

66| www.barmagazine.co.uk

Mixing it up >>

his experience for a unique new venture. He has created Icely Done cocktail sticks which are iced cocktails made with premium branded spirits inspired by a Brazilian street drink.The six flavours are Finlandia grapefruit vodka and pomegranate,Absolut lemon vodka and raspberry, Havana Club rum and coconut, Havana Club 3 Year Old and mango, Campari and blood orange, and Beefeater Gin and lemon.

“Icely Done cocktail sticks are a stylish, nostalgic and affordable way to instantly serve up an ice-cold cocktail for your guests,” Lefteri explained.“I’ve mixed each flavour to impart a genuine cocktail experience of superior quality and taste while also being refreshing, mouth-watering and moreish.

We freeze our cocktail sticks as soon as we have created the blend so they are free of additives and preservatives and taste just like a good cocktail or blended fresh fruit ice-cold shot.” They are being promoted for events and parties but also for the on-trade.

If you fancy some culture with your cocktails, look out for the Hendrick’s Library of Delightfully Peculiar Writings

which will be at the Brighton Festival Fringe. Located in Jubilee Square from May 17 to 27, the “library” will host daytime events such as a retelling of the Tale of Peter Rabbit by taxidermist Lee Paton who promises to bring a dead rabbit “back to life”.At night, it will host a “delightfully peculiar dining extravaganza” created by “gastronomic architects” Bompas & Parr, creators of giant punch bowls and walkin gin and tonics.All events will be accompanied by gin.

Details of events and tickets at www.hendricksgin.com.

Alberto Sanna, manager of Primo Bar & Lounge at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel in London, says bartenders must entertain

A

Alex Kratena, head bartender at the Artesian Bar at London’s Langham Hotel, has devised a stunning-looking cocktail for his bar to tie in with the Chelsea Flower Show in May. Served in a venus fly trap vessel, the Best in Show (pictured) uses 75ml of fino sherry flash-infused with fresh jasmine blossom plus 30ml of umeshu, two barspoons of sugar syrup, a dash of orange flower water, a dash of Angostura Bitters and a dash of Mandarin Bitters. It is garnished with aromatic oils and jasmine blossom. Priced £14, it is available in the bar from May 21 to June 3.

s soon as I started this job, I was fascinated by the environment I had joined, because customer service was a whole new world for me, making me love all the everyday challenges that come with trying to please guests.

I sometimes find it a bit disappointing that new, young bartenders sometimes forget that our role is not just to shake, stir, flip bottles, pour drinks and know about wine and spirits but it is about entertaining the customers.

When I started bartending 20 years ago, I was taught that bartenders are entertainers, the person that customers want to meet when they go to a bar, the person that will make a difference to that customer’s day, the person that makes you feel at home.

During my first year, I asked my boss about getting promoted and he said to me: “This job is not about knowing how to pour Coca-Cola, you need to be able to talk and read the guest.”

Nowadays, with all the new trends, courses, mixologists etc, some bartenders have a tendency to act unfriendly or unwelcoming to customers which is a real shame. I would suggest to some of my fellow barmen to try and relax in our role. We have one of the best jobs in the world. We get to meet so many people and our world is so varied and unpredictable that we need to laugh together with our customers and colleagues.

Also we are so lucky we always have a drink handy at the end of a long night.

29

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