INGREDIENTS FOR MORE THAN GREAT DRINKS THE COCKTAIL LOVERS.COM SUMMER 2024
ISSUE 49
ISSN 2052-059X
Reasons to drink in colour
Making waves
Kenya connections
PAGE 18
PAGE 30
PAGE 42
From gin and vodka to wine and beer – the new hues of brands
The people to know and why they’re raising the bar
An insider’s guide to the top drinking spots in Kenya
Celebrating people of colour in the drinks world
contents 08 Amuse Bouche
News, views, reviews, interviews and how-tos, including three books by people of colour, five winning ways with pineapples, dates for your diary and food and drink recipes to inspire
18
11 reasons to drink in colour Our pick of brilliant Black-owned drinks brands
22 In the hotseat
Talking diversity and inclusion with Vicky Ilkanoven, Equal Measures
24 Wine it up
Red, white, orange, blue – and black! Wines to try now
in 28 Trailblazers their own right
Tamika Hall charts the importance of African Americans in cocktail culture
30 Making waves
People to know, faces to watch. By Yolanda Evans
38 Dark stars
Minority-owned bars in majority spaces. By Priyanka Blah
42 Black to the future
Industry veteran Colin Asare-Appiah on the past, present and future of representation in the drinks business
45 Unsung heroes
Let’s hear it for the some of the people who make things tick behind the scenes
50 Cultural connections
Jo Last shares her story of finding her identity while working in drinks
52 The Cocktail Girl & Guy She’s in Handshake in Mexico City while he’s at Mirror Bar in Bratislava
34 Spreading the word
Ian Burrell is on a mission: to share the spirit of Black history through rum
intelligence/ 54 Liquid Take 3 ingredients
With Reuben Clarke and Shreya Patel
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Issue 49 Summer 2024 Editors Sandrae Lawrence Gary Sharpen Creative director Scott Bentley – Bentley Creative Copy editing Laura Hill Stephanie Jones Cover photography Rob Lawson Model June Lawrence Contributors Priyanka Blah, Reuben Clarke, Yolanda Evans, Jack Hall, Tamika Hall, Jo Last, Brian K Owango, Shreya Patel, Gabrielle Nicole Pharms, Regan Ross
For all editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact:
(+44) 020 7242 2546 mail@thecocktaillovers.com
36 Open your palate to fresh perspectives
Gabrielle Nicole Pharms on women of colour in the world of whisk(e)y
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58
62
Mains & Martinis
Kenya Connections
Parting Shot
Flavours of Africa, Sri Lanka and Jamaica via Japan – three London restaurants that we’re loving this season
Raising the (cocktail) stakes at Gaucho restaurants
Brian K Owango guides us through the top drinking spots in Kenya
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Reproduction in whole or part of any contents of The Cocktail Lovers Magazine without prior permission from the editors is strictly prohibited. All details of bars featured in this issue were correct at time of going to press. Please see individual websites for up-to-date information. The Cocktail Lovers Magazine is printed in the UK by Stephens & George.
The Cocktail Lovers ISSN 2052-059X © 2024. Published by The Cocktail Lovers Ltd. London, UK
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
CONTRIBUTORS
YOLANDA EVANS
PRIYANKA BLAH
BRIAN K OWANGO
Yolanda is an award-winning freelance writer with more than 18 years of experience covering dining, cocktails, travel, and lifestyle. She’s based in Berlin and her work has appeared in The Smithsonian, CNN, Travel + Leisure, Architectural Digest, Food & Wine, Afar, Here Magazine, Washington Post, Imbibe, Vinepair, Shondaland, Food 52, Punch, Wine Enthusiast, Lonely Planet, Thrillist to name a few.
A regular contributor to The Cocktail Lovers magazine, Priyanka is affectionately known as ‘Blah’. She’s the founder of the popular cocktail and spirits website, The Dram Attic, a platform she set up to shine a light on the movers and shakers of the cocktail world. Based in India, she is a regular judge at international cocktail competitions and considered one of the most relevant voices championing the South Asian bar industry.
Brian started his hospitality journey in the UK in the late 90s and brought his passion and knowledge to Kenya in late 2003. Known as the Afrikan Mixologist Maker, he is regarded as Kenya’s pioneer of contemporary mixology in the region and is the founder of the Jumuiyai Cocktail Festival, the Bahari Bar School, the real Nairobi Cocktail Week and Kenya’s first Capoeira School. He also chairs the World’s 50 Best Bars in East Africa.
In this issue: Priyanka looks at influential bars owned by people of colour.
In this issue: Brian guides us around the best drinking spots in Nairobi and beyond.
Dark stars: 38
Making waves: page 30
In this issue: From educators to entrepreneurs – Yolanda on some of the people of colour everyone needs to know.
Kenya connections: page 58
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GABRIELLE NICOLE PHARMS
Open your palate to fresh perspectives: page 36
Texas-based writer Gabrielle has contributed to publications such as Travel + Leisure, Bourbon Plus, Food + Wine, Rolling Stone and more. She is currently a contributing editor for American Whiskey Magazine. Gabrielle won the 2022 IWSC Emerging Talent in Spirits Communication and was twice nominated for a Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best Cocktail & Spirits Writing. In this issue: Gabrielle shines a light on Black women in the world of whisk(e)y.
APERItiVO
Opening up the palate for the spirited stories ahead… PAG E 1 4
PAG E 1 6
PAG E 1 8
PAG E 2 4
SIX QUESTIONS FOR…
FIVE WAYS WITH PINEAPPLE
ELEVEN REASONS TO DRINK IN COLOUR
WINE IT UP
Lorraine Copes, CEO and founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality
Black and Brown-owned brands you should be drinking right now
From infusing in rum and creating a pineapple leather, to making a delicious tepache
PAG E 9
THINGS THAT MAKE US GO ‘OOH!’
Grace Ubawuchi with her seductive frozen indulgences, Xin & Zoltaire
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Red, white, rosé, orange and even blue, the world of wine is looking even more colourful with the new wave of makers
IN THE
H TSEAT
Vicky Ilankovan, Executive Director, Equal Measures on how and why the business is on a mission to create a more diverse and inclusive industry
How did Equal Measures begin? Equal Measures was set up in 2020 by Deano Moncrieffe, an amazing man who’s been in the drinks industry for the past 20 years. As a Black man from Birmingham, he experienced and witnessed a huge amount of prejudice in the hospitality industry. Despite the fact it’s the most diverse industry in the UK, there’s a very thick glass ceiling above mid-management, across all aspects of hospitality. He decided he wanted to create a platform to shine a light on that and the inequity in the industry and see what he could do to change it.
approach. We developed a suite of services ranging from introductory level to intermediate, HR and management procedures, looking at how we can support businesses to improve EDI in house, but also in their trade and customers. As part of that, we put together an EDI drinks toolkit, which has policy templates, onboarding manuals and workshops companies can do with their teams – basically a response to people saying to me, “Vicky, I really want to do our EDI journey but I don’t know where to start.”
And how has it evolved in the past four years? When it first started, Equal Measures was specifically looking at ethnicity. We were supporting anyone from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds working in hospitality. Since then, I’m delighted to say it’s evolved and is now proudly intersectional, so we support anyone who has faced systemic barriers to their career progression due to bias around their identities. So far, we support people who are Black, Asian and minority ethnic, as well as gender queer, queer and neurodivergent.
When did you get on board? I was an Equal Measures beneficiary in its original uptake. Then I took on day-to-day running of the business as marketing and project manager, and now I’m executive director with many, many hats.
Describe some of the ways that you help businesses. The idea is we’re creating a blueprint for what our industry and society can be by creating a melting pot of passionate, highly skilled people in our industry, and helping them get where they need to go. Two years ago we introduced our equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) services. There have been some EDI services previously, but nothing that looked specifically around the drinks and hospitality spaces in the UK and nothing intersectional in its
Which of those hats fits you best? All of them! I’m very good at juggling, in terms of work. I guess at my core, I’m very strategic, very analytical. I have a 360 approach to things but at the same time, I’m very people-centric. I’m a community builder and a firm believer in creating safe places for everyone so they can feel seen, heard and able to be themselves. What have you learned about yourself since working with Equal Measures? It’s been a big journey of self-knowledge and discovery in my work life and also on the personal side. Something I’ve learned is that I don’t need to try and fit into a box that was designed to restrict me. The mould that’s out there was never made with me in mind, so why should I cut off parts of myself to try and fit in it? Why would I be smaller
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than I am? So that’s why you’ll see me at events dressed in brightly coloured, clashing patterns, dad dancing and grinning from ear-to-ear, because that’s me, and Equal Measures has taught me that that’s okay. And what have you learned about the industry? I’ve learned just how diverse it is. I think 17% of UK hospitality workers are from
ASK THE EXPERTS
Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. That’s more than any other industry in the UK. In London specifically, that figure rises to 43%. That said, that diversity is at the lower levels and that’s something we need to change. Give us a stat that might surprise us. Since Covid and Brexit, people from Black and Asian minority ethnic backgrounds lost their jobs 26 times more than white workers. What do you think stops people of colour entering the bar space rather than the lower-level hospitality space?
who presents as queer working behind the bar, I feel comfortable going in. A lot of the time when people are looking at the bar as somewhere to work, they’ll be thinking the same thing: who’s sitting at the bar, who’s working there, is it a safe place for me to come in? Sadly, they may not feel accepted or able to progress in their careers, or feel like they can be themselves. What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in the business and how have you confronted them? It’s been really sad to see that one of our biggest challenges is funding. When we
the first time and hopefully take the pressure off us constantly trying to find those funds. What are you and the team most proud of? How quickly and how well we’ve grown while staying true to who we are. Last year, our beneficiary pool increased by 288%. For such a minuscule team with limited resources, we’re really proud of that. It’s not just about the increase in beneficiary numbers but the fact we have maintained the support level and the quality that we have provided. Nearly 90% of our Equal Measures beneficiaries – who we call EMbers – report improved career progression within nine months of being with us. And they stay with us and they want to give back. For me, that’s the meaning of true community. I’m so proud of our EMbers, they’re amazing. Any other highlights you’d like to share? Last April, we piloted our first Forming Foundations programme funded by Johnnie Walker. It’s a three-day touring
U N S P LA S H / OU RWH IS K Y FOU N DATI ON
Why should I cut off parts of myself to try and fit in? Why should I be smaller than I am?
There’s a culture of affinity bias, especially in the higher-end bars where people don’t feel like they can progress and often, they’re treated badly. I’m constantly getting reports from people about white European people at the top of the bar team calling the people of colour working below them slaves. It’s very common, unfortunately. It’s not dissimilar for me as a consumer. If I see someone of colour or
started in 2020, the interest and support from the industry was huge, notably because of Black Lives Matter – everyone wanted to be part of it. I’m sorry to say that as the news cycle has changed, we’re seeing that support drop off. That’s why we became a CIC [Community Interest Company – a business that exists to benefit the community rather than shareholders], which will allow us to access grants for
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course, which gives the next generation of diverse hospitality superstars a start in the industry. We go to areas with higher percentages of the demographics we support and lower employment and we provide fully funded WSET Level 1 in Spirits, vocational training, cocktail masterclasses with our brand partners, talks from industry experts and visits to local venues to see different styles of service. After they get the learning, knowledge and confidence, we pair them up with our brand and operator partners in that area to give them a trial shift. When they’re in the industry, we can support them through their progression and ensure that they don’t have any of the barriers that people in our main programme and myself have had. Essentially, we’re ensuring that within three to five years, we’re going to see much more highly skilled, diverse talent in higher positions within the industry. The pilot went exceptionally well and we’re looking to take the programme around the country going forward. equalmeasuresuk.org
WINE IT UP
1
Meet the brands putting Black-owned wines on the map
1. MCBRIDE SISTERS
One brand created by two sisters. The result? Three highly prized wine collections: McBride Sisters Collection, Black Girl Magic Wines and SHE CAN Wines and spritzers. mcbridesisters.com
2. THEOPOLIS VINEYARDS
2
Not for nothing is Theodora Lee known as Theo-patra, Queen of the Vineyards. The wines she produces from her small lot vineyard in California have won her a slew of awards. theopolisvineyards.com
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Idris Elba – yes that Idris Elba – and partner in wine David Farber have curated a selection of fine, still and sparkling wines from a family owned estate in Provence. Available to drink in their London gastrobar or order to enjoy at home. portenoir.co.uk
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4. MAISON NOIR WINES
Once an award-winning sommelier, André Hueston Mack’s Maison Noir label is equally admired for its fine wines and T-shirts as much as its street-style inspired designs. maisonnoirwines.com
G U T T ER C R ED I TS
3. PORTE NOIR
APERITIVO 6. FREE RANGE FLOWER WINERY
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Aaliyah Nitoto draws on her background in biology, herbalism and nutrition in her organic wines, all made from locally sourced flowers rather than grapes. freerangeflower winery.com
7. AMOUR GENÈVE WINE
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Blue was the favourite colour of Freddie F. Salinès’ father, who inspired his ‘truly natural, organic’ blue wine. amourbluforever. com
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5. WHINYARD ROCKS
Want natural? Try the low input wines made with grapes grown and hand-harvested by husband and wife team Susan and James in their vineyard in Wales. whinyardrocks.com
8. EPICUREAN WINE
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9. CARMEN STEVENS WINES
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Epicurean by name, epicurean by nature, these wine – created by four friends – are made with wines sourced from some of the best vineyards in the Western Cape of South Africa. epicureanwine.co.za
Graduating as the first Black South African to study winemaking in SA, CS Wines is the first 100% Blackowned winery in the country. cswines.co.za
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10. BROWN ESTATE
Deneen, David and Coral Brown took over their parents’ vineyard in 1995 and have been making first-class wines ever since. The Zinfandel comes highly recommended brownestate.com
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Elliott Clark, aka Apartment Bartender
Influencers
A self-described cocktail nerd, Elliot Clark started his Instagram account, Apartment Bartender, as a hobby in 2015 to showcase his love of making cocktails at home. Nearly 10 years later, Elliott has turned his hobby into a vibrant career as a cocktail-creator influencer within the spirits industry, showing cocktail enthusiasts how to make excellent drinks at home. He has collaborated with brands such as Jack Daniel’s, mixed up drinks at Tales of the Cocktail and travelled around the world in the name of cocktails. Based in Denver, Colorado, Elliott released his first book, Let’s Do Drinks, a guide to home bars, in April and is co-owner of The Apartment Creative Studio, which focuses on consulting, content production and events.
Denaya Jones-Reid and Kapri Robinson
Soul Palate is a groundbreaking podcast hosted by talented bartenders Denaya JonesReid (left) and Kapri Robinson (right) with the aim to “normalise the Black and Brown palate” one sip at a time. A light-hearted podcast that’s full of laughs, the show covers a mix of current events, topics and news within the food and alcohol world, all while tasting and talking about spirits. Both hosts have plenty of knowledge to share: Denaya has been in hospitality for more than 10 years and works double duty at craft spirits retailer Seelbach, where she’s the general manager and in-house mixologist; and Kapri co-founded Chocolate City’s Best, the world’s first Black and Brown bartender competition, and spends her time behind the bar at Allegory in Washington, DC.
Names and faces that everyone should have on their radar. By Yolanda Evans
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PEOPLE
Shannon Mustipher
Being a rum and cane spirit expert extraordinaire, Shannon Mustipher is making waves within the rum category. She used to work at the now defunct Glady’s in Brooklyn, slinging rum cocktails, and created Women Who Tiki, a tropical cocktail-centric pop-up. In 2019 Shannon made history with her book, Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails – it was the first cocktail book to be written by a working Black bartender and released by a major publishing house in more than 100 years. In 2020 she received the Tales of the Cocktail Pioneer Award and was inducted into the Dame Hall of Fame for her contribution to the spirits industry. More recently, Shannon created the limitedrelease Tiki Blend for Myrtle Bank Jamaican Rum, unveiled in 2023.
Franky Marshall
Better known as ms franky, Franky Marshall is a legendary bartender who got her start as a server at Brooklyn’s renowned Clover Club with Julie Reiner. Within a year, she was promoted to bartender and has been in demand ever since. ms franky went on to work at other notable cocktail establishments in New York like The Dead Rabbit, Holiday Cocktail Lounge and Le Boudoir, where she created its famed beverage programme. As an educator, she travels around the world instructing bartenders in the gospel of cognac and Pineau des Charentes. She stays booked up and busy, in demand as an event MC and cocktail competition judge, and for her cocktails, which have been featured in books such as Robert Simonson’s Modern Classic Cocktails.
Tiffanie Barriere, aka The Drinking Coach
Tiffanie Barriere has been educating the masses on Instagram about Black culture and history one cocktail at a time. As well as curating cocktails and working with liquor brands to create classes and events that tell the story of Black Americans, Tiffanie has given talks at cocktail festivals such as Bar Convent Berlin and Tales of the Cocktail. Before becoming an independent bartender, Tiffanie spent seven years as the beverage director at Atlanta airport’s One Flew South, recognised as one of the best airport bars in the world. She has collaborated on recipes for an upcoming cocktail-focused book and has featured in two Netflix series, High on the Hog and 2022’s Drink Masters, where she was a guest judge. In 2023, she was awarded the Tales Visionary Award at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards for her work in mentorship and inclusivity.
Educators 31
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Minority-owned bars in majority spaces. By Priyanka Blah
A
t the heart of every vibrant city is its nightlife – a kaleidoscope of people, culture and feelings. And at the centre of this beating heart are the city’s bars. Spaces where connections are formed, relationships deepened and seeds of opportunity sown. Yet, behind the warm lights and clinking glasses, there exists an often overlooked narrative. It’s the story of people of colour who defy odds and carve their niche to open bars in countries where they are historically the minority, and where acceptance and success are not guaranteed. Bars across the world owned by people of colour have always been inviting spaces for people from all walks of life. These inclusive spaces serve the best food and drinks in the city, with a generous side of the warmest hospitality; they nurture communities and reinforce the idea that the beauty of the hospitality industry lies in its diversity. Here are a few of the most convivial drinking dens and social spaces around the world, run by people of colour who have embraced the local culture and are consistently serving happiness and fostering community. 38 THE COCK TAIL LOVERS / ISSUE 49
BLACK OWNED BARS
LONDON, UK
Trailer Happiness West Londoner Sly Augustin came into ownership of Trailer Happiness roughly a decade ago after being a regular at the former tiki bar for years through his youth. A kitschy bar located in vibrant Portobello Road, it’s somewhat of an institution and a respected rum destination today, serving as a neighbourhood haunt for locals and tourists alike. A bar that’s all heart, ideal for celebrations or just a casual drink with friends, Trailer Happiness is a good reminder of the fact that the city of London is built on the idea of community and culture, providing space for people from various backgrounds to come together and socialise over quality drinks and great camaraderie. According to Sly, the industry has changed a lot in the past decade. “Thankfully now I can look around and see other Black bar owners, some of whom have told me I inspired them. That is a massive compliment and also gives me purpose outside of the business of selling rum and good times. Because of the history of West London and its links to the Caribbean it feels important to own a business here, especially as its identity is constantly challenged by wealthy franchises.”
LONDON, UK
Hacha Staying in London, we head to the city’s only ‘agaveria’ – and the home of the famed Mirror Margarita – Hacha. Opened in 2019, Hacha in Dalston is co-owned by hospitality veteran Deano Moncrieffe, and is the predecessor to its sister bar of the same name in Brixton. Deano is committed to introducing agave-based spirits to a broader audience and there’s an everchanging list of 25 tequilas and mezcals on rotation at the bar at any given point in time, guiding drinkers through the world of agave. But that’s not all. In 2020 Deano founded Equal Measures (p. 22), with the intention of reshaping the conversation surrounding ethnicity
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within the hospitality industry. The goal is to foster more inclusive recruitment practices, offering bestin-class education and mentorship. Hacha serves as an extension of the Equal Measures vision, hosting the organisation’s Community Days, which aim to build collaboration and unity within the drinks industry.
D ORON G I LD
TA L K I N G H E A D S
The man, the myth the legend, Colin Asare-Appiah
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A
Black man and woman walk into a bar. Why mention their colour? Because they’re meeting up to talk about the past, present and future of people of colour in the drinks industry. Actually, it’s a hypothetical bar and a virtual chat and in truth, it’s mainly a one-way conversation, with me, the aforementioned woman, asking Colin Asare-Appiah about the 30 or so years he’s been in the business. Who else would I choose? Colin is one of the OGs, one of the first wave of ‘celebrity’ bartenders/brand ambassadors who were instrumental in shaping how brands engage with bars
Not bad for someone who discovered their true calling lay in hospitality after ending up homeless, sleeping on a beach. “I’d gone out to Greece after I finished uni but I ran out of money,” he says, chortling. “After a week or so living rough I met a lady who changed my life. Her name is Harriet Grant.” As well as offering the young Colin a place to stay and a bed in her house, she found him a job in a bar, glass collecting. And the rest, as he says, is history. While his career was born in Greece, it was christened in London. That’s where he honed his craft, became one of the top movers and shakers on the circuit and co-founded London Academy of Bartending (LAB) with the late Douglas Ankrah and Alex Turner.
“That’s a tough one,” he says, pondering, then comes back with, “A bit of both I guess. Back in the day it could be a little bit annoying to say the least. But did I ever feel as if I was overlooked for a role that I applied for? I don’t think so.” Or has he ever felt that he’s experienced different behaviour towards him as a Black man? “Very occasionally, mainly in the early days,” he says. “For example, I was behind the bar and this guy walks up, looks over my shoulder and asks me when the bartender was coming back. I looked around and said, ‘I am the bartender’. I mean, what did he think I was doing there? Bloody security!” That was in the late 90s/early 2000s, when he was one of a few people of
Talking the past, present and future of people of colour in the drinks biz with Tales Visionary Award winner, Colin Asare-Appiah. By Sandrae Lawrence and consumers, and ultimately, the way we all drink today. To date, he’s bossed it as a bartender, brand ambassador, educator, advisor, television presenter, co-author, festival organiser, MC and LGBTQ+ Advocacy Trade Director. He’s also one hell of a person to hang out with. Virtually but better still in person. In short, Mr A-starred is a powerful presence with an imposing stature to match his status. He’s all big smiles, generous hugs and booming voice, most noted for championing causes and spurring people on with his now legendary catchphrase: “Get involved bruv!”
It’s also where he was rooted when he co-hosted Cocktail Kings, a dedicated travel/cocktail show broadcast on the Discovery Travel Channel. Then came New York, where his innate skills and charm were confirmed notably as a brand ambassador – and as a result, he’s been baptised for his talents all over the world. And he’s got a plethora of awards to prove it.
Colour bar
He’s put in the groundwork has Colin, which prompts the question: does he think that being a person of colour in the industry has helped or hindered him?
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colour on the London bar scene. “There was me, Douglas Ankrah, Dimi Lezinska, John Gakuru, Richard Hargroves and Andrew Chan Sing, then Ian Burrell popped up when he was representing Wray & Nephew and Appleton rums. We paved the way for people of colour to enter the industry and be respected for what they brought to it.” While in the US it’s been fairly commonplace to see Black men and women behind the bar, it’s only recently becoming more of a thing in Europe. Which gives rise to my question: why are there not more people of colour behind the bar? Or in the wider drinks industry,