The week in pictures
Four Roses master distiller Jim Rutledge was in London this week to make our morning a little bit brighter, combining bacon and Bourbon for breakfast.
There was a huge turnout for the Diageo World Class cocktail competition that took place at the St. Regis in Bangkok this week.
The Spirits Business celebrated St. Patrick’s Day on Monday with Belfast Distilling Company’s range of Irish whiskeys (and a glass of Guinness thrown in for good measure).
SB’s Melita Kiely travelled to Dublin last weekend to celebrate the biggest holiday in the Irish calendar, St Patrick’s Day, with Jameson Irish whiskey. Fifth generation Jameson couper Ger Buckley was in the city to explain the craftsmanship and history behind Jameson’s barrels.
Saturday night saw the first of two live music events hosted by Jameson at the Old Jameson Distillery with an intimate gig featuring the band White Lies.
Bartender Oisin Davis gave a larger than life cocktail master class at Dublin’s Damson Diner. All mixed with Jameson Irish whiskey, of course.
Texan distillery Balcones was in London to host an indulgent whiskey and cheese pairing with Boisdale. Verdict: Cheese and whiskey are made for each other.
It was an intense day as 11 of the UK’s top bartenders battled it out at the second Snow Queen Martini Masters competition at The Club at The Ivy on Tuesday. King of the competition was Meat Liquor’s Robb Collins who walked away with the £2,000 prize.
A rainbow selection of cocktails, mixed by bartender Erik Giarratana, were presented at the simplistic vodka round of The Wenneker Swizzle Masters 2014, which took place at the stylish Mews of Mayfair.
Albion Racing Club – a British spiced malt – marked its recent launch by embarking on a race from London to Meribel on Friday 21 March. Dozens of teams departed London at dawn in a variety of vehicles including 35-year-old vintage Land Rovers and a fully Albion branded original 1930’s Tiger Moth biplane. Pictured is team leader is Nick Pye (centre), one of the Founders of Albion Racing Club, along with a crew from the Little Mountain Film Company who are recording the race.
SB‘s Amy Hopkins attended an insightful presentation and tasting by Japanese whisky company Nikka. Chief blender Tadashi Sakuma guided guests through the fascinating history of the group, including the vital role of the “founders” of Japanese whisky Masataka Taketsuru and his Scottish wife Rita Cowan. Sakuma then led a tasting, demonstrating the key “pillars” of Nikka whisky and unveiling an exciting new launch.
Hosted at London’s the Red Bar, in Asian restaurant Bam-Bou, the tasting culminated in a fantastic cocktail masterclass led by the venue’s knowledgable bar manager Ladislav Piljar, who demonstrated ways in which Nikka could be used in a variety of delicious mixes.
Pernod Ricard’s UK team hosted an event for its Malibu coconut rum brand on Tuesday, where an exciting limited edition bottle design was unveiled and a new partnership with pre-mix cocktail brand Funkin Innovation was announced. Held at trendy London hub DISCO, guests were shown how a delightful Pina Colada can be created using Malibu and Funkin pre-mix.
Excited members of team SB and db hopped over East London to sample savoury cocktails at the elusive “bar with no name”, 69 Colebrooke Row. The bar’s Prairie Oyster was a firm favourite of the evening – presented in beautiful ceramic oyster shells, the cocktail is a mouth-watering mix of delicate tomato yolk, horseradish vodka, Oloroso sherry, shallots, pepper sauce, celery salt and micro herbs.
The ever-attentive and imaginative bartenders also treated us to a taste of the wine-inspired Terroir cocktail – a mix of distilled clay, flint and lichen served straight from the bottle – which recently featured in our top 10 strangest cocktail ingredients.
Balcones master distiller Chip Tate shares a sacred drop of Texan single malt matured in French oak with SB editor Becky Paskin.
