The year’s 10 best new bar products

Even the most skilled bartender requires assistance from a handy gadget or flavoursome liqueur every now and then. Take a look at these top 10 best new products nominated by the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.

From a resurrected Victorian cocktail shaking machine to a ham-infused mezcal, these are the year’s 10 best new products

From a resurrected Victorian cocktail shaker to a ham-infused mezcal, a array of products have been released in the on-trade over the past 12 months, exciting bartenders from across the globe.

As the cocktail boom continues to echo and standards in bartending continue to rise, companies are keen to provide a wealth of high quality and innovative products to the on-trade.

Recently, the world’s foremost cocktail and spirits trade show, Tales of the Cocktail, announced its top 10 Spirited Awards finalists, including those in the Best New Product category.

Click through the following pages to see the 10 best new bar products to launch in the past year, as selected by the esteemed awards panel.

Is there’s a missed product which you think deserves a spot on this countdown? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Ancho Reyes

Founded only this year, Ancho Reyes describes itself as the “original chilli liqueur”.

An ideal ingredient in Margarita, Daiquiri or Paloma, Ancho Reyes is based on a 1927 recipe from Puebla, a town in Mexico known for its ancho chillis.

The company describes the flavours of the liqueur as: “Pleasantly sweet, followed by chilli with moderate heat and slight acidity. Hints of spices, tamarind, plum, cacao, apple and almonds then subtle notes of fine herbs. A pleasantly lingering pungent taste on the finish.”

For more information, click here.

Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve gin

Chivas Brothers released its aged “sipping gin” Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve in the US market late last year, following an initial launch in the UK and Spain earlier in the year.

Produced in small batches at the Kennington, London distillery’s Still Number 12, Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve undergoes a rare oak finishing process in Jean de Lillet barrels that imparts subtle wood characteristics to the gin.

Described as complex with a long finish, the 43% abv gin carries notes of citrus and juniper – signature flavours of Beefeater – before finishing with a gentle spice.

For more information, click here.

Crawley’s Imperial Shaker Machine

Five years ago all that remained of the world’s rarest cocktail shaking machine was a 200-year-old drawing found in an ancient duplicated document in London.

That was until entrepreneur Jason Crawley, general manager at the Drinks Cabinet, embarked on a project to bring what was once known as the Imperial Shaker Machine back to life.

Victorian antiquity and craftsmanship coupled with 21st Century manufacturing have resulted in what Crawley describes as a “high-end luxury item” for people who “like to drink in the fanciest way possible”.

For more information, click here.

Del Maguey Ibérico mezcal

Mezcal is truly taking off in the on-trade, and Del Maguey Ibérico mezcal represents the extent of emerging innovation in the category.

Made with Ibérico de Bellota ham, Del Maguey’s Ibérico mezcal takes savoury, gastronomic spirits to the next level.

The mezcal is created through a collaboration between Ron Cooper, Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal’s founder, and Chef José Andrés, and his team at ThinkFoodGroup.

For more information, click here.

iSpoon by Monkey Shoulder

William Grant & Sons’ Monkey Shoulder blended Scotch whisky brand launched an extendable barspoon last year, and supported the launch with a hilarious tongue-in-cheek advertisement.

A line-up of notable bartenders starred in the three-minute video, called iSpoon, including Beefeater 24 winner Jason Williams, Alastair Burgess and Luca Missaglia.

All give their perspectives on how to perfect the “spooning” technique, appealing to non-stop innuendoes as they do so.

To see the hilarious iSpoon video, click on the link above.

Martini Gran Lusso Vermouth

In July last year, Martini released its special edition Martini Gran Lusso Vermouth to celebrate its 150th anniversary.

Limited to just 150,000 bottles globally, the bottling is a single batch vermouth using Barbera red wine from the Piedmont region of Northern Italy and Trebbiano white wine from Emilia-Romagna.

The product was created with the on-trade in mind – and was specifically created to allow bartenders to “breathe new life” into vintage cocktails.

For more information, click here.

Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky

Experimental whisky-loving bartenders rejoiced when Japanese whisky producer Nikka revealed is was to release a coffey grain whisky as part of its permanent range, having previously launched only as a limited edition.

The bottling has been made by distilling malted barley in a coffey still, which is usually only used for grain whisky distillation.

The distillation process in column stills is unique as it takes place continuously without requiring two separate distillations, as with the pot stills used for single malts.

For more information, click here.

Plantation Original Dark Rum

Launched by French brand owner Maison Ferrand at the end of last year, Plantation Original Dark is a double-aged blend of Trinidad brown rums matured first in young Bourbon casks and then Cognac casks.

The release marks a move towards high end rums in the on-trade which have been designed for sipping neat, or mixing with classic cocktails.

With a 73% abv overproof expression available, the brand demonstrates further innovation in the sector.

For more information, click here.

Sipsmith VJOP Gin

Bartenders have long been championing craft gin and over proof spirits, and when one UK distiller released a product that combined the two trends, the on-trade was predictably enthused.

Sipsmith VJOP (Very Junipery Over Proof), described by the brand as the “ultimate celebration of juniper”, was released in November last year.

The original recipe has been altered by master distiller Jared Brown, who developed a ‘triple juniper’ technique for V.J.O.P, which involves adding the ingredient to distillate at three different stages. It is bottled at 57.7%.

For more information, click here.

Small Hand Foods Tonic Syrup

Bartenders have been singing the praises of San Francisco-based Small Hand Foods Tonic Syrup since its launch in 2013.

The company, founded by award-winning bartender Jennifer Colliau claims to “help provide local bartenders with the best possible ingredients for making delicious cocktails”.

For more information, click here.