The week in pictures
On Monday, legendary pitcher Bert Blyleven joined 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey to face a Wiffle ball battle leading into the 2014 MLB All-Star Game.
Blyleven pitched his iconic curveballs, and every batter who struck out took a pie in the face – an age-old baseball prank. For every pie thrown, 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey donated to the Wounded Warrior Project and the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, raising an impressive combined total of US$10,000.
This week SB headed to Home House London with its futuristic bar and grandeur feel, to judge the latest Wenneker Swizzle Masters round – Irish Whiskey Americana, featuring Jameson Irish whiskey.
Ballantine’s and Boiler Room released the second instalment of their on-going Stay True Journeys series called, Stay True Chile. Depicting the stories behind the Chilean music scene and the artists who define it, the documentary features interview with DJs Francesca Lombardo, Dandy jack and Sanfuentes and Uwe Schmidt (Señor Coconut).
Following the success of the inaugural Plymouth gin activation at London Heathrow Terminal 5 – which according to statistics from the IWSR exceeded the brand’s initial forecasts by a staggering 300% – two further activations are being launched in London Gatwick South And Heathrow Terminal 3 this summer.
Bombay Sapphire created a hidden inner city botanical oasis at Corney & Barrow Bars Fleet Place bar behind the Old Bailey. Corney & Barrow general manager Irene Padulles Mestres was on hand applying the finishing touches to Bombay Sapphire’s Ultimate Gin & Tonic twist, made with Fever-Tree Tonic, fresh parsley, grapefruit and cardamom pods.
To celebrate being the Spirit of the Open, all week Single malt whisky brand Glenmorangie has been travellers through Manchester Airport the chance to try their hand at playing this year’s Open golf course at Royal Liverpool through a state-of-the-art golf simulator. Those who managed to land their ball within 10ft of the hole were gifted with a limited edition set of Titleist Glenmorangie golf balls, while those with a nack for the sport who achieved a hole-in-one, were presented with a bottle of Glenmorangie Signet.
As part of its new global foraging initiative, Scottish brand Caorunn gin held a foraging masterclass for bartenders in Manchester, in the run up to later events set to be held in London and Edinburgh. The new Caorunn Gin brand ambassador for Manchester and a foraging expert took some of Manchester’s top bartenders out into the countryside to physically forage botanicals before heading back to create bespoke cocktails with their wild foraged botanicals.
SB visited Tuthilltown Distillery, home of Hudson Whiskey, in New York on Monday, where the site’s team were hard at work developing new experimental products, picking out a couple of unique, interesting samples for the visitors at Tales of the Cocktail, and showing a bus load of visitors around. The distillery recently unveiled its new visitors’ centre and tasting room, where guests can sample the whole range of whiskey, vodka and gin.
Gabe Erenzo son of distillery founder Ralph Erenzo and Tuthilltown ambassador, picks out an extra special whiskey to share with friends at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. This sample was an especially complex single malt, one of the first to be distilled at the site in 2007.
SB also stopped by the New York Distilling Co. in Brooklyn for a snoop around the whiskey, gin and vodka distillery Co-founder Bill Potter discussed the group’s plans to release a rye whiskey in the not-to-distant future.
Yep, that’s a llama. Just another day at Tales of the Cocktail this week. If there’s one thing you can rely on at the event in New Orleans, is that every day will be a surprise. Apparently Solbeso, the cacao spirit brand that organised the fluffy visit, had trouble sourcing the beast – which normally frequents cool, mountain climates – in stifling hot Louisiana. We’ll bring you more pictures from the event next week.
