The week in pictures
Guests flocked to The Studio in Café Royal, Mayfair, and Oriole, Shoreditch, to take part in a series of masterclasses hosted by Courvoisier Cognac’s global brand ambassador Rebecca Asseline.
Last year, Copenhagen’s Michelin star restaurant Noma revealed plans to launch a pop-up in Sydney. This week, as the nation celebrated Australia Day, nine Australian craft distillers had an extra reason to be joyful having secured product listings with the revered restaurant. Those distilleries now represented in Noma Australia include Belgrove Distillery, Kempton TAS; McHenry Distillery, Port Arthur TAS; Overeem Distillery, Hobart TAS; Castagna, Beechworth VIC; Loch Distillery, Loch VIC; Black Gate Distillery, Mendooran, NSW; Stone Pine Distillery, Bathurst NSW; Young Henrys, Newtown NSW; and Hoochery Distillery, Kununurra WA.
Now in its sixth year, Pernod Ricard once again partnered with Erasmus Student Network (ESN) for the European programme Responsible Party held on 26 January in Brussels. The parties are used as a platform for ‘ambassador’ students to explain to their peers why responsible drinking is important.
London hotel Café Royal unveiled a new bar concept this week dedicated to botanicals used in gin distillation and different tonics, all inspired by the 1937 book, the Café Royal Cocktail Book.
Renowned bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana sifted through Lagavulin’s archives to create a cocktail in celebration of Scotch whisky and poet Robert Burns, as Scotland celebrated Burns Night this week.
In other Burns Night celebratory news, Hendrick’s Gin also paid tribute to poet Robert Burns with a ceremonious supper, including an ‘address to the haggis’, bagpipes entertainment and of course Hendrick’s Gin tipples.
In a surprising turn of events, news broke today that drinks giant Pernod Ricard has acquired a “majority share” in dry gin brand Monkey 47. Details of the sale were not disclosed, but the two firms signed the agreement on Thursday evening in Berlin.
East London Liquor Company celebrated the launch of its experimental barrel-aged gin this week with a tasting of the new expression at the independent London distillery, located in Bow Wharf.
Duke Kentucky Straight Bourbon hosted its very first ‘Meeting of the Masters’ event in Las Vegas this week, combining the worlds of spirits, wine and food. The event was held over the course of two days and involved a ‘master’ from each industry, including bartender Francesco Lafranconi, sommelier Fred Dame and chef Rick Moonen.
Hard Rock Cafe Lima’s Angelo Delgado was crowned winner of the global BARocker Competition. Delgado impressed judges at Hard Rock’s Global Conference in Orlando, Florida, and was awarded an all-expenses paid trip for two to one of Hard Rock’s luxury resorts. As 2016 BARocker champion, Delgado’s winning cocktail will also be featured on the company’s cocktail menu for a limited time.
Canadian bartender Evelyn Chick, of Harbord Room in Toronto, was crowned champion of the 2015 Beefeater MIXLDN Cocktail Competition following a close final in London this week. Chick showcased her winning skill against 31 other finalists, stealing the show with her winning concoction English Summers, inspired by the “moment of peace and tranquillity that comes from stepping out of rush hour in the tube into a beautiful royal park after a fresh English rainfall”.
