The week in pictures
SB’s editor Kristiane Sherry travelled to Trinidad this week for the eighth Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge – and what a trip it was! Trinidadian bartender Neal Ramdhan scooped the top prize of US$10,000 and a two-year brand ambassador role with his two cocktails, Bitter Mayan and Resurgence. He said he plans to spread the word about Trinidad’s culture and Angostura’s rums and bitters products during his time in the Angostura hot seat.
A visit to the House of Angostura wouldn’t be complete without a nose around the secrecy-shrouded Bitters Room. From the huge vats painted in the style of the signature Angostura label, to the aroma of the hush-hush botanicals, and even a mysterious store room, the tour did not disappoint.
After the excitement of #AngoGCC, the distillery tour and J’Ouvert (Google it!), a relaxing day spent “down de islands” was more than welcome. Accessible only by boat, the beautiful oceanfront house was the perfect hideaway for the competing bartenders, distributors and guests alike.
The party vibe reached heady heights on Tuesday as Port of Spain’s annual Carnival reached its climax. Thousands of revellers played Mas clad in vibrant costume, while the soca music made sure the whole city was in ‘wining’ mood. A huge thank you to Angostura for hosting the trip!
On Wednesday SB was invited to a very special dinner at Hixter Bankside with Lagavulin, as the Scotch whisky brand readies to celebrate its 200th anniversary this year. While details revealed at the dinner are being closely guarded, we recommend you keep your eyes peeled on thespiritsbusiness.com in the next couple of weeks for further news updates.
Callooh Callay hosted a series of pop-up events this week to give guests a taste of its new sister site – Little Bat – which is due to officially open its doors later this month. SB headed down to sample a selection of drinks that feature on the new menu, which includes delectable delights such as the Steve McQueen, made using Bulleit Rye, Luxardo Sangue Morlacco, Martini Rosso, Bathtub Cherry Brandy and Peychauds Bitters.
To celebrate the launch of Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve Edition 2 last week, the brand collaborated with rock star and award-winning cheese producer Alex James, famed not only for being the bassist in Blur but for his support of British produce and cheese range over the past few years. James was joined by master distiller Desmond Payne to launch the new variant at members’ club Club del Matador in Madrid, with a formal dinner that paired the gin with James’ traditional cheeses.
Popstar Justin Timberlake, founder of Sauza 901 Tequila, got involved with the Sauza 901 Tequila Bar the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this week with mixologist Eddy Buckingham, crafting an arrange of cocktails that were served throughout the golfing tournament.
SB’s Annie Hayes headed to Dublin this week with the Teeling Whiskey Company, which officially opened the doors of its new €10 million distillery last year – the first to be built in Dublin in more than 125 years.
Cocktails in the City celebrated its 2016 London launch at The Hoxton this week, with an array of cocktails on offer including this mega-Punch bowl.
SB‘s news and web editor Amy Hopkins headed to William Grant & Sons’ Girvan complex to witness the exciting product launch of Ailsa Bay. Contained within the grounds of Girvan, malt distillery Ailsa Bay was created under the vision of Peter Gordon and aims to allow master blender Brian Kinsman to “isolate and control more elements from the distillation, to maturation, to filtration process”. The distillery’s inaugural single malt has been created during a peated run distillation, which takes place for just two weeks of the year.
Under surprisingly sunny skies, UK press were taken on a tour of Ailsa Bay, with sneak peaks of the mammoth Girvan Distillery and quaint Hendrick’s Distillery, as well as one of the 53 warehouses on the estate.
