The week in pictures
To celebrate the start of grouse season on 12 August, Scottish restaurant Mac & Wild and Richmond’s Bingham hotel will be creating special game-filled menus featuring dishes including roast grouse, wild boar and grouse terrine and grouse croquettes, all paired with Scotch whisky to create the perfect combination.
Parliamentarians visited Penderyn Distillery, maker of Penderyn Whisky and Brecon Gin, to learn more about Wales’ booming whisky industry and its role in bringing growth and tourism to the area. Nick Smith MP, Vikki Howells AM and Wayne David MP visited the distillery last Friday to hear from Penderyn’s director of operations Neil Quigley and financial director Huw Thomas to learn more about the great revival in Welsh distilling,
London-based M Victoria Street has revealed images of the cocktails it will be giving away for free to Pokémon Go players during August. Inspired by the latest Pokémon craze, bartenders have created four cocktails colour-matched to one of the four starter Pokémon – either Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur or Pikachu.
Sussex barman Dave White beat more than 120 contestants at the final of Monkey Shoulder’s Ultimate Bartender Championship in New Orleans and was awarded the coveted title for the second year running. White and the other finalists were flown on all-expenses paid trip to New Orleans to battle it out in the final rounds at the iconic Tales of the Cocktail event in New Orleans.
Glenfiddich’s first global competition to find the world’s most experimental bartender kicked off with the UK being the first country to crown a winner – Shea Campbell from Orchid, Aberdeen. Finalists will go on to take part in the Glenfiddich Experimental Bartender Academy in November at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland. The winning collaboration will see their idea become reality, supported by Glenfiddich.
A panel of leading voices in the vodka category came together for the ‘Vodka is Dead. Long Live Vodka!’ discussion at Tales of the Cocktail last Thursday. The panel included Audrey Saunders of Pegu Club, Paul Archand, co-founder of Black Cow Vodka, Claire Warner of Belvedere, Joe McCanta of Grey Goose and Jared Brown of Sipsmith. The discussion explored iconic cocktails, production techniques and tastings.
For the first and only time, an extremely rare rose essence was served as part of a whisky cocktail at this year’s Royal Salute Coronation Cup, which took place last Saturday at Guards Polo in Windsor. Actress Naomie Harris was pictured at the event enjoying the regal serve. The Royal Rose was created by Royal Salute Creative Advisor, Barnabé Fillion and avant garde bartender Rob McHardy. It contains Royal Salute 21 Year Old Whisky, centifolia rose essence, barley water, Indian teas and lemon oil.
For the rest of July and August, Don Papa Rum, the premium small batch rum from the Philippines, is hosting a series of consumer summer #itsaDONdeal masterclasses and pop-up Rum Shacks, in association with Young’s Pubs. Don Papa global ambassador Matthias Cadeac d’Arbaud will educated guests on Filipino rum and teach them how to make the Don Fashioned and other cocktails, before taking home a miniature bottle of Don Papa. The brand will also be taking its Rum Shack to pub gardens this summer including The Castle in Tooting and The Marlborough in Richmond Hill.
Team SB visited Mash PR’s Christmas in July event on Wednesday at Grace Bar in Piccadilly to have a taste of some new spirits including Tomahawk Maple Whisky and the Ron Cubay rum range.
To celebrate National Scotch Day last Wednesday, Laphroaig Single Malt Whisky teamed up with mixologist Jordan Felix to create a refreshing cocktail for the occasion that highlights Laphroaig’s distinct Islay smoke: the Tartan Collins. The smoky and sweet libation is made up of Laphroaig Select Scotch Whisky, specially-made five-spice syrup, orange bitters and topped with ginger beer.
