Vodka and gin producer D1 London Spirits has launched a bar ‘twinning’ concept across Europe and South East Asia. SB takes a look at the bars taking part plus their D1 signature serves.

The D1 Gin and D1 Potato Vodka maker has paired-up 18 bars as part of the inaugural International Cocktail Exchange. High-end hotel bars, clubs and restaurants, including Lanes of London, Manchester’s Rosso Restaurant & Bar, Hope & Sesame in Guangzhou, and The Artesian at The Langham in Hong Kong, have partnered for a three-month initiative that will see the venues share creativity and expertise.

Each bar will create a cocktail using either D1 Potato Vodka or D1 Gin as its base, in addition to local ingredients. That serve will then go on the menu in their paired partner bar for the duration of the exchange.

“It’s about the passion of sharing cocktails with very local flavours around the world,” said Dominic Limbrey, founder of D1 London Spirits. “We considered the idea of ‘twin towns’, and that’s how the International Cocktail Exchange was born. “We are facilitating an event where we partner up different venues with huge character and personalities, where guests get the opportunity to experience something international in a local context.

“To help make that happen, we’re creating cocktail cards featuring the cocktails in their original venue detailing the character of that bar, club or restaurant, and the cocktail recipe. So someone can know on the other side of the world that someone is drinking that same cocktail.”

Limbrey hopes to extend the International Cocktail Exchange concept geographically into more markets with D1 distribution. “We would love to include Australia, and see the regions in which we’re working expand.”

The International Cocktail Exchange will run from October to December 2016 in select venues across Asian cities Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Kowloon, and UK locations Birmingham, Manchester and London.

Click through to see the bars, clubs and restaurants taking part and their creative serves…

The Artesian – HK Spice

Ingredients:

45ml D1 London Gin

20ml Tio Pepe

30ml Dubonnet

5ml Domaine De Canton (ginger liqueur)

5ml Fernet Branca

2 drops grapefruit bitters

The Athenaeum – Savvy Londoner

Ingredients:

30ml D1 Potato Vodka

20ml Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur

20ml Goji Berry Liqueur

20ml Rinomato Aperitivo

45ml fresh grapefruit juice

 

Method:

Shake and strain into a double presidente glass, garnish with an edible flower

Miaoqian Bingshi – Bing Shi

Ingredients:

40ml D1 London Gin

40ml Japanese plum wine

30ml lime juice

30ml egg white (or 25ml of the brine of chickpeas)

3 shiso leaves

20ml jasmine syrup

10ml sugar syrup

Angostura Bitters

 

Method:

Muddle shiso into both syrups, add all the other ingredients and shake with lots of ice. Serve in a coupe glass and garnish with Angostura bitters drops and a shiso leaf.

Bibo – D1 & S

Ingredients:

45ml D1 Potato Vodka

30ml five citrus peel syrup

15ml citrus acid solution

90ml lemon verbena soda

3 drops Regan’s Orange Bitters

Blue – D1 Subi

Ingredients:

45ml D1 London Gin

22ml watermelon-infused Manchino Blanco

15ml dry Sherry

10ml clarified lemon juice

15ml nettle syrup

Spray lemon essence

 

Method:

Stir and serve in a coupette. Garnish with Wakamomo peach

Bourne & Co – Luck Be A Lady

Ingredients:

45ml D1 London Gin

22.5ml Yellow Chartreuse

22.5ml Cocchi Americano

1 small dash of orange bitters

1 small dash of Peychaud’s Bitters

Zest of a medium orange

 

Method:

Twist and add orange zest into mixing glass to disperse oil. Add all ingredients and ice. Stir until diluted and cold. Strain into a chilled/ frozen vintage coupette glass. Garnish with an edible flower

Butler – Metropolitan

Ingredients:

40ml D1 London Gin

20ml elderflower liqueur

40mml yuzu juice

10ml lime juice

Grapefruit peel to garnish

Ce La Vi – Elixir of Life

Ingredients:

50ml D1 London Gin

25ml beetroot juice

25ml honey syrup (1:1 ratio)

20ml kalamansi lime juice

1/2 teaspoon raw liquorice powder

 

Method:

Serve in a chilled collins glass and garnish with sliced caramelised beetroot, half a kalamansi lime and burnt cinnamon powder

Craft London – Cutty Sark

Ingredients:

25ml D1 London Dry Gin

25ml Cynar

10ml lemon juice

10ml H&H raspberry tea syrup

Grapefruit peel in shaker

 

Method:

Shake and strain; serve in a coupette

Hope & Sesame – Magnolia

Ingredients:

45ml D1 London Gin

10ml oak and cloves-infused red vermouth

15ml lime juice

3 bar spoons Osmanthus jam

20ml grapefruit juice

 

Method:

Shake and single strain to keep a bit of Osmanthus flower in it for extra flavour

Lanes of London, Marriot Park Lane – 1 Day In Hyde Park

Ingredients:

50ml D1 London Gin

15ml Mancino Vermouth Bianco

15ml Cynar

20ml pink grapefruit juice

25ml pineapple juice

10ml earl grey tea syrup (2:1)

Mezcal spray

 

Method:

Serve into a chilled vintage wine glass, garnish with a thinly cut dehydrated pineapple slice and a dusting of earl grey tea.

Maybe Frank – The Pink Donkey

Ingredients:

30ml D1 London Gin

10ml Campari

15ml Cocchi Rosa

10ml honey water

20ml lemon juice

Egg white

 

Method:

Dry shake, strain and top with ginger beer

Merchant House – Cane Field Cooler

Ingredients:

40ml D1 London Gin

1 dash walnut bitters

1 dash passionfruit bitters

2.5ml apricot liqueur

2.5ml honey gomme (1:1)

80ml Mao Feng cordial

Mint Leaf Lounge – Abbey Nectar

Ingredients:

35ml D1 Potato Vodka

10ml Frangelico

5ml Dom Benedectine

2 dash of Aztec Chocolate Bitters

 

Method:

Stir and strain, serve on ice. Garnish with a long orange peel, 3 hazelnuts and a slice of caramelised orange with chocolate on the side

On – Mancinez

Ingredients:

45ml D1 Potato Vodka

20ml Mancino Vermouth Chinato

15ml Luxardo Marashino Liqueur

2 dashes of grapefruit bitters

 

Method:

Pour the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice cubes and stir well. Strain into a chilled Italesse wormwood presidente glass. Garnish with a twist of grapefruit peel

Potato Head Hong Kong – Megah Mule

Ingredients:

40ml D1 London Gin

2 pieces vanilla poached nashi pear

5ml vanilla sugar syrup

10ml palm sugar

25ml lemon juice

10ml Myers Rym

Ginger beer top

Rosso – Mancunian Mandarin

Ingredients:

30ml D1 Potato Vodka

20ml Ancho Reyes

25ml mandarin juice

15ml lemon juice

10ml Szechuan pepper syrup

5 drops of Chartreuse Elixir Vegetal Liqueur

5 sage leaves

2 dashes of Aztec Chocolate Bitters

 

Method:

Shake and fine strain into a crystal flute

Samarkand – Akkum Desert

Ingredients:

40ml D1 Potato Vodka

15ml Cocchi Americano infused with Pu-her tea

5ml Campari

5ml Tuaca

Top with Prosecco (25ml) and add 2 drops of Boker’s Bitters to the “eyes” of the ice skull and garnish with long orange peel

Create a cold drop percolation of Aperol with desert sage, and use this to wash the mixing ice and a D1 ice skull’ discard the sage-Aperol

Shangri-La Hotel, Guangzhou – Canton Orchid

Ingredients:

40ml D1 London Gin

40ml lychee juice

25ml vermouth rosso

20ml DeKuyper Lapsang Souchong tea liqueur

15ml lime juice

2 drops of golden salt

Tape London – Don’t Step On The Lemongrass

Ingredients:
45ml D1 Potato Vodka

25ml duck egg white

20ml yuzu juice

1 dash of rhubarb bitteres

20ml smoked lemongrass syrup

Garnish with a sprig of toasted lemongrass and bitters