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Top 10
The week in pictures
Grey Goose partnered with Jean Bernard Fernandez-Versini to create the exclusive pop-up restaurant, Versini, on the roof of the five-star Five Seas Hotel in Cannes, offering panoramic views of the Palais de Festival as well as a specially curated exclusive menu of cocktails, including the Le Grand Fizz – and the specially created Versini Martini.
Versini served as the Grey Goose hub for the entire duration of the festival, with many film junkets hosted at the venue, including The Wind River pre-screening party with The Weinstein Company with Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen and The Square after-party with Dominic West (pictured left with Fernandez-Versini) and Elisabeth Moss.
Last Friday SB headed down to Dalston-based subterranean cocktail hangout Ray’s Bar to sample the venue’s thoughtfully-curated summer menu. The cocktails have been categorised into subsections to guide drinkers through the evening – starting with Aperitifs, followed by Mains, To Finish, and finishing with The After Party. Created by head bartender Dave Miller – formerly of Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen and 214 Bermondsey – the list is brimming with pop culture references, and cleverly redefines modern classics using old-school techniques. One of our favourites is Shady Pines, pictured, containing gin, Strega herb liqueur, egg white and rosemary. We rounded off the evening upstairs at sister venue Voodoo Rays, devouring a slice or two of what is arguably East London’s best pizza.
On Thursday Steve Schneider of New York’s Employees Only kicked off the first event in a three-night takeover at GŎNG Bar in The Shard, London. Schneider served up a selection of delicious signature cocktails as part of the bar’s regular Star Bartender fixture alongside head bartender Christian Maspes and his team. Top picks include Common Sense, containing blended malt whisky, Martini Bianco, Averna Amaro, and Bitter Truth Chocolate Bitters; and the Employees Only EO Gimlet, combining Plymouth Navy Strength gin and Employees Only house-made lime cordial.
On Thursday, SB were whisked down the Thames on a cruise with Hudson Whiskey for the celebration of the brand’s new 70cl bottle. Joined by Ralph Erenzo Hudson distiller and co-founder, and global ambassador Tony Vanaria, guests enjoyed Hudson Old Fashioneds, Manhattans and Whiskey Sours all night long.
Local community efforts to tackle alcohol-related harm in Scotland were recognised at an event held on Wednesday hosted by Kezia Dugdale MSP (pictured centre). The gathering in Edinburgh highlighted the wide range of projects supported by the Scotch Whisky Action Fund, which was set up by The Scotch Whisky Association in December 2013.
On Wednesday, SB headed down to Punch Room at the London Edition to sample new cocktail menu, The Five, with Purple PR’s Amelia Jefferies. Created by bar manager Davide Segat, formerly of The Connaught, the menu individually celebrates the five key ingredients in Punch: Spirit, Water and Tea, Citrus, Sugar, and Spice. Picture is Edition Punch, containing silver tip jasmine tea, Portobello Road gin, Benedictine, oak-moss syrup, lemon juice, and orange flower water.
Irish whiskey distilleries in Northern Ireland are part of a new strategy to grow exports and boost tourism. The strategy, developed by the Irish Whiskey Association, has just been launched at the Old Bushmills Distillery in County Antrim. The Irish Whiskey Tourism Strategy aims to work with distilleries around the island to treble the number of visitors to 1.9 million by 2025.
The Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l’Armagnac (BNIA) held two of its Armagnac Academies programmes in the US this week. The first Armagnac Academy was held in San Francisco by Amanda Garnham, BNIA’s educator and press attaché from France, amd expertly aided by H. Joseph Ehrmann, spirits educator and owner of Elixir, Elixir to Go and cocktail ambassadors based in San Francisco.
Wilderness Trail Distillery has teamed up with Caverndale Farms to commemorate the 225th anniversary of Kentucky’s statehood with a special production of Bourbon. Caverndale Farms, the Danville farm has sourced an original corn strain similar to what would have been planted when Kentucky became a state in 1792. In 2018, a few acres of the heirloom variety of this corn will be planted at the distillery.
The week got under way with The Gin Masters, hosted at London’s The Holy Birds restaurant, where judges were put through their paces with 160+ gins to taste, ranging from London Dry to Super Premium, and Flavoured to Sloe gin. Keep your eyes peeled for the results in the July issue of The Spirits Business and online.
Pernod Ricard held its 7th consecutive edition of its Responsib’All Day with its 18,500 employees spending a day away from their daily tasks to support their local communities. Pernod Ricard USA teamed up with the national environmental nonprofit EarthShare and their member group, New York Restoration Project (NYRP). Hundreds of employees from the company’s Manhattan and Westchester offices participated in a variety of community improvement projects aimed at restoring five acres of high quality green open space for the roughly 7,000 local residents who live in nearby public housing projects.
Northern Ireland-based Shortcross Gin has unveiled a new cocktail competition, called Shortcross Signature Serve. Bartenders are tasked with making “stunning serves”, which can vary from a G&T to contemporary and classic cocktails. To enter the competition, email nicola@shortcrossgin.com by 4pm on 7 June. The winner will receive the opportunity to craft and distill their own exclusive, limited edition gin with the master distiller.