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The week in pictures

Belvedere Vodka has launched Grain to Glass, a cocktail and design competition that challenges bartenders to create a cocktail and “stylish cocktail vessel”.

The competition pays homage to Belvedere’s Polish heritage and has invited nine bartenders from venues across London to compete in the competition.

The nine contenders must create a cocktail glass or cup from scratch with a unique Belvedere cocktail inside.

Liz Stewart, Scotland’s first female operator in malt distilling celebrated her retirement this week.

Stewart has worked at Scotch whisky producer the Dalwhinnie Distillery for 31 years, spending time in both the mash house and still house.

To mark her retirement, the distillery’s owner, Diageo, has unveiled a limited-edition bottling in Stewarts honour, called Lizzie’s Dram.

Stewart said: “I have loved every moment of my time working in the Scotch whisky industry, and can’t quite believe that it’s coming to an end.”

UK-based distillery Silent Pool served up cocktails inspired by Winston Churchill at this year’s Academy Awards.

The drinks were created by Silent Pool head of innovation, Stu Bale, to honour actor Gary Oldman’s award-winning performance as Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour.

The Churchill is a twist on the classic Champagne Cocktail and combines Champagne with Silent Pool gin and a sugar cube infused with essences and flavours to “maintain the warmth and richness” of Cognac.

After joining the brand as head distiller in 2012, Maggie Campbell has been named the new president of Privateer Rum.

Campbell joined the brand as head distiller and was promoted to vice president in 2015, after winning numerous awards – including The Chairman’s Trophy from Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

She began her career in the drinks business at the age of 23 and previously worked as a wine buyer for a number of companies and as a distiller at Germain-Robin.

To celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, London’s Threadneedle Bar has dedicated five of its cocktails to famous female figures.

Drinks including the Coco Rouge, made with Tanqueray gin, Martini Rosso, Hennessey Cognac and Champagne; Times Up, which mixes Silent Pool gin with grapefruit, lychee, lemon, lavender and violet; and Let Them Eat Cake, made from Ketel One vodka, Mozart dark chocolate liqueur and a Baileys foam. 

The cocktails, available to women who visit the bar for just £6, have been dedicated to inspirational women – including fashion designer Coco Chanel, legendary suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst and the last queen of France, Marie Antoinette.

After his recognition in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List, Beefeater master distiller Desmond Payne visited the palace this week to receive his MBE.

While celebrating his 50th year in the gin industry, Payne visited the palace and was awarded his MBE by HRH the Duke of Cambridge.

“I am truly honoured to receive this award,” Payne said when he was first nominated for the recognition. “It’s a real privilege working at Beefeater and in this industry, and to be recognised in this manner is very humbling.”

London cocktail bar Artesian celebrated International Women’s Day by recognising the equality in its bar, with 54% of their workforce being women.

With 12 female members of staff within its team of 22 including bar manager Anna Sebastian (pictured centre), Artesian’s female members make up a large proportion of the team from bartenders and floor staff to hosts and bar backs.

The Mandrake Hotel’s Waeska Bar hosted an evening to celebrate the botanicals and ingredients of Tuscany this week.

Featuring VKA Organic Vodka, the first organic Tuscan vodka; and Peter in Florence, the first gin distilled with Tuscan botanicals, the event invited Londoners to taste and toast to Tuscany.

Bartenders Edoardo Sandri and Robert Pavel showcased a bespoke collection of cocktails made with ingredients from the region, including the Espresso Toscano and Tuscan Martinez, takes on the Espresso Martini and Martinez respectively.

The Bacardi-owned Havana Club rum brand premiered its Amparo play at the Ball & Chain in Miami this week. 

The immersive performance was packed with the brand’s history, drama, live music, dancing and bespoke cocktails as guests discovered the story of its founders – the Arechabala family. 

Guests were treated to signature Havana Club cocktails and live entertainment from Cuban musicians, Michelle Fragoso & Band.

SB’s editor Amy Hopkins headed to Mayfair to sample the new cocktails created by the talented team at Sexy Fish.

The new menu launched in three cocktail capitals – London, Singapore and New York – over the course of one day.

The launch marks a new era for the bar at Sexy Fish, shifting into a zero waste movement and with a renewed focus on sustainability.

Over 10 months, the Sexy Fish bar team has created a menu of 21 cocktails that use no perishables, with citrus, herbs and garnishes replaced with a homemade range of tinctures, distillates, cordials, syrups and shrubs.

Patrón Tequila helped celebrate the work of some of the world’s most outstanding athletes at this year’s Laureus World Sports Awards.

The luxury Tequila brand was the exclusive spirits sponsor of the awards afterparty, which was hosted at the Jimmyz Nightclub in Monaco and was attended by Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Roger Federer and the awards host, actor Benedict Cumberbatch.

The awards saw Serena Williams named Sportswoman of the Year, Merceded-AMG Petronas F1 Team were named Team of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement award was given to American track and field star Edwin Moses.

SB hosted the latest round of the Global Spirits Masters competition this week, the Asian Spirits Masters.

Hosted at Thai Square in Islington, the competition saw our panel of judges taste their way through a variety of different vodka, gin, rum, Tequila and whisky brands that are currently on sale in the Asian market.

Spirits were awarded Silver and Gold medals, as well as coveted Master titles.

SB’s deputy editor Melita Kiely headed to East London’s Sager & Wilde on Thursday for the second quarterly Whisky Informal (WI) lunch. This edition was hosted by the brilliant team from Bacardi, including global malts ambassador Georgie Bell and John Dewar & Sons whisky ambassador Andrea Montague, who gathered the good and great women of the whisky world for an indulgent dining experience – aptly held on this year’s International Women’s Day.

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