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The week in pictures

London’s Blade Hairclub unveiled its summer cocktail menu this week.

The Soho-based bar and hair concept has worked with “mixology wizard” Stroo on the new menu, which will be served to guest while they receive hair treatments.

Cocktails on the bar’s latest menu include the Cold-Brew Negroni, made with cold-brew coffee, Campari, Byrrh Grand Quinquina and Nikka Coffey Gin; and the Blondeshell, which combines oat milk, Rittenhouse 100 Proof Rye, amaretto, maple syrup, Himalayan pink salt, vanilla and black walnut bitters.

Manchester-based Didsbury Gin this week announced that it has partnered with bar operator The New World Trading Co to launch its expression in The Botanist bars across the UK.

Didsbury Gin Original will be served at 15 Botanist bars around the country, including in Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle and Sheffield.

The gin will be used in a range of cocktails at the bar chain and will be served with tonic, garnished with lemon thyme and grapefruit zest.

London-based gin brand Hayman’s named Jordan Sweeney, of London’s The Langham Hotel, as the winner of its inaugural True Taste Competition.

The final, held at the brand’s South London distillery, saw Sweeney impress the judging panel with his signature serve Please Keep off the Grass. His creation was commended for its combination of “dedicated research, technical skill, balanced flavours and unique presentation”.

Sweeney’s prize is a five-day distilling apprenticeship under the tutelage of fourth-generation master distiller Christopher Hayman. He will also work alongside the Hayman’s of London team to develop his own limited edition Hayman’s Gin expression.

This week, Edrington-owned Scotch whisky brand The Macallan unveiled its virtual reality (VR) visitor experience in New York’s Grand Central Station.

The Macallan Distillery Experience is designed to celebrate the Speyside whisky brand’s new distillery, which opened its doors in June.

The four-dimensional VR experience offers guests an inside look at the multi-million-pound new distillery, as they explore the site’s architecture, collectable expressions and untold stories.

On WednesdaySB’s Melita Kiely headed to Mr Fogg’s Gin Parlour in Covent Garden to sample its travel-inspired new menu.

Guests donned their finest hats (and bonnets) and sipped their way through the nine new cocktails, including the Kabuki Cuppa, made with Roku gin, peppermint-infused sake, lapsang souchong tea syrup and fresh lemon juice.

Other libations that proved particularly delectable were The Rosey Rooster, made with Dictador Colombian Treasure Aged Gin, Roots Tentura liqueur, Aspall Draft Cider, guava jam, peanut butter, pink grapefruit juice and fresh lemon juice; and the Mississippi Mint Mash, made with VII Hills Italian Dry gin, Rinomato apéritif, Lucano Classico amaro, coffee stout syrup and fresh mint.

Roust-owned vodka brand Russian Standard is continuing its Raise Your Standards campaign this summer, travelling to a number of UK festivals to host bars and activations.

The summer-long campaign kicked off at the Foodies Festival earlier this year, and has also seen the vodka brand travel to Latitude festival in Suffolk, which was headlined by The Killers and featured performances from Wolf Alice and Jon Hopkins.

This weekend, the vodka brand will travel to Kendal Calling in Cumbria, where its pop-up bar will be serving Watermelon Cooler and Espresso Martini cocktails as acts including The Libertines, White Lies and Super Hans take to the stage.

On Tuesday, SB headed to Dandelyan in London for the inaugural Nolo pop-up bar, hosted by alcohol-free ‘spirit’ Seedlip.

The Nolo bar took over 16 bars around the world, including The Clumsies in Athens and Walker Inn in Los Angeles, and guests were treated to a host of no- and low-alcohol cocktails created with Seedlip.

At Dandelyan, drinks on the menu included the Holistic Painkiller, which was made with Seedlip Grove 42, orange zest and honeymilk; and the Pa No Ma, which combined Seedlip Garden 108 with boiled beer, raspberries, fennel and grapefruit.

The Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) has named 11 new Cognac educators, who will share their knowledge and educate drinkers in their home markets.

The 11 spirits experts from around the world includes Joe Hall, general manager at London bar Satan’s Whiskers; Ekaterina Azizova brand manager for Ladoga Group; and journalist Alexandre Ma.

The newly qualified Cognac educators will join a global network of educators across 20 countries, hosting educational sessions and sharing their passion for the eau-de-vie.

The Spirits Business travelled to London skyscraper the ‘Walkie-Talkie’ to visit the Italicus pop-up bar the the Fenchurch Terrace on the building’s 37th floor.

The Italian bergamot liqueur brand has taken over the Fenchurch Terrace for the summer, offering visitors a range of Italicus cocktails.

SB had a chance to sample the Negroni Bianco, made with Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, Cocchi Americano vermouth and Tanqueray gin; and the Americano, which combined Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto with Belsazar vermouth and Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic.

A busy week for Seedlip saw SB’s Nicola Carruthers head to the launch of the brand’s third non-alcoholic ‘spirit’ – Grove 42.

Held at Luca restaurant in London’s Clerkenwell, founder Ben Branson got behind the bar to serve signature serves featuring the expression, including the Seedlip Spritz and Seedlip and soda, garnished with orange peel.

Dominic Whisson, senior bartender at The Savoy’s American Bar, was also serving up his Na Moonwalk drink, made with Grove 42, granulated caster sugar, smoke salt saline solution, grapefruit bitters and slimline tonic.

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