The week in pictures

SB headed to The Vaults in London this week for an immersive spoof dining experience inspired by the hit fantasy TV series, Game of Thrones.

Dinner is Coming served up a banquet fit for the lords and ladies of the ‘Several Kingdoms’, designed by chefs Chavdar Todorov and Steven Estevez.

Guests were sorted into the different houses of ‘Easteros’ and a select few (including team SB) were given secret tasks to carry out on the night.

In addition to the mouth-watering feast and laugh-out-loud entertainment provided throughout the night, guests were also treated to a selection of Game of Thrones-inspired cocktails.

These included Milk of the Poppy, made with spiced rum, elderflower, lemon, aquafaba and vegan oat cream; Waterloo Wildfire, which was a blend of whisky, mint and basil syrup, lime, cinnamon and berocca; and the Snowgroni, made with vermouth, amaro and gin.

Singapore cocktail bar Smoke & Mirrors launched its latest cocktail menu this week, featuring drinks inspired by artists including Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh.

The Illusion of Flavours menu is divided into six categories, each featuring a selection of cocktails created to evoke different flavour sensations. The menu also features QR codes alongside each cocktail, giving imbibers the chance to learn more about the preparation of the drink.

Cocktails on the menu include the Peel and See, inspired by Andy Warhol’s work for the debut album from American band The Velvet Underground and made with banana-, miso- and olive oil-infused gin, quinine apéritif and garnished with a spritz of olive oil.

This week, Cointreau named Nathan Larkin and Marcos Ameneiros Zannone the winners of its Margarita cocktail competition.

Taking place at the Century Club rooftop in London, Larkin, of Manchester’s Peak in Code, and Zannone, of London’s Berners Tavern, impressed the judges with their twists on the classic Tequila-based cocktail.

For his winning cocktail, Zannone combined Tequila blanco with Cointreau, mezcal, lime, cream and salted caramel, while Larkin mixed together chipotle-infused reposado Tequila, Cointreau and kaffir lime, orange blossom and oolong cordial.

This week, Scotch producer Whyte & Mackay unveiled its Woodsman Vending Machine, which will dispense complimentary whisky-based cocktails at locations across the UK.

Making its debut at the Underbelly Festival on London’s Southbank, the device creates Old Fashioned cocktails using The Woodsman blended Scotch whisky and was designed to challenge the notion that whisky cocktails can be complicated.

The Woodsman Vending Machine will also visit Spring Edition at Tynebank Brewery, Newcastle on 26 April; Hatch, Manchester on 10 May; and The Dockyard Social in Glasgow on 24 May.

Scotch whisky maker Glen Moray celebrated the release of its exclusive Edinburgh Rugby Private Edition Whisky with a pre-game whisky masterclass at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh.

In the build up to Edinburgh’s match against Ulster on Friday 12 April, Scottish international rugby union player Jamie Ritchie popped into the masterclass and met with Glen Moray master distiller, Graham Coull.

The masterclass is the latest event to take place as part of the brand’s partnership with Scottish rugby, which included creating a limited edition release with two of the team’s players.

In the lead up to World Earth Day (22 April) Hood River Distillers has announced the continuation of its tree planting scheme in partnership with the National Forest Foundation.

For every bottle of the spirit maker’s Trail’s End Bourbon sold in 2019, Hood River Distillers will make a donation to the National Forest Foundation’s 50 Million for our Forest programme.

During the first year of the program, donations from Hood River helped plant more than 5,000 native trees.

Also preparing for World Earth Day is luxury London hotel The London Edition, which created a signature cocktail that it will be serving up from 15-22 April.

The cocktail, called Idun’s Elixir, has been created in honour of the Norse goddess of spring and rejuvenation and is made with vodka, apple tea cordial, lemon, green tea and coffee liqueur.

The serve will be on the menu at the hotel’s three bars, Lobby Bar, Berners Tavern and Punch Room, and £2 from the sale of each drink will be donated to ocean conservation charity Project0.

No 3 Gin has announced the finalists for its third annual cocktail tournament, which challenges bartenders to create a modern twist on the 20th Century Cocktail.

The five finalists are Jeffrey Berraoui of The Tippling House, Tom Kirk of Below Stairs, Harry Cosmo Boardman of Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Krystian Kropaczewski of Artesian, The Langham, and Will Campbell-Rowntree of Artesian, The Langham.

The five runners-up from each regional heat will also now travel to London to be in with a chance of winning a wildcard spot in the competition’s grand final on 21 May.

This week, more than 50 sausage dogs descended on Persie Distillery to celebrate the launch of its Dachshund Gin Liqueur.

The family-run distillery has partnered with dog rescue charity PADS to raise funds for unwanted dogs by creating a family of ‘dog gins’ – with different styles of gin reflecting different breeds.

Its Dachshund Gin Liqueur is made with limes and fruit left over from the distillery’s Zesty Citrus Gin. Like the breed, the gin liqueur is described as “the perfect balance of sweet and sharp: bursting with zest, it has a long body and is best served short”.

The Scottish island of Islay saw the doors open to its ninth Scotch whisky distillery this week, as Hunter Laing & Co opened its Ardnahoe site.

The distillery was officially opened by Lord George Robertson of Port Ellen at a ceremony attended by members of the island community and wider whisky industry.

The £12 million (US$15.7m) facility will employ 30 people and is located on the island’s north east coast, overlooking the Paps of Jura. The distillery hopes to attract 20,000 visitors each year.

This week, SB travelled to The Savoy’s American Bar to sample the cocktails on its new Savoy Songbook menu.

The bar’s latest menu features a collection of 20 drinks that have been inspired by songs performed by the bar’s resident pianist over the years, including Here Comes the Sun by George Harrison and I say a Little Prayer by Burt Bacharach.

While visiting the famed London bar, SB sampled the Go, Go Go, inspired by Amy Winehouse’s song Rehab and made with Tequila, avocado, kumquat, lime, mango, passion fruit and pale ale, and the Electric Lover, which was inspired by Prince and combined Hendrick’s Gin, quince liqueur, mint, lemon, cinnamon, bitters, almond and Prosecco.