The week in pictures

After hosting its Manchester Super Party, The Ivy Spinningfields this week donated £47,000 (US$59,000) of the event’s proceeds to The Fire Fighters Charity.

Laura Bamber, operations director at The Ivy Collection, presented a cheque for the sum to Andrew Best, charity trustee of The Fire Fighters Charity, and assistant chief fire officer, Leon Parkes.

Parkes said: “This is a fantastic sum of money that I know will go a long way in helping former and serving firefighters. It is only down to donations like this that The Fire Fighters Charity can do their work so I would like to thank everyone who donated and helped raise this money.”

As part of London Spanish festival Feria de Londres, Sherry brand Tio Pepe hosted an exclusive Sherry masterclass in the capital.

The event saw experts from the brand guide imbibers through its range, with each served up alongside a selection of tapas dishes.

Taking to the banks of the Thames, Feria de Londres also featured a host of colourful casetas (stalls) serving Spanish fare and entertainment from Flamenco dancers and Spanish musicians.

The new drinks menu at Los Angeles cocktail bar Gracias Madre launched this week and only features agave spirits made without “industrialised and chemical” processes.

The American drinking den has compiled a list of Tequilas, mezcals, bacanoras and raicillas that are not made using the diffuser process, a move its founders hope will “start a conversation” about the practice in the industry.

Cocktails on the bar’s menu have been made with spirits deemed to be “sustainable and accountable”, and include the Rocket Man, made with arugula, gentian, fino Sherry, lime, mezcal and aquavit.

Martini has relaunched its Ciclismo series, a training programme for bartenders that encourages hospitality workers to “embrace a healthy lifestyle” through indoor cycling training classes and two regional community rides.

Participating bartenders will take part in indoor cycling sessions where they will compete to win apparel from the Martini Racing Ciclismo cycling kit.

Tickets for each training session will cost £5 and proceeds will be donated to Wine to Water, a charity that works to provide clean water for those without.

As part of the Busk in London initiative at The Ivy Tower Bridge, Slingsby Gin created a selection of cocktails to be mixed up during the events.

During Busk in London, which champions street performance in the capital, Slingsby Gin will be serving up a collection of cocktails including the Slingsby Spring, made with Slingsby’s classic London Dry Gin, hibiscus syrup, lemon juice and Elderflower lemonade.

The series will feature performances from a host of local musicians, including Lucy May Walker, who has previously supported artists such as Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams on tour.

Filipino rum brand Don Papa opened the doors to its Casa Sugarlandia activation in London this week.

The three-week London residency sees the brand take over a two-storey venue on Great Eastern Street in Shoreditch, where it will offer the public a taste “of the Philippines’ culture, customs and flavours”.

Programme highlights for the on-trade include weekly Bartender Brunches and a Dinner of Dons Filipino supper club. A Masked Karaoke event will also take place.

London restaurant Madison has unveiled a drinks list curated by its new bar manager Eduard Balan.

The new cocktail menu at the London restaurant features “exotic twists” on a selection of classic cocktails, each created using a host of modern mixology techniques – such as maceration, clarification, percolation and edible fruit moisturisers.

Cocktails on the menu include the Roasted Pina Colada, White Coconut Negroni and the St Paul’s Sunset, which features an edible artwork of St Paul’s created by a tattoo artist.

As part of this year’s Cocktails Spirits convention in Paris, Porter’s Gin teamed up with Paris drinking den Little Red Door to host a series of boat trips along the Seine.

The boats set sail from Les Maquereaux, and once onboard guest were treated to afternoon apéritifs created by Little Red Door.

As part of the adventure, guests were able to sample both Porter’s Gin expressions before the boat docked at Palais De Tokyo for the Cocktail Spirits festival.

Austrian bartender Stefan Haneder has named the fastest bartender as part of the inaugural Vana Tallinn Speed Round Bartender Challenge held in Estonia.

In the Vana Tallinn Speed Round Bartenders Challenge competitors were challenged to make seven cocktails and a shot according to recipes in the fastest time possible.

Twenty-six bartenders from 12 countries participated in the competition, with Haneder claiming the top spot and second and third place going to Estonia’s Kris-Marii Kaska and Martin Vogeltanz from the Czech Republic, respectively.

As part of the Drink Positive campaign, landmarks across Scotland have been illuminated with messages that highlight positive drinking habits.

The messages targeted football fans ahead of the William Hill Scottish Cup Final, with Buchanan Street and Hampden Park Stadium lit up with messages to promote responsible drinking.

The campaign aims to reach one million fans with a responsible drinking message and has been run in partnership between the Scottish Football Association and Johnnie Walker owner Diageo.