Full Hands In, Full Hands Out

Today (26 June) at 1pm CST, Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF) will host the latest instalment in its Full Hands In, Full Hands Out weekly webinar series.

The webinar, titled ‘Black. Queer. And Still Here’, will be hosted by TOTCF grants advisory committee member, Chris Cabrera.

The “long overdue” conversation will see Cabrera and six LGBTQ+ black bartenders discuss the “obstacles they have faced when finding their place in an industry that doesn’t seem diverse at first glance”.

Click here to register for the webinar.

Panda and Sons virtual tour

This weekend, drinkers can take a virtual tour of Edinburgh bar Panda and Sons as part of Campari’s initiative to reopen the world’s best drinking dens to consumers at home.

The experience, including the ingredients to make a classic Negroni, and two bespoke pre-made cocktails from the bar’s menu, are priced at £20 (US$25) per person. All proceeds will go to Campari UK’s Shaken Not Broken fund, in partnership with The Drinks Trust and Tipjar, which are working to help the on-trade during the pandemic.

The Campari initiative saw Drink Kong in Rome and Dante in New York City reopen virtually during weekends in June.

Bacardi and Berber and Q workshop

Tomorrow (27 June) at 6pm BST, Bacardi will host a free online masterclass as part of its new partnership with London restaurant Berber and Q. The workshop will be led by Bacardi UK brand ambassador Metinee Kongsrivilai and Berber and Q’s head chef Josh Katz.

The pair will offer viewers a step-by-step guide on meat marinating and grilling, as well as cocktail shaking and glass filling, to help consumers host their own barbecues at home.

The masterclass will be available to view live on the @bacardi_uk Instagram page.

Teeling Distillery reopens

On Monday (29 June), Dublin-based Teeling Whiskey Distillery will reopen its visitor centre after being temporarily closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

To mark the occasion, the first 500 visitors to tour the distillery and visitor centre will receive a ‘special thank you gift’.

To ensure tours take place in accordance with health and safety guidelines, tours will operate under designated time slots every 30 minutes, with a maximum of 10 people per tour group.

There will be regular cleaning and disinfecting throughout the distillery, visitor centre and café, and sanitising stations will be present at all entries, exits, at the ticket desk and throughout the visitor centre.

Imbibe Live

Despite being cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, on-trade show Imbibe Live will host a number of virtual events on Monday and Tuesday (29-30 June).

The schedule for Monday includes webinars on the practical and commercial considerations for re-opening hospitality venues, emerging consumers trends after lockdown and predictions on the future of the industry.

The following day will feature online talks on the role of technology and the development of new revenue models.

Buffalo Trace and Barton 1972 reopen for tours

Bourbon lovers can finally visit the Buffalo Trace Distillery and Barton 1792 Distillery after brand owner Sazerac announced it would reopen the sites next Wednesday (1 July).

The Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort and Bardstown-based Barton 1792 suspended tours from 16 March 2020 until further notice due to the coronavirus crisis.

Both sites will now reopen to the public with complimentary tours and tastings.

Guests to both distilleries will be required to register for a tour or event ahead of their visit. Consumers will need to check in when visiting either site, which will include providing individual contact information to allow contract tracing, as well as having their temperatures taken.

The Whisky Exchange’s virtual American whiskey tasting

Next Thursday (2 July), retailer The Whisky Exchange will host an online virtual whiskey tasting, featuring Wild Turkey’s master distiller Eddie Russell.

Russell will be joined by Few Spirits founder Paul Hletko and New Riff Distilling’s Jay Erissman. The event will be led by Mark Gillespie of podcast series Whisky Cast.

Viewers will be able to participate in the tasting by asking questions publicly via the chat function on Zoom.

The tasting will include Wild Turkey 101 and Wild Turkey Longbranch. Consumers can purchase a taster kit, featuring six 30ml samples from The Whisky Exchange for £29.95 (US$37).

The event will be live-streamed on The Whisky Exchange Facebook page from 5.30pm to 6.30pm BST.

Skywalker fundraising drive

London-based bartenders Anna Sebastian and Sam Ayling have teamed up with No.3 London Dry Gin to create a range of pre-mixed cocktails as part of a new fundraising initiative, called Skywalker.

The single-serve 110ml pouches can be purchased at skywalkercocktail.co.uk for £10 (US$12.40) including postage and packaging.

All proceeds from the sale of the drinks will be donated to Under One Sky, a volunteer-led not-for-profit that provides food daily to those living on the streets.
Sebastian, bar manager at Artesian at The Langham hotel, said: “We wanted to use our platform and experience in hospitality to help our homeless friends and shine a light on the under-reported current situation – showing that this is a close reality for us all.”