The Botanist Gin Caravan

Islay-based brand The Botanist has partnered with holiday rental firm Camplify to offer holidaymakers in Australia the chance to stay in a gin-themed vintage caravan.

Pitched up on the coast of New South Wales (NSW), The Botanist Gin Caravan is available to book every weekend throughout the summer months from this weekend. The van has been kitted out with a complimentary 700ml bottle of The Botanist gin, a pack of Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water, herbal tea infusers, dried fruit garnishes and ingredients required to make your own gin cocktails.

The Botanist caravan can be booked and set up on a campsite of your choice within 100km of Flinders, NSW.

Old Fashioned Week

Woodford Reserve has partnered with Healthy Hospo for this year’s Old Fashioned Week and will fund memberships for 1,250 hospitality employees to Healthy Hospo’s new wellness app, which offers nutrition, exercise and mental health advice. This will be matched by a further 1,250 memberships offered by Healthy Hospo.

History and Cocktails

Drinkers looking to up their cocktail knowledge can now book to attend a virtual History and Cocktails masterclass.

Hosted by online platform Beyond the Bar, the virtual masterclass takes place on Zoom every weekend and “explores the quirky, mysterious and dark history of gin”. Using equipment in your own home and simple ingredients, attendees can mix up creative gin cocktails without leaving the house.

Running on 7 and 8 November at 6.30pm, 9pm or 11pm GMT, tickets can be booked online through Design My Night.

Smoke & Mirrors takeovers

On Monday (9 November), Singapore rooftop bar Smoke & Mirrors will host the first in a series of bar takeovers to celebrate its fifth anniversary.

Kelvin Saquilayan, Frank Hu and Tim Rosete of Manhattan Bar will take to the stick at Smoke & Mirrors on Monday from 6pm to 9pm presenting drinks from the bar’s latest menu, including the Chaplin 92, made with Martell VSOP Cognac, lime cordial, absinthe, Peychaud Bitters and sujeonggwa – a traditional cinnamon punch.

Events in the series will also see bartenders from 28 Hong Kong Street and Employees Only take over the bar at Smoke & Mirrors.

Take Cuvée launches

London bar, restaurant and shop Top Cuvée has launched a new delivery service, offering meals and paired drinks delivered straight to your door.

The new Take Cuvée service will feature menus developed by head chef Will Blank, each paired with natural wines, bottled cocktails and a Spotify playlist to set the vibe at home.

Priced from £35 (US$46) for dinner for two, food and drinks to enjoy at home can be ordered from shopcuvee.com while the north London venue remains closed during England’s second lockdown.

Three Drinkers Bring a Bottle

Drinks experts Helena Nicklin, Adrian Smith and Colin Hampden-White return for the second series of their podcast, called Bring a Bottle.

Available across platforms including Spotify, Apple, iTunes and Acast, the second series of The Three Drinkers’ podcast will see the trio explore the history of famous cocktails, uncover new products, answer listener questions and recount stories related to food, drinks and hospitality from all around the world.

Series two of the podcast will also feature guest appearances from David Blackmore, global brand ambassador at The Glenmorangie Company, and the presenters of online drinks platform Glassmates.

Bedtime Stories for the Nocturnal

Also looking to entertain drinkers with a podcast this week is Irish whiskey brand Sexton, which has launched the Bedtime Stories for the Nocturnal series.

Through the series, Sexton and comedian Michael Legge will offer “a more realistic, comedic take” on some of the world’s best-loved fairytales. Each episode will feature a classic children’s fairytale, which has been “stirred, twisted and generally shaken up to a whole new level”.

The first five episodes in the series are available to stream on Sound Cloud now and include new interpretations of classic titles such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Gingerbread Man, Robin Hood, Three Little Pigs and Jack and the Bean Stalk.

The Sun Tavern delivers

As England enters its second period of national lockdown, London bars The Sun Tavern and Discount Suit Company have launched a menu of cocktail kits available for at-home delivery.

The Quarantini cocktail kits include eight classic cocktails: Irish Old Fashioned, Toreador, Margarita, Rob Roy, Sazerac, Banana Daiquiri, Boulevardier and Penicillin. Each pack contains pre-bottled cocktails, which can simply be stirred and served at home.

Drinkers in London within three miles of the venues can order same-day delivery from The Sun Tavern team until midnight every night of the week.

Taste of Rum Tour

On Wednesday (11 November), government body Rums of Puerto Rico will kick off its series of tastings and dinners across the US.

Beginning in Boston, MA, the Taste of Rum tour will include a two- or three-course Caribbean meal, followed by a rum tasting led by Rums of Puerto Rico brand ambassador Ramon Diaz.

After the first event in Boston, the tour will head to New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; and Washington, DC. Guests unable to attend the events in person will be able to stream the sessions online.