The week in pictures
Last weekend saw the return of the Hennessy Gold Cup; one of the most anticipated events in the British jump racing calendar and highlight of the three-day Winter Festival at Newbury. This year’s race was particularly significant as Hennessy concludes a year of celebrating 250 years since the House was founded in 1765. Host Maurice Hennessy, 8th generation of the Hennessy family, was joined by Stanley Tucci and Felicity Blunt (pictured), James Purefoy, Celia Imrie, Rob Brydon, Jilly Cooper, James Norton, Jack Farthing, Antonia Thomas, Hugh Skinner, Barry Humphries, Richard Lintern, Astrid Harbord, Natasha Rufus Isaacs, Ruby Wax, Claire Balding and Denise Lewis.
Hennessy’s guests enjoyed salted caramel Hennessy Hot Chocolates and an array of cocktails including Hennessy’s 250thAnniversary celebration serve: The Hennessy Crusta – made with maraschino cherry and orange liqueur, fresh lemon juice and Hennessy Fine de Cognac – a modern take on the first ever brandy cocktail recipe. Visitors enjoyed the racing from the Fred Winter Suite, which was designed as an art deco formal lounge and bar with a tack room-themed selfie area. Pictured above are Rob Brydon and Moet Hennessy UK managing director, Jo Thornton.
On Tuesday, Jim Beam hosted a Fireside Stories Masterclass with Jim Beam’s 7th Generation master distiller, Fred Noe. The event was held at Blue Kitchen in Shoreditch, London, and gave bartenders the opportunity to sample Jim Beam White, Devil’s Cut, Knob Creek and one of the small batch Booker’s variants while Fred Noe told traditional stories of Jim Beam and the history of the brand – as well as mentioning a few of his wilder ones. Guests were also served two different Jim Beam cocktails: Jim Beam White with bitters and ginger ale and a Knob Creek Ward 8.
This week SB headed down to Exmouth Market for the launch of new Seventies-inspired bar, Coin Laundry. Spread over two floors, this retro bar offers a modern take on “proper” comfort food – think chicken kievs and profiteroles – and nostalgia galore with kitsch tableware, pinball machines and old-school board games such as Kerplunk and Mouse Trap. The drinks menu is a Seventies revival; you’ll find Snowballs, Grasshoppers and Soda Stream cocktails, as well as a host of modern cocktails with a nod to the decade – expect pisco, Sherry, and Babycham delights.
Campari-owned Cinzano launched its premium vermouth range, Cinzano 1757, across the UK with a pop-up event at D.R. Harris Apothecary on St. James’s Street. The three-strong “small batch, hand-crafted” vermouth range comprises Rosso, Bianco and Dry variants, which are matured using an “authentic traditional method handed down through generations”. Guests learned about the history of Cinzano’s founding fathers, Giovanni Giacomo and Carlo Stefano, who in 1757 started their business in Turin, enjoyed a talk from a herbalist, and experienced a tutored tasting with Cinzano’s brand ambassador.
For Christmas this year, Four Pillars has teamed up with Nate Brown, co-founder of Merchant House in London, to produce a series of unique festive gin cocktails including the Christmas Negroni, Gin Toddy, and Gin and Gingerbread, pictured above. Described as “the perfect drink for relaxing beside the fire”, this Gin and Gingerbread is a blend of Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin, a bottle of Stout, a shot of gingerbread syrup and a pinch of ground ginger and ground cinnamon. To make the creation yourself, mix the gin with a shot of gingerbread syrup, pour over the stout and then froth using a milk frother. Pour into copper mugs over ice and serve with a sprinkle of ginger and cinnamon.
Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood was gifted a bottle of Thomas Dakin Gin at the BBC Good Food Show last weekend. Thomas Dakin Gin, with its traditional botanical of red cole or horseradish, was launched in July this year in Manchester and is being introduced to London and other key cities by the Quintessential Brands-owned Marblehead Brand Development. When presented with the bottle, Hollywood told the brand he was looking forward to enjoying it later in the day.
Jess Cheeseman of Big Easy in Canary Wharf was crowned winner of the UK’s first Jefferson’s barrel aged cocktail competition with his original creation, The Jefferson’s Experiment. Cheeseman competed amongst five finalists in London for accolade. The competition was launched by Cellar Trends Ltd on behalf of Jefferson’s to “reflects the experimental proposition” of the brand’s new Manhattan Barrel Finished Cocktail, which will be released later this month. Cheeseman’s prize is a trip to the home of Jefferson’s in Louisville USA, hosted by Trey Zoeller, the founder and master blender of Jefferson’s Bourbon. The prize also includes a never-released bottling from Zoeller’s personal archive.
The second Armagnac Academy on Chinese soil took place in the city of Guangzhou in Canton. A total of 41 candidates took part in what has been the largest turnout for the Armagnac Academies since they began in London in 2013. Amanda Garnham from the B.N.I.A. led the day-long class, alongside Sebastien Lacroix, the B.N.I.A.’s director. Candidates were given an in-depth insight into Armagnac starting with its 700-year history and ending with the production and ageing stages. A series of tastings throughout the day exhibited fresh distillates of the four main grapes used in Armagnac production, as well as Blanche Armagnac and aged Armagnacs.
On Monday evening, founder of The Last Drop Distillers Ltd., James Espey O.B.E., was the guest speaker at The South African Chapter of Keepers of the Quaich. The banquet was held at The Castle in Cape Town, South Africa’s oldest building dating back to the 1670’s. Espey is pictured above with one of the Keepers of the Quaich.
Yesterday SB hosted its Spirits Masters Awards Lunch at Kensington’s The Roof Gardens. The festivities kicked off with a Champagne reception, followed by lunch during which the awards were announced. While enjoying the finest roof top gardens in London and a delicious three-course meal, the winners of this year’s Global Spirits Masters collected certificates and trophies; including the Grand Spirits Masters from each spirit category; the Alan Lodge Young Spirits Writer of the Year Award 2015; and this year’s overall Grand Spirits Master 2015.
Midori Melon Liqueur unveiled its new campaign, Moshi Moshi To Midori, which invites cocktail enthusiasts to say “moshi moshi” (“hello” in Japanese) to “the best of Japan, and a world of exotic cocktails”. Created by Ogilvy & Mather Chicago, the Moshi Moshi To Midori campaign was launched to challenge perceptions of the brand by educating consumers on the brand’s ties to Japanese culture and its fresh melon ingredient. At its launch event Midori engaged consumers with an interactive billboard, and invited Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto to showcase some signature Midori cocktails.
