The week in pictures
On Tuesday, SB editor Kristiane Sherry hopped on a plane to Hamburg for the day to visit Gebr. Heinemann at their annual press conference and catch up on the firm’s latest news and plans for the coming year.
As chocolate feasts took place across the globe last weekend, London Fields venue Wringer & Mangle prepared a special cocktail to satisfy sweet-toothed imbibers. Created by mixologist and Wringer & Mangle owner Gerry Calabrese, the chocolate egg cocktail, called The Easter Bunny’s Gift, was made from spiced rum, cream, cinnamon syrup, carrot juice, Grand Marnier and orange zest.
Darwin & Wallace has revealed the name of its new Chiswick location – No 197 Chiswick Fire Station. The new establishment is scheduled to open on 26 April and is offering 50% off food until 1 May.
Soho’s underground watering hole is readying to celebrate its first birthday in a few weeks with a party on-board HMS Belfast.
On Thursday night, SB headed to The Gentlemen Baristas in Southwark, London, for an exclusive preview of Bulleit Bourbon aged coffee beans. Guests sampled filter coffee – one batch before being aged in Bourbon barrels and the other post-ageing – before enjoying the Bourbon aged coffee in a delectable cocktail. The unveiling comes ahead of the London Coffee Festival, where two variants of Bulleit Bourbon aged coffee beans will be on offer. The limited editions comprise an espresso variant, The Trucker, and a filter style, The Gatsby. Both styles have been aged in Bulleit Bourbon casks for 14 days to allow the beans to take on the “spicy flavour notes” of the whiskey. The beans then undergo a bespoke roast at The Roastery Department in East London.
SB headed East to Kansas Smitty’s this week to try out the bar’s latest cocktail menu. The band-led jazz and Julep bar opened its doors for the first time last year, and now boasts a new menu brimming with delicious drinks including the First Dance, made with Courvoisier VSOP infused with raspberry, peach, tonka bean, orgeat and topped with Prosecco, and Hard Times, and Azalea, made with Campari, Bols Genever infused with sloe berry, citrus and dry Sherry.
In a bid to inspire guests to explore Hennessy XO, the Cognac brand launched a new interactive experience this week – the Hennessy XO Odyssey. Aimed at the on-trade, the experience was hosted by UK brand ambassador Max Helm along with revered bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana. Visitors enjoyed a mirrored tasting room where they were able to experience the ‘seven facets’ of Hennessy XO, as well as a bespoke film by director Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Only God Forgives), finished with a showcase of Hennessy XO and ice serves fashioned by Chetiyawardana.
Giffard Liqueurs and Syrups has been busy crafting sparkling mocktails and flavoured coffees with its diverse portfolio for visitors to Hotelex Shanghai this week.
Teeling Whiskey Company proudly presented the winners of its Funked Up Fixie giveaway with their Teeling branded bicycles this week.
Funkin hosted its third annual Innovation Forum this week, providing an opportunity for drinks industry experts to explore and discuss current and future trends within the sector. Guests also enjoyed cocktails created by Funkin Innovation Champion, Massimo Zitti, which were paired with food crafted by Masterchef Professional winner Steven Edwards. Topics covered on the day included global influences, cocktails and innovation, as well as consumer trends.
Dance music label Casablanca Records has partnered with Jägermeister to support “ground breaking” artists and bands”. To officially mark the partnership, the duo released the first short film in a three-part documentary series, called Gazzo Evolution.
As a media publication, 1 April brings with it intense paranoia as our inboxes are inundated with press releases ready to trick us into being April fools. Sifting through what ‘s real and what’s fake is no easy feat – and at times a hilariously entertaining task. Take this humorous attempt from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society for example boasting about the “world’s first whisky sniffer dog” appointment. Sorry guys, but you’ll have to do better than that to pull the wool over our eyes. Click here for our round-up of the day’s best foolish news updates.
