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Master of Malt Blog

Category: Cocktails

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The Nightcap: 27 April

April 27, 2018 5:43 pm

A record-breaking Macallan sale, a new Islay distillery, the star bartenders of the future and… the world’s finest cucumber specimens?! It can only be The Nightcap! We often get excited…

A record-breaking Macallan sale, a new Islay distillery, the star bartenders of the future and… the world’s finest cucumber specimens?! It can only be The Nightcap!

We often get excited about the goings on in The Nightcap. Booze is a bustling sector and there’s always a plethora of news and views to round up the week that was. But today… well! It’s the chunkiest Nightcap yet. Best pour yourself a dram, cosy up, and we’ll get stuck in.

So what’s been going down over on the blog? We wished Benromach a happy 20th anniversary and checked out its commemorative bottling, and then hightailed it up to London to mark St George’s Day with English whisky pioneer, Bimber. On Wednesday we took an in-depth look at GlenAllachie’s first releases under Billy Walker’s stewardship, and even got the man himself on the phone to chat distillery developments. Speaking of distilleries, we also checked in with Ian Stirling, co-founder of Port of Leith Distillery, one of the three in the race to become Edinburgh’s first single malt maker in over a century. Then there was the small matter of Jameson’s first cask-strength whiskey…

And as The Nightcap shows, that’s a mere drop on the ocean when it comes to booze news this week! Here we go…

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American Whiskey Cocktails Cognac News Scotch Whisky Vodka Whisky

The Nightcap: 13 April

April 13, 2018 4:00 pm

Friday the 13th is unlucky for some, but not here at MoM Towers. We’ve got a treat of a Nightcap coming your way to round off the week! As usual,…

Friday the 13th is unlucky for some, but not here at MoM Towers. We’ve got a treat of a Nightcap coming your way to round off the week!

As usual, it’s been a busy seven days in Drinks Land. Over on the blog this week we’ve brought you news of Jameson’s record-breaking year, a tour of English gin distilleries, and what could be the world’s largest Japanese whisky tasting. Plus, we announced the winner of our Esker Honey Spiced Gin ‘catshun competishunzz’ – congrats to our victor and six runners-up!

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Beer Cocktails Gin News Scotch Whisky Whisky Wine

The Nightcap: 6 April

April 6, 2018 5:38 pm

We’ve made it, folks. Friday is here, bringing with it the weekend, and of course, this week’s Nightcap. It’s been an indulgent week in the world of booze, and we’ve…

We’ve made it, folks. Friday is here, bringing with it the weekend, and of course, this week’s Nightcap. It’s been an indulgent week in the world of booze, and we’ve got tales of travel, luxury imbibing and even a 150-year-old whisky coming right up for you.

But! The Nightcap simply cannot proceed without us casting our minds back to last Sunday. Ahhhh, Easter. A time for friends, family, chocolate, and revealing new distilleries, if you’re part of Team MoM! But the announcement was not all it seemed…

After all those high jinks, we unveiled the contents of April’s Dram Club, celebrated being named Best Online Retailer by the British Bourbon Society (thanks, all!), and chatted with Andy Watts, the mastermind behind the beaut that is Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky. Oh, and we caught wind of a new collaboration between Jim Beam and Budweiser. Told you it was a big week, and we’ve not even got started on The Nightcap properly yet…

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Story time at the Savoy: Snapshots with Terry O’Neill

March 28, 2018 5:11 pm

As new cocktail menu ‘Every Moment Tells a Story’ launches at the American Bar at the Savoy, MoM speaks to bar manager Declan McGurk to learn about its formation, and…

As new cocktail menu ‘Every Moment Tells a Story’ launches at the American Bar at the Savoy, MoM speaks to bar manager Declan McGurk to learn about its formation, and hears from Terry O’Neill, the man whose photographs inspired the drinks.

It may have been established in 1889, but the longest-surviving cocktail bar in London, The American Bar at the Savoy, has demonstrated time and time again that it’s more than simply a classic name. Voted The World’s Best Bar in 2017 and Hotel Bar of the Year at the Class Bar Awards 2018, on 3 April it will release a new cocktail menu based around the era-defining black and white images that line the bar’s walls.

These pictures are all examples of legendary British photographer Terry O’Neill’s work. A key figure in pop culture since the 1960s, the man himself was invited to the American Bar to celebrate the menu’s launch. He spent the morning, as bar manager Declan McGurk put it, ‘regaling us with some yarns’… and these really are some yarns. He’s more raconteur than photographer these days, with endless stories to tell and plenty of names to drop. Rock stars, royalty and all manner of icons from stage and screen have stood the other side of his lens.

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International Women’s Day with… Anna Sebastian of Artesian

March 9, 2018 2:16 pm

From bartenders and floor staff to hosts and bar backs, women make up more than half of the team at London’s Artesian. To round off our International Women’s Day series,…

From bartenders and floor staff to hosts and bar backs, women make up more than half of the team at London’s Artesian. To round off our International Women’s Day series, bar manager Anna Sebastian reflects back on her first favourite cocktail, delves into the intricacies of the upcoming menu, and reveals what inspired her jump from the Beaufort Bar…

Of Artesian’s 22 new staff members, 12 are female – an impressive ratio that represents the city’s diverse barscape. Tasked with heading up this creative bunch are Anna Sebastian, former manager of The Savoy’s Beaufort Bar – awarded Best International Hotel Bar at Tales of the Cocktail 2015 under her reign – and head bartender Remy Savage of Little Red Door in Paris. The duo collaborated on a preview menu when they took up their posts in November last year, to be followed by an official menu in the coming weeks called Artesian Moments.

If you’re unfamiliar, Artesian is no ordinary watering hole. Under the tenure of Alex Kratena and Simone Caporale, it secured the accolade of World’s Best Bar not once, but four years in a row. It’s known for its experimental, daring menus, magnificent theatrical serves and, above all, for never equating ‘luxury’ with ‘dull’. With imaginative sorts like Sebastian and Savage heading the ranks, who knows what the bar will go on to achieve in the coming years….

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Cocktails Gin News Tequila Whisky

International Women’s Day: Why we’re talking women and drinks this week

Kristiane Sherry

March 8, 2018 6:00 pm

It’s International Women’s Day! We’re celebrating with a week of features championing a host of the drinks industry’s leading lights, who all happen to be women. Wondering why we’re bothering?…

It’s International Women’s Day! We’re celebrating with a week of features championing a host of the drinks industry’s leading lights, who all happen to be women. Wondering why we’re bothering? Intrigued by the concept? What’s all this International Women’s Day (IWD) stuff got to do with booze anyway? Pour a drink and read on, my friend…

My name is Kristiane and I’m a whisky-drinking woman (and gin, Tequila… but let’s stay on track here). I’m also the editor here at Master of Malt. Just in case you’re residing under a rock or you’re still snowed in, cut off from civilisation (we shouldn’t joke, the Beast from the East took most of the UK out last week), today is International Women’s Day. It’s hashtags galore, Instagram inspo central, and there’s bandwagon jumping left, right and centre. In the very serious current climate of #TimesUp and #MeToo, and the centenary of the 1918 Suffrage Act in the UK, International Women’s Day 2018 was always going to be [rightfully] enormous. And ta-da! 8 March 2018 has heralded in the hugest International Women’s Day yet.

This is all well and good. But what’s IWD got to do with drinks? People of all genders appreciate delicious boozes, right? We’ve got equality down now. Next issue, please! But let’s wind it back a moment. As editor, I wanted to take a moment to explain why we chose to get behind IWD in the way we have. Grab that drink (flavour profile your prerogative, regardless of gender, obvs) and let’s get started.

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Cocktails Gin Liqueurs News Scotch Whisky

International Women’s Day with… Hannah Lanfear of The Mixing Class

March 6, 2018 5:38 pm

Hannah Lanfear is one woman with many, many hats. Founder and director of drinks consultancy The Mixing Class, WSET educator, bar consultant, brand ambassador, cocktail expert and die-hard Prince fan……

Hannah Lanfear is one woman with many, many hats. Founder and director of drinks consultancy The Mixing Class, WSET educator, bar consultant, brand ambassador, cocktail expert and die-hard Prince fan… she is the very definition of multi-talented. In the latest instalment of our International Women’s Day series, Lanfear sits down with us to talk spirits education, diversity and, of course, whisky…

In her two decades’ experience in the cocktail and spirits industry, Hannah Lanfear has left her mark on some of the most reputed bars in London including Milk & Honey, Bungalow 8, and Boisdale as an accomplished cocktail bartender and bar manager. She has also consulted on bar openings for establishments such as Nimb Copenhagen and GloGlo’s in Shoreditch, and has been a global brand ambassador for Jensen’s Gin.

Now, as a WSET educator and founder of The Mixing Class (TMC), she is promoting her unwavering belief in the importance of education, research and social responsibility, putting what she has learned through her experiences of bar culture across the globe into practice. We spoke to Lanfear to see what life is like as the director of a drinks consultancy, how her experience led her to where she is now, the state of diversity within the industry, and her thoughts on whisky today.

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Get ahead with our ultimate Mother’s Day gift guide!

February 28, 2018 5:23 pm

Mums (and mum-like figures*) are pretty great. They listen to us moan when we get a parking ticket. They talk us out of buying life-sized Bigfoot statues. Some of them…

Mums (and mum-like figures*) are pretty great. They listen to us moan when we get a parking ticket. They talk us out of buying life-sized Bigfoot statues. Some of them bake nice cakes. Mother’s Day (Sunday 11 March**) is an excellent reminder to make a fuss of her, and we reckon you should make the most of it.

For the most part, sweet treats are predictable and flowers scream ‘I bought this gift less than 10 minutes before coming over’. We’ve got a few preliminary suggestions, however. A statue of Putin riding a bear topless over Russia? A yodelling pickle? This unnecessary wall decal?

Perhaps not. If you’re keen to go one better than your siblings, buy her a bottle of something lovely this Mother’s Day. Better still, whip her up a cocktail with said booze. And you know what? She’ll probably share it, because she’s your mum and that’s what mums do.

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Hone your cocktail skills with Beefeater MIXLDN winner Maxim Shulte!

February 27, 2018 4:37 pm

Earlier this month, Maxim Schulte triumphed at the seventh annual Beefeater MIXLDN cocktail competition with his mouth-watering serve, Stack of Fortune. We caught up with the Macau-based bartender to discover…

Earlier this month, Maxim Schulte triumphed at the seventh annual Beefeater MIXLDN cocktail competition with his mouth-watering serve, Stack of Fortune. We caught up with the Macau-based bartender to discover the secrets behind crafting an award-worthy cocktail…

Regardless of whether you’re an expert behind the stick or a wistful amateur, there’s always room to hone your cocktail skills. And who better to glean advice from than a drink-slinging champ?

Introducing Maxim Schulte of The Ritz Carlton in Macau. After an intense four-challenge cocktail showdown in London, he beat 30 other finalists from across the globe to clinch the sought-after accolade of Beefeater MIXLDN 7 Global Bartender Champion – so he knows better than anyone how to create a cracking drink.

His winning cocktail, Stack of Fortune, won over an expert panel that comprised the likes of Ryan Chetiyawardana of Dandelyan, Doug McMaster of Cub, Alessandro Palazzi of Dukes, Simon Difford of Difford’s Guide, Beefeater global brand ambassador Sumaiyah Connolly, and Beefeater master distiller (and all-round gin legend) Desmond Payne MBE. So you could say he comes highly recommended.

Here, Schulte shares his top tips for experimenting with flavour, muses over the next big cocktail trend and offers up some advice for those considering competing professionally…

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London’s The Gibson joins forces with Copperhead to launch savoury gin

February 20, 2018 11:13 am

Welcome to the world of savoury gin! Esteemed London bar The Gibson has partnered with Belgian spirits producer Copperhead to create a gin that’ll shake up your Martinis, liven your…

Welcome to the world of savoury gin! Esteemed London bar The Gibson has partnered with Belgian spirits producer Copperhead to create a gin that’ll shake up your Martinis, liven your tonics and spice up your life…

Even those with a fleeting interest in spirits will be aware of the sheer enormity of the gin category these days. Standing out in an era where there is a glut of juniper goodness has become increasingly difficult, and it really takes something quite special to make a lasting impression.

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