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Tag: Champagne

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Celebrating La Grande Dame 

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Today we celebrate one of the most influential people in the history of booze, the woman who turned sparkling Champagne from a novelty into a reliable internationally-renowned product, Veuve Clicquot….

Today we celebrate one of the most influential people in the history of booze, the woman who turned sparkling Champagne from a novelty into a reliable internationally-renowned product, Veuve Clicquot. And what better way to toast the Grande Dame herself than with the latest vintage of Grande Dame and a chat with cellar master Didier Mariotti.

The key to Champagne’s success has been in creating a reliably delicious product. Even if you know nothing about wine, you can confidently order a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label and you won’t be disappointed. Which is why people who rarely spend more than £6 on a bottle of wine will happily pay five times this on Champagne. 

Champagne wasn’t always like this. For most of its history, the region’s best wine would have been still and red, like a sort of underripe version of red Burgundy. Sparkling wines were a novelty. The technique for making bubbles was a hit or miss affair right into the 19th century: one might end up with a few big bubbles described in French as yeux de crapauds or toad’s eyes, no bubbles at all or just a slimy mess. Not very lux.

We are not amused

Enter Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot (above): he took over her husband’s family firm, Clicquot-Muiron et Fils, when he died in 1805 of typhoid. This was unusual. At the time in France, there was very little a woman could do without the consent of a husband or a father.  And her timing couldn’t be worse with Europe being at war.

Nevertheless, Veuve (meaning widow) Clicquot was a remarkably determined woman. She reorientated the business away from its other concerns, textiles and banking, to focus on wine and sought out new markets for her wines, notably Imperial Russia. When Napoleon went into exile on Elba in 1814, she sent a boat load of Champagne to Russia. It remained the choice of Russian aristocracy until the revolution of 1917. 

But where she really innovated was on the technical side of the business. Around 1811 she invented a process to create a clear bright consistently sparkling wine. First remuage where the bottles are turned upside down so that the yeasts congregate around the cork. The spent yeasts are ejected by the pressure of the wine when the cork was removed, this is known as degorgement. The bottle would then be topped up with some sweet wine and brandy and then quickly recorked. This is still the technique used to this day. 

The Veuve Clicquot cellars

The Veuve died in 1866. In her innovations both in production and marketing she transformed Champagne into the wine we know today. She was the first in a series of remarkable women of Champagne like Louise Pommery and Elizabeth Bollinger. In 1975, the company came up with a special wine called La Grande Dame to honour her; it’s made only in the best vintages from grapes grown in the finest vineyards

We were lucky enough to be invited along to the launch of the new vintage of Grande Dame, the 2008, with cellar master Didier Mariotti. He only started in August last year and is acutely aware of the huge responsibility he has taking on one of the greatest names in Champagne.  And he’s not even French! He was born in Switzerland with a Corsican father and a Swiss mother. “The house is so strong in terms of name and wine,” he told us. “One day I will add something but not now.” Unlike his previous employer Mumm, where quality had dipped, Veuve Clicquot is like a well-maintained Rolls-Royce. “Biggest surprise was all the reserve wines,” he told us. There were nearly 400 to try, vintages from 1985 to 2018 all stored in stainless steel vineyard by vineyard. “It took me three weeks to taste everything,” he said. 

We kicked off with a glass of the famous Yellow Label, introduced in 1876. It was on great form: big, rich and toasty. It’s a blend of the 2014 vintage with reserve wines, some of which have been fermented in oak. The dosage, the topping up after disgorgement (see above), contains 9 grams of sugar. The wine sent to Russia in the Veuve’s day would have been much sweeter, more like a sparkling dessert wine. 

Didier Mariotti, he’s not even French

The Grande Dame is a very different beast to the Yellow Label. It’s all about elegance rather than overt power. “Grande Dame is complex but shy at the beginning”, Mariotti said. There is no oak-fermented wine, “will not get the same level of detail”, he said. The 2008 vintage is made with 92% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay. It’s a superb wine, that high acidity leading, but with a massive underlying depth. Mariotti sees ‘08 as one of the great vintages, up there with ‘90 and ‘96.

We were then lucky enough to try the ‘04 which showed how the fruit develops with time and then, a real treat, a gorgeous 1990, disgorged in 2003. The fruit had become like cooked apples and there were flavours of cobnuts and custard. The widow herself would surely have been proud. 

Here are three wines to toast Veuve Clicquot with:

Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut NV

Nose: Lemon sherbert on the nose with orange peel

Palate: Big, round style with a little sweetness, orange fruit with some marmalade notes. 

Finish: Toasty and long. This is a real crowd-pleaser.

Veuve Clicquot 2012

Nose: Very much like the NV, citrus led with fresh lemons and Seville orange.

Palate: Lean and lemony, high acidity with yeasty notes underneath.

Finish: Baked brioche notes. Young, but showing really well. Like a baby Grande Dame.

Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame 2008

Nose: Floral and lemony with spring hedgerow and sweet pastry notes.

Palate: Very high acidity, lean, chalky and taut, this is razor sharp, then slowly you begin to feel the richness underneath.

Finish: Hazelnuts and Marmite. This promises much for the future. 

 

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Cocktail of the Week: The 45th Parallel 

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Drawing inspiration from Europe’s best-loved wine regions, The K Bar at The Kensington Hotel has captured terroir in cocktail form with a 16-strong menu unlike any other. Here, bar manager…

Drawing inspiration from Europe’s best-loved wine regions, The K Bar at The Kensington Hotel has captured terroir in cocktail form with a 16-strong menu unlike any other. Here, bar manager Salvatore Maggio divulges the recipe for 45th Parallel – a brooding, tannic, fruity number reminiscent of Bordeaux…

Do I fancy a glass of wine or would I rather have a cocktail? It’s a complex decision you’ll frequently find us pondering come aperitivo hour. Ordering both is extreme – not to mention a chaotic mix of flavours  – so ultimately there’s only ever going to be one solution. But now, thanks to bar manager Salvatore Maggio in collaboration with Master of Wine Anne McHale, we can have both at the same time (and without raising any eyebrows).

Their menu – aptly named Terroir – explores Europe’s most illustrious regions, including Jerez, Rioja, and Rias Baixas in Spain; Bordeaux, Chablis, Provence, Beaujolais, Alsace, Bordeaux, and Champagne in France; Piedmont in Italy; Porto in Portugal; and Mosel in Germany.

“People often order a glass of wine in a bar,” Maggio explains. “Our idea was to create a concept based on the regions of those wines. If you go into the bar and ask for a glass of Chablis, we can introduce to you a cocktail based on the Chablis region. It has the complexity and taste of the wine, but it’s a cocktail.”

Ah, le terroir! That’s Chateau d’Yquem in Sauternes

Terroir, the menu explains, refers to “the complete set of environmental factors which create an unparalleled sense of character and place in wine from unique and different regions” such as the soil, weather, and local micro-climate. First, Maggio and McHale delved into the intricacies of each region and identified the key flavours and textures. 

Then, the team set about recreating their findings in cocktail form, often using local ingredients to achieve the desired effect – for example, Piedmont-inspired Foot of the Mountain, which combines Amaro di Angostura, hazelnut-infused Ketel One vodka, La Penca mezcal and rose. The Italian region has been cultivating its fine Nocciola del Piemonte (Piedmonte hazelnuts to you and I) for centuries, and is renowned for its vermouth and amaro.

On occasion, a small amount of wine has even been incorporated into the recipe. In Rioja-inspired Float On, for example, Bulleit Bourbon, Carpano Antica Formula, grapefruit, cranberry, blackberry and almond are combined to make a long golden cocktail that features a measure of Rioja wine floated on top.

“People [in London] are more familiar with French, Italian, Spanish and German wines, so we looked at each region and created something unique with the European style,” Maggio explains. “Let’s say, a glass of Champagne – we identified the taste of the Champagne, and we create a cocktail with similar flavours and complexity.”

Each cocktail on the menu has an accompanying fact box that explores the fundamentals of the associated terroir in detail, from the characteristics and composition of the region to the tasting notes and prominent flavours of the wines produced there, along with key grape varietals and surrounding production.

Our Cocktail of the Week is inspired by Bordeaux, which is positioned halfway between the Equator and North Pole on the ‘45th parallel’, hence the name. The combination of a ‘humid maritime climate’, ‘extraction of tannins during fermentation’ and ‘extended cellaring in new French oak barrels’ imparts tannic, oak-aged, savoury notes to the region’s wines.

The 45th Parallel

The 45th Parallel

Bordeaux’s main grape varieties are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, and noted for dry reds known as claret, whites and heavenly sweet wines like Sauternes – but as the foodies among you will know all too well, the region is also renowned for its ceps (wild mushrooms), oysters and fois gras. 

Presented in a rocks glass with a mint sprig garnish, 45th Parallel combines Remy Martin VSOP, Evangelista Ratafia, Syrah juice, blackberry, and citrus. “Like having a glass of Merlot, there’s a natural fruity flavour – blueberry, blackcurrant, those sorts of tastes – a bit of light citrus coming through, with length and complexity from the Syrah jus,” says Maggio. It might seem off to use a variety not planted in Bordeaux but apparently that’s what tasted the best. 

Fancy whipping up this delightful tipple from the comfort of your own home? MoM has you covered – keep scrolling for the ingredients and methodology…

35ml Remy Martin VSOP
10ml Evangelista Ratafia liqueur
20ml Syrah juice (good quality juice from European grape varieties would work in place like this Merlot version)
3 blackberries
10ml lime juice
10ml sugar syrup

Muddle the blackberries in a Boston shaker before adding the rest of the ingredients. Shake and double strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a mint sprig.

 

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News

The Nightcap: 29 November

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Need to decompress after all the Black Friday sales hubbub? We’ve got just the thing – it’s The Nightcap! If you find yourself exclaiming out loud “How on earth did…

Need to decompress after all the Black Friday sales hubbub? We’ve got just the thing – it’s The Nightcap!

If you find yourself exclaiming out loud “How on earth did it get to be 3 o’clock?!” almost every day, you might be very surprised to find out November is almost over. You were probably getting ready to go to the beach or hide chocolate eggs in the toaster or something. Go dig out a Santa hat and glue it to your forehead so you’re constantly aware of what’s going on. And to keep your noggin warm. It’s quite chilly out there if you’re dressed for a spring morning stroll. We’re also ready to help bring you up to date. Behold, it’s another edition of The Nightcap, our round-up of booze news from the week that was!

On the MoM blog this week you probably noticed that #WhiskySanta announced that he was giving away an Old and Rare Whisky Advent Calendar worth nearly £1,000. That wasn’t only the bargain on the blog, however, as we rounded-up some of our best Black Friday deals. Ian Buxton returned to investigate a curious phenomenon while Adam caught up with Billy Walker, owner and master blender at Glenallachie Distillery. Elsewhere, Annie looked at a blended Scotch you’ll want for your next Highball, and talked over 400 years of distillation with Sandie van Doorne at Lucas Bols. Henry’s week involved a lot of Martini-based fun, from enjoying its predecessor The Martinez, to interviewing Alessandro Palazzi from the esteemed Dukes Bar, although he did find time to make a Kentucky whiskey aged in barrels that are toasted rather than charred our New Arrival of the Week.

Now, onto the Nightcap!

The Nightcap

Congratulations to you David!

The Balvenie’s David Stewart MBE nabs top gong at IWSC

Last night saw the glittering International Wine & Spirit (IWSC) Awards Banquet take place at London’s Guildhall (the most Harry Potter-esque venue you ever did see). It was the 50th anniversary of the awards, which celebrate all kinds of things, from tip-top wine and spirits producers and their wares (obvs), but also communicators, and outstanding achievers, too. And step forward The Balvenie malt master David Stewart! He was honoured for his Outstanding Achievement in Scotch Whisky over his whopping 57-year career, garnering praise from peers and whisky drinkers right across the globe. Other big winners include Ryan Chetiyawardana who scooped Spirits Communicator of the Year, and William Grant, which bagged the Outstanding Spirits Producer 2019 gong. Congrats all!

The Nightcap

You can find out what your ‘perfect dram’ is now!

Diageo sets AI What’s Your Whisky quiz

We’re sure many of you whisky-lovers have a selection of favourite expressions, from go-to bottles to desert-island drams. But have these preferences been verified by the wonders of technology? Because Diageo has created a ‘digital experience’, said to help people find their perfect whisky based on their preferences for certain flavours. What’s Your Whisky uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyse a user’s personal palate, asking eleven questions to understand their preferences, such as “how often do you eat bananas?” and “how do you feel about chillies?”. The data collected is then used to create a ‘Flavour Print’, which matches the user with a single malt whisky that the AI thinks they will love. “We are using our extensive consumer knowledge, whisky expertise gathered over hundreds of years and cutting-edge AI to help consumers discover, explore and enjoy Scotch in new and exciting ways,” said Dr Adeline Koay, principal scientist, research and development for Diageo. Andy Parton, senior regional manager for Diageo, added: “We’re excited to roll this out at scale and help many thousands of people find their perfect Whisky based on the innovative FlavorPrint AI technology.” I took the test and found the questions amusing, but slightly limiting. It did recommend Talisker, which I admittedly do love. So maybe it does work. Although if your dream dram isn’t made by Diageo I wouldn’t hold out too much hope of it coming up… What’s Your Whisky launched on 28 November in nine countries (UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands) – check out the website or scan a QR codes in participating bars, restaurants and shops. 

The Nightcap

The inimitable Ronnie Cox, as drawn by Alasdair ‘Loon’ Hilleary, red socks and all!

Berry Bros. & Rudd launches Ronnie’s Reserve

Ronnie Cox has worked in this industry for 43 years, spending more than three decades of that at Berry Bros. & Rudd (BBR). He’s a Master of the Quaich and a member of the Worshipful Company of Distillers. He’s also part of the seventh generation of the Cumming family, which previously owned Cardhu distillery. Now, as BBR’s legendary brands heritage director “edges towards retirement”, he’s been tasked with curating a range of single malt Scotch whiskies. The seven single cask bottlings are all from one undisclosed distillery (it’s very easy to figure out if you know the brand’s history). Two of the bottlings are from casks laid down in the 1990s, one is from the ‘80s, two are from the ‘70s and two are from the ‘60s, including the remarkable Tempus Fugit 1968 Cask No. 13497, which produced 65 bottles and is priced at £3,800 (this is the one that you’ll have to wait until June 2020 to purchase). Cox explained that he had his eye on these for many years, and he counted himself “incredibly fortunate to be able to select these whiskies to bottle under my name”. The first six bottlings will be launched on St. Andrew’s Day (30 November), available from Berry Bros. & Rudd. The illustrations on the bottle were drawn by Alasdair ‘Loon’ Hilleary, a lifelong friend, who depicts Cox wearing his classic red socks, which he’s made something of a trademark. If you do happen to get your hands on a bottle or two, do be sure to don your best scarlet stockings as you imbibe. 

The Nightcap

It’s a wintery dose of Swiss-esque bliss in London

Möet opens Alpine Lodge in Soho

Many people like the idea of apres-ski. Think cosy cabins, Last Christmas I Gave you my Heart knitwear and wintery drinks, without all the palaver with snow, salopettes and chair lifts. Möet has cleverly spotted this by opening an Alpine lodge, not in Gstaad or Whistler, but in London. Located in 100 Wardour in Soho, it’s open now and runs until the end of January. We popped in this week and can confirm that it’s just like being halfway up a mountain in Switzerland, only much easier to get to from Tottenham Court Road Underground station. On arrival, we wrapped ourselves in blankets and got stuck into the cocktails; as you might expect from the world’s largest Champagne company, they were pretty good. We were particularly taken with the Snowed Under which combines Tanqueray Export Strength, Möet & Chandon Impérial, lavender syrup, lemon juice, and icing sugar; and the Ice Ice Baby, made with Antica Formula, Campari, Möet & Chandon Impérial, plum bitters, crusta sugar, and a dried orange. Nothing says ‘Christmas is coming’ like a dried orange. And then rather than having to cross country ski home, like they do in the Alps, we took a train. Much more civilised. 

The Nightcap

Things are getting festive at the German Gymnasium!

Maker’s Mark reveals gingerbread pop-up at German Gymnasium

Sticking with Christmas for a moment, and we’re spotting a micro-trend for all things gingerbread this season. After Fentimans unveiled a life-size gingerbread house at London’s Skylight, bar and restaurant German Gymnasium has opened its very own tasty terrace, this time in partnership with bourbon brand Maker’s Mark. Described as a “sugar-filled wonderland”, the space features wooden huts, lights and lanterns galore, cosy blankets, and, of course, a mouthwatering, sweet-themed cocktail list. Serves include a Gingerbread Old Fashioned (made with Maker’s Mark and gingerbread syrup, topped with toasted marshmallow), and Maker’s Milk (Maker’s Mark, Kahlua, rum, vanilla, double cream and egg white, served in a milk bottle). Hot serves will also be on-hand in case of chilliness. Head to King’s Cross with haste if you’ve got a sweet tooth this December and January!

The Nightcap

This should put a stop to people judging a dram by its colour…

Glencairn releases black glass for Black Friday

In honour of Black Friday (which for better or worse, is now very much a thing), top Scottish glassmakers Glencairn has released a limited-edition glass that might be the blackest thing on the planet. It’s blacker than Darth Vader’s helmet, blacker even than Back in Black by AC/DC, the previous holder of this title. The colour not only looks very metal, but will stop you judging your dram by its colour, putting your olfactory system firmly in charge. Each glass costs £7 and comes in a black box, naturally. Only 1,000 have been produced and they go on sale first thing on Black Friday (so may be already gone by the time you read this). This season, black is very much back. 

The Nightcap

Good things come in small pubs

Guinness opens pint-sized pub for a cosy Christmas

Guinness is opening a tiny pub in Flat Iron Square in London from Thursday 5 till Sunday 8 December. From 1pm until 11.30pm, punters will be able to enjoy food, fire and more Christmas tunes than you can shake a stick at. There will also be a certain famous Dublin stout on tap. Here’s the best thing: it won’t cost you a penny. That’s right, free Guinness! Before you book your travel to central London though, we should let you know that it’s a very small space indeed so there’s only room for five people (not including the bartender) and you have to book.  Simply sign up via Design my Night and you can reserve the entire pub for you and a few friends. Oh, and you’re only allowed two pints each. Still, it sounds pretty ace. So gather your nearest and dearest, huddle into a tiny pub, and enjoy free beer. If you can think of a better way to keep out the cold, we’d like to hear it.

The Nightcap

The GlenDronach Traditionally Peated will be at MoM Towers soon…

The GlenDronach reveals its new release, Traditionally Peated

GlenDronach is showing us its smoky side with a brand new peated single malt! The GlenDronach Traditionally Peated harks back to the days in 1826 when the distillery was founded, and it was common practice in the Highlands to burn peat in the kiln towards the end of the barley malting. For the whisky, the distillery has kept it traditional sherried style, marrying liquid from a range of Pedro Ximénez, oloroso sherry and Port casks, all bottled up at 48% ABV. “The GlenDronach Traditionally Peated offers connoisseurs a rare opportunity to explore the distillery’s rich depths of sherry cask maturation, while paying homage to the robust peat-smoked earthy character of the early 19th century, that James Allardice himself would likely have enjoyed,” says master blender Dr. Rachel Barrie. “This wonderfully complex single malt presents notes of Highland toffee, dark honey and coal-smoked barley. Burnt orange and treacle glide over the palate, on a base of cloves and smoked bramble. Liquorice and dark fruits linger and intensify into the rich and earthy finish.” Sounds like a smoky Highland lip-smacker to us! Keep an eye out, it should be landing on our shores very soon…

The Nightcap

Getting your haircut so often you’re basically bald for the free Metaxa is most certainly a ‘mood’

Come for a shave, stay for a drink

There are few things more pleasurable than getting your haircut while enjoying a drink. Now, this could be some Wray & Nephew overproof rum drunk out of a teacup at Kyrie’s in Kensal Rise, or a single malt Scotch at Blades in Soho. Both we would highly recommend. But there’s a new contender in London town for best drink/cut combo. From now until the end of December, you will receive a free Metaxa Ginger Rock, a combination of ginger ale and Metaxa 12 Stars, when you book a haircut or a shave at Sharps Barber Shop in Great Windmill Street. For those who have never been to Greece where no meal is complete without a little glass, Metaxa is a blend of brandy, Muscat wine and botanicals, and, especially in 12 Stars form, is utterly delicious. We can see ourselves going for repeat utterly unnecessary haircuts just for the free Metaxa. 

The Nightcap

Sobar. Sober. So-bar… Oh, yep. I get it. Nice one, guys.

And finally… A snack bar claims it can make you less drunk

It’s not that we’re sceptical here at MoM Towers, but a piece of news reached us from across the pond this week that had our eyebrows raised pretty much to the roof. Sobar, a brand of snack-sized protein bars, is claiming it’s found a magic formula that will make us less giddy after one too many drams. Sort of. Apparently a study has found it reduces alcohol absorption, and, in comparison to other similar foods, it was about twice as effective per calorie. Each Sobar weighs in at 210 calories, and apparently it works because a thing called Alco-HOLD keeps the booze in your stomach for longer so it can be “inactivated”. “This research project started after I had too much to drink on an empty stomach at a wedding,” said SOBAR inventor Joseph Fisher, MD PhD.  “After that experience I thought that there was a huge need for a specialised, low-calorie snack that could efficiently and effectively reduce alcohol absorption.” Or you could. . . sip not gulp in the first place? Just a thought. 

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News

The Nightcap: 19 July

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It’s a bumper week for The Nightcap, with stories about Lizzo, Champagne, crystal, Snoop Dog and millennials. What a time to be alive. Welcome to yet another Friday! No, it’s…

It’s a bumper week for The Nightcap, with stories about Lizzo, Champagne, crystal, Snoop Dog and millennials. What a time to be alive.

Welcome to yet another Friday! No, it’s not a surprise sequel to the classic ‘90s flick Friday, though that would be pretty great. However, another Friday means another edition of The Nightcap, our weekly round-up of all the booze news stories. It’s almost like a movie, except much shorter. Which, honestly, probably a good thing. Did you see that superhero movie from earlier in the year? It was like nine hours long and didn’t even have an intermission to let me go get an ice cream. Take all the breaks you want reading The Nightcap this week. Grab me a Cornetto if you think about it.

So, on the MoM Blog this week we had Annie in charge of Cocktail of the Week, mixing up a Piña Fumada, and then she chatted to Ron Zacapa master blender Lorena Vásquez. Adam checked out the upcoming releases from Royal Salute – a blended malt and a peated treat. Henry took on a fun New Arrival of the Week which doesn’t even have a name, had a good nosey at some new Ocho Tequilas and continued the agave theme by having a natter with Björn Kjellberg.  Guest columnist Nate Brown turned his eye to the word ‘terroir’ and what it means for spirits marketing. Kristy met with Highland Park’s Martin Markvardsen and filmed a pretty detailed video interview with him, getting the scoop on all things Orkney. 

Oh, and then there was all this…

Yayyyyy Team MoM!

MoM marketing team scoops digital award!

We got all glammed up and headed to the big smoke on Wednesday night. Not just for cocktails (although we did head to the wonderful Swift afterwards) but to the UK Digital Growth Awards! And it was a particularly exciting evening. We picked up the In-House Team of the Year trophy for our marketing squad! It’s fair to say we were over the moon, and so proud of each other’s achievements. From the editorial and content teams to campaigns, film, email and proper geeky stuff like PPC, we genuinely love what we do. And it all loops back to sending the good people their booze! Hurrah!

Francois Saurel (The Serious)

Macallan parent company picks new leader for Asia Pacific region

Some big news just in from Edrington, The Macallan’s parent company. Frenchman Francois Saurel will be the new regional marketing director for Asia Pacific. The vacancy was created in March when the previous occupant, Igor Boyadjian, became managing director of The Macallan. Saurel who previously worked with beauty company Coty has spent over 20 years with luxury brands in both Europe and Asia. He will report to Boyadjian who commented: “I am pleased to welcome Francois to Edrington as the next regional managing director, Asia Pacific. His leadership skills, global luxury brands experience and his proven commercial track record, make him an excellent addition to an already talented team. Saurel said: “It is an honour to be leading the Edrington teams across Asia Pacific, a key strategic region for the business with many exciting opportunities and where Edrington is ideally placed to capitalise on premiumisation trends. Edrington is set up for significant long term growth, thanks to its unrivalled portfolio of brands, great people and unique culture.” Bon chance, Francois!

Seafood-specific Champers? Go on, then.

Piper-Heidsieck launches special seafood-friendly Champagne with Wright Brothers

Champagne house Piper-Heidsieck has created a special cuvée in conjunction with Wright Brothers. No, not the aviation pioneers from Ohio, that would be strange. No, these Wright Brothers are the London fishmongers. Glad we’ve cleared that one up. Anyway, this extra brut Champagne is called Essentiel by Wright Brothers. It’s drier than most Champagnes (only 5g of sugar per bottle) and it’s specifically designed to go with seafood, especially oysters and other shellfish. “We believe together we have created the perfect accompaniment for seafood and shellfish,” said Robin Hancock, co-founder of Wright Brothers. Emilien Boutillat, chef de cave at Piper-Heidsieck added: “A shared vision of sustainability and excellence made Wright Brothers the natural choice to visit us and take part in the creation of a bespoke Champagne to suit their seafood-focused restaurants. Champagne and oysters both strongly express their place of origin, and when enjoyed together make for a memorable moment.” Not so keen on seafood? We expect Essentiel probably tastes delicious with vegetarian options, too.

The Glencairn glass: taking over the world.

Glencairn now sells 65,000 whisky glasses a week

Award-winning Glasgow glassware firm Glencairn Crystal has just released some impressive figures. The company which supplies the likes of the Houses of Parliament, Liverpool Football Club, Diageo and the SWA with whisky tasting glasses, has been growing without a pause for 15 years. Sales have doubled sales every five years since 2004; in the latest figures Glencairn turned over £11.3m, up from £858k in 2004; now more than 65,000 Glencairn glasses are now sold per week globally. The world whisky boom has been great news for this family-owned business. Scott Davidson, new product development director said: “We are so proud of the success we have achieved in this past year. Our hardworking team and the worldwide growth of the spirits market, specifically whisky, has meant that we have been able to capitalise on what we do best – provide clients with a high-end customer service they can’t get anywhere else.” So let’s raise a glass, a Glencairn Tasting Glass, to this great Scottish success story. 

Happy 5th birthday, team ELLC!

Happy fifth birthday, East London Liquor Company!

On Monday we headed to deepest, darkest Bow to join some very special celebrations: East London Liquor Company just turned five! The distillery, bar and restaurant made the most of the weather, with guests spilling out across the courtyard, enjoying a barbeque, G&Ts and, in true ELLC style, Negronis on tap. It was a delight! An additional highlight? A gorgeous cake with sparklers for candles, and a really cute dog pottering about the place. Yes please. We highly recommend a visit: there’s a cocktail bar complete with seasonal menu, the food has a strong Italian emphasis, and you can check out the gorgeous stills while you sip! The distillery is open for tours, too. Check out the ELLC site for more details, or snap up a gin, vodka or rum right here. More whisky to follow!

I mean, fizz always makes travel better

Searcys Art of Travel launch with Sipsmith and Veuve Clicquot 

If your Eurostar trip feels like it’s missing that final touch, we might have just the ticket! Searcys Champagne Bar at St Pancras station is kicking off the summer with its brand new The Art of Travel Afternoon Tea, a collaboration with Veuve Clicquot, GlobeTrotter and Sipsmith Gin. Each of the 12 booths (it’s the longest Champagne bar in Europe, don’t you know) represents a different European destination, while the table has been transformed into a map alongside rather aesthetic pastel seating. Meanwhile, the tea itself brings together tasty delicacies from different European cities, from passion fruit Swiss meringue pie to smoked salmon crumpets. There’s even an avocado and quinoa wrap for the more health-conscious. The best part is, it’s even served in a suitcase! No kidding. To sip on, of course there’s a selection of delicious Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label, Rosé and other cuvées, or a whole host of cocktails showcasing Sipsmith Gin. Best of both worlds is the scrumptious ‘Take on the French 75’, which marries both gin and fizz! It’s available now until 9 September, and while you’re there just don’t forget to push the ‘Press for Champagne’ button. You’re welcome.

Drop it like it’s hot

The Coral Room brings actual Gin & Juice to Snoop collab

Have you heard the news? The Coral Room will be channelling its inner Snoop. How, you wonder? Well, the team will be serving Gin & Juice slushies at Soho’s Dogg House. It’s all in aid of one of the summer’s biggest footwear collaborations – Duke + Dexter and Snoop Dogg’s Limited edition loafers and sliders. There’s a delicious colour palette too:  leafy and acid greens against coral – that’s the shoes and the drinks. The Coral Room team will be bringing the West Coast lifestyle with its Gin & Juice serves. To add to the atmosphere, a DJ will play some of the iconic artist’s most famous work, while screening his best music videos. It’s the perfect backdrop to the limited-run collaboration. The Coral Room and its Gin & Juice will take up residence at 40 Berwick Street until 21 July, where the artists will be showcasing all 15 styles from the collection.

She like chardonnay, get better over time

Absolut teams up with Lizzo for a juicy summer

The new drink of the summer? According to Absolut, Absolut Juice is set to be the must-have spirit of the season. A new base for spritzy serves, it’s available in two delicious flavours: Strawberry and Apple. There are no artificial flavours, each drink is made with 5% real fruit juice, and at 99 calories per serving, it’s a lighter option, too. The most exciting thing? It’s in partnership with actual Lizzo! “When I heard Absolut was launching a new product called, ‘Absolut Juice’ it was like they made it just for me,” the Juice and Cuz I Love You singer said.  “It’s an honour to celebrate the success of my first single with Absolut’s new product launch and the synergy is almost too perfect.” The drinks you could make with the new ‘juicy surprises’ include the Absolut Juice & Soda (you’ll need 1 part Absolut Juice and 2 parts Club Soda) and the Absolut Juice Spritz (1 part Absolut Juice, 1 part Club Soda and 1 part Sparkling wine). If you’re feeling more adventurous, there’s also the Absolut Juice Strawberry Punch, with 1 ½ parts Absolut Juice Strawberry, 1 part lemonade, ½ part cranberry and a splash of club soda, garnished with a lemon peel. Another plus? They have a recommended price of US$19.99. We’re hoping both Strawberry and Apple will arrive at MoM Towers later in the summer!  

What cycling in 40°C looks like

Mentzendorff cycling team braves heatwave to raise £35,000 for The Benevolent

From 24-28 June, Equipo Mentzendorff slipped into their skin-tight cycling gear, got on their bikes and rode around Tuscany to raise money for The Benevolent Charity, an organisation that provides help and support to members of the UK drinks industry and their families. During the so-called ‘Giro di Toscana’, the team, made up of Mentzendorff staff members, customers and consumers, covered 300km during the recent heatwave with the thermometer hitting 40°C every day. Tough work – but they raised £35,000 for the charity! Mentzendorff is the agent for Bollingers Champagne, Taylor’s Port and many other big names, as well as producing a legendary brand of kummel. Team leader Andrew Hawes said: “I would like to thank the twelve riders, our support team and our incredible hosts, Ciacci Piccolomini and Fertuna, for their amazing efforts. Thank you also to everyone who has supported us and donated to this great cause.” Ross Carter, CEO of The Benevolent added: “We are incredibly thankful to Team Mentzendorff for their on-going support of The Benevolent and a huge congratulations for nearly doubling their fundraising target and for doing so in such intense climatic conditions!” Well done to everyone concerned. 

Join the Zero Likes revolution

And finally… Kahlúa reckons millennials are missing out on life’s key moments because phones

Kahlúa brings us some hilarious and somewhat concerning news this week, as the brand took it upon itself to survey a group of millennials about social media. The stats are… interesting. Over 90 percent believe it’s important to live in the moment, while, rather conversely more than half have also missed an important moment because they were too busy trying to capture it on social media! Perhaps even more alarmingly, one third of those surveyed said they would miss social media more than sex if they were stranded on an desert island. Geez. So, Kahlúa teamed up with actress Jackie Cruz (who you’ll likely recognise as Flaca from Orange is the New Black) to put on the Zero Likes Given exhibition in New York! Fabulous pictures without a single like on Instagram will be displayed, to ease the pressure of likes. Speaking of which, the coffee liqueur brand also created the Bottom Nine website, which generates your nine least liked pictures on Instagram! Go on, try it. We promise it’ll be funny.

Have a wonderful, phone-free weekend, folks!

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Cocktail of the Week: French 75

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For Mother’s Day we have a special cocktail that combines mummy’s two favourite things: gin and Champagne. Yeah, it sounds a bit odd but we can assure you the French…

For Mother’s Day we have a special cocktail that combines mummy’s two favourite things: gin and Champagne. Yeah, it sounds a bit odd but we can assure you the French 75 tastes delicious.

It might seem heretical to our modern tastes to add sugar and lemon juice let alone gin to Champagne but the Victorians were less precious. Dickens (who was a keen cocktail and punch enthusiast) would entertain guests with a mixture of gin and Champagne; and Queen Victoria’s drink of choice was whisky combined half-and-half with red Bordeaux. Sounds revolting but when you’re the Empress of India, who’s going to tell you you’re doing it wrong?

While I wouldn’t recommend going the full Queen Vic, we can learn from Dickens’ attitude to alcohol. I had a wonderful experience at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel a few years ago courtesy of Joe Stockoe of drinks company Heads, Hearts and Tails. First he made a chilled fruit punch in a large silver bowl and then for the pièce de résistance, poured in a magnum of Veuve Clicquot to finish it off. The sparkling wine made the contents of the bowl fizz and froth like a magic potion. It tasted pretty magic too.

The result was not dissimilar to this week’s cocktail. The French 75, or as they call it in France the Soixante-quinze, is named after a French artillery gun, the 75 millimetre. It (the cocktail not the gun) was invented by Harry MacElhone at Harry’s Bar in Paris just after World War One. Perhaps hoping to make a point about diminished French military might, one of the German officers in the film Casablanca orders it at Rick’s Bar. The French, however, get their revenge later by beating the Germans in a singing contest.

So, which Champagne to use in your Soixante-quinze? It’s probably a waste to use anything too expensive like Krug or Dom Pérignon (unless you’re feeling particularly swanky) but at the same time you do need a sparkling wine with the body to stand up to all those additions. I find Veuve Clicquot ideal for this purpose. After some experimentation I think it works best with a good amount of lemon juice, and the orange bitters really lifts the whole thing and brings out orangey notes in the Champagne. For the gin, I’ve chosen Barentz, a lavender-heavy little number named after a Dutch explorer (but distilled in Britain). 

French

It should look at bit like this

I can’t think of a better cocktail to make your mother feel appreciated, though some flowers too wouldn’t go amiss. . . and would it hurt to call once in a while?

35ml Willem Barentsz Premium Gin
15ml fresh lemon juice
5ml sugar syrup
100ml Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label
Dash of Fee Brothers Orange Bitters

Shake the first three ingredients with ice and strain into a Champagne flute. Top up with chilled Champagne, stir, add a dash of bitters and garnish with a lemon twist. Some of the creative types at Master of Malt have created a snazzy little film (above) to show you exactly how it should be done.

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The Nightcap: 22 February

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Greetings and welcome to Friday – you’re tuned in to your weekly round-up of all things booze news, The Nightcap! Yes folks, it’s Friday once again! Not only that, it’s…

Greetings and welcome to Friday – you’re tuned in to your weekly round-up of all things booze news, The Nightcap!

Yes folks, it’s Friday once again! Not only that, it’s also National Margarita Day, so if you’re not reading this edition of The Nightcap with a freshly-prepared Margarita, please feel free to prod anyone in arm’s reach and ask them kindly if they’d like to make you one. Or go make one for yourself and the aforementioned person in arm’s reach. Either way, ensure a tasty lime-and-Tequila-based beverage is in-hand before proceeding to read The Nightcap.

So, what’s been happening on the MoM blog this week? Henry taught us how to make a Margarita for our Cocktail of the Week, and hopped over to Ireland to check out the Dublin Liberties Distillery opening. Annie showed us the best time-saving treats for your home bar, and dug into the history of the Rat Pack and its connection to J&B Rare. Adam looked to the west and picked out some terrific Welsh drinks to celebrate St. David’s Day with. Oh, and we launched a gin. And won the Icons of Gin Online Retail of the Year award. As you do.

On with the remainder of the news!

Your love of Jim Beam meant it exceeded 10 million case sales!

Japanese gin and Jim Beam bolster Beam Suntory’s 2018 results

It was Beam Suntory’s turn to unveil those all-important 2018 numbers this week, and they make encouraging reading. Bourbon first, and Jim Beam continued its “strong momentum” to exceed 10 million case sales, while Makers Mark posted “double-digit” gains, passing the two million case-mark for the first time (that’s a lot of bourbon). Cognac brand Courvoisier and Canadian Club whisky contributed “high single-digit growth”, with Hornitos Tequila also performing well. But gin is well and truly in for Beam Suntory. Sipsmith’s growth was in double figures, while ROKU Japanese Craft Gin, which entered 31 new markets, “inspired strong sales”. Overall, Beam Suntory posted “mid-single-digit” sales gains. Cryptic, but clearly all’s well at the American-Japanese drinks group. Looking to future growth, Takeshi Niinami, Suntory Holdings Limited president and CEO, said in the financial results: “The key will be to continue providing high quality products like The Premium Malts and Jim Beam, and creating strong brands that are loved by consumers. In order to do this, we need to develop and grow premium products that have new value, which our rivals cannot offer.” Bring it on!

So this is what the future looks like…

Penderyn gets the green light for its second distillery!

Exciting distillery news alert, especially with St. David’s Day approaching – Welsh whisky producer Penderyn has got the go-ahead to open a second distillery! Planning permission for the new Swansea site was granted earlier this week, meaning work to transform the historic Hafod Morfa Copperworks site can get under way later this year. “Penderyn is delighted to bring a copper-based industry back to this area,” said Stephen Davies, Penderyn’s chief executive. “Once opened, we hope to see up to 100,000 visitors a year, and it will become one of the major attractions in the area. This all helps us promote our whiskies from Wales to the world.” The Lottery Heritage Foundation awarded £3.75 million to the project, which will comprise an exhibition area detailing the history of the copperworks, shop, tasting bar, conference suite and, of course, the distillery It’s all expected to open in 2022. Llongyfarchiadau, Team Penderyn!

A work of art – and that’s just the whisky!

Compass Box releases Leonardo da Vinci-inspired whisky

Just to remind us that blended whiskies can be seriously swanky comes a new release from the master of mixing, Compass Box. Called Tobias & the Angel, it’s named after a work by Verrocchio-Leonardo (meaning that it was painted at the school of Andrea del Verrocchio by Leonardo) hanging in the National Gallery in London depicting the biblical story of Tobias. The whisky is a blend of 24 year old Clynelish aged in American oak hogsheads and a peated Caol Ila of “considerably older age”, according to Compass Box. Founder John Glaser said: “For nearly 20 years, since we created our malt blend called Eleuthera in 2002, we have held a special reverence for the two distilleries used in Tobias and the Angel. That’s when I first discovered how perfectly these single malts complement each other. When we were recently offered extremely old and special parcels of whiskies from these two distilleries, I was compelled to put them together again.” He went on to say: “For this whisky, the name of the biblical story Tobias & the Angel just felt right; it seemed to reflect the personality of the two whiskies in this recipe. Searching through the many depictions of the story over the centuries, the Verrocchio-Leonardo painting had the beauty and the gravitas we wanted for this special creation.” Only 2,634 bottles will be produced and they will retail for around £450 ($500).

It’s time to party like your distillery manager used to work at a rum distillery in the 60s.

Ardbeg Day 2019: Time to get out your maracas

Well, have we got news for you. It turns out that the Islay-based Ardbeg distillery actually has some old connections to the Caribbean. Hamish Scott, Ardbeg’s distillery manager from 1964 to 1967, used to fill the same role at a rum distillery! Ardbeg Day has quite a reputation, with locals transforming everything from tractors to wheelbarrows into magnificent floats. Hence, on 1 June, during the famed Fèis Ìle Festival, Ardbeg Committee Members from around the world will gather in celebration of this year’s limited edition bottling, Ardbeg Drum. Dubbed a “peaty excuse for a party”, the single malt whisky has been matured in bourbon casks and finished in rum casks from the Americas, which should make for a rather interesting dram. It looks like this bottling will be as flamboyant as the celebrations surrounding it! The Committee release will go on sale from 5 March, though only a limited number of bottles will be released – let the festivities begin!

The GlenDronach 1993 Master Vintage, in all its glory.

The GlenDronach announces limited release 1993 Master Vintage

If you’ve ever enjoyed the pleasures of a Scotch whisky from Highland distillery GlenDronach (if you haven’t you need to correct this ASAP), then you’ll know that the brand specialises in bold, rich and predominantly sherried single malts. The distillery’s new release, The GlenDronach 1993 Master Vintage, is no exception. The liquid in some sherry casks filled in 1993 proved so exceptional that the distillery did the sensible thing and bottled some of it! The GlenDronach master blender, Dr Rachel Barrie, personally hand-selected the Pedro Ximénez and oloroso sherry casks used in this twenty-five-year-old expression, which was bottled at 48.2% ABV without chill-filtration or additional colouring. “With a quarter of a century slowly maturing in our renowned Andalucían casks, The GlenDronach Master Vintage 1993 Aged 25 Years has developed profound layers of depth and complexity, leading to an exceedingly long, voluptuous and memorable finish,” said Dr. Barrie. “Fans of The GlenDronach’s traditional Highland Single Malt can expect rich brandy-laced fruitcake on the nose, cocoa-dusted coffee and sultana brioche on the palate and lingering pecan toffee notes in the finish. I hope sherry cask connoisseurs around the world enjoy The GlenDronach 1993 Master Vintage, as an example of the finest sherry cask maturation.” Well, that sounds amazing. Is anyone else salivating a little?

Behold: Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon

Balcones readies new pot still bourbon

Hang on to your hats, American whiskey fans! Waco-based distillery Balcones has a new addition to its core range. Behold: Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon! Made using the brand’s Forsyth pot stills and aged for 24 months in new charred oak barrels, the mash bill features roasted blue corn, Texas wheat, Texas rye and malted barley. The result? An intriguing straight bourbon bottled at 92 proof (46% ABV). “Texas Pot Still Bourbon is about inclusivity,” said Jared Himstedt, head distiller at Balcones. “We wanted to create something that both long-time Balcones enthusiasts and people who are experiencing us for the first time can appreciate. By delivering flavour complexity within an approachable taste profile, we can introduce more people to the nuance of what we do.” Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon should be with us in the second half of 2019, but if you really can’t wait and fancy a trip to the US, you can get it from Texas, Florida and California now, priced at US$29.99.

The Dalmore and Massimo Bottura Present The Dalmore L’Anima Aged 49 Years.

Folks, we have Dalmore news! There’s a new expression on the block, and this one comes with some significant age. The Dalmore L’Anima Aged 49 Years was created by master distiller Richard Paterson and Massimo Bottura, owner of three-Michelin starred Osteria Francescana in Modena (voted the best restaurant in the world by the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards in 2018). 49 years-matured. Michelin-star chef. Dalmore. This should be good. Dalmore L’Anima – meaning soul in Italian – was inspired by Bottura and Paterson’s shared love of creativity, innovation and flavour. The 41.5% ABV cask-strength, natural colour expression is a marriage of Dalmore expressions previously matured in freshly-emptied small batch bourbon barrels; Gonzalez Byass casks which previously held 40 year old Pedro Ximénez sherry; and Graham’s vintage Port pipes. How does it taste? Sunkissed raisins, bitter chocolate, old English marmalade; freshly brewed Java coffee, Demerara sugar, pecan pie and crème brûlée, according to the tasting notes. But the most pleasing aspect of this new expression? It will be auctioned at Sotheby’s later this year raising funds for Bottura’s non-profit Food For Soul, which tackles fight food waste through social inclusion. “Bottura’s approach to deconstructing and reinventing daring food pairings is very similar to the way I approach whisky making,” said Paterson. “The coming together of our passions allowed me to create a whisky that is bold, different, full of warmth and completely unforgettable – it is a true reflection of the love, blood and balsamic that unites us.” Delightful.

The House of Peroni is a fully immersive experience

Introducing The House of Peroni 2019

Peroni Nastro Azzurro has kicked off its House of Peroni 2019 activation! The multi-sensory immersive experience is set London’s Covent Garden and features eight different spaces, inspired by eight emerging fashion designers. For example, the Sicily space focuses on light that recreates the Sicilian sky, the Nature and Maximalism room is full of botanical scents and a wall of man-made flowers, and the Future and Sci Fi area transports visitors to a futuristic time through industrial city sounds. Then there is, of course, the bar! Visitors are invited to sip on a selection of Peroni-infused cocktails crafted by Manchester-based bartender Sam Taylor, who has been mentored by Peroni Nastro Azzurro’s master of mixology, Simone Caporale. Taylor was scouted from a nationwide search for the best bartending talent, so expect great things from his creations! Each tipple is inspired by each of the eight designers, plus there’s Peroni Libera 0.0%, an alcohol-free serve just as stylish as its boozy counterparts. Just goes to show the Italian beer brand can keep up with current low alcohol trends. 2019 marks the seventh outing for the House of Peroni concept, which runs until 9 March.

Congratulations Scott Gavin!

Scott Gavin appointed bar manager at The Bloomsbury Club Bar

The Bloomsbury Club Bar, London, has a new bar manager. It’s UK World Class finalist Scott Gavin! With over 10 years of international experience in high-end hotels, independent cocktail bars and immersive bar outfits, Gavin began his career in 2006 in sunny Malta at Twentytwo, the island’s most prestigious bar. He returned to the UK in 2012 to become head bartender at the award-winning Limewood Hotel in Hampshire, before spending two years as senior bartender at the sublime Scarfes Bar at the Rosewood London. His first managerial role was at industry haunt NOLA, where he helped relaunch the bar. He also frequently collaborates with Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge. That’s some career, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can bring to The Bloomsbury Club Bar. “I’m thrilled to be joining the team,” said Gavin. “The Bloomsbury Club Bar has been really innovative in the way it works with brands and other bars across the world. This position will be a new challenge for me and I’m excited to help continue raising the profile of the bar in London and worldwide.” Best of luck, Mr. Gavin!

Golden Barrel LeClarc Briant

Behold! The golden barrel!

And finally… For the wine lover who has everything, how about Champagne aged in 24-carat gold?

Winemakers love experimenting with fermentation vessels. Wines can be made in oak casks, concrete tanks, stainless steel vats, and even clay amphora, just like in Roman times. But now one Champagne producer has come up with the blingiest way to make wine yet: in a gold barrel. According to The Drinks Business, Champagne house Leclerc Briant will be releasing a wine fermented and aged in a stainless steel barrel lined with 24-carat gold some time in 2021. When asked what was the point of a gold-plated barrel, winemaker Hervé Jestin talked about “a resonance between solar energy and the wine”. He then went on to say that the gold would “increase the level of solar activity during the first fermentation” and “makes a connection with cosmic activity”. We’ll have what he’s having!

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The best January refreshments!

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The annual season of overindulgence has ended. You’re probably in need of some good refreshment. These fab tipples ought to do the trick. It’s time to face up to facts….

The annual season of overindulgence has ended. You’re probably in need of some good refreshment. These fab tipples ought to do the trick.

It’s time to face up to facts. We overdid it last festive season. Again. There’s no point denying it. We spent most of December non-stop consuming. We put away more pigs in blankets than a fairytale wolf. Our plates were more potato than ceramic. Cheese boards and selection boxes trembled in our wake. It was the best of times. But it could never last.

Now we need some refreshment. To swap indulgence for invigoration. The kind of booze we treat ourselves to is a fine place to start. So, feast your eyes upon these fresh and fun tipples, a list of drinks we think make up some of the best January refreshments around!

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Tasting Pol Roger’s Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2008

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It’s been a great year for Churchill fans: Gary Oldman won an Oscar for Darkest Hour, Andrew Roberts released a Churchill biography, and best of all, Pol Roger have just…

It’s been a great year for Churchill fans: Gary Oldman won an Oscar for Darkest Hour, Andrew Roberts released a Churchill biography, and best of all, Pol Roger have just launched a new vintage of their Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.

Winston Churchill and Pol Roger go way back. I have seen an invoice from 1908 showing Churchill’s first purchase of Pol Roger Champagne, the 1895 vintage. The special relationship was cemented in 1944 (just after the liberation of Paris) at a lunch put on by the British ambassador to France where Churchill met with Odette Pol-Roger. They got on like a house on fire, no doubt helped by lots of the legendary 1928 vintage. Churchill became a great friend of the family and even named a racehorse after the house. In his last decade alone, he ordered 500 cases!

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The Nightcap: 14 September

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Friday has arrived, meaning another edition of The Nightcap is in order, complete with all the booze news from the week that was. Surf’s up, folks. Look at a calendar….

Friday has arrived, meaning another edition of The Nightcap is in order, complete with all the booze news from the week that was. Surf’s up, folks.

Look at a calendar. Whether that calendar is made of paper or pixels, it’ll tell you that today is Friday. Unless you’re reading this on a day that isn’t Friday – then the calendar will tell you that it was once Friday. That’s generally how calendars work. Sometimes they give you the definition of interesting words or a picture of a small dog hanging around in a fishing village, but mostly they exist to tell you when Friday is. It’s today. Therefore, The Nightcap is a thing.

Firstly, let’s see what happened on the blog this week. Our Annie recapped the first leg of her visit to Piedmont with Cocchi, then showed us how to drink like a particularly famous British super spy. Kristy got the low-down on the final addition to Diageo’s 2018 Special Releases (they’re now available to pre-order, too!). Henry chatted to Cabby’s Rum founder Moses Odong about making rum in London and The Knowledge, then gave us a Macallan history lesson. Phew.

On to the rest of this week’s booze news!

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The bank holiday boozes you need in your life

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With a precious bank holiday fast approaching (if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere that marks it) there is little time to waste. You need some delicious booze, but what…

With a precious bank holiday fast approaching (if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere that marks it) there is little time to waste. You need some delicious booze, but what should you choose? And where to find it? Don’t fret, dear reader. We have all the answers you need…

Bank holidays provide us with a well-earned break, a chance to catch-up with friends and/or family, and offer a seriously good excuse to indulge in a tasty tipple or two. So, what’ll it be this year? Maybe you’re one of the many going gaga for gin, or perhaps you’re on the lookout for a new go-to wine. Others will be searching for a superb single malt or are looking for some cocktail inspiration. With so many different styles and spirits around, the biggest challenge is finding the right booze to tickle your taste buds!

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