By Rob Pickard
With Christmas round the corner, I’m sure the spirits fans amongst you will be dusting off those obscure bottles in the spirits cupboard and stocking up on the essentials for the annual period of experimental cocktail making. However if you are drinking out over the next few weeks in London and want to sample …
By Pete, TheFloatingRumShack.com
I strongly suspect that Alexandre Gabriel, the President of Cognac Ferrand and creative genius behind the portfolio of Plantation rums is something of a magician. I imagine him weaving spells involving great rum from the Caribbean islands and a variety of interesting casks that have enjoyed a previous existence holding …
By Will Lowe, http://www.willlowe.com/
June 14th was a date I’d been looking forward to in my diary for quite some time. My debut judging with the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) was doubly exciting for the fact it was for the Tequila category, a long standing favourite of mine.
Upon arrival my first impression was, to be honest, that I must’ve taken a …
By Will Lowe, http://www.willlowe.com/
Recently I was asked to write a (frustratingly short) introduction to the world of whisky. Always willing to oblige, I did exactly that. Whisky is a real favourite of mine – indeed, it was whisky which got me interested in spirits in the first place. Apologies to those of you for whom this is old ground, but as I mentioned, the …
By Will Lowe, http://www.willlowe.com/
When I was asked to write an article on dairy based cocktails, my head was immediately filled with the sound of Calvin Harris singing “it was acceptable in the 80’s”. Fortunately, it’s a short song, so it wasn’t long before I was able to focus on the task at hand.
Fashions in what …
By Rob Pickard
With the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel’s Booking Office Bar officially launched earlier this month, the bespoke drinks menu, designed by Bibendum and consultancy firm Strange Hill, is bringing long lost Victorian punch recipes back to London’s bar scene.
The new menu offers customers an interesting look at an era when mixed drinks were beginning to emerge within …
By Rob Pickard
Since its creation in 17th century Europe, gin has taken an interesting journey through history. From its early days, when it was sold in pharmacies across Europe to treat ailments, before a boom in gin production in 18th century London; following the British government allowing unlicensed production. This leading to London’s ‘Gin Craze’ and the cause …
By Rob Pickard
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without indulging in a few seasonal drinks, and in true festive style, drinking things that at any other time of year would seem ridiculous: Snow Ball, Eggnog, Mulled wine……Cream Sherry!
Following a team Christmas party – which kicked off with a cocktail master class from Stuart Hudson at The Alice House, West Hampstead - I offer you …
By Will Lowe
Ageing in oak barrels is a critical part of the production process for many spirits. Once distilled, every spirit is completely clear, and it is only in the barrel that they take on their colour.
Barrels come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but are almost always made from oak, since the grain is tight enough to ensure the barrel remains water tight, but …
By Helen Graves, http://helengraves.co.uk/
The only ‘hard work’ involved in making sloe gin is foraging those sloes. Most recipes also advise you to painstakingly prick each sloe with a pin to allow the juices to leach out in the bottle. Forget this. I recently ran into Sipsmith’s master distiller, Jared Brown who gave me an absolute blinder of a tip – put the sloes in …
