by Will Lowe, http://www.bibendum-spirits.co.uk/
Our second distillery of the day, Samalens, was an absolute delight. We were greeted by Pierre, the great-grandson of John Samalens who founded the distillery in 1882. Located in the heart of Bas Armagnac, the landscape was notably different from Tenareze – not least by the surprising abundance of sunflower …
by Will Lowe, http://www.bibendum-spirits.co.uk/
Our long awaited tour started with a rather medicore breakfast at Gatwick airport. Our stomachs could not possibly have imagined the gastronomic delights which were awaiting us the on the other side of the channel.
Two representatives from Bibendum Spirits, one from Bibendum Wine, and a further four from Hotel du …
By Will Lowe, http://willlowe.blogspot.com/
The Samalens Singles 12
It’s been a while since my last blog, due, in part, to the number of fantastic events I’ve been lucky enough to attend of late.
Not least of which was the 700th anniversary of Armagnac. Hosted in the luxurious surroundings of the Connaught Hotel, those of us able to evade the army of Mercedes …
By Will Lowe, http://willlowe.blogspot.com/
Trailer is a legendary bar for a host of reasons. Their fantastic tiki menu, bewildering rum range, and ability to create world famous bartenders being just three of them.
Furthermore, the infamous ‘rum club’, an event which sees innocent rum representatives (such as myself) succumbing to the allure of alcohol in the name of education.
On Monday, May 10th, I had the pleasure …
By Will Lowe
What happens when you get a load of London bartenders together in a room, then fill it up with Tequila? Well, probably not quite what you are expecting. This would be due, in part, to the bad reputation which still lingers (undeservedly) around the tequila category. And, to be fair, the reputation which continues to thrive regarding London’s bartenders!
February 1st saw the launch of the El Tesoro Tequila competition, in which …
By Bibendumtimes
Thank you all for watching the video, thinking and naming the cocktail. Who would have thought shaking a jar could be that much fun. We really enjoyed some of the comments and couldn’t stop laughing at others. Don’t worry if you missed your chance. You can still watch Will in action and learn how to shake your jar properly and remember …
By Will Lowe
On Wednesday the 20th of January, bartenders and sommeliers from across the country converged on London’s Saatchi gallery for the undisputed (by me) industry highlight of the year: The Bartenders vs Sommeliers Superstars Competition. The drinks professionals were there to pit their skills head to head, in order to win not only an all expenses paid distillery tour trip to Cognac, but …
By Bibendumtimes
Following from last week’s Tim Atkin Caption Competition, here is this week’s chance to win a bottle of Laurent Perrier Ultra Brut Champagne. All you have to do is watch our very own spirits maestro Will Lowe make our Bibendum Times cocktail then come up with a name for Will’s creation.
The best name for the cocktail (as judged by the B …
By Will Lowe
The Will Lowe
It’s a recurring theme with Los Valientes. Almost without fail, when a bartender is left to play around with this molasses / sugar cane blended rum, they will end up creating a variation on the classic Old Fashioned recipe.
I believe this is due to the fact that the rum is very well balanced already. It simply does …
By Will Lowe
I’ve got a new toy. It’s a 0.5 ltr Mosa Nitrous Oxide Cream Whipper. Sounded very masculine until that last bit…Anyway, I’ve decided to put it to the test. And of course, a new toy calls for a new recipe! Starting out with my all time favourite rum, I made the basic inroads towards a rum old fashioned. A bar spoon of demerara sugar, …
