Last month 30 bartenders gathered in Manchester for a rum blending session lead by James Triffo from Banks Rum and Mal Evans the Mojo head honcho. After an educational talk on the blending process everyone in the room was given a selection of rums from across the Caribbean and allowed to blend their own.

Since then the blends have been resting  up to allow the flavours to blend together, tomorrow (Tuesday 8th May)they will be unveiled to allow the amateur blenders the chance to try their creations.

James and Mal will be joined by Banks Master Blender Arnaud de Trabuc who has flown over specifically to try the blends. Who better to judge the results than the man behind Banks Rum and I am sure he’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results (especially mine!).

The tasting session will be taking place on Tuesday 8th May at 7pm at Mojo Bar Manchester (19 Back Bridge Street, M3 2PB). Banks are inviting all of those who attended the session to come down and try their blends and have a chat with Arnaud.

If you didn’t manage to make it to the session you are more than welcome to come along for some complimentary Banks cocktails and cheer on the rum blending greatness (they have also promised a few surprises along the way – perhaps Triffo will be doing his Elephant impression again).

We look forward to hearing how the blends all worked out.

For more details e-mail James at james@spiritcartel.com or give him a bell on 0779 1275 419.

This year’s theme addressed the feminine side of Cognac, and how to make it more appealing to women ­– a concept most bartenders are no doubt already well-versed in.

See women love Cognac

Alongside leading drinks professionals from France, Germany, Austria and USA, the illustrious UK line-up included sommeliers Andrea Bricarello (Galvin Restaurants) and Laure Patry (Pollen Street Social) and bartenders Matt Armitage (London Cocktail Club) and Sophie Bratt (Harvey Nichols 4th Floor Leeds).

“The global meeting of minds in Cognac was extremely interesting to me as a bartender,” said Sophie. “It was inspiring to see how different countries view drinks, their customers and ultimately each other. I learnt a lot from the other bartenders, and sommeliers and will certainly be using/abusing some of their ideas, knowledge and stories.”

Day one for the UK crew saw a 4am wake-up call for the 7:10am to Bordeaux, a time when Cognac’s appeal exists only to those who have yet to get to bed. That all changed, however, when we landed in the rolling hills of South-West France and were immediately drawn in by the lush, green countryside and the fresh, unpolluted air, so distinct from the London environs we had just left behind.

It was lunchtime before we had our first taste of Cognac, a good thing as we would be tasting (and rating, for appearance, taste, colour, aroma and packaging) an awful lot of them over the next few days. For every VS you sample, there is also a VSOP and an XO. And we sampled more than 20 houses. And scored each one. That’s a lot of Cognac.

At the Paul Giraud house

The evening saw us divided into three groups to be taken out to the house of one of three small producers, either Paul Giraud, Voyer or Ragnaud-Sabourin, before the first of many Cognac tastings and fine French food. BarLifeUK visited the house of Paul Giraud, a family-run business that has been in the wine industry for over 350 years, before shifting to the focus to Cognac in the 1960s. It was fascinating to see the scale and humble nature of a small producer before visiting the opulence of the big Houses like Hennessey, Rémy Martin and Courvoisier over the following days.

Sophie Bratt put it best when she said, “The history of each house no matter how big is integral to the drink itself and it was amazing to realise that the cellar masters will sometimes never get to see the finished results of their hard work and that that will be passed on to their children and grandchildren. The highlight of the Summit for me has to be hearing the passion in the cellar masters and people of Cognac’s voices as they speak of their spirit!”

Day two began with two seminars covering the olfactory senses, and how they appeal to women, followed by an interesting look at Cognac in a social context and its implications for female consumers. Next stop was a three-course lunch, tasting and visit at Courvoisier, before a three-course dinner, tasting and visit at Rémy Martin. All with matching Cognacs, of course. Interestingly, of all the Cognac produced, only five percent is sold locally, suggesting perhaps that some work needs to be done not just in increasing its female market appeal, but also in the local market, too.

A cocktail workshop on day three saw everyone divided into teams to see who could come up with a Cognac-based cocktail that would appeal to women. Our group was assigned ‘Classic’ as our theme, imminently preferable to some of the other categories doing the rounds, including ‘Dessert’ and ‘Tiki’ – hands up who wants a French Zombie? Anyone for an Apple of Mai Tai?

The beautiful Cognac countryside as seen from Courvoisier

It should come as no surprise that BarLifeUK’s team – steered by larger-than-life US bar legend Willy Shine – came up trumps with the Lady Coeur – a heady mix of VSOP, orange and lemon juice, topped up with Champagne and lightly dusted with cinnamon. The Lady Coeur is now the official cocktail of the Summit, not bad for a morning’s work.

The final evening was a highlight for many, with dinner at Hennessy’s magnificent Château de Bagnolet. Very, very VIPs are able to stay in the house, but, as merely VIPs we had to settle for a three-course dinner, with matching Cognac and cigars for afters. For a group of few smokers, it is amazing how many people take up the habit when Cubans are around. Especially when matched with Hennessy Paradis Imperial. It would be rude not to, really.

Conclusions

So, after immersing ourselves in the world of Cognac and women for three days, what did this group of drinks experts conclude? According to the BNIC, the tasting sessions showed that in terms of packaging, women have a clear preference for a style that is luxurious and contemporary, and are particularly attracted to round bottles with creative and eye-catching labels. Interestingly, these are all characteristics that are reflected in women’s preferences in perfume packaging.

This parallel with perfume was also present when it came to taste and aroma, whereby the sweet, fresh-fruity notes found in Cognac like vanilla, cinnamon, ripe fruit, toffee and orange were judged across the board as more female-friendly.

According to Sophie, “Cognac, I think, is due a resurgence and it is important we get away from the historic social impression that it is simply an après dinner drink drunk in smoking jackets by the men! It certainly is not! Cognac is also a great cocktail base and has a spectrum of flavour which place fantastically at the heart of many great classics and drinks that I intend to make! It essentially has many feminine flavour profiles form the rich chocolate and coffee notes found in the Grande and Petit Champagne XOs to the lighter floral notes which can be found in the Borderies varietals. If anyone was to say to me they didn’t like Cognac now I would simply say they haven’t found the right cognac for their taste.”

Lady Coeur

The winning cocktail - Lady Coeur

45 ml Cognac VSOP
15 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
10 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
15 ml simple syrup
20 ml sweet vermouth
Champagne, to top
Cinnamon
Orange twist
Shake the Cognac, orange juice, lemon juice, simple syrup and sweet vermouth over ice. Strain into a martini glass and top with Champagne. Sprinkle very lightly with cinnamon and garnish with orange twist.

Brands Tasted: ABK6 – Paul Giraud – Voyer – Ragnaud-Sabourin – Château de Cognac – Delamain – Hine – Meukow – Louis Royer – Ferrand – SA La Gabare – Château Montifaud – Bache Gabrielsen – H. Mounier – Frapin – Camus – Guerbé – A. de Fussigny – Bisquit Dubouché – Martell – Hennessey – Rémy Martin – Courvoisier

Following on from the success of the concept from last year, Andrew Scutts is bringing Cocktails in the City back on an even grander scale. Running the day after Boutique Bar Show Manchester, Cocktails in the City is the only dedicated Cocktail Show for consumers in the UK.

Come up with the best caption to this photo and win a prize....

It is bringing together some of the cities leading cocktail bars including Socio Rehab, The Liars Club, Blackdog Ballroom and Harvey Nichols for an evening of cocktail making and drinks enlightenment. Visitors to the show will learn how to shake, muddle and stir cutting edge cocktails under the expert guidance of the cities (and indeed the worlds) leading bartenders.

Andrew had this to say: ‘This show reflects the increasing trend and popularity of cocktail culture and the fact Manchester has a world leading cocktail bar scene. This event is a unique opportunity to discover all Manchester’s top bars under one roof and learn the skilful art of cocktail making’

The show will run from 5:30pm to 10:00pm with visitors being charged £18 to attend which will give them three tokens to exchange for a cocktail. The unique twist here is that they themselves will make the drink under the expert tuition of the city’s top bartenders. They’ll also be competitions, demonstrations on the main stage and private tutored tasting sessions with local drink experts The Liquorists.

Tickets will be available on http://www.cocktailsinthecity.co.uk/ late February

Bars currently involved are:
Mojo Bar
Sandinista
Apotheca
Proof
Hula
Oast House
Corridor
Simple
The Liars Club
NOHO
Socio Rehab
Harvey Nichols
Epernay Champagne Bar
Australasia
The Alchemist
Room
Blackdog Ballroom
Keko Moku

Thanks to support from Purity Vodka, Makers Mark, Mandarian Napolean, Asahi Beer and Bacardi, there will be some great drinks on offer, proceeds for which will all go to the charity:

Hmmm. Rum.

Yosemite Sam Sour
Makers Mark, Mandarine Napoleon, fresh kumquats, egg white and lemon juice, shaken with orgeat syrup, Served short over cubed ice.

Everybody Loves WRAYmond
Wray and Nephew over proof rum, absinth, fresh pineapple and lemon juice swizzled with a Velvet Falernum soda. Served tall with crushed ice.

Pop Corn Treacle
Butter Pop Corn-infused Bacardi Superior stirred with Chocolate bitters, brown sugar and fresh apple juice. Served short over cubed ice and with a green apple crisp.

Get there for 7pm and support a great charity by drinking cocktails. Win.

64th&Social

64th & Social,64 Clapham High Street, Clapham, London, SW4 7UL

Ash and Daniel from Sahara Bar water the thirsty guests

The room itself wasn’t too shabby either, One Mayfair is an awesome space and was the perfect place to celebrate in grand fashion. The concept of the evening was a simple one, 8 bars would each produce a cocktail using 35ml Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge and then serve their drink from a mobile bar to the thirsty guests. These guests would then vote for their favourite drink/s using tokens. Sounds good doesn’t it?

Well yes it was, but the quality of the bars was really what transformed it into a great experience, the contenders were:

• Hyde & Co
• Worship Street Whistling Shop
• Mahiki
• ECC
• Sahara Bar
• Hawksmoor
• Salvatore at Playboy
• Beaufort Bar

Four bars at a time served their drinks and each bar was 4 deep from the minute it opened until the minute it closed as the crowd fought like it was the January Sales at M&S to get a taste. Despite the fact they were using alien bars and knocking out the drinks at a huge rate of knots the quality of the cocktails on offer was amazing.

We had our personal favourites but this competition wasn’t judged by a group of trade ‘experts’ with an unnatural love of sour ingredients and herb infusions. The guests at this event were mainly the great unwashed – the general public! In this industry we can sometimes lose perspective of what it is that the customers want from their drinks and this was a great opportunity to give them a voice.

As the voting ended and the counting of the tokens took place in a vault somewhere, the bartenders gathered, took a deep breath, a deeper slug on a cold drink and waited for the results. The prizes were impressive to say the least with the winning bar (2 bartenders per team) being flown out to Tales of the Cocktail 2012 and the runners-up receiving a trip to the Grand Marnier Chateau in Bourg-Charente.

The Playboy boys celebrating their win with Julien Lafond

In the end it was the Salvatore at Playboy (Fabien Marcault & Aaron Jones) who took out the win with Beaufort Bar (Jill Saunders & Ludovic Solmi) taking second and the Sahara Bar (Ash and Daniel Bovey) claiming third and the prize for our favourite cocktail ingredient of the year – Berroca sugar syrup!

It was a great night and I am sure the Playboy guys will have a great time over at Tales next year. The winning drinks are below for you to enjoy yourselves:

Salvatore at Playboy
Cordon Rouge Cocktail

• 40ml Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge,
• 20ml french merlot,
• 20ml pineapple reduction,
• 20ml demerara sugar and spiced butter mix.

All ingredients shaken and served in a coupette, garnished with redcurrents dusted with sugar

Beaufort Bar
L’Etoile

• 35ml Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
• 15ml Tanqueray Gin
• 20ml pressed apple juice
• 10ml pressed lemon juice
• 15ml star anise syrup
• Champagne

Served from a large punch bowl, with dry ice carbonating and chilling the drink. Garnished with a chuck of triple frozen ice and warm, caramelised flambé apples prepared a la minute. Served in a coupette.

Sahara Bar
Bartender’s Breakfast

• 40ml Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
• 30ml lemon juice
• 25ml Compass Box Asyla
• 1 tsp marmalade
• 20ml Berroca sugar syrup

Shaken and strained in a martini glass or coupette. Garnished with a lemon twist.

Firstly let me say that this is not a full write-up of every session that took place at the show for three simple reasons. Firstly many of the sessions were conducted in German and as I have stated before my German is like Sarah Jessica Parkers acting talent – non-existent.

Secondly, with 4 theatres across the show there was often several sessions happening at the same time and you have to pick your battles. Finally some of them were just too damn crowded, especially in the Taste Forum.

Like many of you reading this I’ve been to my fair share of educational events in my time on a huge variety of subjects, however what I love about this industry is that you never know it all. With the likes of Dave Wondrich and Anastasia & Jared delving into the annuals of history plus the constant innovation by a host of others there is always more to learn.

Philip Duff gets his Citrus on

With this in mind here is a very quick snapshot of just some of the things we learnt:

• All types of citrus descend from just 3 original types of fruit – Philip Duff, Citrus – A Science in Itself
• A place a Tiki Bar will never work? Polynesia – A Jacob Briars heckle during How To Open & Run a Tiki Bar
• Scotland invented the cocktail and the Daiquiri – Andy Gemmell’s claim during How It Was The British Who Inspired The World to Mix Drinks
• The reason certain American Whiskeys are sold in square bottles was to make them easier to hide from the cops during prohibition (under a car seat so it didn’t roll out for example) – Philip Duff, Age – The Final Frontier
• Joan Crawford once said that having a Pina Colada was ‘Better than punching Betty Davis in the face’ – Ian Burrell, The Pina Colada Paternity Test
• A Japanese dash bottle dispenses approx. 0.2g of bitters in each dash whereas an Angostura Bitters bottle is 0.7g and Regans & Peychauds is 0.9g – Don Lee, Bar Myth Busters

As you can see just from the above examples there was huge variety in the subject matter of the talks but all were full of interesting and new information. As I mentioned in the previous post on BCB we are investigating the claim that it is the best show in Europe. Well to achieve this there needs to be some great seminars – here is a more in-depth look at a few

Philip Duff – Citrus: A Science in Itself

Philip was here to look at one of the most used ingredients in cocktails around the world, Citrus. Why read me banging on about it when Philip has, as always, kindly put the whole talk with slides and an audio commentary online. In other words listen to him bang on about it instead – www.slideshare.net/philipduff

Angus Winchester, Jamie Wilson and Anjy Cameron – A View Behind The Counter: How to Open and Run a Tiki Bar

The start of day two in the main theatre saw a packed house (and kudos to the German bartenders for getting out of bed and into sessions that early – puts us Brits to shame) finding out some of the tricks of the trade when it comes to opening a Tiki Bar. Angus was joined by Jamie & Anjy from CheekyTiki who he first met in 2005 when helping to set up Mahiki, London.

Jamie & Anjy gave some really interesting insights into the Tiki scene as well as some of their own opinions, after all they should know, their company now employs 21 staff and has designed and fitted out 6 Tiki bars in the UK this year alone. I must admit I couldn’t agree more with them when they say a Tiki Bar is not a Tiki Bar unless it contains a Tiki statue, it is simply a tropical bar.

How much for a Tiki Statue? Well it depends on the type of wood and design etc but roughly £100 – £150 a foot for your very own designed Tiki. I think the BarLifeUK office may soon have a new member!

They also talked about the importance of some of the incidentals that can get overlooked such as:

• Clothing – this is no place for white shirts and blazers;
• Music – so hard to get right, try covers of popular songs in a tiki style or indeed the right type of Elvis Presley era tracks, as Angus pointed out no-one wants to listen to 21 minutes of bird song anymore;
• Atmosphere – all the décor you want will be let down horribly without the right lighting, it is key to enhance the look so don’t forget about it;

Angus also warned of the pitfalls of opening a Tiki bar and talked of some he had seen fail as the city or area just wasn’t ready for a Tiki Bar and a lack of promotion of the experience they were creating as much as the bar itself cost them dear.

Finally the subject of the Tiki Mugs came up. CheekyTiki now have 65 designs in their range and have built their own pottery so they can custom make anything for you. Tiki Mugs will get stolen out of your venue no matter how vigilant you are so embrace this, put your logo on them to act as a promotional tool or even sell them on the menu. Angus reminded the room of the old Café Pacifico shot glasses which read ‘Please return to Café Pacifico’.

Wayne Collins & Andy Gemmell – “Mixxit in Berlin!”: An Insightful Historic Journey on How it was the British Who Inspired the World to Mix Drinks

One half of Wandy in full flow

As well as winning the award for the longest seminar title in history, Wayne & Andy’s talk had the potential to be the shortest in history with a mass walkout of the German bartenders when they were informed the Brits invented everything and the Germans are historically useless.

However this worry was soon dispelled as Wandy (it’s just easier than typing both names out) quickly showed that the Germans were in fact instrumental in several classic drinks.

The Mixxit training programme is based around 7 families of cocktails – The Punch, Milk Punch, The Sling, The Cocktail, The Sour, The Cobbler and The Highball – and it was the history of these drinks that Wandy were looking at to prove their point.

As you can imagine the talk took a potted, alcoholic and very funny look back at history of drinking, cocktails and booze in general. Wayne acted as main history professor whilst Andy chipped in and made some great drinks which were handed out to us in the crowd (he was shaking a little carefully however, which may have something to do with a very entertaining incident the day before – ask him all about it next time you see him!).

There was a huge amount of information in the talk which I don’t have space to go to in depth to here but I am hoping that Wandy will let me write about in more detail with pictures etc soon (perhaps not calling them Wandy would be a good start in making that happen!). However here are some key dates and facts:

• 1590’s – Shakespeare wrote about the sack posset – an early flip surely?
• 1638 – Punch defined for the first time by a German Adventurer Johan Albrecht de Mandelslo
• 1775 – The Glasgow Punch (better than a Glasgow Kiss) made with Rum, Citrus juice, Sugar & Nutmeg (this predates the Daiquiri, cue Andy’s Scottish boasting)1712 – Dr Richard Stoughton creates his Elixer the first commercially produced bitters which is commonly mixed with Brandy and Port
• 1759 – Sling first mentioned in US literature from the German word Schlingen
• 1785 – Joseph Brama invents the beer pump in London, the swans neck part was referred to as the cockstail after its similar appearance, and rumour has it that at the end of the night the last dregs from each of the pumps in a pub were put into one glass and sold – called a cockstailings!
• 1798 – First mention of a cocktail is in the British Press
• 1825 – Gin Palaces serving Gin & It – the precursor to the Martini
• 1850’s – Jerry Thomas visits the UK before publishing his first book which is riddled with British Cocktails

All this info and a whole lot more was used to prove that all of the 7 families of cocktails have British roots, 4 have US roots and 2 German. I hope to bring you all the info on that soon.

Philip Duff & Audrey Fort – Age: The Final Frontier

Some aged Hanky Panky's on show

Philip was joined on stage by Audrey Fort from G’Vine Gin for this presentation, who has been aging some cocktails in barrels over in Cognac where she is based.

They first tried this experiment for a talk at Tales of the Cocktail in July and the results were so successful that they have gone a step further this time and we got to try the results, but back to that later, first Philip has some information on barrels for us.

Why were barrels so commonly used to transport everything? Simply put, you can’t roll a box. In fact it was a recent as 1950 that the main form of transporting goods across the globe was in barrels before the Americans ruined it all by inventing shipping containers.

However one of the spirits brands we most associate with barrel aging, rum, wasn’t traditionally stored in them at all. If you have been to the Caribbean you would have noticed a distinct lack of trees, a lack of trees led to a lack of barrels and as a result rum was stored in leather bottles.

This gave the rum a very distinct flavour, so much so in fact that when barrels started to be used the locals were so horrified by the change in taste that distillers had to add chopped up leather into them.

Then it was time to taste the cocktails that Audrey had been aging. First up was a White Lady. Whilst very nice we didn’t get a huge difference in the aroma or taste from the freshly made sample we were given alongside as a comparison.

One of the main reasons for this seemed to be that the barrel that Audrey used was the same that had been used to age a Vesper earlier in the year and it appeared that the Vesper had taken most of the flavour from the barrel. The Hanky Panky however was a whole different barrel of fish.

We tasted a freshly made Hanky Panky alongside one that had been aged in used Cognac Barrels and another that had been aged in new unused French Oak barrels. Both had been aged for 13 weeks with Audrey and her team tasting them every 5-6 days to keep an eye on how they changed.

Both aged cocktails had a distinctly different taste and it was fantastic to see the difference the two types of barrels had. In the end I think I still preferred the freshly made cocktail but the others were both very enjoyable to drink and a lot of others preferred the aged versions.

The key point that both Philip and Audrey wanted to get across was the importance of regular tasting of the cocktails as they age. They also suggested using a tasting sheet which you can then use to create a chart showing the influence time had on the various aspects of the drink. As always the full details of Philips talk including the aging charts produced by Audrey can be found online at www.slideshare.net/philipduff

There were many other fantastic talks and I have a notebook full of scribbling bursting at the seams however the above should give you a good idea of what was happening. My only advice is that before you come to the show next year invest in a cloning machine, it will be well worth the money!

As for the answer to the original question ‘Is this the best show in Europe?’ well no it isn’t. As far as I am aware it is currently the best show in the world. Other events may have more talks (Tales of the Cocktail), other events may have a more varied group of exhibitors (Imbibe Live!) and other shows may have more events surrounding it (Sydney Bar Show) but none of them have such a complete combination of these three.

Oh and to top it off there are a shed load of bars to visit around Berlin. Simply put we can’t wait for next year.

…but when the tasting is at Dre Masso’s new bar L.T.D. @ The Social, with Tomas & Julio in attendance, well wild Agave couldn’t keep us away. Due to the nature of Ocho, a tasting is always a very interesting and enlightening affair, especially when Tequila royalty in the form of Tomas Estes and Julio Bermejo are in attendance. For those who have not been lucky enough to attend one of these tastings let me quickly explain why Ocho is unique.

Tomas & Julio are impressed by BarLifeUK's Elephant impression

First things first, Ocho tequila is a joint partnership between Tomas and Julio’s wife’s family, the legendary Camarenas. That in itself is enough to tell you that it’s a tequila worth trying but that isn’t even half the story. The fact that Ocho is one of the few Tequilas still made using old fashioned, traditional techniques still only takes you to just over half the story.

You see Ocho is the only tequila which is both vintage and field dated. This means that each bottle not only has the year in which it was produced but also the precise field from which the agave comes – each batch is single estate; single field.

We have all heard the wine industry bang on about ‘terroir’ and how it has a huge effect on the taste of the wine, well Tomas has used this theory in his tequila and boy can you see where he was coming from when you try the different vintages side by side.

It is this vintage and field listing angle which makes an Ocho tasting so interesting and so unique. In our session we tried the following:

• 2007 Blanco called La Rivera which is from a Valley estate
• 2008 Blanco called Las Pomez from a Highland estate
• 2010 Blanco called Los Mangos from a Valley estate
• And the latest vintage to hit our shores
• 2011 Blanco called El Puertecito from a Highland estate

The difference between the different vintages is incredible and anyone who has ever uttered the words ‘all tequila taste the same’ needs to be slapped and then given a couple of Ocho vintages to try (in that order).

Whilst we tried the tequilas (expertly served by Stuart and Herb from Cask Liquid Marketing in their best trolley dolly modes) Tomas and Julio told us more about tequila in general and what gives Ocho its taste in particular.

Agave Plants

Everyone loves Tommy

Firstly we looked at the Agave plants themselves. Did you know that one agave plant gives, on average, 35 kilos of usable flesh and it takes 8 kilos to make 1 litre of 50% tequila? The ripeness of an Agave plant when it is harvested makes a big difference to the taste of the finished product. Much like a banana the ripeness of the Agave can be determined by its appearance.

Ocho pick their Agave plants when they are at what is known as a ‘supreme state’, which in the world of bananas we would probably call overripe. The reason for this is that you get the sweetness as usual but the over ripeness also gives it a slightly bitter edge resulting in a greater and more complex Agave taste.

The harvesting of the Agave is also a very important part in the Ocho process. Due to the fact that it is not a mass produced tequila the jimadors are able to pick the exact plants to harvest rather than stripping out the whole field. This helps to ensure that the plants are at exactly the right state when harvested.

Tomas and Julio also discussed the importance that the location of the estate, and the field used, has on the final product. Someone telling you about this is interesting enough however when you can taste the differences in the glasses in front of you it takes on a whole new meaning. I, for one, discovered that I definitely prefer the valley style of tequila over the highland style during our session.

Guest DJ’s

Once the tasting session was over the night was still young and there was an extra treat in store for us all. As I mentioned the session was taking place at L.T.D. @ The Social and what a great venue it is. We will be telling you more about this place in the coming weeks but in the meantime if you haven’t been then get your arses down there pronto.

Whilst Dre and his team pumped out some epic Tommy’s Margaritas first Tomas then Julio took to the decks (ably assisted by Herb) for their own Desert Island Discs. Not only were we treated to some fantastic tunes but we were given a printout showing the songs picked and a little explanation explaining what each song meant to them.

Below is their playlists along with a couple of the explanations but before that a special mention must be made to the Steve Reid Foundation who The Social were raising money for through a raffle whilst we enjoyed ourselves. Also if you want more info on Ocho Tequilas and the opportunity to try these great brands then get in touch with the guys over at CASK Liquid Marketing.

DJ Tomas E

'Soy capitan, Soy capitan, Bamba, Bamba.... Everyone!... Bamba, Bamba'

• Jackson Brown, ‘Baby’s Feeling Funny in the Morning’
• Bob Dylan, ‘Song for Woody’
• Toots and the Maytalls, ‘Love Gonna Walk Out On Me’
• Eric Clapton, ‘Please Be With Me’
• Los Lobos, ‘La Bamba’ - This is good dance music. Los Lobos are homies. They grew up near me and later lived in my hometown. We like to reminisce about life on Whittier Blvd in East LA.
• Shirelles, ‘Baby It’s You’
• Ray Charles, ‘What’d I Say?’
• Fleetwood Mac, ‘For You’
• Jeff Buckley, ‘Halleluja’ - Beautiful, haunting song by Leonard Cohen. Reminds me of opening Café Pacifico Sydney. After closing we’d turn on Jeff Buckley and sing along while lying on the restaurant floor, sipping Tequila. It was like singing in the shower in its acoustics.
• The Beatles, ‘Love Is All You Need’
• Mose Allison, ‘A Young Man ain’t Nothin in the World ‘til He’s Dead’
• Ray Davies and Jackson Brown, ‘Waterloo Sunset’
• Music From Hair, ‘What a Piece of Work is Man’
• Lyoll George, ‘Rosarita’
• Unknown, ‘El Rey’ - We had a unique Mexican waiter at Café Pacifico in Paris in 1984. He would sing a cappella as he served tables. He sang ‘El Rey’ in Spanish and would translate it in English as he went along. El Rey is a song representing the macho side of men.
• Neil Young, ‘I Believe in You’
• Judy Collins, ‘My Father’
• Jimi Hendrix, ‘Little Wing’
• Michel Legrand, music from ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’
• Ramblin Jack Elliot, ‘Blue Eyes Cryin in the Rain’
• Lou Reed, ‘Pale Blue Eyes

Judge Julio

Available for brithdays, weddings and bar mitzvahs.

• Theme from Mission Impossible
• Vincente Fernandez, ‘Los Mandados’
• Roberto Carlos, ‘Amigo’
• Rare Earth, ‘Get Ready’
• The Champs, ‘Tequila’ - The national anthem of Tommy’s! Needless to say if it were not for Tequila, I would not be here today nor would I have had the opportunity to meet and enjoy many of your companies. Nick Strangeway and I never would have invented the tequila luge, nor would I have ever met Lily in Arandas. To quote Stefano Francavilla “God bless Tequila!” nothing else needs to be said.
• U2, ‘Pride (In the name of Love)’
• Luis Miguel, ‘El Viajero’
• Earth Wind and Fire, ‘Got to Get You Into My Life’
• Police, ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’ - To me everything Lily does is magic! Te amo, Mi Vida!
• General Public, ‘Tenderness’
• Carlos Baute y Martha Sanchez, ‘Colgando en Tus Manos’
• Astrud Gilberto, ‘Girl from Ipanema’
• Juanes Song, ‘Es Por Ti’
• Katrina and the Waves, ‘Walking on Sunshine’
• Carlos Santana, ‘Samba Pa Ti’
• Tony Bennett, ‘I Left my Heart in San Francisco’ - San Francisco is my town! I am one of its biggest promoters. I was born there and it will always be my home though I consider myself a citizen of the world. I love showing visitors how beautiful she is. Indeed Lily has my heart now, but whenever I am far from San Francisco, Tony Bennett brings me back home!
• Nat King Cole, ‘Fantastico’
• Prince, ‘Take Me With You’
• Luis Miguel, ‘Sabes Una Cosa’

The general consensus was that it is the best show in Europe. A big claim. Well is it? Here are our thoughts, and let me start this by saying that we were invited over by the organisers of the show to be their official overseas media partners, but fear not we  won’t let this sway our report back to you our trusting readers.

Vodka anyone? The Poland area was the place to be

Those of you who remember the old days of the bar. show in the UK when it was based at the Islington Design Centre would immediately see the similarities with BCB. It is housed in an old train building from 1907, which provides a fantastic backdrop to the show itself – think the Design Centre on steroids. The venue helps to add to the overall buzz of the show which hits you like a wall of boozy goodness the moment you step through the doors.

Based over two levels, the main halls are home to hundreds of brands showing their wares and happily handing out samples for visitors to taste. For people like me who are used to the strict sampling rules of UK shows, it is a welcome change to see a lot of the brands making cocktails with their products and serving them in glass glasses. Yes glass! Sure there are plastic sampling cups as well, but there is something very civilised about enjoying a drink at a show in a nice sturdy rocks or elegant cocktail glass.

New products to enjoy

For a UK visitor the amount of products that are not available on our shores is breathtaking. Rums, Tequilas, schnapps, liqueurs, soft drinks, vodkas and even gins which I have never seen before are in abundance.

Monkey 47 one of the great new products to enjoy

I particularly enjoyed a new gin called Monkey47 which is unfiltered and partnered by a Distillers Cut, with some fantastic packaging and a really passionate team. Also standing out was a new product from Jim Beam called Devils Cut which has a fantastic back-story and was mixed into a lovely Manhattan twist by Wayne Collins using Earl Grey Tea leaves, orange bitters, peach syrup and Rosso Vermouth. Devils Cut isn’t available in the UK yet but I have it on very good authority that it will be making its way over early next year.

Also on hand was the UK’s very own Nick Wykes with a company called The Wild Geese who produce an Irish Whiskey. They were launching at the show a new rum brand which Nick himself has been responsible for putting together. It is available in the UK if you ask Nick very nicely!

The big guys were there with some excellent stands from speakeasies and educational rooms to huge brand stands and sitting alongside them are dozens of smaller boutique companies. My German is about as effective as the Scotland rugby team however this never gets in the way of finding out all about the brands on offer.

This year’s guest country, Poland, wasn’t missing out either, hosting a huge table covered with dozens of vodkas to try… a display of vodka loveliness that would give Ian Burrell nightmares but gives the rest of us a unique opportunity to not only sample vodkas we haven’t tried before. Next to this table is a ‘Poland Bar’ with some of the country’s best bartenders knocking out great drinks for those wanting to see what this often neglected country has to offer.

Talks, Tastings and Educationals

Alongside the exhibitors were 4 educational theatres dotted around the show – a main theatre, 2 demo bars and a tasting forum. The talks on offer and the level of speakers were both excellent, and in a couple of days I will give you a full breakdown of some of the best sessions I attended. Just to whet your appetite they included a The Pina Colada Paternity Test by Ian Burrell, Philip Duff on the Science of Citrus, How to Open a Tiki Bar by Angus Winchester and the Cheeky Tiki crew and Wayne Collins & Andy Gemmell on how the Brits brought the world the cocktail.

Jim Meehan was on hand to sign books and hand out rum

The beauty of trade shows of course is the networking side of things, catching up with old friends and making plenty of new ones is one of the reasons shows are so enjoyable. BCB are acutely aware of this and in the centre of the show is an outdoor courtyard full of chairs and benches where you can grab some food and a drink, and natter away to your heart’s content. With guests from the UK, the States and all across Europe you never walk far before bumping into someone you greet like a long lost relative.

Throughout the show there are animated conversations taking place next to full on business deals, introductions alongside deep discussions and all seemingly happening in approximately 3 languages simultaneously.

Before you leave there is also the BCB shop to visit with some of the finest bar tools from around the world available for purchase. From Shakers to Strainers, Dash Bottles to Tiki mugs and bowls the shear quality of the products on offer will ensure even the most welded shut wallet of any bartender will be opened as they pass by.

If you are thinking maybe it is something you may visit next year let me save you the worry – yes it is! Start booking your holiday, looking at flights and searching for hotels as this is a show you really need come to. As for whether it is the best show in Europe right now well I haven’t told you about the seminars yet so let’s wait a couple of days for that we report before we make that decision shall we?

As I sit here in the bar of our hotel, the fantastic Michelberger, the fuzzy memories of sitting in this very bar last night are coming back to me. Why they are fuzzy I have no idea, I left so recently the chair was still warm when I sat down.

Whilst most of the international contingent arrived yesterday I was lucky enough to be around since Saturday which gave me an extra night to explore a couple of bars. After a quick ‘meeting’ with Steffen and Helmut from BCB washed down with a Tannen Zapfle beer a taxi took me to Hefner on the other side of town.

It was only a brief drink in Hefner before I gorged myself on Pork Knuckle and Sauerkraut at dinner but it was a great introduction to what Berlin has to offer. Sitting at the bar we enjoyed a Chocolate Orange Smash and a Horse’s Neck with the sort of bourbon measures not normally found outside of Las Vegas. The bartender, Nico Krzanr, was working hard to produce some great looking drinks in antique glassware and a quick look round the bar showed that everyone in there was drinking cocktails and looking like they were settling in for the long haul – a good sign indeed.

After eating enough dead animal to make a lion sleep for a week and me realise why the stereotypical image of a German man is fat and happy we headed onto Reingold. For the first year Berlin is holding its very own Rum Festival on the weekend before BCB and there was a party that evening at Reingold to celebrate, hosted by Abuelo Rum from Panama.

Reingold is a long thin venue with a bar running three quarters of its length. Being that it was a Saturday and a rum party it was no surprise that it was rammed. Despite this the lovely hosts from Abuelo quickly furnished us with a couple of daiquiris before leading us over to the ‘machine’ in the corner. From a secret stash he produced a piece of sugar cane and with the sort of gleeful joy that is usually reserved for children finding a Christmas Day present contained a PS3 AND a BMX, juiced away until he was red faced and the half full glass was ready to receive a healthy pour of rum.

One think to bear in mind with Berlin is that a lot of the bars are still very much smoking venues and it reminds me of the good and bad points of the anti-smoking ban. For a start if you are in a foreign city it makes it a lot harder to find the bars as you walk down the street – where is the gaggle of 5 shivering smokers puffing away when you need them to mark the entrance?

It is great to see people relaxed and enjoying their right to smoke without having to leave their friends on their own (there must be a lot less Facebook updates from people in bars in Germany). On the flip side in a packed bar without great air con it got a bit too much – perhaps I’ve just gone soft over the last few years.

I left Reingold with the glow of a man who has enjoyed some good drinks and with the knowledge that I was going to really enjoy the next few days in Berlin and Sunday night certainly didn’t disappoint.

The Michelberger Hotel is not only my home for the duration of the show but also the home of most of the international speakers, and what a hotel it is. I could bang on about the unique, minimalist rooms in this boutique hotel but all I need to tell you is that on channel one in each hotel room is The Big Lebowski on continuous loop! If you ever needed an excuse to leave a room and get a drink inside you then watching The Dude necking a White Russian will do the job.

With a Dude like spring in my step I headed down to the foyer on Sunday to make my way to the first opening party at Booze Bar. A gang had already formed ready to walk over and if any reminder was needed that this wasn’t a normal Sunday night then having Jared Brown leading the troops on a merry wander was certainly it – he just needed an umbrella to hold up to complete to look.

The party at Booze Bar was celebrating Poland as the first guest country at BCB, with vodka aplenty and some great little plates of food floating round I quickly got into the spirit. A scan around the room told you that it was show time with Jared and Anastasia in one corner, gaz Regan holding court in another, Ian Burrell refusing to drink vodka by the bar and Philip Duff’s laugh floating across the crowd.

Cocktails and beer were flowing freely, I sipped on a Clubland Dog (a mix of White Dog, Dry White Port and Angostura Bitters) whilst Dean Callan rediscovered the Lemon Drop wondering aloud why on earth it had been so long since he had last had one.

Ordering Burrell a beer wasn’t as easy as it sounded when he requested a shot of Grenadine in the top of the bottle claiming it as a Tiki Beer (I should have put a shot of vodka in as well just to watch him drink it) luckily the bartenders English made this an easier task.

One launch party down two to go, so with Messer’s Duff and Burrell in tow along with the award winning Stefanie Holt we jumped a cab to Rum Trader. On route Phillip extolled the joys of this tiny bar, claiming it to be his favourite in the world – quite some recognition for a man who travels as widely as he.

It didn’t take long to see why. The bar would be busy with 10 people in it, luckily they had foreseen the extra numbers coming and erected a tent on the street to deal with the over flow.

The number of rums on the back bar from all over the world was quiet something and Stef quickly bought a round of El Dorado 15 year old to toast the sad news of the passing of El Dorado Master Blender George Robinson earlier that day.

I never met George however I am sure he would have approved of Rum Trader as a venue to remember him in along with the company – a room full of rum and drinks aficionados. Next up came a Daiquiri followed by a Rum Sour all expertly made by the team of dapperly dressed bartenders who must have more combined experience behind the stick than the team from pretty much any bar around.

If there was any doubt left that this was a holy place for rum the presence of a priest sat at the end of the bar (apparently a regular) confirmed it. As the drinks flowed we were joined by Richard Searle and Robert Burr however there was no time to settle in to comfortably – there was still a third opening party to get to at Amano Bar.

The Travelling Mixologists were hosting the party at Amano and I have to admit at this point that we were running a little late. We didn’t arrive until gone midnight, the white coats had disappeared from behind the bar and I feel we missed the big show. After the intimacy of Rum Trader I wasn’t prepared for the scale and the energy of Amano to be honest I was a bit overwhelmed and decided that a return visit was probably the best way to enjoy the venue so we bailed.

After a failed attempt to get into a couple more bars in the area it was back to the hotel to prop up the bar and enjoy a few more drinks (plus a kebab the bartender was kind enough to let us devour at his bar) before crashing out to recharge for what is bound to be a hectic couple of days.

It’s been 36 hours in Berlin and I feel I have only scratched the surface but what a surface! I hope Berlin doesn’t mind if I scratch some more over the next 48 hours and look forward to bringing you all of the news from the show itself. Right time to get out of here and blind taste 18 rums with Ian Burrell – this is what Mondays were made for!!

Jameson has a long running association with film and this year they are running The Jameson Apartment which will be accessed via a secret door on Greek Street just of Leicester Square. Open from the 12th – 27th October from 5:30pm the Jameson Apartment will offer a different concept every night, mixing film related fun with some exclusive cocktails designed by none other than Mr Jameson, Ed McAvoy.

The Jameson Apricot Sour

Visitors will have to enter a secret password into a phone to gain entry to the 1920’s inspired experience hosted by Clayton Hartley who is one of the brains behind the successful Candlelight Club.

To find out more about what is happening and find the secret password jump on their website or Facebook page.

Here are a couple of the cocktails that Ed has put together and as always his drinks are a lot better than his ‘fast’ bowling skills:

Jameson Apricot Sour
35ml Jameson
12.5ml Apricot Brandy Liqueur
20ml Apricot puree (jam)
20ml pressed cloudy apple juice
10ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
Stir apricot puree (jam) with Jameson until it dissolves. Add other ingredients, shake with ice and fine strain into ice filled Old-Fashioned glass. Garnish with a lemon zest twist.

Jameson Caramel Manhattan
35ml Jameson
15ml Caramel Liqueur
12.5ml Rosso/Sweet Red Vermouth
25ml pineapple juice
2 dash Peychaud’s bitters
Shake all ingredients with ice and fine strain into chilled Martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist (discard) and pineapple wedge on rim.

One of last years new products

The Boutique RumFest is a new event which has been created especially with the bar trade in mind. Taking place on the 14th October from 12pm – 7pm at The Hilton Olympia, Boutique has been specially put together to give all those new and boutique rum and cachaca brands the opportunity to sample their products to the key people in the trade…. That’s you!

There are currently 16 companies signed up with dozens of brands available most of which even the most dedicated rum bartender won’t have yet been able to try. Not only will there be all of these lovely products to try but the afternoon also has a series of talks but some of the world’s leading rum and drinks experts such as Jeff Beachbum Berry, Dave Broom, Stefanie Holt, Tito Cordero and of course Mr Ian Burrell. All of the talks are free to attend but will be run on a first come first served basis so don’t miss out.

On top of all of this there will the first round of the Tiki Bartender of the Year competition sponsored by Don Q Rum with the grand prize of a walk on part in a Hollywood movie – oh yes!! There will be more details on how to enter this on BarLifeUK in the next couple of days so keep an eye out.

If you thought it couldn’t get any better than that then you are sadly (or happily) mistaken as the cherry on top of your little rum cake is yet to come….. The whole event is free to attend!! All you have to do is be part of the trade and fill in the form on the Boutique RumFest website to get your invitation.

Also don’t forget about the big event itself the UK RumFest on October 15th – 16th at Olympia, London. Ian has talked us through what is going on this year and we’re here to tell you it is going to be immense. New brands, new theatres, new international guests, new food court and even more rum! So get your rum on (sorry) and register here for tickets to the biggest rum event of the year.

Taking place on October 10th – 11th this two day extravaganza is bringing the best from around the world and showcasing the best that Germany (and this year’s guest nation Poland) has to offer. This leads to a truly staggering list of speakers and topics and BarLifeUK is over the moon to be attending and reporting back to you all on our adventures.

Join the gathering

BarLifeUK will this year, be the International Media Partner for Bar Convent Berlin (BCB) and we will be tweeting, writing, Facebooking and, if we can train one in time, carrier pigeoning all the news as it happens back to you. Sounds good eh? Well yes it does, but it could be better, you could come and join us.

Berlin is only a short jump of a plane ride AND you get to experience it all yourself. I mentioned there was plenty going on but let’s look at exactly what’s happening to make that 2 hour plane ride worth it.

Theatres

There are not just a couple of theatres for your enjoyment at this year’s show but four – knocking out talks, tastings, demonstrations and workshops. Not only that but they’re free to all visitors!

Mixology Main Stage – This is the big one, the stage where your brain will start to ache from the information overload, where the big names will stand in front of the bright lights and pass on their knowledge.
Demo Bar A – This is the home away from home for bartenders and brand ambassadors who get to present interesting and interactive topics from the varied world of spirits.
Demo Bar B – Yes that’s right 2 Demo Bars, that’s how much is going on! The second Demo Bar is where you will find your favourite brands and brand ambassadors doing their tastings, giving you the chance to try great spirits and learn at the same time.
Taste Forum – As far as we know this is the only show in the world you will find this original take on an exhibition theatre. There will be a series of brand-neutral spirit tastings here which are conducted ‘blind’ by experts from around the world.

Speakers

Over the years BCB has been renowned for bringing the best speakers from across the globe and combining them with local experts to generate a superb line up and this year may just be the most impressive yet.

Anistatia Miller & Jared Brown – The History of Vermouth
Allen Katz – A View Behind the Scenes: How to Open and Run a Distillery & American Whiskey Taste Forum
Philip Duff – Citrus – A Science in Itself & Age – The Final Frontier (with Audrey Fort)
Ian Burrell – Rum Taste Forum & The Pina Colada Paternity Test – The Truth About One of the Most Popular Cocktails in the World
Martin Doudoroff – Vermouth Taste Forum & Cocktail Apps in the Drinks Business – Marketable and Profitable?
Angus Winchester – A View Behind the Counter: How to Open and Run a Tiki Bar (with Jamie Wilson & Anjy Cameron)
Don Lee – Bar Myth Buster: About Double Frosted Ice, Rum & Gunpowder
Gaz Regan – Bars in New York: The Development of the Scene Over the Last Twenty Years & Gin Taste Forum
Wayne Collins & Andy Gemmell – “Mixxit in Berlin”: An Insightful Historic Journey on How It Was the British Who Inspired the World to Mix Drinks!

All these plus – Tanja Bempreiksz, David Cordoba, Christopher Dellee, Frederico Fusco, Jose Sanchez Gavito, Paul Goodwin, Laurent Greco, Mickey Heads, Seffen Hubert, Christoph Keller, Manfred Klimek, Anna & Matthias Knorr, Steffen Lohr, Jorg Meyer, Andrew Nicholls, Steve Olson, Andriano Paulus, Peter Richter, Charles Schumann, Dmitry Sokolov, Christian Steffen, Kent Steinbach, Andreas Steinbeisser, Sven Sudeck, Eyck Thormann, Misja Vostermans, David Weidemann, Mirco Wolf Weigert, Leszek Wiwala and Nick Wykes.

If the talks and theatres themselves aren’t enough for you (you picky gits) then throw in masses of exhibitors showing their amazing brands, a big awards do and of course the opportunity to check out the fantastic bar scene that Berlin has to offer and you have to agree it’s tough to say no.

For more information on the show and to register for tickets visit the Bar Convent Berlin website and keep an eye on BarLifeUK for more news.

…including the opportunity to try some brand new products to hit the UK bar market. BarLifeUK has picked a few to whet your appetite for what’s in store:

ish Gin – The Poshmakers – Stand number 21

It's a bottle-ish....

A new London Dry Gin to hit the shelves, ish Gin is sticking close to its roots with the twist being an extra shot of juniper.

Hand crafted in small batches in the heart of London and made from all British grain, ish Gin is distilled in a traditional pot still at Thames Distillers by Master Distiller Charles Maxwell whose family boast the longest history of gin making in the UK.

Using the highest quality grain spirit, ish is infused with the taste and aromas of its eleven selected botanicals – juniper, coriander seed, angelica root, almond, orris root, nutmeg, cinnamon, cassia, liquorice, lemon peel and orange peel.

It is refreshing to see a new gin launched into the market without any ‘experimental’ or ‘unusual’ botanicals to catch the headlines, just that extra shot of juniper, which is after all what gin is all about.

Old Grog Rum – Windward Trading – Stand number 16

Old Grog Rum

For the first time at any show in the UK Old Grog Rum will be available for you lucky people to try.

From the distillery at Clarke’s Court on Grenada which has been producing fine rums for many years comes Old Grog Rum. This rum has a great history behind it and maintains Grenada’s tradition of producing some of the finest blend rums.

Not only will Old Grog be available but the newly released #37 will also be there. We know you love rum so pop by and say hello and try these two great products.

Rigg’s Shrub – Eager Drinks – Stand number 37

Rigg's Shrub available at the show

The Shrub category has been reinvigorated of late and here is your chance to try Rigg’s Shrub – an alcoholic Shrub cordial.

The history of the Shrub is interwoven with that of rum and as such it is no surprise that this category is back in favour. Whilst most shrubs are either non-alcoholic or low in alcohol the history of shrubs finds that they were often much higher in alcohol and it is this historical version that Rigg’s brings you.

With a background in producing high quality fruit juices Rigg’s have the expertise to make a fantastic product and you will no doubt see us on their stand trying it out ourselves.

Wooden Hand Brewery – CASK Liquid Marketing – Stand number 2

A great looking range

After all those spirits you might be in need of a refreshing beer and CASK are here to help you out with their Wooden Hand beers.

The Wooden Hand Brewery is based down in Truro in Cornwall and brew cask conditioned beers. There are six beers in the range – Pirates Gold, Cornish Buccaneer, Black Pearl, Cornish Mutiny, Cornish Gribben and Cornish Steam Lager.

We are particularly looking forward to the Pirates Gold and Cornish Steam Lager however it looks like there is something in the range to suit you no matter what your mood.

There are obviously many more fantastic products to try at the Boutique Bar Show but hopefully this snapshot will give you a little taste. If you haven’t already registered to attend simply jump on the website we will see you there or for more info on the show go here.

Erik and Daniel with a bottle of 1930 Bacardi rum

(a full report of this interview will follow) and they showed us a bottle of Bacardi from 1930 that sits in pride of place on the back bar.

They will be bringing such a bottle to the Boutique Bar Show on Tuesday 20^th for their seminar, The American Bar – The Savoy Through the Ages.

During the seminar they will make a classic Daiquiri with this 1930 Bacardi, and if you are there, you will be able to taste it. I don’t know about you, but this is not to be missed.

Seminar details:

11.45 – 13.00 The American Bar – The Savoy through the Ages – Main Stage

Recently reopened to fantastic acclaim, join the Savoy Team headed by Daniel Baernreuther for a insight into the world famous American Bars development from it’s beginnings in 1905 with the first and only female head bartender Ada Coleman to the modern day with award winning Head Bartender Erik Lorincz.

Going through the archives recreating some classic drinks produced at The Savoy through the ages including a one off opportunity to try a Daiquiri made with a 1930′s bottle of Bacardi, your only opportunity to try a Daiquiri made as Harry Craddock would of enjoyed.

Register for the Boutique Bar Show here.

The schedule of events for London Cocktail Week 2011 has just been announced, along with pre-registration for wrist bands.

Featured events include the CLASS Awards on October 11^th, Legends Mastermind on the 15^th and RumFest on the 12^th.

There are many more trade-only sessions on the schedule, a full list of which is available on the London Cocktail Week website.

Last year popular events booked out quite quickly, so make sure you register for your wristband soon.