The company that created The Yacht Club will be opening the doors to another large scale Pop-up bar in Exchange Square and are looking for a dedicated and hard-working team of individuals to also make this one of the most successful bars in Manchester this Summer.

There may be opportunities of work through until December when the bar converts in to a winter bar.

Please contact Operations Director, Jamie Jones if you are interested in joining this exciting new project – Jamie@heartsoulrockandroll.co.uk

Rum Renaissance is run by the dedicated Rob Burr and, is in its fourth successful year.

It is a week of sponsored rum parties, culminating in a rum fair and the all-important Tiki Off. For Rum fans, this is as good as it gets, and for sun fans, did I mention it was hosted in Miami?

Being both a rum and sun fan, I could hardly wait!

Set in North Beach Miami, Rum Renaissance attracts a host of aficionados, Rum lovers and fanatics.

Fanatics may seem quite a strong word but looking around on the first night  I witnessed  a sea of tiki shirts, a gallery of rum tattoos, and a couple of pirates.

Everyone here has certainly dedicated their lives to rum and some had travelled far to be here.  After I got over the initial scepticism of couples with matching tiki shirts (and the two pirates) I realised this was a pretty cool crowd who loved rum as much as I do. It was going to be a very special week!

The week began with a delicious BBQ and rum cocktails, hosted by Ron Zacapa. The next day was a visit to the Mai Kai, a world famous tiki mecca. A playground of totem poles, water falls, and coconuts, it was like something from the India Jones ride at Disney land. Not that I have been there- Alexx’s words.

Next evening we had the pleasure of a roof top party at the fancy Soho Beach house, hosted by Brugal, where it was the girls in Brugal Bikinis that made an impression. Then it was on to the Bacardi Penthouse, to celebrate Bacardi’s 150^th birthday. Here we were treated to some barrel aged El Presidentes, carbonated Bacardi cocktails and Mary Pickfords. Needless to say I was a big fan!

Day three was Diplotamicos turn to impress, with a pool side party in glamorous south beach. I have to say standing by the pool sipping on rum and watching the sun set was pretty special.

By Saturday we had all consumed a fair amount of rum, and now it was time for the all-important Rum Fair and the Tiki off!

The ‘Tiki off’ was a battle of egos between the UK’s finest Tiki bartender’s versus the US. Let’s be honest, this has always been a bit of an easy win for the UK, with half the US team being assembled on the day. But this year was to be different. The US team had matching Tiki shirts and fighting talk!

This year’s UK team consisted of the mild mannered Lyndon, Liars Club, the shy and retiring Alexx, Trailer, the gentlemanly Bart, Hula, the modest Georgie, Mahiki and the sensible Danny, from Aloha. I was the token lady from Bacardi there to sponsor, support, and wear a tiki shirt that Lyndon gave me!

Now I’m not sure if it was the fact that the UK team were half the size and half the age of most of the spectators at RR, but they were treated like rock stars, much to my dismay. But who am I to judge, they played their part and the yanks loved it.

Bacardi Rum has sponsored the UK team for four years running, and each year the boys have put on a show. This year was to be no different. Round one of the competition was ‘knowledge’ where the US took the lead. This made the UK team a little nervous. But not for long as they smashed every other round with a very strong and slightly embarrassing, lead before the final presentation.

The UK team put on an impressive final performance with a tiki themed Olympics! They created an impressive punch mixing Bacardi Superior, Gold, Black and Solera, in true tiki style. This won the gold and made the boys winners for the fourth year running.

The boys certainly did us proud and showed what we have to offer this side of the pond. I hear that the US team are already devising a plan for next year. I guess they need the practice.

London Cocktail Club are looking for a talented general manager to join their expanding empire and take the helm at their Covent Garden venue.

There is a great package on offer with lots of room for growth in the future for the right person.

For more information, please click here to email J.J. Goodman.

The ambassador would run the Cazadore’s hunt, the UK’s premier tequila competition and deliver category and brand training sessions for on and off trade accounts.

High standard of drinks making is essential and some experience of training would be desirable but above all  a PASSION for tequila is what is required to do this fun, varied and demanding role.

To apply, please email your CV to  Astrid Simpson on asimpson@bacardi.com

Click on the image to view it at full size

One thing that guarantees a dynamic and varied bar culture is bartenders taking the plunge and opening their own venues.

BarLifeUK contributor and all-round Manchester raconteur, Jamie Jones, is doing just that. Along with Chris Legh, director at Heart Soul Rock & Roll and other partners, he will be opening the Yacht Club  on Hardman Square next week.

They tell us of the venue:

“The summer playground of world leaders, glamour girls, actresses, playboys and the rich and famous, the 1950s Riviera was the ultimate place to party and have a jolly good time.

The ideal place to quaff champagne and absorb the sunny Manchester rays, The Yacht Club will harness this spirit, bringing to life the elegance of the Cote d’Azur with the sophistication of the Promenade des Anglais and the stylishness of St Tropez in a chic outdoor bar complete with wooden deck and leather day beds.”

BarLifeUK have had the pleasure of judging Jamie in several competitions, and his drinks have always been first rate, so we are looking forward to trying the Yacht Club’s menu, which will include:

“Boardwalk Bramble; a fruity combination of Bombay Sapphire gin, lemon juice, a little sugar and finished with a drizzle crème de mure liqueur; The Bardot and Monte Carlo Mint Julep.  All of which can be enjoyed seven days per as the bar opens from midday until 11pm.”

The yacht Club opens on April 19^th, and we encourage you to get involved if you are in that neck of the woods. But take our advice and book an open return train ticket… we never seem to make our train out of Manchester for some reason.

For more information, contact Operations Director, Jamie Jones.

Follow the Yacht Club on Twitter and Facebook.

As well as reporting on news and events within the industry, we also run large chunks of the Boutique Bar Show and organise and judge dozens of events and cocktail competitions for spirits brands.

We are looking for a motivated editorial intern to join us for three months, after which there may be the opportunity for the role to become more permanent.

We will:

• Provide training on the bar and cocktail industry, take you to cocktail competitions, tasting events, trade shows, and most importantly, bars. At the end of the internship period you will have an excellent understanding of the industry, and will have built some important relationships with bartenders and brands.

• Provide the most relaxed, and hopefully enjoyable, working environment possible (We are based above a bar on Clapham Common).

• Provide training in writing for the web, photography, copy editing and social media community building.
• Post your stories under your own by-line, helping you build a professional portfolio of published work.
• Cover your travel, food and cocktail costs.

You will:

• Be able to write interesting, engaging and amusing copy.
• Have some knowledge of, or at least a genuine interest in the bar industry, drinks and cocktails.
• Be web-literate, and have at least basic web editing skills (WordPress, Photoshop, HTML, CSS and Dreamweaver).
• Be trustworthy and reliable.
• Be of legal drinking age.
• Be able to commit to two days a week in the office and two evenings a week to attend trade events (this is flexible).
• Be able to provide excellent references.

• Legally able to work in the UK.

If this floats your boat, send your CV and some examples of your writing to andy@barlifeuk.com

Closing date for applications: April 15^th 2012.

Last year's Manchester show

The North’s best bar trade show is rolling back into Manchester next month, bringing with it some cracking competitions, speakers and, of course, brands. You can register for your free ticket by clicking here, and listed below are some of the things you can expect to see at the show.

Competition Stage

• 10:30am – 12:30pm – Gin Mare Mediterranean Inspiration Competition

The North of England’s finest bartenders will compete for the ultimate Ibiza trip to battle it out to be the UK’s finest and ultimately take on the rest of the world to take the top title. Someone from the Manchester heat will be on a plane to Ibiza in September so get your entry in here.

• 1:00pm – 3:00pm – Purity Vodka Competition

With this year marking the Diamond Jubilee, Purity vodka invite you to create the ultimate Jubilee Martini. Keep the essence of Purity Vodka as pure as possible and you could be in with a chance of winning a trip to the distillery, a feature on BarLifeUK and bragging rights with the Queen. To enter, send your cocktail to editorial@barlifeuk.com

• 3:30pm – 5:30pm – Inter-city Tiki Speed Competition

Who is the Quickest in the North? Which city will take this year’s crown to laud over the others for the next 12 months? Teams from Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Chester and Nottingham will fight it out in a 6 drink, relay, speed round to make some of the most famous rum drinks using some of the finest rums on the market. It will be loud, it will be messy and it will be quick.

Seminar Room

• 9:30am – 11:30am – Blend Your Own Rum with Banks 5 Island Rum

This invite-only event is a unique opportunity to blend your own rum using the 4 navy rum rums found in Banks 5 Island Rum. James Triffo from Banks will be joined by Mal Evans to talk you through the blending process in general with a specific look at the Banks methodology before giving you the tools, and most importantly the rum, to blend your own. Once blended the rum will be laid down for a month before James and BarLifeUK return to Manchester to open up and run a tasting session. To apply for a ticket to this invite only event email simon@barlifeuk.com.

• 12:00pm – 1:00pm – Jake Burger and Portobello Gin present The Ginstitute.

Join Jake for a whirlwind history of gin, followed by a deconstructed tasting of Portobello and its 9 distilled botanicals. The session will end with a quiz, the winner of which will be invited to visit the Ginstitute as Portobello Gin’s guest, where they will be able to blend their own bottle of gin.

• 1:30pm – 2:30pm –Barrel Aging Cocktails with Audrey Fort from G’Vine and Giuseppe Gallo from Martini

Over the last two years the Barrel Aging Cocktails trend has swept the bartending world from San Francisco to Tokyo and back again. Over the last 18 months G’Vine have been aging a series of gin cocktails and scientifically studying the aging process and the effects this has on the cocktails in the barrels.

Following sold out talks at Tales of the Cocktail and Bar Convent Berlin, Audrey will be bringing her latest creations and the research gathered from them to a UK show for the first time. She will be joined by Giuseppe who will be looking at the practical application of this trend and how best bars can benefit from it. To top it all off you will be able to try some of their greatest creations at the same time.

• 3:00pm – 4:00pm – 30 Cocktails That Changed The World (Bought to you by Buffalo Trace)

Join award-winning drinks historians Jared Brown & Anistatia Miller as they explore the history of mixed drinks and cocktails as it developed over five major periods from the 1500s through 2000s.
In their notoriously tongue-in-cheek style, these cocktail detectives unearth the mixing techniques, drink styles, appearance of new ingredients, tools, and service ware that were born:

1. before the birth of the cocktail
2. during the cocktail’s infancy
3. during the American Golden Age of the cocktail
4. during the European Golden Age of the cocktail
5. and from the 1940s through today

This session will stimulate your creative juices and inspire you to explore the cocktail’s remarkable history in a new light in the bar and at home. (You’ll even bring home a few new recipes!)

I have literally no idea who these people are, does that make me old? - Andy

A collaboration between Bacardi, Soho House and Universal Music, they transformed the Tate Modern into a luxurious cocktail haunt mimicking Soho House’s signature style – a sort of ‘Soho House Pop-Up’, if you like.

The event was only one of many unique and inspired parties that Bacardi will be hosting across the world this year (including 150 in the UK alone), in honour of its 150th Anniversary. And, with an idea to help this award-winning rum celebrate its centenary-and-a-half birthday, what better way than at an award-winning museum, with award-winning musicians and (hopefully) award-winning guests?

A 100m walk from the red carpet entrance (where this journo was, unsurprisingly, wholly and utterly ignored by the swarming paparazzi) to the bar was thirsty work, but with four bars scattered throughout, it was no problem getting a drink, and pronto.

A mix of Soho House and Bacardi staff were shaking, stirring or muddling Daiquiris, Cuba Libres and Bacardi 1862s, a cocktail created especially for the evening. Named after the year Bacardi was created, it is a mix of Bacardi Superior, Bacardi 8, tropical juices, passion fruit and vanilla, so it happily counts as one of your five-a-day.

The Daiquiris were especially good, and of a standard one would normally expect in a cocktail bar, lovingly made by a bartender-who-cares and not at an event that is catering for 500-plus people and doesn’t kick off until after 11pm. I know because I had four(teen?) before I decided, sensibly, to stop counting.

That's better, bartenders making drinks. I understand this bit. - Andy

But, cocktails aside, it wouldn’t be a music awards after-party without a gaggle of musos.

And they didn’t let us down with Jessie J, Nicole Scherzinger, Dizzee Rascal, Tinie Tempah, Tinchy Stryder, Pixie Lott and the Rizzle Kicks. The ultimate moment was when Will.i.am from The Black Eyed Peas took to the decks (you’d recognise that hair anywhere), and was later joined by the lovely Florence Welch.

The after-party sponsorship comes on the back of Bacardi and Soho House’s recent partnership, and if this evening is anything to go on, they will make one hell of a team.

1862

• 15ml Bacardi Superior
• 15ml Bacardi 8
• 3 parts Pineapple juice
• 1 part Lime juice
• ½ part Passion fruit syrup
• ½ part Vanilla syrup
• Dash Angostura bitters

Pour Bacardi into a glass and top with the punch over ice. Garnish with lime.

Along with an eye-watering amount of tasting events, parties and competitions, the five days of madness that is Tales of the Cocktail will also offer a full programme of training seminars, most of which taking place at the Hotel Monteleone.

Tickets don’t gon on sale until March 30th, but in the mean time, here is a full list of sessions so you can start planning your visit (hangovers notwithstanding). One of the sessions is entitled: Tangled Up in Blue with Jacob Briars, which is probably all you need to know.

Aasen Stephenson hard at work

However their latest venture, taking place at Selfridges in London for the next couple of weeks, will leave you a little less permanently marked than the last I attended.

At the back of the men’s footwear department you will find a collection of very fancy yet rock n’ roll shoes by English cobbler to the stars, Jeffery-West.

Pick a pair out (BarLifeUK went for a badass Norton biker boot) and the very talented Aasen Stephenson, aka Deathhouse, will personalise them for you with a Sailor Jerry tattoo of your choice.

The tattoos themselves are done with a normal gun, but without ink. They look awesome and as the leather ages, will only get better. Stretching your feet out in front of you on the underground will most definitely earn some envious stares.

The finished article

There is more information on the collaboration between Sailor Jerry and Jeffery-West here, including images of the collection.

And should you find yourself in the West End with some time to spare, you should definitely pop along for a look at Aasen in action.

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

You feel dissatisfied, purposeless and, ultimately, in need of a stiff drink.

About £8,000 worth right there

For me, it was not (as may well be assumed) late on a Tuesday night, watching episodes of Lassie and staring at the bottom of a bottle of cheap whisky, empty fast-food wrappers by my side. Rather, it was a couple of Fridays ago (February 10) at the Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve charity auction, an evening designed to raise money for the Walking With The Wounded charity, an organisation dedicated to the re-training and re-education of injured war veterans.

The Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve whisky was made to commemorate the 110-year old granddaughter of the Glenfiddich distillery founder, William Grant. Only 14 bottles of the 55-year old whisky have ever been produced, and, of those, only 11 will be released to the public, one to celebrate each decade of her life.

At Friday’s auction, the bottle sold for a whopping £44,000, just shy of the recording-breaking £46,850, which bottle No.1 sold for in December last year. All of the proceeds go directly to the charity, who are hoping to head up an expedition to Everest this April – a fundraising challenge to put five wounded servicemen on top of the world.

One Lucky Journalist

One lucky journalist won the opportunity to sample a wee nip of the extremely rare whisky – and that one lucky journalist happens to work for BarLifeUK, joining only about a dozen people worldwide who have ever tried the rare spirit. Surprisingly pale in colour for something that has spent so long in European barrels, it has a light and floral nose, with a creamy vanilla taste that lingers on the back of the palate for what could may well have been hours, had I not chosen to join the rest of the group in a toast with the 12-year old Glenfiddich.

The Team heading to the top of Everest

But, it wasn’t that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that brought on that moment of clarity. Rather, it was the opportunity to mingle with the members of Walking With The Wounded, and listen to a talk from Private Jaco van Gass, a war veteran who took part in the Walking With The Wounded expedition to the North Pole last year and who was wounded in Afghanistan at the age of just 23. He was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, resulting in the loss of his left arm, as well as a collapsed lung, punctured internal organs, loss of muscle and tissue from the upper left thigh, multiple shrapnel wounds and a fractured knee, fibula and tibia. “At that moment,” he said, “my life changed forever.”

Glenfiddich’s Malt Master Brian Kinsman said that, while the bottle was most likely bought by a collector and would therefore never be opened, the fact that £44,000 went to the charity was a remarkable thing.

And if Glenfiddich wants to get behind that, well, drink up I say.

The wonderfully lovely folk over at Mixellany have launched some of their most popular books on iTunes and Amazon (for Kindle).

To win a copy of this here book keep on reading

Anistatia Miller from Mixellany gave us an insight into the thinking behind this move:

‘We wanted reach more people with our books and give our readers an opportunity to search for a particular subject or recipe on the spot. Digital devices such as Kindle, iPad, and iPhone make that possible. It’s instant delivery and instant gratification at a very affordable price. Then they can keep their books neat and safe at home.’

She certainly isn’t kidding about the affordable price with the iTunes books ringing in at £2.99 and the Amazon books starting at £2.49. That much knowledge at that price hasn’t been seen since Darwin’s famous On the Origins of Species Christmas giveaway of 1861.

If you haven’t got a fancy iPad or Kindle we did some quick maths on the back of match box and reckon if you plan on buying 6 of the books below doing so on the Amazon Kindle store will save you enough money to buy a Kindle right there. Clever huh?

A full list of the books available and links to iTunes and Amazon for instant purchase are below however Mixellany haven’t finished being nice to you lot yet. I told them that you didn’t deserve it but they insisted on giving away 5 free codes of Spirituous Journey: A History of Drink Volume One on iTunes.

So to be in the hat to win one of these free copies simply e-mail simon@barlifeuk.com and tell us your favourite cocktail book.

Books available on iTunes:
The Mixellany Guide to Vermouth & other Aperitifs
Spirituous Journey: A History of Drink, Book Two
Spirituous Journey: A History of Drink, Book One
Pioneers of Mixing at Elite bars: 1903-1933
The Cocktailian Chronicles: Life with the Professor
Gaz Regan’s ANNUAL MANUAL for Bartenders 2011
The Bartender’s GIN Compendium

Books available on Amazon (for Kindle)
Champagne Cocktail, Revised and Expanded 2010 Edition
Cuba: The Legend of Rum
El Arte de Hacer un Cocktail y Algo Mas: The Art of Making a Cocktail & More
Mixologist: The Journey of the European Cocktail, Volume 3
Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903 – 1933, The Complete & Annotated Edition
Spirituous Journey: A History of Drink, Book One
Spirituous Journey: A History of Drink, Book Two
The Cocktailian Chronicles: Life with The Professor
The Mixellany Guide to Vermouth & Other Aperitifs
gaz regan’s ANNUAL MANUAL for BARTENDERS 2011

Sarah "Tiki's Dead" Mitchell

Less than a month old, the underground bar is already attracting a heaving crowd that is as eclectic as its decor.  BLUK caught up with assistant general manager Sarah Mitchell, formerly of Graphic, to talk about birds, bars and all things rum.

BLUK: What is the concept behind the bar?
SM: Not Tiki! Tiki’s dead, and you can say I said that! What it is, is a naval-style rum bar. In the decor you’ve got navy pin-up girl posters all around, navy-style tattoo sparrows on the wall and plenty of rum. Everyone seems really enthusiastic; it’s rum but not Tiki. It’s nice to have something a bit different.

BLUK: How is it different to the original LCC Goodge Street?
SM: It’s really similar, in a lot of ways, same attitude, same style, although we’ve gone for a rum focus here. We are incredibly busy, so busy, especially during happy hour. We get a mix of regulars, the office crowd, some footfall, customers that have heard about us from Goodge Street, and a lot of customers from the old wine bar that we took over from. When they come in, they are all so impressed with what we’ve done with the place.

BLUK: What’s the team like?
SM: We’ve got a great team. Matt Armitage from the LCC Goodge Street has come down as general manager and we’ve got about four or five young bartenders who are thirsty for knowledge, and who are all producing great drinks.

BLUK: You’ve got a cracker of a cocktail list. Talk us through it.
SM: Andy Mill put together the list, and there’s also a few of Matt’s on there. I’d say the Red Dragon is the most popular cocktail (Bacardi 8 Rum, pineapple and lime juice shaken with Chinese five-spice syrup and bitters and garnished with a fortune cookie). But, they’re all really good. We’ve also got the Black Tot, which is great as a pinnacle of the backbar. Basically, it’s the last remaining rum from the days when it was part of a ship’s ration. You can have a tot of it, and it comes with your own engraved mug, too.

BLUK: You were at Graphic for a few years, why the change?
SM: At Graphic, everything had run its course, I feel like I’d taken it as far as I could. James and JJ and I had always talked about me joining the team and this felt like the right time to do it.

BLUK: Lastly, sum up the place in three words.
SM: Rum, fun and rock n’roll!

I’ve lost faith in the pop up trend recently. I quite often find out about them in PR emails which contain the words ‘natch’ and ‘fab’… the mere sight of which makes me lose the will to live.

However, when Dan Priseman and his beard tell you about one, using words like ‘bourbon’ and ‘Four Roses’, it is a different matter, and so BarLifeUK were looking forward to the opening night of Hide and Speak last week.

For the month of February, downstairs at Shaker & Company has been transformed into a real-deal speakeasy.

Descend the stairs and poke your head round the staff only door, and you will find a small, softly-lit room that smells of sawn wood (thanks to the Four Roses crates used as tables) and candle wax.

The place was very busy on opening night, but we were able to grab five minutes with Four Roses ambassador, Dan Priseman and his beard, and he told us:

“These days speakeasies have come to be quiet places with a list of rules and elaborate drinks. But back during prohibition, they were places to go and let your hair down. Have fun. We wanted to recreate this and this speakeasy is all about having fun.”

Lubricated with some very fine drinks, the patrons were indeed having fun and the atmosphere was very conducive.

You can find Hide and Speak downstairs at Shaker & Company for the month of February only, so get your skates on and try some of these tasty bourbon beverages:

Hide and Speak Cocktail List

Scofflaw

• 50ml Four Roses Small Batch
• 25ml Dry vermouth
• 15ml Lemon juice
• 10 or 15ml Grenadine

Shaken, served up (coupe or martini) with a lemon twist

Manhattan

Served as the guest requests, but we suggest sweet:

• 50ml Four Roses Small Batch
• 15ml Sweet vermouth (martini rosso)
• 5ml Maraschino
• 2 Dashes Angostura

Stirred, coupe, cherry garnish

Old Fashioned – two styles on offer

Prohibition style old fashioned

• 50ml Four Roses Single Barrel
• Barspoon sugar
• 1 Cherry
• Slice of orange

Muddle sugar, cherry and orange together in a rocks glass and add ice, slowly add the bourbon while stirring and topping up with ice. Finished with a cherry and an orange twist

Classic style old fashioned

• 50ml Four Roses Single Barrel
• Barspoon sugar
• 3-4 Dashes angostura bitters

Break the sugar and bitters down in the base of a rocks glass (with a splash of water if required). Slowly add bourbon and ice while stirring until proper temp and dilution is achieved.

Sour Flower

• 50ml Four Roses Small
• 10ml Lemon juice
• 20ml Pink grapefruit juice
• 20ml St. Germain Elderflower liqueur

Shaken and served up in a sugar rimmed coupe and garnished with a grapefruit twist

Prohibition Punch – A sharing drink served in a teapot.

• 100ml Four Roses Small Batch
• 40ml Lemon juice
• 30ml Green tea syrup
• 4 Cardamom pods

Muddle the pods with the green tea syrup and add remaining ingredients and shake well. Pour into teapot filled with cubed ice and add dry ice to creating ‘steaming’ effect. Garnish with mint sprigs coming out of the top of the pot and serve with 2 teacups or jam jars.

Bourbon and ginger

• 50ml Four Roses Yellow Label
• Ginger beer
• Half a lime
• 2-3 Dashes angostura bitters

In a jam jar filled with cubed ice, combine four roses, juice of half a lime and top with ginger beer. Finish with a few dashes of angostura over the top and a lime wedge garnish

Capone Cobbler

• 40ml Four Roses Yellow Label
• 20ml Sherry
• 20ml Orange juice
• 15ml Maraschino liqueur

Combine ingredients in a wine glass and fill with crushed ice, churn, top with more ice and garnish with mint and berries (red currents if possible)

Remember the Maine

• 50ml Four Roses Small Batch
• 15ml Sweet vermouth (martini rosso)
• 5ml Cherry Heering
• 2 Dashes Angostura

Stir and serve in an absinthe rinsed coupe, garnish with a lemon twist.

Boulevardier

• 50ml Four Roses Small Batch
• 25ml Sweet vermouth
• 25ml Campari

Stirred, straight up with an orange twist.

Black Cherry Julep

• 50ml Four Roses Small Batch
• 2 Heaped barspoons black cherry jam (Wilkin and Son available at Sainsbury’s)
• 8 – 10 Mint leaves

In a jam jar combine all ingredients and churn well with crushed ice (no need to muddle the mint it will get bruised during churning). Top with more crushed ice and garnish with plenty of mint sprigs.