The Cocktail Lovers

We're counting down the days until Simone Caporale and Lorenzo Antinori open their destined-to-be-hot, new destination bar in Hong Kong but before we hear from them on the what, why and how of their first collaboration, there's our usual housekeeping to attend to.

Starting with our product reviews… Gary gets the ball rolling with the latest expression from Johnnie Walker, Johnnie Walker Black Ruby, and Sandrae cracks open a bottle of Gin Mare Capri. Our book choice is definitely one for the bartenders out there, it's the Spirited Awards nominated Bubbles: A Guide to Carbonated Cocktails by Bart Miedeksza and Valentino Girotto.

Next we head over to Scarfes Bar in London where the works of British artist and caricaturist Gerald Scarfe are reimagined in the latest menu: Long Drawn Out Sips. Then it's time to hear from two of our favourite Italians, Simone Caporale and Lorenzo Antinori about their new joint project, Montana, which combines 1970s Miami with Cuban hospitality.

What we're mixing:

Mint Julep

60ml Maker's Mark Kentucky Bourbon Whisky

20ml sugar syrup (1:1)

A handful of mint leaves

Method:

Add a handful of fresh mint leaves and the sugar syrup to a Julep cup or Rocks glass, then lightly 'muddle' together. Add bourbon, then stir, before adding plenty of crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Bubbles: A Guide to Carbonated Cocktails by Bart Miedeksza and Valentino Girotto

Gin Mare Capri Mediterranean Gin

Johnnie Walker Black Ruby

Montana

Scarfes Bar

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back with season 9 and over the next few weeks we’ll be talking to some of the fabulous people we’ve met up with during our recent travels but this episode begins, as always with our chosen products: the first of which is Be-Gin a gin celebrating all things flowers and the second, a new range from Cointreau which zones in on citrus.

Our book is spiritual wisdom, seasonality and locality personified, it’s Hyper Drinks, the debut book from Angelos Bafas aka Mr Ungarnished, and we head to Shoreditch for Waltz, the new bar from Gento Torigata.

For our first interview of the season we’re talking to Rodrigo Urraca, Marcos Di Battista and Eric Van Beek, the dream team behind Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City, recently taking the top slot on North America’s 50 Best Bars List for the second consecutive year and currently number one in the world. We hear from them about the highs and lows of being number one and why they won't have their awards on the back bar.

Grand Mimosa

90ml sparkling wine

45ml orange juice

15ml Grand Marnier

Orange zest or slice to garnish

Method: Add 45ml of sparkling wine to a chilled wine glass, the add the fresh orange juice and Grand Marnier. Gently 'pull through', then top with the remains 45ml of sparkling wine. Garnish with the orange garnish or zest.

Be!Gin

Cointreau Citrus Series

Handshake Speakeasy

Hyper Drinks by Angelos Bafas

Waltz bar

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first of our city specials, we're in New York where we spent three nights in seven incredible bars – eight if you count the two at Sip & Guzzle. As well as trying the drinks we caught up with the movers and shakers behind them to find out more about their respective venues and what they think makes the bar scene in New York tick.

We also booked in to Great Jones, the first working distillery in Manhattan for 100 years and chatted to Hanna Lee and Michael Anstendig from Hanna Lee Communications to get their perspective on what's making the city pop right now and about hear more about their recently launched project, New York Bartender Week.

What we're mixing:

The Big Apple (serves 1)

45ml Great James bourbon

45ml cloudy apple juice

10ml freshly squeezed lime juice

10ml sugar syrup (2:1)

I egg white

Cinnamon stick/cinnamon powder to garnish

Recipe from Difford's Guide; adapted from 60 Second Cocktails by Neil Ridley & Joel Harrison

Method:

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and dry shake to emulsify the egg white. Add ice and shake hard. TStrain into chilled coupe. Garnish with grated cinnamon or cinnamon powder.

Bars visited in this episode

Bar Snack

Clemente Bar

Double Chicken Please

Great Jones Distillery

Martiny's

schmuck.

Sip & Guzzle

Super Bueno

Bars mentioned in this episode

Amor Y Amargo

Attaboy

Bar Contra

Bemelmans Bar

Dear Strangers

Eventi Hotel

Mister Paradise

PDT

Portrait Bar

Shinji's

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

International Women’s Day is March 8, so we're celebrating the incredible contribution of women across the drinks industry.

Our products are Nc'nean founded by Annabel Thomas and Casa Dragones Tequila Blanco founded by Bertha González Nieves. Our book is The Cocktail Parlour - How Women Brought The Cocktail Home by Nicola Nice and we highlight a few bars founded and run by women around the world. Our guest is Marissa Johnston, Executive Director of OurWhisky Foundation who tells us about the work they're doing to empower women in whisky

What we're mixing:

Earl Grey MarTEAni

(For 2 cocktails)

Infuse one Earl Grey tea bag in 120ml London Dry Gin

50ml lemon juice

40ml simple syruo

1 egg white

Method:

Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake without ice. Add ice and shake again. Strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

In this episode:

Artesian Bar

Bar Swift

Black Pearl

Brujas

Casa Dragones Tequila

Clover Club

CopperBay

Doña

Double Chicken Please

Cafe Arixi

Ego Death

Happy Accidents

Milady's

Mostly Harmless

Nc'Nean Botanical Spirit

OurWhisky Foundation

schmuck.

Selva

Tayer + Elementary

The Flying Dutchmen

The Pontiac

Tokyo Confidential

The Cocktail Parlor by Nicola Nice

Vesper Bar

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we're taking our tastebuds on a journey that goes from London via Latin America, Kentucky to England and various stops in between. 

We start with Never Say Die, a whiskey distilled in Kentucky, then shipped to England for its final maturation. We then head to Sweden for a taste of Bex Almqvist's fresh take in a traditional Nordic spirit, Rejmyre Akvavit.

This week’s read is a must for anyone who wants to know anything about the history of American drinks, it’s the incredible Imbibe! From Absinthe cocktail to whiskey smash, a salute in stories and drinks to Professor Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar by David Wondrich.

That’s north America’s drinks history sorted, in west London the team at Viajante87 celebrate the flavours, tastes and traditions of Latin America in their new menu Cocktail + Culture. 

Then we’re in New York where we catch up with this week’s guest, the much travelled vision in pink and violet that is ms. franky marshall. We chat to her about her love of craft bartending, the joys of Cognac and her unwavering positivity.

What we're mixing:

Jameson Cold Brew Tonic

50ml Jameson Cold Brew

125ml tonic water

Orange wedge to garnish

Method:

Fill a Highball glass with ice. Pour in Jameson Cold Brew, top with tonic water. Garnish with orange wedge.

In this episode:

Almqvist Destilleri Rejmyre Akvavit

Imbibe! From Absinthe cocktail to whiskey smash, a salute in stories and drinks to Professor Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar by David Wondrich

ms. franky marshall

Never Say Die Rye Whiskey

Viajante87

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It wasn't planned, but Martinis pop up a few times in this episode. Not in our product reviews, which feature Planteray Cut and Dry Coconut Rum and Tito's Handmade Vodka (although, come to think of it, the latter would make a fab base if vodka-based Martinis are your thing).

As the title suggests, they're front of centre of our featured book 'The Martini – The Ultimate Guide to a Cocktail Icon' by Alice Lascelles; then they pop up in fine style in our bar review at one of the oldest restaurants in London – Rules, as well as in this week's Cocktail Hack with Simon Ford.

With more than 20 years experience in the drinks industry under her belt, it's fair to say that this week's guest Charlotte Voisey knows her way around a Martini. But rather than that, we're talking to her about her brand new, exciting role as Executive Director of the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation. Tune in to find out more.

What we're mixing:

Split-base Sazerac

10ml absinthe rinse

30ml cognac

30ml rye whiskey

10ml sugar syrup

4 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

1 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters

10ml Absinthe rinse

Method:

Chill an old Fashioned glass, then swirl with absinthe to coat. Then add remaining ingredients to mixing glas and stir over ice. Strain into glass them=n garnish with a lemon twist.

In this episode:

Planetary Cut & Dry Coconut Rum

Rules Restaurant

The Martini – The Ultimate Guide to a Cocktail Icon by Alice Lascelles

The Winter Garden Cocktail Bar at Rules

Tito's Handmade Vodka

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Appearance, aroma, flavour – the enjoyment of great drinks works on many levels – driven by aesthetics or emotions. Behind them, though, is often a great deal of deep and demanding thinking. This episode celebrates this thinking.

We have two products which take on the difficult task of creating delicious non-alcoholic drinks: the complex Crossip Blazing Pineapple and, the delicious ready-to- drink Jasmine and Lily Highball created in partnership with the bright minds at Tayer + Everleaf.

Then there's our book choice… This week we're taking a deep dive into the many and varied thought processes that go into becoming a great bartender, via the tome that is The Cocktail Balance 2.0, by Stanislav Harcinik. Our bar choice takes us to The Rivoli Bar at The Ritz where they unveil their first new concept cocktail menu in the history of the bar, it's the playful yet thought-provoking 'Biodynamic Forces Through The Alchemy of Planets and Plants' Then we catch up with Ben MacFarland and Tom Sandham to chat to them about bringing the stories behind drinks to life in their award-winning comedy shows, where they go by the aptly named The Thinking Drinkers.

What we're mixing:

Adonis

45ml fino sherry

45ml sweet vermouth

4 dashes orange bitters

Orange zest (discarded)

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing jar, add ice, and stir until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail or wine glass. Aromatise with a spritz of orange oils from orange zest, then discard.

In this episode:

Campari Bar at The Alchemist

Crossip Drinks Blazing Pineapple

Press Club DC

Tayer + Everleaf Jasmine + Lily Highball

The Cocktail Balance 2.0 by Stanislav Harcinik

The Rivoli Bar at The Ritz

The Thinking Drinkers

Waldorf Astoria New York

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we look back at some of our favourite moments of 2024 and look forward to 2025. Top of our list is a visit to Mexico for the two venues from this week's guests: Maura and Alex Lawrence Milia.

What we're mixing:

Imperial Cocktail

45ml London Dry Gin

45ml dry vermouth

2.5ml Maraschino Liqueur

2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

Method:

Stir ingredients over ice. Strain into a chilled Cocktail glass.

In this episode:

American Bar at The Savoy

Archive & Myth

Baba Au Rum

Café Arixi

Devil's Cut

Employees Only

Gleneagles

Handshake

Himkok

Kiki Lounge

LPM

Mirror Bar

Muse at RSA House

Ocho Distillery

Outline

Passing Fancies

Salle de Personal

Schmuck

Sip & Guzzle

The Clumsies

The Emory Rooftop Bar

The Glenturret Distillery

The Spy Bar

Villa Igeia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're less than a week away from Christmas Day and we don't know about you but we're definitely in the festive mood. While this episode won’t see us going into full eggnog and sleigh-bell sound effects mode, we're certainly offering a nod in the Christmas direction.

Our book choice is one that we always rely on for the season – it’s How To Drink At Christmas from Victoria Moore.

As for our product choices, we’d be incredibly happy to unwrap either of these bottles: Bellamie Cherry Liqueur Aperitif, and Aultmore Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky Cask Finish Collection.

Our bar choice is a modern classic at any time of the year but particularly comes into it own for a cosy winter drink or two, it’s Satan’s Whiskers in East London.

Finally, our guest shares her profound knowledge of all things agave, gives some excellent gifting suggestions and tells us the tequila she’d like to find in her stocking this year – it's the wonderful Gaby Moncada.

What we're mixing:

Wild Turkey Festive Cheer

40ml Wild Turkey 101

10ml ginger liqueur

5ml maple syrup

4 dashes Angostura Bitters

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing jar, add ice, and stir until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with cinnamon and if you’re feeling fancy, a holly leaf.

In this episode:

Autlmore Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky Cask Finish Collection

Bellamie Cherry Liqueur Aperitif

How To Drink At Christmas by Victoria Moore

Satan's Whiskers

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

De Kuyper is an icon in the drinks world. It’s been producing spirits for over 300 years, and the liqueurs, for which is rightly famous, for more than a century.

So in this special episode we’re thrilled to be joined by De Kuyper Master Distiller Myriam Hendrickx, and De Kuyper Global Brand Ambassador Max de Smit to find out more, including what makes De Kuyper so special, insights into some of the delicious expressions in the portfolio and, of course, how these liqueurs can inspire bartenders in their cocktail creations. 

What we're mixing:

Sidecar

Ingredients

1 part De Kuyper Curacao

2 parts cognac

1 part lemon

1 bar spoon sugar

Method:

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.