ON THE COVER... Savile Row comes to Shoreditch at Callooh Callay
DETOX VS. RETOX... Which flag will you be flying?
GIRLS ON TOP... Women of influence in the drinks industry
COCKTAILS IN BERLIN... Sipping our way through Germany’s capital of cool
25 reasons
to be a cocktail lover this season.
©2012 GREY GOOSE, THE GREY GOOSE BOTTLE DESIGNS AND THE GEESE DEVICES ARE TRADEMARKS.
Sip GREY GOOSE responsibly WWW.DRINKAWARE.CO.UK GREYGOOSETASTE.COM 2 - The Cocktail Lovers
A TOAST
TO CHANGING EXPECTATIONS TO THE FINEST FRENCH WHEAT TO THE POP OF THE CORK TO THE EXCEPTIONALLY SMOOTH TASTE
The Cocktail Lovers - 3
IN-tro
AH, 2012, IT’S GOING
TO BE AN
OLYMPIC
YEAR...
That goes for the exciting offerings on the cocktail front as well as the men and women going for gold over in East London. We’ve combined both in this issue’s style shoot calling on the winning ways of the finest bar talent in the East End – Andrea, Anne, Des, Ian and Tom from Callooh Callay. Not only did they mix up some blinding drinks from the new season’s menu, they showed they’ve got what it takes in the modelling stakes as well. See them in action on page 30. Women and drinks come under the spotlight as we look at Spirited Females who have made it to the top of their profession (p. 20). And as it’s the first quarter of the year, we zone in on the trend for lighter aperitivio-style drinks (p. 13) as well as putting forward the case for detoxing and retoxing (p. 18). With our new travel pages, food and drink reviews, interviews and recipes we hope to keep you inspired for the next few months. Please let us know what you think. Happy imbibing! Ms S and Mr G
4 - The Cocktail Lovers
IN-gredients
6. IN-the know
30. IN-style
On the cover:
25 reasons to be a cocktail lover this season Maxing up the bling factor, adding a new essential to our drinks collection, taking it sloe and 23 other things we’re looking forward to in the next three months
Get the drinks in at… Callooh Callay Savile Row comes to Shoreditch with our ‘style tenders’ at Callooh Callay
Des wears bespoke three-piece tweed suit, £5,100, Huntsman; lilac basketweave shirt, £95, Budd Shirtmakers; red and white dotted tie, £45, Favourbrook. Andrea wears bespoke smoking jacket with frogging detail, £4,638, Huntsman; pink pinpoint shirt, £95, Budd Shirtmakers; black silk scarf, £250, Huntsman. Stockist details, p. 34
10. IN-terview
36. IN-depth Cash in the attic How Dan Edelstyn found a vodka brand by rummaging around in his mother’s attic
Tomas Estes The Mexican Ambassador of Tequila to Europe talks to Rebekkah Dooley about his love of the spirit, favourite watering holes and first loves
41. IN-the mix
13. IN-the spotlight
42. IN-formed
Lighten up Take it easy with the new trend for aperitivio-style drinks
Mains and Martinis Restaurants where the cocktails are as good as the food
14. IN-spire
44. IN-formed
High society Bars with the best views of London
Word Up Last orders from JJ Goodman; music to drink cocktails to by June Montana, how to shake and strain from Dre Masso and The Cocktail Girl gives her view on Drink Shop Dance
18. IN-focus Detox or retox It’s going to be a tough few months at Cocktail Towers, one of us is detoxing…
20. IN-focus Spirited females We talk to five women who have made it to the top of the drinks industry
26. IN-focus Going for gold The countdown to World Class UK starts here...
28. IN-dulge Squeezy does it Watch out lemons, its juice time!
This season it’s all about… rum Crack open the rum, its carnival time in Trinidad and Tobago
46. IN-sider’s guide Eight days a week Local bartender Katy Dimech on Bournemouth’s bustling bar scene
48. IN-ternational Berlin Cocktails and culture in Germany’s capital of cool
45. IN-vitation only Snapshot Pictures from our favourite parties, competitions and events from the past three months
Editors Sandrae Lawrence, Gary Sharpen Contributors Katy Dimech, Rebekkah Dooley, Susannah O’Grady, June Montana, Lauryn Tomlinson Art Director James Cheverton at Burnt Studio burntstudio.com Photography Johnnie Pakington johnniepakington.com With thanks to: Jan Till Becker, Maria Giesecke, Ingrid Junker, Mike Meinke, Alexander Scanlon, Patrick Tessendorf For all editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact: mail@thecocktaillovers.com 020 7242 2546 07801 932 941/07816 202 547 thecocktaillovers.com Reproduction in whole or part of any contents of The Cocktail Lovers magazine without prior permission from the editors is strictly prohibited. Issue No. 2 January–March 2012 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
CLICK THE LINKS THROUGHOUT THE MAGAZINE FOR DETAILS ON THE PEOPLE, PRODUCTS AND PLACES.
You can read The Cocktail Lovers Magazine on your iPad and iPhone, as well as other tablets and smartphones. The Cocktail Lovers - 5
IN-the know
25 reasons to be
a cocktail lover this season. Feeling like Tsars, popping our corks with Champagne cocktails and fab new bitters from the London Cocktail Society, just a few of the things we’re looking forward to in the next three months…
ONE Zoning in on whisk(e)y… Scotch for Burn’s Night (25 January) and Irish for St. Patrick’s Day (17 March). Fly your flag at thewhiskyexchange.com 6 - The Cocktail Lovers
Chasing away the winter blues…
6 2
with a spot of pampering. Guys, try The Hemingway, an invigorating facial and massage with a cheeky Bloody Mary on the side. £155 at Gentlemen’s Tonic. gentlemenstonic.com
3 AND LADIES,
gather a couple of friends for Nails Night at The Dorchester hotel. Choose one of 1,760 colours for your mani/pedi, and chillax with Champagne and canapés. £45 including lipgloss to take home. thedorchester.com
04 Getting fruity… starting the day with oh-so virtuous freshly-squeezed juices and ending it slightly naughtier with berrybased, anti-oxidant rich martinis to keep pesky colds at bay.
5
KEEPING TRACK OF LIQUID CALORIES… The Rockwell makes it easier with its calorie-counted Nip and Tuck menu. From The Saintly (non-alcoholic concoctions like the Minty Healer, 73 cals) to The Sinful (with alcohol, such as The Lemon Camellia, 95 cals). thetrafalgar.com
Creating cocktails inspired by music… Top bartender Julian De Feral shows us how in his themed Cocktail Masterclass & Piano Bar evenings where each drink is matched with live music. On the last Thursday of each month at lutyens-restaurant.com
07
Making flavoured popcorn… if it’s good enough for the smartest cocktail bars, then it’s good enough for us. Heat oven (200C/180C fan/gas mark 6). Pop corn in a microwave or hob according to instructions on packet. Mix chilli flakes and black pepper and sprinkle over popped corn. Tip the whole lot on a large baking tray and place in oven for 5 mins or so. Add salt and serve...
Yum!
8
Relaxing in style or as we like to call it, elegant slumming, kicking back in comfy cashmere layers whilst enjoying cocktails at home. hush-uk.com
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INDULGING IN BIG BOY BREAKFASTS at Hawksmoor Guildhall. Its excellent menu includes proper rib-sticking delights like steak and eggs, devilled veal kidneys on toast and the Full English for two to share. Wash down with one of the ‘Anti-Fogmatics’ such as a Marmalade Martini or Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew, both created to enjoy before 11am. thehawksmoor.co.uk
09
MAXING UP THE BLING FACTOR…
10
there are cocktail rings and there are these babies from Heming – guaranteed to brighten up any outfit. Not cheap but then neither are we… hemingjewels.com
ELEVEN TAKING IT SLOE... cracking open a bottle of 2010 Sipsmith Sloe Gin – the colour alone makes us feel all fuzzy and warm. sipsmith.com
DRINKING HOT TODDIES… 12 from the coolest vessels around, Sex & Mugs & Rock & Roll, complete with punk-tastic safety pin. £12.95 each from rockettstgeorge.co.uk.
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13.
BEING INSPIRED BY LONDON FASHION WEEK (17-22 FEBRUARY)… but picking up chic designer cocktail dresses and sharp suits at a fraction of the price at designersales.co.uk, designerwarehousesales.com and londonfashionweekend.co.uk.
14
Letting the train take the strain heading south to the Plymouth Distillery for a two-and-half hour Private Tour and gin-making session with Master Distiller Sean Harrison. plymouthdistillery.com
15 POPPING OUR CORKS WITH CHAMPAGNE COCKTAILS... for Valentine’s Day (14 February) and Mother’s Day (18 March). Keep it seasonal with a Poire William Champagne cocktail: 35ml pear brandy, 1 tsp simple syrup; 75-100ml chilled Champagne. Pour the pear brandy and simple syrup into a chilled Champagne flute. Top with Champagne and garnish with fresh pear slices.
16
Going tea-total…
but not in a boring way. Forget Darjeeling, we’re talking cool cocktails. Top marks go to the Gilbert Scott in St. Pancras Renaissance London hotel for its Taking Tea With George menu which includes stunning drinks and an array of tasty tidbits to go with. thegilbertscott.co.uk
21
ADMIRING FRANK, DEAN AND SAMMY’S SMOOTH TALK… in the Rat Pack Live From Vegas at the Wyndham’s theatre until 21 January 2012, then drinking martinis at the nearby London Cocktail Club. londoncocktailclub.co.uk
17. ADDING A NEW ESSENTIAL TO OUR DRINKS COLLECTION... homegrown bitters created by London Cocktail Society members, available from masterofmalt.com.
18
WATCHING THE COMPLETE BOX SET OF THE THIN MAN... (the classy black-and-white films ahead of the Johnny Depp remake) with husband and wife team Nick and Nora Charles. Their Martini moments are legendary. Available from amazon.co.uk.
20
19
UPDATING OUR BAR KIT... with the sleek and sexy Octagon collection from Nick Munro for John Lewis. Prices from £10. johnlewis.com
22
Securing good seats for Gin & Jazz... the new stylish monthly sessions at Arch Bar at The Intercontinental hotel. With jazz, gin cocktails and decadent nibbles, it does exactly what it says on the tin. ichotelgroup.com
LIGHTING UP SCENTED CANDLES...
23
to create the perfect mood for cocktail drinking at home. Our favourite? Pomegranate Noir from Jo Malone – opulent, hypnotic and very, very sexy. jomalone.com
24
Feeling like Tsars…
at Novikov, the new Russian restaurant and bar from Arkady Novikov opening in Mayfair in January. With Esther Medina consulting on the cocktail menu (p. 23), we’re confident it’s going to be good.
CREATING DREAM SHOES...
25
for posh nights out. Ladies: choose your shape, colour and fabric, add straps, then really go to town with all manner of embellishments. We like. A lot. upperstreet.com
LEARNING NEW TRICKS... picking up cocktail wizardry tips at a one-day Molecular Mixology class at Shaker & Company. shaker-uk.com The Cocktail Lovers - 9
Tomas Estes 10
IN-terview
IN THE HOTSEAT
As the man credited with introducing Europe to tequila, as well as founding La Perla and Café Pacifico bars and restaurants in London, Tomas Estes knows more than most about the agave-based spirit and hospitality. He opened his first restaurant in 1976 and has since launched numerous bars and restaurants around the world. He also launched Ocho tequila and is currently planning the 30th birthday celebrations for Café Pacifico in Covent Garden. Three things that make you happy? I will give you four: ‘Salud, Amor, Dinero...y tiempo para disfrutarlo todo’ - health, love, money, and a lot of time to spend it all. But actually my priority is my boys, they are my love, so love comes first, then physical health, then business, and then I make sure that I still have time. Who or what was your first love? When I was 14 or 15, there was a girl two years older at a high school close to mine. Her name was Janey. She was sweet, loving, supportive and creative. That first love was so intoxicating and romantic, so wonderful and expanding. What did you last dream about? I don’t remember my night dreams, but my current aspiration and fantasy relates to my new Curado (the latest product in the Ocho portfolio, launching January 2012.) My dream is to get it in the market and see people’s reactions to it. What is your greatest fear? Not to be myself. What is your biggest regret? Not staying in France long enough to get European citizenship for my boys. Where is home? Home at the moment is Oregon. But I lived for 10 years in Holland, 15 in France and I’ve lived in the UK – these places all feel like home to me. I feel that I take home with me wherever I go. What is your favourite smell? My favourite smell has to do with something that I am going to drink, usually it’ll be a wine or a tequila. What gets you out of bed in the morning? The anticipation of the day ahead.
Who would play you in a movie of your life? Steve McQueen. What is your most treasured possession? My ability to give. Head or heart? Heart. What is success? To feel good about where I am and to still feel challenged by the next thing. The most interesting thing to me is to go where nobody else has gone, to pioneer and to do things that are different. That’s what gets me up in the morning – the challenge of new things. Describe your proudest moment... When we opened our restaurant in Amsterdam with little money and lots of nerve. What would be the theme tune to your life? There was a play called Hair during the 1960s with an a cappella song called What A Piece of Work is Man. The words are by Shakespeare and I like it because it looks at the awesome possibilities of a man. What can’t you live with? Oppression. And can’t live without? A challenge. Tell us something we don’t know about you... That I am on a path towards clarity, consciousness, awareness and mindfulness as a means of liberation. And something you don’t want us to know? Sometimes I drink too much. --- Interview by Rebekkah Dooley
Photo: James Estes
Your preferred nightcap? A glass of white tequila. Your favourite drinking hole? It has to be one of mine – I created my favourite drinking hole. Aside from that I like the bar at Rules, Quo Vadis, Callooh Callay, all in London and La Capilla Bar in Mexico. And then there’s Tommy’s in San Francisco – Julio, the owner, and I are very, very good friends, I have a big appreciation of Tommy’s and my son Luke is in San Francisco so I’m there a lot now.
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