Harlot: The inside story of England’s most controversial new wine August 24, 2021 Harlot. Whatever that word brings to mind, it’s probably not an English sparkling wine recently launched by MDCV, which is causing consternation among wine circles. Harlot’s “playful branding” involves sticking “two fingers up at the status quo” and “refus[ing] to conform”. So is this the Pussy Riot of the wine world? Not according to those [...]
The sparkling kombucha that wants to be champagne for the moderation movement August 24, 2021 East Anglia is the county for Grand Cru kombuchas, and 2021 is a particularly exciting vintage for living tea. The kombucha wave doesn’t seem to have crested and certainly hasn’t crashed yet, with two seaside breweries collaborating to produce the first sparkling “rosé” kombucha. Suffolk-based producers Adnams and LA Brewery, have launched Suffolk Blush, made [...]
How Takamaka rum went from garage grog to a top tipple August 23, 2021 Would you drink rum that started life in a swimming pool? The former manager of a Soho dive bar and a drag club in Camden thinks you’d be mad not to. Richard Cohen is the only non-national working for the Seychelles rum brand Takamaka, which has just arrived in the UK in the form of Rum [...]
Mezcal is here and The Lost Explorer is the ideal place to start August 23, 2021 Mezcal has been on the verge of breaking into the UK’s mainstream spirits market for some time now, with some excellent and accessible brands knocking on the door of discerning drinkers. And there is perhaps no better, more successful small batch mezcal available on these shores right now than The Lost Explorer. Launched in late [...]
Inside the crazy, expensive world of whisky miniature collecting August 19, 2021 The founder of The Whisky Exchange is selling his collection of rare and old whisky miniature bottles. The collection will be sold as part of the quarterly miniatures and memorabilia auction at, live until Tuesday 24 August. Sukhinder Singh, who founded the global whisky retailer with his brother Rajbir in 1999, is putting four hundred [...]
Forget the Caribbean: Why the hottest tipple is… Welsh rum August 18, 2021 An Englishman, a Scotsman and a Welshman were sitting in London’s Leman Street Tavern moaning about their boring, grey, routine-bound lives. They decided to do something different, starting by ordering rum instead of their customary gin. This became the origin story for their own commercially produced rum made in Carmarthen using Welsh fruit loaf and [...]
Collection of rare and unusual single malt whisky to go on sale August 17, 2021 “Prime” and “ultimate” connote excellence, but they also mean first and last. Diageo’s Prima & Ultima collections play with that ambiguity, by bringing together a selection of exquisite single malt whisky, which are also the first or last of their kind. The age and rarity of these spirits would make them enticing enough, but each [...]
How to mix… The perfect New Orleans Sazerac August 17, 2021 August is hurricane season in New Orleans, a time when oppressive heat and torrential showers mean it’s foolish to do much more than sit on your balcony with a frosty drink and watch the world pass by. The extremity of London’s weather in recent weeks, from floods to heatwaves, put me in mind of the [...]
One of the world’s finest wines is Kent’s Squerryes 2011 Brut August 16, 2021 Get ready for something seriously tasty to tickle your tastebuds. Over 18,000 wines were blind-tasted at the largest, most renowned wine competition internationally, The Decanter Awards. The Judges then allocated the select few winners Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum medals, but this is not the pinnacle. Get ready to feel patriotic. Of those 18,000 wines, [...]
Afternoon tea in style: A short guide August 5, 2021 For the British, “tea” is an absurdly complex word. It is laden with meaning and nuance, and how you deploy it will, in certain circles, say more about you than you might like. Most obviously, it is, supposedly, our national drink. I can’t abide tea at any price, but steeped leaves from China, India and [...]