October was a month of ups and downs but the ups included four days in Venice and attending a guest shift by the World’s Best Bar, so I won’t be complaining about the downs! There’s also plenty of new gins to read all about (including one that costs over two thousand pounds!) so do take a look…
Booze News
If there was much booze news this month, I’m afraid I missed most of it, but I did spot that the inaugural Manchester Cocktail Festival is taking place from 9th to 15th November. Speak In Code and Blinker are among the bars participating, so if you’re in the city be sure to check it out.
New Gin Alerts
I may not have spotted much news lately but I did spot plenty of new gins for you! With winter just around the corner there’s no shortage of seasonal releases, including Salcombe Snapes Point Sloe Gin, Cairngorm Scottish Sloe & Heather Gin and Cambridge Festive Gin made with Christmas botanicals including orange and cinnamon.
If you’re looking for something different, why not check out Drumshanbo’s Gunpowder Irish Gin with Japanese White Peach and Sumo Orange or Waitrose’s new Leckford Single Estate Gin; the first gin created from crops grown entirely on a UK supermarket’s own farm and produced by Ramsbury. Alternatively, if you’re feeling flush, there’s Snow Leopard Gin. Described as a “limited edition conservation art gin” it features turmeric, coriander and ginger root alongside lychee and Nam Doc Mai mango, and £500 from the sale of each £2,850 bottle will be donated to end wildlife crime and protect endangered species in their natural habitat.
My Month in Gin
October ended up being a little quieter than expected but I did enjoy a couple of days of drinks judging. First up was the inaugural Global Drinks Awards at the Art Workers’ Guild where I judged gin with a great panel. Keep your eye out for the results which will be announced on 18th November.
I also had a great day at The Liqueur and Speciality Masters where I judged everything from baobab liqueur to sambuca! Some of the stuff we sampled was super impressive so I can’t wait to find out what won what there either.
I was also lucky enough to enjoy a wonderful few days in Venice with my family, during which we managed to fit in a few Venice Cocktail Week events too. First up we got creative and had a whole lot of fun at Santa Cocktail Club where we were introduced to Yerbito Yerba Mate Liqueur in a delicious cocktail (and stunning glass!) and also got to create our own souvenirs by engraving a Salviati tumbler to take home. We also got to know Altamura Vodka a little better at the gorgeous Grancaffè on St Mark’s Square, but the real highlight had to be the guest shift by none other than the World’s Best Bar, Bar Leone, at the absolutely amazing Aman Venice, where I also had the pleasure of catching up with Susan Schwartz, author of A Guide to Drinking in Venice!
Welcome to My Collection
I’ve received lots of lovely goodies this month including a few of Darnley’s Elderflower Spritz RTDs, a selection of Lockdown Liquor & Co’s canned cocktails and a bottle of Witchmark’s wonderful Single Origin English Vodka. I’ve also been sent a couple of Chilly Niseko – a non-alcoholic chilli cocktail mixer – and a couple of Picoso non-alcoholic spicy sodas which I can’t wait to try.
Catching Up and Looking Forward
November looks set to bring a couple more days of judging and hopefully some more fun events so I’ll see you on the other side, but in the meantime do keep an eye out for my next Drinksbiz article!🍸🛎🛎
