Immersive bar experiences are everywhere in London today. It is almost impossible to scroll through Facebook or Instagram without seeing a photo of cocktails in an outlandish vessel or staff dressed to the nines as anything from 1920's high society to Game of Thrones-esque lords and ladies. Don't get me wrong, I love a good themed night out experience as much as anyone, but I have one big gripe with these sort of places - often the themed experience takes over from the bar ex

More than a decade ago Desmond Payne was sat at a bar in Japan. But he had a problem. Tonic in Japan tastes different and it was ruining his gin and tonic. “So I looked around me,” he says. “And I thought: ‘What are people drinking?’ Tea. Green tea mostly. “Does tea and gin work? Yes it does. So I drank gin with green tea. So when I made a new gin I thought: ‘Tea works with gin, does tea work as a botanical in gin?’ It's that eureka moment, when the lightbulb turns on. You ne

I have just been lucky enough to witness a true once-in-a-generation moment. The nice folks at Edrington and The Macallan flew me up to join a party of about 500 others to get an exclusive first-look at their new distillery on Speyside. Unsurprisingly, there were drams galore. Obviously this one was for work - and you can see the final story here - but it was also a brilliant experience. Distillery openings are not something which happen every day. This one cost £140 million

The age of vermouth is here. Now it is entirely possible that you have had one of two reactions to that statement: 1. Isn't that the stuff my Grandma drinks? 2. Ver-what now? But have no fear, for you are not alone. A short while ago I was having dinner in Helsinki when my dining companion suggested an aperitif. He was a local so I let him choose and followed his lead. He plumped for a vermouth. Seeing my raised eyebrows he proclaimed, very confidently, that vermouth is set t

Prague is beautiful, but it is a bit on the chilly side. It is about as cold as the UK, but the wind takes the temperature down below freezing. As a result, while we were exploring S and I found ourselves in need of a warming beverage. Usually this took the form of a gluvine bought from one of the numerous street vendors or stores, but I could not pass up the opportunity to grab at least one coffee in a new city. Just a short walk from the John Lennon Peace Wall we found Cafe

Today I went on a quest, courtesy of those lovely folks at Edrington GTR. The new The Macallan Quest range was unveiled with a special event here in Cannes. In-keeping with the adventurous spirit of the new releases the event took us on a journey of our own - of sorts. We arrived at a glamorous Riviera villa set away in the hills outside the centre of Cannes. Climbing up through the gardens we passed along a smoke-filled path to the sounds of haunting bird calls, before emerg

Cocktail making is a skill, but it is one which in my humble opinion is worth mastering. I'll admit now that I have a slight headstart here having spent a couple of years working the bar in nightclubs and cocktail bars. But outside of work it is useful to have a couple of drinks you can knock out if and when you need them. I am not suggesting you should be a flaring mixology master, but a few drinks you can turn out as needed are a benefit. I have five recipes I can knock out