Inventory for April 10th, 2016
Let’s get our news in a row and then frolic outside in the sun! This month marks the first Lisbon Cocktail Week, another Indian state goes dry, Diageo Global Travel introduces Baileys XC Cognac Hybrid, Monkey Shoulder recreates iconic 1930s Konga Shaker. Cheers!
Friends, let’s be honest. We know you’re all fancy and would never buy cheap vodka or crappy red wine but for those “friends” of yours that do, here comesa tip to improve on quality. Filter your vodka through a water filter and aerate wine in a blender! Follow the video here for easy instructions and let us know how it goes.
Lisbon’s First Cocktail Week
A lot of international cities celebrate some sort of cocktail week and Lisbon is the latest to join the ranks. From April 22nd to May 1st 2016 the Portuguese city will host its first week “event celebrating and promoting the world of cocktails and spirits”. Many bars, brands, and bartenders have signed up already and, in a city as lovely as Lisbon, will surely prove to be a fantastic time with “a program made up of unique experiences”.
Alcohol Ban in India
The latest in a list of Indian states to go dry, Bihar has implemented a total ban on alcohol with immediate effect. India’s third biggest state by population (so The Spirits Business) said “heavy drinking in the nation was causing ‘suffering to women’ through domestic violence”. The government is claiming that public support behind the ban has been so vocal, that instead of phasing the ban in over six months, it’s now gone into immediate effect.
Bihar’s chief minister Nitish Kumar “warned that if illicit production and smuggling follow the latest prohibition attempt, the state will deal with the problem ‘strongly’”. The ban will obviously affect retailers and bar owners and “is estimated to cost the state £327m in lost tax revenues. Bihar has one of the largest populations in India, meaning up to 100 million people could be affected by the ban, which will be one of the world’s most far-reaching”.
Diageo Global Travel and Middle East introduces Baileys XC Cognac Hybrid
The Baileys XC has been formulated to offer a “new taste experience” in the liqueur category, as noted by The Spirits Business. Also fun: it’s aimed at female shoppers because “We also know that Baileys consistently performs well with our female shoppers and therefore the launch of Baileys XC comes at a perfect time for the brand”, so Peter Fairbrother, global marketing director of Diageo GTME, says. Marketing can be found via activities such as “pop-up retail experiences, retail furniture and display units featuring ‘Parisienne styling’”, you know – stuff ladies like. The product will be sold exclusively through Gebr. Heinemann until 31 May, after which it will become available at €16.00 for a 17% abv 50cl bottle across all travel retail markets.
Monkey Shoulder Recreates iconic 1930s Konga Shaker as Limited Edition
The Konga Shaker has become less popular over time as bartenders reach for “mainstream shakers” instead of one that “features rotating handles that allow cocktails to made using a rolling rather than shaking motion”. The whisky brand Mounder Shoulder used the original design but decided to add a sieve to the stainless steel cylinder and red plastic handles. The Konga Shaker is larger than typical shakers and “allows bartenders to create between three and four cocktails at one time”.
Global brand ambassador for Monkey Shoulder Dean Callan says “Cocktail bars should always be fun, but even they are starting to take themselves a little seriously these days. The Konga Shaker is set to change that. It represents all that’s good about cocktail making – theatre, sociability and great tasting drinks – so it made perfect sense for us to bring it back”. Only 250 Konga Shakers have been produced and will be distributed to bars across the States.
