Inventory for April 23rd, 2017

Welcome one, welcome all! This week we talk about how you’ll never find out which one of London’s bars is the worst, because not a single critique will tell you, a call to end the use of plastic straws, Ilegal Mezcal goes straight and supports the charity of their choice, and Burgundy just installed his first, large-scale hail protection shield. Cheers!

The older you get, the harder it is to tell these youngsters apart. Though it’s an important tool in the bar trade, especially in the States where alcohol laws are so strict. Food Beast asked a couple of bartenders to try and determine which one of the kids they placed in front of them was underage (which, in this case, means below 21). The dead giveaway? Mannerisms. Most bartenders (some of who’ve been bartending for 40 years, others who only started three weeks ago) had a very hard time guessing correctly. No surprise there!

London’s Worst Bar

Last week Drink Up London published an article in which they argued, that because London’s bar scene was so small and “friendly”, it is impossible to get a bad review out there (they cited Jay Rayner’s review of Le Cinq as somewhat of an “inspiration” because he was able to say whatever he wanted to, without offending any of his pals”). Author Jane Ryan states “All my reviewer pals tell me that no publication has ever let them print an honestly scathing review even when they’ve been brave enough to write it”.

She complains about the fact that she’ll never be able to publish a scathingly honest review, which grates me. Just do it. If you’ve established your name, then publish the damn thing. If you really think it deserves to be out there and none of the big outlets will “give you the permission” to publish it, then go to Squarespace and do the damn thing yourself. I feel like she’s not putting her money where her mouth is, complaining about the fact that no one will let her but also not eager enough to stick her neck out for it. Pick your sides Ryan, and stick to them.  

How to Stop using the Plastic Straw

Not going to lie, after watching that video of the turtle getting the plastic straw pulled out of its nose, I slightly cringe everytime I watch a bartender test a drink via a plastic straw. Drinking Trends seems to agree, they just published an article on how the bar scene can stop using them. At last year’s Tales Bacardi’s Director of Trade Advocacy announced a ban on plastic straws for any Bacardi portfolio brand. When bartenders complains, author Charlie McCarty points out that there are many quality paper and biodegradable straws on the market. Use those people!

Ilegal Mezcal Goes Straight

The New Worlder author Jackie Bryant hung out with “the crew from Ilegal Mezcal” one night and lived to tell the tale. She tells their story, of how they first started their mezcal brand and brought it over to Guatemala (it involves a nun costume, yes really). Ilegal Mezcal is big on giving it their all and giving back to their own. Just shortly after Trumps became president, Ilegal started throwing parties and giving money to Planned Parenthood and the ACLU.

“The team just announced another Ilegal Music Series, set for spring 2017, aimed specifically at benefiting Planned Parenthood, which will feature woman-only acts performing stripped down sets. The brand has seen outsized success, too: it recently signed into a partnership with Bacardi, wherein it maintains its independence but gains access to its distribution network across the United States”. It is possible to stick to your morals and also be successful. That’s nice to see.

Burgundy to be Completely Covered in Hail Shield

“Burgundy will be completely covered by a ‘hail shield’ that uses silver iodide to prevent the formation of hailstones, a technique that is already employed in the region”, the drinks business reports. 125 ground generators will be installed in Burgundy, this will lead to the protection of about 42,000 hectares of wine. Not too shabby, especially considering the weather forecast is predicting a minimum of 40% chance of a hailstorm. Apparently Burgundy is known for being a hail hot spot, which usually leads to disastrous results and complete destruction of crops.

ARELFA and the Volnay wine union’s president Thiébault Huber says “Since 2001, it’s been terrible; when it hails, sometimes 90 or even 100 per cent of the grape harvest is lost. It’s more and more frequent. In 2012, we lost a huge amount to hail in the Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise. Last year, the Maconnais was hit, as was Chablis two or three times, and we had 11 alerts elsewhere. We lost a massive amount of money and feared for our future, and decided we couldn’t just sit here arms crossed waiting for the hail to rain down and imperil our crops.” Even better then, that they’re getting protection. The system also serves farmers.