Inventory for March 19th, 2017

As you’ll see in our recipe recommendation below, spring fever has got us like haaaay. The sun is shining, news is good, and booze is a-flowing. What more could one ask for? This week the wife of he who shall not be named gets a wine in her (dis)honor, Maison Ferrand Buys West Indies Rum Distillery on Barbados, Imbibe Magazine teaches you how to dehydrate your citrus into cute little wheels, and the Bar Convent Berlin announces 2017’s country of honor. Hint: it’s France. Cheers!

The addition of vegetables to cocktails isn’t new and yet we still  get excited whenever see it on a bar menu. If you’re looking to add some vegetal influence to your at home, spring cocktail game then Tasting Table has got you covered. Head over here to see the recipes for the Red King (made with radishes), a Gibson-like martini using spring onion-infused vodka and pickled ramps, and a spring pea mojito. Cheers to spring!

Slovenian Woman gets Wine in her Honor

“A quartet of Slovenian wine producers near Sevnica, where First Lady Melania Trump grew up, have released a wine in her honour”, so the Drinks Business reports. Is this an honor? We’re not sure. The wine is called First Lady and made from Blaufränkisch that’s grown in eastern Slovenia. The so-called “First Lady collection” also extends to salami, chocolates, and beauty products. In that case … The bottles are sold at an initial run of 300 and priced at €27.90 a bottle.

Maison Ferrand Buys West Indies Rum Distillery on Barbados

You might know Maison Ferrand as the producer behind the Pierre Ferrand cognac, the Citadelle rum, or the Plantation rum. Now, they’ve bought a rum distillery on the island Rihanna calls home. Through this sale Maison Ferrand has secured the future quality of its rum production and they couldn’t be more excited. “It feels like we’ve gotten married. We were on the hunt for the perfect partner and the perfect connection and we managed to find that in the West Indies Rum Distillery”, so says owner Alexandre Gabriel. Ferrand will also gain access to excellent rum from Jamaica through this sale, seeing as the West Indies are co-owner of the National Jamaican Rum Company. One should see exciting rums come out of this in the near future.

How to Dehydrate Citrus for Cocktail Garnishes

Imbibe magazine means serious business and let them help you make your cocktails better. “We’ve all been there at some point: a recipe—say, and Old Fashioned or Martini—calls for a citrus peel garnish, so you slice up a few spirals and the remaining fruit goes unused”. All you really need is a oven. Turn your oven on the lowest it will go and cut the citrus into thin wheels, place the wheels on parchment paper and on a baking sheet, leave the wheels in the oven for up to a day but check on the oven every couple of hours – just to be safe. Really, it’s easy as that.

BCB Names France as Country of Honour 2017

Just in case you didn’t hear the news, we got you covered: France has been named as the guest country to beat at this year’s Bar Convent Berlin. Allow the Spirits Business to take over the news “The on-trade-focused trade show, which will take place on 10 and 11 October 2017, will now span 18,000 square metres – 2,000 more than in 2016”. France’s slogan is “Made in France – Made with Love” and it will feature ten premium exhibitors. As the Spirits Business says:The event has grown to become Europe’s “leading” premium trade show for the bar and beverage industry, and today offers a programme of lectures, seminars, masterclasses and tastings alongside the exhibition halls.