Inventory for March 26th, 2017
There’s almost one week of March left, but we can’t stop looking ahead to April, with Tales on Tour kicking off on April Fool’s Day – and that’s no joke. Also, Angus Winchester’s very own bar, The Embassy, is opening later this spring, and Lidl has hired a well-known bartender to help spice up their spirits range, so there’s a lot to look forward to. Plus, Liquor.com talks to serious superhero: mother by day, cocktail bartender by night. But before all that, Punch goes in search of the best way to make an egg white cocktail. Cheers!
Cocktails with egg whites can cause a lot of hassle behind the bar. Whether it’s storing the egg whites safely or reassuring customers who are convinced they’ll get food poisoning, it takes a lot of work to make those sours and flips. Then there’s the actual ‘making the drink’ part, too. Punch talks to bartenders about the pros and cons of their favourite mixing techniques, from the different styles of dry shake to the no shake and the blender, who knew there were so many ways to whip eggs?
Tales on Tour Comes to Europe Next Weekend
Edinburgh will play host to the first ever European Tales of the Cocktail on Tour, starting this Saturday, April 1st and running until April 5th. We’re seriously excited that we don’t have to travel to a whole other continent to get the full Tales experience! It looks like a lot of other people are, too, because tickets are completely sold out. It’s no surprise – with world-class bartenders like Ago Perrone from The Connaught, Alex Kratena from P(our) Symposium, and Ryan Chetiyawardana from White Lyan running presentations and masterclasses – this should be a major highlight on any bar calendar. Don’t worry if you missed out on a ticket, though: bars around the Scottish capital are hosting open events every night. With any luck, you might end up drinking with Jim Meehan.
Lucinda Sterling on Being a Bartender and a Mother
After a decade working behind the bar and managing venues for Sasha Petraske, Lucinda Sterling found out she was pregnant. Rather than settle down, she doubled down, combining bartending with mothering. “Eight months in, Sterling is still taking shifts here and there, admitting her level of agility and stamina behind the bar has greatly decreased. Though it hasn’t been easy, as a business owner, she has been able to rely on her staff to help pick up the slack and fill in the gaps where needed.”
Tristan Stephenson Joins Lidl’s UK Spirits Team
London-based author, bartender, and owner of Shoreditch bars Black Rock and Worship Street Whistling Shop has taken on an extra job at an unlikely place. According to The Spirits Business, “Stephenson will work closely with Lidl’s buying team to advise on product descriptions and provide tasting notes and cocktail recipes for existing products.” Stephenson says he hopes to work “with the team to develop new and exciting liquids for the range – as well as offering advice to customers on what they should be buying, and for which occasions.” In the UK, Lidl has been winning a lot of awards for its alcohol range. We hope Lidl Germany is taking notes.
Angus Winchester on Finally Opening His Own Bar
His new bar The Embassy is opening in Brooklyn soon, but the former Tanqueray brand ambassador says the project’s origins go back more than 10 years, when an old friend showed him a property for sale. “He showed me this ruined building; it was an old brewery…In the basement, or the vaults underneath, were the old lagering vaults. It was a cool space.” The bar will have an international focus and “potentially each week, we’ll showcase a different country. It could be Norway, looking at Norwegian aquavit and beers of Norway.” Plus, there’ll be a separate space, called The Residence, where The Embassy’s fictional ambassador lives, complete with a record collection and a drinks library. “It will be the sort of bar that if you know what you’re doing, if you’re a serious drinker, you could have a lot of fun in there.” We can’t wait!
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Foto: Photo via Shutterstock.