Inventory for May 28th, 2017

Welcome to this week’s inventory. Our current weekend reads include an excellent article on New York’s cocktail culture and how it’s lacking in inspiration, how Ran Van Ongevalle won the ninth Bacardi Legacy competition, Gin Mare’s ice cream G&T pop up in London, and Goldberg’s latest release: the Indian Hibiscus Tonic. Cheers! 

The 10th edition of Cocktail Spirits Paris will take place on June 5th and 6th this year. The program looks fantastic; this year’s P(our) Symposium will focus on gender. Per their website: “Does our industry promote equality, and if not, what can we do to change this? Join P(our) Symposium for two days of curated talks, collaborations and discussions!” Definitely worth checking out – we’re bummed to be missing this. More information here. 

New York’s Cocktail Culture

Last week Grub Street author Richard Morgan wrote an article lamenting the fact that New York’s cocktail culture seems to have lost its edge. “I keep seeing the same cocktail with different names, because everyone’s making the same thing,” says Nick Wright, a bartender who worked in London before arriving at New York’s Suffolk Arms. All the bar world’s favorites (think mezcal, amaro, gin and cucumbers) are thrown into drinks without any context and thought of innovation. Morgan says “There are exceptions here and there (every bartender interviewed for this story pointed to the NoMad as one bar where creativity is on display nightly), but there is no longer a citywide boom of new ideas like there was several years ago.”

Secure in the knowledge that New York is, and always will be, the best it appears that this line of thought has made New York bartenders … lazy? Of course, there’s a lot more to this and Morgan does an excellent job of examining the finer points of this creative slump. Head on over to Grub Street to read the full article.

Ran Van Ongevalle wins Bacardi Legacy

“Ran Van Ongevalle from Belgium triumphed in the final of the Bacardi Legacy Global Cocktail Competition 2017, held in Berlin, Germany, this week”. The cocktail which ensured he took home the trophy (which was apparently very heavy, but which he refused to let go of, understandably) is the Clarita – made with Bacardi Gran Reserva 8 Años Rum, Amontillado Sherry, crème de cacao, absinthe, and saline solution. Van Ongevalle stems from a family of bartenders, his father was one, and so “he took his drink cues from heritage, family, and tradition – blending ‘a family of flavours’ in the manner of a Maestro de Ron.” Congrats! He’s got an exciting year ahead of him before the 10th Legacy finale takes place in Mexico City next year.

Gin Mare Ice Cream Pop Up

“Gin Mare has teamed up with ice cream maker Ruby Violet to host a G&T Ice Cream Parlour pop up for London gin fans.” Taking place at Shoreditch’s The Hoxton from June 9th to 11th, Gin Mare will celebrate World Gin Day by offering customers botanical-infused ice creams and sorbets for the “ultimate” G&T experience. “The ice-creams are available topped with a choice of dried olive, crystallised rosemary, botanical brittle, savoury wafer or gin-soaked orange peel, paired with Gin Mare G&Ts. Served with a twist, G&T garnish options include a wedge of mango and a grind of black pepper,” and are priced at £5 a pop. If you go, please report back.

Goldberg’s Indian Hibiscus Tonic

Goldberg & Sons just announced an addition to their tonic water line: the Indian Hibiscus Tonic. It saw a positive response from Dubai bartenders when it was released there in 2013. It’s said to be very floral and fruity. Goldberg is eager to start the Hibiscus trend in Germany with their tonic and encourages bartenders to pair it in the form of a “Liquid Rails” – a cocktail from Mo Kaba of Karlsruhe’s Guts & Glory, which is a blend rum, chocolate bitters, and estragon syrup, topped with the all-important tonic.