Inventory for November 11th, 2015
Welcome back to this week’s inventory! The German winners of the Bacardi Legacy competition have been announced, Aston Martin launches a luxury Martini set that doesn’t come cheap, mixer company Indi & Co. make their debut in the United States, and the spirits industry is outraged by Belgium’s 40% tax hike.
Streetfood fans in Nürnberg and surrounding area should be on high alert next week – on November 12th and 13th multi talent Klaus-Peter Wünsch will combine his multiple outlets into one fantastic event: the Streetfood Convention. Expect many talks, discussions, workshops, as well as the live restoration of a truck. Find more information here.
1) Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition – German Winners
Last week the German winners of the Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition were announced. Phum Sila-Trakoon, Michele Heinrich, Arash Ghassemi have a chance at the ticket to the global finals in San Francisco. The three Germans have until the 15th of March to promote their drinks. The jury (made up of Gabriel Daun, Nico Krznar, last year’s winner Jürgen Wiese, and Dickie Cullimore) judged the drinks on their balance, a timeless taste, and the ability to be made easily anywhere in the world.
Le Croco Bleu’s Phum Sila-Trakoon says that “both family and coming together are very important to me. I’ve made many friends here, that I wouldn’t want to miss for anything. I’m excited to go this path with Bacardi. The “Legacy” is a very important experience for me that, I’m sure, will accompany me for the rest of my bartending career”.
2) Aston Martin launches Martini Luxury Set
Last Tuesday, Grant Macdonald officially launched their Silver Aston Martin DB5 1:30 scale model as well as the silver Martini Shaker set at Hotel Café Royal. The set is a limited edition of 100 and its design is “a testament to the trademark lines and curves that has defined the Aston Martin design ethos throughout its history”.
The Martini glass stem’s detailed crosshatching pattern are meant to replicate carbon fibre, which is used in Aston Martin’s latest sports cars. The cocktail shaker strainer is inspired by a rifling pattern effect. Each set takes over 30 hours to be handcrafted by a master, explaining the high price of £7,850.00.
3) Indi & Co. debuts in the United States
The Spanish distilled botanical mixer Indi is now available in the United States. Produced in Puerto de la Santa Maria the mixer is made using “Old World techniques and ingredients” in a handcrafted distillation and maceration process, thus creating “the purest form of botanical extraction”. The Botanical Tonic Water, Lemon Tonic, and Seville Orange mixers are now available in 14 US markets.
Made in a region that’s known for its aromatic herbs, lemons, and oranges Indi adds exotic flavors like quinine and vanilla to its concoctions. MIXOLOGY is no stranger to Indi, earlier this year the Spanish brand did very well in our own Taste Forum, just barely scraping past first place. The tasters particularly enjoyed the embedded spice notes.
4) Spirits Industry Slams Belgium’s 40% Tax Hike
“Effective from 1 November, consumers in Belgium will pay an additional €2.60 on a bottle of spirits, €0.13 on a bottle of wine and €0.01 on a bottle of beer”, as reported by The Spirits Business. Belgium has increased its taxation on spirits by 70% since January 1st 2013. Spirits Europe said in a statement “There can be no reasonable justification for such an imbalanced tax increase”.
The problem here is, that spirits that are produced locally by SMEs will suffer, even though they contribute, socially and economically, to the fabric of the region. It’s expected that Belgian consumers will just go ahead and buy their spirits from other countries, as “more than 50% of the Belgian population lives within 50km of a border”.
