Inventory for March 20th, 2016
Welcome to the latest in bar news! This week Pip Hanson left the Artesian, Campari staged a ‘friendly’ takeover of Grand Marnier, Miami saw the world’s first champagne gun hit ‘da clubz’, and a group of researchers taught a machine an algorithm that identifies Tweets sent under the influence. Cheers!
This year, the easter bunny came early. In the spirit colorful eggs, Imbibe’s put together the perfect drinks list for the holidays. Indulge in a French 75, homemade Pimms, or even a Lonsdale Lemonade. Happy (egg) hunting!
1) Pip Hanson leaves Artesian
Drrrraaaama. Or rather, no drama as the Langham’s statement would have us believe. After a short three and a half months head bartender Pip Hanson has left the Artesian. A blow to the bar, which lost Alex Kratena and assistant Simone Caporale only in October. In a statement to Drinks International the Langham says “We can confirm that The Langham, London and Pip Hanson have agreed to part company.
The decision was mutual and in no way reflects on Pip as a talented and innovative professional with a strong future ahead of him. “The Langham, London is currently undergoing a period of evolution, with a specific focus being provided to our food and beverage offering. Artesian is very much a part of the ‘soul’ of The Langham, London and albeit brief, we would like to thank Pip for leaving his imprint on the World’s Best Bar and wish him all the best for the future.” In his own statement Hanson notes that ““The Langham and I have parted ways. I wish the hotel management all success with Artesian and I am cheerfully looking forward to my next adventure. I tip my cap to the amazing group of bartenders and bar-backs who joined me on this leg of the journey”.
2) Campari’s ‘friendly’ Grand Marnier Takeover
Drinks International reports that “Gruppo Campari has launched a ‘friendly’ takeover of Société des Produits Marnier Lapostolle SA, owner of the Grand Marnier liqueur brand”. The French group is valued at around €684 million, investors will get “€8,050 in cash per share, plus a possible payment related to the planned sale of real estate property”. Grand Marnier is set to enter Campari’s ‘Global Priorities’ portfolio, expanding and “premiumising” the offering of Gruppo Campari. The group also wants to capitalise on “the revival of classic cocktails, particularly in the US”.
3) World’s First Champagne Machine Gun
Please, for the love of all that’s good. Follow this link, scroll down until you hit the video, turn your speakers on loud, hit play, and enjoy …. Sorry about that. Now let’s get down to brass tacks. What’s the one thing that could increase the debauchery that I imagine goes on at Miami parties? A champagne gun.
Shocking, that it took so long. The Miami New Times spoke to Jeremy Touitou, the man responsible for supplying Miami with champagne guns. “The Champagne Gun is the invention of a French company called Extra-Night, and Touitou is the U.S. distributor. Touitou hopes local clubs will want to (the guns) in their VIP sections or perhaps just as decoration behind the bar”. The gun simply attaches to a magnum bottle, and after a couple of shakes the average Joe holding it will feel like Leonardo DiCaprio on a yacht full of 22-year old Victoria’s Secret models. “The gun also has an attachment that allows you to simply pour the champagne rather than spray it, which, while much more economically practical, is a significantly less cool way to disperse champagne”. Available in gold, rose gold, and chrome finishes the gun retails for $459. Follow Touitou’s advice (who sounds like a real swell guy by the way) and “shoot bubbles, not bullets”. Yes, shoot me would be the correct response.
4) Machine-Learning Algorithm Identifies Tweets Sent Under the Influence of Alcohol
Who hasn’t sent an ill advised text under the influence? This remains a pretty new phenomenon (although who knows, maybe Charlotte Brontë or Virginia Woolf used to send long, drunk letters to past paramours?), which is why a group of researchers at the University of Rochester decided to take a closer look. The Technology Review spoke to Nabil Hossain who, together with his colleagues, “trained a machine to spot alcohol-related tweets”. What’s interesting is that the found data can be used to “monitor alcohol-related activity and the way it is distributed throughout society. They say the method could have a significant impact on the way we understand and respond to the public health issues that alcohol and other activities raise”.
The team used two techniques which allowed them to work out when and where people are drinking. They then used this data to compare the drinking patterns in New York City with the suburban area of Monroe county. “Geolocation data reveals that a higher proportion of people drink at home (or within 100 meters of home) in New York City than in Monroe County, where a high proportion of people drink further than a kilometer from home”. Hossain and his team have big plans for their technique. “In future, they want to study how alcohol consumption varies with age, sex, ethnicity, and so on; how different settings influence drinking-and-tweeting, such as friends’ houses, stadium, park, and so on; and to compare the rate at which drinkers flow into and out of adjacent neighborhoods.
In future, they want to study how alcohol consumption varies with age, sex, ethnicity, and so on; how different settings influence drinking-and-tweeting, such as friends’ houses, stadium, park, and so on; and to compare the rate at which drinkers flow into and out of adjacent neighborhoods”. Find more insight into why and how this technique works here.
