Drinks – Page 6 – Keep It Overproof!

André Simon 2019 shortlist announced

The shortlist of food and drinks books for the 2019 André Simon Awards has been announced, featuring tomes on lager, tea, Burmese cooking and wines of the French Alps. A total of 150 submissions were whittled down to 16 with this year’s independent assessors being Niki Segnit for the food books and former BBR CEO Dan Jago for the drinks books. Nicholas Lander, chairman of the André Simon Memorial Fund said that this year’s books, “are deliciously wide-ranging in theme and approach”. In the drinks category the shortlist is: A Brief History of Lager: 500 Years of the World’s...

The best low- and no-alcohol drinks to serve with dinner this Christmas

The low- and no-alcohol movement has been rumbling on for a while now, with dozens of booze-free ‘spirit’ brands hitting shop shelves since the launch of Seedlip in 2015. And now, the drinks manufacturers want to break into the space that was, until relatively recently, reserved for wines: food pairing. A recent survey published by Drinkaware found that 20% of people feel pressured to drink on Christmas Day, while another survey conducted by “alt-gin” brand Ceder’s claims that 40% of Brits are planning to stay completely sober. If you are one of those 40%, there...

Top marketing moves in drinks: November

Heineken to sponsor Euro2020 and Champions League Heineken will be the Official Beer Partner of next year’s UEFA Euro men’s football tournament, and has also extended its sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League for the next five years. The two separate agreements means the brewer is now the major beer sponsor of Europe’s leading club and international football tournaments. Its partnership with the UEFA Champions League is already 25 years old, and the new deal extends the brand’s sponsorship through to 2024. The new Euro partnership will see Heineken given exclusive pouring rights in the...

Portman Group tells Tiny Rebel to remove teddy bear from beer can

After a second complaint against Newport-based Tiny Rebel’s Cwtch red ale, UK drinks regulator the Portman Group has told the brewer to remove an image of a teddy bear from the beer can in order not to promote underage drinking. The Portman Group made the comments after a member of the public expressed concern that Tiny Rebel’s Cwtch might appeal to those under 18. The complaint read: “[I] went into my local Waitrose in Caldicot Monmouthshie (sic) and was shocked to find that what I thought was fizzy drinks at the front of the store was alcohol (sic) cans of drink. “It looks...

db Eats: The Grill at The Dorchester

db’s resident gourmand, Lucy Shaw, indulges in one of the most decadent dinners of her life at The Dorchester’s new look Grill, where she is charmed by a lobster thermidor tart. The concept: Once the preserve of septuagenarians in red trousers and kipper ties dangling dangerously close to the oxtail soup, the humble grill, with its often questionable interiors and uncouth carpets, is having a moment in the capital. Back in 2015 The Savoy made history by employing Kim Woodward as its first female chef in the institution’s 126-year history, and just last month The Connaught announced that it...

Top wines in London restaurants by region

Using data compiled by Wine Picker, the drinks business presents the top 15 wine regions represented on London’s wine lists, with the Old World still exerting significant influence. Wine Picker, founded by Josselin Guibert and Julien Sahut, compiles its data by uploading all of the wines from 560 of London’s major restaurants. More than 41,000 different labels are then recorded, categorised and capable of being analysed by wine region or wine style, for example. The Wine Picker app allows users to search through this data, as well as find restaurants nearby, get wine pairing options...

Analysis: The performance of major drinks groups this year

In a year which has seen an activist investor take a 2.5% stake in Pernod Ricard, Diageo’s share price continue to rise and LVMH make the largest acquisition in its history, Ron Emler explores how drinks groups have fared in 2019. Battle lines drawn, but no sign of hostilities. A year ago US hedge fund Elliott took a 2.5% stake in Pernod Ricard worth $1bn and triggered expectations that it would shake up the French spirits giant. The aggressive investor was looking for luxury returns from an investment in premium drinks. Premium drinks have become a “safe haven” for investors...

The UK’s first wine canning line goes live

The UK’s first wine canning line has gone live, after Greencroft Bottling, the sister company to Lanchester Wines, started operations at its plant in County Durham. The contract wine packer has invested more than over £2 million in the equipment, which manufactures 200ml and 250ml slimline cans. It hopes to boost production from 100 million litres in 2018 to between 300 – 400 million litres by early 2020. The new line can fill around 17,000 cans per hour, the company said. According to Euromonitor, canned wine consumption in Western Europe is growing at a rate of approx 6% year...

This protein bar cuts alcohol absorption by 50%

A new brand of protein bars that has launched in the US today reduces the body’s alcohol absorption rate by 50%, according to a clinical trial run by the parent company. (Photo: Zero Functional Foods) The Sobar is the “world’s first food specifically designed and clinically evaluated to reduce alcohol absorption”, according to Zero Functional Foods, which has launched the snack bar in the US. Zero Functional Foods ran a clinical trial of its snack bar this year, and found that eating a Sobar before consuming alcohol “significantly” lowers levels of intoxication,...

MW Chile trip sees 1,224 bottles poured into 7,344 glasses

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

As 30 MWs finished a seven-day tour of Chile on Saturday evening, it was announced that they had worked through as many as 1,224 bottles from 7,344 glasses. Francis Mallman and Angélica Valenzuela at Fuegos de Apalta – the celebrity chef’s restaurant at Vina Montes, where the MWs dined on day four of the tour Revealing the figures from the intensive week-long trip was Angélica Valenzuela, who is commercial director at Wines of Chile, when speaking at the final dinner of the tour, which was held at the La Bodeguita in Santiago – a restaurant owned by Miguel Torres. Aside from the high...

Tag: Drinks