Tell us about Lisbon’s drinking history. The traditional drink that we have in Lisbon is Ginjinha, which you can have with or without the fruit. Unfortunatly our fantastic port wine is not popularly consumed around here. Here almost everyone drinks high quality wine and plenty of beer. You could have a Caipirinha or a Mojito in almost all of…

 The company says the board intends to appoint du Plessis as chairman in succession to John Manser at the conclusion of the annual general meeting in July 2015, when Manser will, as previously intimated, retire from the board, having deferred his previously expected retirement date for one year. This will allow for a period of familiarisation and handover, and facilitate orderly succession planning. Du Plessis…

WHAT IS WINE? There are two answers to this rather philosophical question. The first is the legal definition: wine is a fermented alcoholic drink made from fresh grapes with just a few permitted additions, and so on. The second is a more functional definition: it is a drink that comes in a bottle, is white, pink or red, is drunk out of…

New York City consistently upholds its trendsetter reputation but what’s unique to its contributions lies in its inherent diversity. There are so many great cocktail bars with different styles, atmospheres and programmes, so narrowing down this list to just 10 was quite a challenge. The overall shift is a more democratic and inclusive approach to drinking in New York. The…

HALLUCINOGENIC GREEN FAIRIES, murder, lunatic asylums, zombie-like alcoholism and a consumption ceremony that wouldn’t look out of place in heroin den – absinthe sounds less like a spirits drink and more like a Hollywood horror film. “Without doubt it has the most salacious and sordid back story of any spirits drink, more so than even gin,” says absinthe maker and expert…

“All grape growing regions experienced very favourable growing conditions through the summer and into the early autumn. 2014 is set to be another memorable, high quality vintage which will provide a further boost to growing wine exports” said New Zealand Winegrowers’ CEO, Philip Gregan. The 2014 Vintage Survey states: 445,000 tonnes of grapes were harvested. The 2014 crop is up 29% on the harvest last…

The party, which was held at the Kensington Roof Gardens, was a sell-out and was attended by more than 550 personalities from the trade. Brands and companies that sponsored the event included: Matua and Rosemount from Treasury Wine Estates, Y Series by Yalumba from Negociants, Shorn from Kingsland, Casillero del Diablo from Concha Y Toro UK, Estrella Galicia beer from PLB, Roscoe’s Craft Beer from…

The Millionaires’ Club survey, which is published this week, reveals Alliance Global Group’s Emperador taking a distant second to Jinro’s 66.5m with 33.0m. Diageo’s vodka brand Smirnoff finished in third at 26.1 million cases. Allied Blenders & Distillers Indian whisky brand Officer’s Choice is the best selling whisky overall and fourth largest selling spirit with 31% growth and 23.8 million cases sold last year. The…

SPANISH SETTLERS brought with them to rum’s heartland their knowledge and love of brandy and sherry. So rum-making Spanish style is sometimes influenced by the solera system of maturation. It is also largely centred around South and Central America.  Diplomatico marketing manager Javier Herrera Toral describes Spanish-style rum as ‘smooth’. He adds: “Basically, most of the rums with this origin are…

SABMiller, one of the world’s largest beers, has reported group revenue up 1% to US$34 million and profits before tax $4.8m, up 3% for the year ending March 31. Lager volumes were up 1% on both reported and organic bases with growth in Latin America, Africa and Asia Pacific partially offset by declines in Europe and North America, reports the company. Chief executive Alan Clark…