In my opinion, ready-made drinks are usually better and more consistent than ones made fresh, particularly Martinis, which are all about temperature, dilution and ratios. White Lyan showed the world that pre-made drinks could be great when Ryan Chetiyawardana launched the London bar in 2013, which only used bottled cocktails with no ice or citrus. OK, so it wasn’t open long, but there’s…

The government permitted bars and pubs to reopen with 1m social distancing measures in place. Personally I’d always choose a 6m rule when I go out so I can enjoy my own company, but for the masses the 1m rule is a total farce because clearly it all goes out of the window after a few Martinis. It’s also…

As I write, windchill has brought the effective temperature here in Manhattan down to below freezing. So naturally, I’m thinking about rum. My better-organised colleagues (which is to say, all of them) are already ahead of the game and have planned nice, relaxing distillery visits to the Caribbean and South America for when it gets really cold in January and February. I’m thinking, though, about…

WELL, WELL, WELL, HERE WE ARE IN THE Twenties again (bet you’re already sick of hearing that one). The world is a very different place now than in 1920, not least because only the first fortnight or so of that decade was business as usual. On January 17 the US, the world’s largest alcohol market, went dry overnight. As well as being the most effective…

I have worked with and been served by some of the best in the hospitality industry, and a large portion of them have been women. Running the gamut from bartenders to hosts, managers to floor staff; it would be a disservice to simply say they kicked ass at their job. As a result, I am equal parts angry, dismayed and baffled to be writing about…

This firm, however, released this data point as part of promoting what it calls Wokecations, for people who are into “avoiding causing offence and seeking out more mindful experiences”. Travel Republic seems to be doing all this very tongue-in-cheek, so it’s not a stretch to assume it massaged the survey results to get a press-release-friendly quote to support headlines such as ‘One in…

I was seated next to a lovely person whose distillery recently burned down, in no way, it must be said, due to any fault on their part. It did, however, set me thinking. Distilleries are opening left, right and center. The last time London had this many distilleries was the 1600s, and my native Ireland now boasts 35 either already operating or in construction; there…