Beefeater 24 is hosting a series of Tea Salons all over the world to make the most of the gin’s gorgeous tea botanicals. Brand Ambassador Dan Warner has create a range of tea-inspired gin cocktails, including English Breakfast, Lapsang Martinez, Almond Iced Tea and 24 Fruit Tea Cup. Great drinks all and here are some of the  recipes.

English Breakfast

• 1 ¾ oz English Breakfast Tea infused Beefeater 24*
• ¾ oz Lemon Juice
• ¾ oz Pasteurized Egg White (Optional)
• ¼ oz Sugar syrup
• 1 spoon Marmalade

Method: Shake and Strain into chilled glass
Glass: Tea Cup or Cocktail glass
Garnish: Zested orange peel

Almond Iced Tea

• 1 ¾ oz Beefeater 24
• 3 oz Chilled Sencha Tea
• ¾ oz Orgeat syrup
• ¼ oz Sugar syrup
• ¼ oz Fresh lemon juice

Method: Pour all ingredients over ice & stir
Glass: Highball/ Collins
Garnish: Lemon wheel & sage sprig

Lapsang Martinez

• 1 ¾ oz Beefeater 24
• 1 oz Dubonnet
• ½ oz Lapsang Souchong Syrup

Method: Stir and Strain
Glass: Cocktail coupe
Garnish: Lemon Twist

On a recent trip to investigate Japanese whisky and Tokyo’s incredible cocktail culture Gintime had the great pleasure of meeting Suzuki Takayuki, one of Japan’s top cocktail maestros. Known as Mr. Iceman,  Suzuki-san is the inventor of the famous hand carved ice ball and is an expert in the technique of creating a perfectly spherical ice ball. We asked him about his own favourite drink and guess what,  it’s the Martini. Here he shares some of his favourite gin recipes.

Classic Martini

• Put plenty of heavy cracked ice into mixing glass
• Add enough water and stiir well with bar spoon
• Pour off the water and put more ice
• Pour 10ml Dry Vermouth and quickly discard
• Pour 60ml Dry Gin and then strain into cocktail glass very quickly
• {It is important that there is no mixing}
• Garnish / Lemon twist and Olive

Contemporary Martini  [Sapphire Lassi Martini]

Inspired by Bombay Sapphire Botanical “Scent of Coriander”

• Pistachio & salt rim
• Bombay Sapphire　40mL
• Milk 20ml
• Yoghurt  20ml
• Pineapple juice 20ml
• Syrup 2tsp
• Combine in mixing glass over ice and strain into cocktail glass
• Float １tsp Pastis

Sapphire Lassi Collins

• Pistachio & salt rim
• Bombay Sapphire　30mL
• Milk 20ml
• Yoghurt  20ml
• Pineapple juice 20ml
• Combine in mixing glass over ice
• Top up with tonic water
• Float 1 tsp Pastis

Caorunn Scottish Gin last night crowned Scott Ingram of Blythswood Square Hotel in Glasgow the winner of the new nationwide cocktail competition The Caledonian Bartenders Cup. Held at the LA Group’s state of the art bar academy in Glasgow, Scott dazzled the judges by showcasing his exceptional mixology skills as he triumphed over stiff competition from 18 of the country’s top bartenders.

Scott and his fellow entrants were tested to the limits in a contest, which included rounds of neat and blind tasting and a mixology innovation challenge, where they had to prove their creativity against the clock. Entrants’ cocktails were judged on flavour, aroma, technical ability, presentation, discussion and name by a panel of industry experts.

The contest, which was launched by leading bar consultancy the LA Group in partnership with Caorunn Scottish Gin and anCnoc Highland Single Malt Whisky, was devised to challenge, celebrate and educate Scotland’s leading bartenders.  £1000 prize money and an engraved crystal punch bowl trophy were up for grabs as competitors battled it out by creating two original cocktail concoctions to present to the judges – a ‘Mid Summer Night’ cocktail using handcrafted small batch Scottish gin Caorunn and an ‘International Innovation’ themed masterpiece using anCnoc.

Infused with five Celtic botanicals Caorunn’s crisp dry taste provided the perfect base for a host of cutting edge cocktails and after a highly competitive round, Scott was declared the winner with his impressive Caorunn and anCnoc creations. Yan McPherson from the Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh and Dean Evans from Glasgow’s Blythswood Square Hotel were named runners up.

The competition was judged by some of the industry’s foremost experts in taste, style and bartending namely Barry Chalmers, General Manager of Eau De Vie in Sydney, Australia’s most influential speakeasy, Adrian Gomes from LPNY Consultancy, Caorunn Brand Ambassador Ervin Trykowski and Michael Lovedale from the LA Group Ltd.

Ibolya Bakos, Brand Manager, Caorunn Gin: ‘Caorunn were delighted to be involved in this exciting new competition which champions creativity within the bartending industry. Many first class bartenders create cocktails that capture the spirit of the moment and the Caledonian Bartenders Cup is the perfect platform to celebrate and highlight bartending as an art form.’

Scott’s Mid Summer Night Caorunn Cocktail

• 40ml Caorunn,
• 10ml Tempranillo,
• 20ml Calvados,
• 12.5 Cointreau,
• 12.5ml Grenadine,
• 3 drops Bitter Truth orange bitters,
• 2 drops Angostura bitters

Method – Shake and double strain

For further details on Caorunn visit: www.caorunngin.com

Beefeater Summer Gin hits the shops this May and, as promised, here are some of Tim Stones delicious Beefeater Summer recipes to make at home:

Beefeater Summer Martini

• 3 parts Beefeater Summer
• 1 part Dry Vermouth

Garnish: Blackberry and Raspberry on a cocktail stick

Glass: Coupe glass

In a mixing glass, stir Beefeater Summer over ice with the Dry Vermouth until well chilled. Garnish and serve.

Beefeater Summer Gin Fizz

• 50ml Beefeater Summer
• Ruby Grapefruit Juice
• Splash of Club Soda

Garnish: Wedge of Ruby Grapefruit

Glass: Tall

Pour Beefeater Summer over ice. Top with fresh ruby grapefruit juice and a splash of club soda. Garnish and serve.

Beefeater Summer Cooler

(based on jug serving 6 medium tumblers)

• 200ml Beefeater Summer
• 75ml of Elderflower cordial or liqueur
• Club soda or Ginger Ale
• Lemon

Garnish: Summer Fruits

Glass: Pitcher

Pour Beefeater Summer over ice into the pitcher. Add the elderflower cordial or liqueur. Top with club soda or ginger ale and garnish with a squeeze of lemon and summer fruits.

Beefeater Summer and Cranberry

• 50ml Beefeater Summer
• Cranberry Juice

Garnish: Lime wedge

Glass: Tall

Pour Beefeater Summer into a glass over ice. Top with cranberry juice. Squeeze the lime wedge into the glass and add as garnish

Caorunn, Scotland’s handcrafted small batch gin, is taking UK gin lovers on a sensory adventure with a series of cutting edge cocktail master classes. Created using an authentic fusion of five Celtic botanicals, Caorunn’s crisp dry aromatic taste is currently going down a storm.  The new Masterclass series kicked off in March in Edinburgh, where guests were taken on a unique tasting tour showcasing the gin’s new range of Spring cocktails. Hosted in Harvey Nichol’s atmospheric top floor bar, Caorunn’s brand ambassador and gin connoisseur Ervin Trykowski stirred up the crowd with contemporary twists on cocktail classics and an internationally inspired three-way almond gin fizz. Enjoy a taste of the Scottish Highlands and sample one of Ervin’s delicious Caorunn Spring Cocktails for yourself with the recipes below.

Ervin got to the final of Drinks International Cocktail Challenge with the Good for the Gander Cocktail designed to showcase Caorunn’s clean floral notes.  Adding the same amount of Lillet gives the cocktail a slight dryness. Goose Island IPA from Chicago is a very subtle style of IPA, which adds a really nice malt flavour to the drink as well as a bitter aftertaste. Then the drink is finished off by adding a small amount of St Germain (elderflower liqueur) to lift all the other flavours giving the drink a fresh, clean light taste.

Good for the Gander

• 25ml Caorunn Gin
• 25ml Dry Vermouth or Lillet
• 25ml Goose Island India Pale Ale
• 12.5ml St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with ice. Serve in a chilled Martini glass with a grapefruit twist.

Poppy Blush

• 37.5ml Caorunn
• 12.5ml Poppy liqueur
• 12.5ml Dubonnet
• 25ml lemon juice
• 25ml apple juice
• 25ml rhubarb syrup
• Egg white

Place all ingredients in a Boston shaker, shake without ice and then with ice (this helps get a froth from the egg white).  Double strain into a martini glass and garnish with a basil leaf.

No one throws a tea party like the Hoxton Pony and since the long awaited release of blockbuster hit Alice In Wonderland tea parties have gone down like a storm in a tea cup with the regular Pony crowd.   They are a bit different with cocktails made in a special Infusion Jar invented by Gerry Calabrese.  The jars are designed to be self-cooling so they keep your cocktail mixed without ice. The cocktail mixtures are seasonal and include delicious concoctions like Gin’N Roses £40, Cherry’s Cup £40, Spring Pic Nic £40 and Spring & Belvedere. There’s also a range of yummy food from cucumber and salt beef sandwiches, homemade scones with jam and cream to ginger pudding, Mmmm just the thing after a long hard day slaving at the coalface.

Tea Parties for two to five people can be booked at the venue. Check it out here: www.thehoxtonpony.com/

Beefeater 24’s recent US Cocktail Comp required contestants to create a new drink containing Beefeater 24 plus 6 other ingredients. Here’s the winning recipe created by  Preston Eckman, and a damn fine drink it is too!
Matcha Fizz
Adapted from a recipe by Preston Eckman, Apothecary Lounge, Philadelphia

• 1oz Beefeater 24
• 1oz Gyokuro (green tea shochu)
• small pinch matcha
• half of an egg white
• 0.5oz lemon juice
• 0.5oz honey syrup
• 1 medium sized sage leaf
• 1 sage tip tossed in matcha, as garnish

Shake over ice and strain into a chilled  champagne coupe

Here’s something to cheer up those long winter nights ahead. Martin Miller’s Gin will be hosting a series of ‘Masterclasses for the Gintelligentsia’ at  the Miller’s Residence, Martin Miller’s boutique hotel in Notting Hill. The Classes will be held during November, December and January and will be hosted by Craig Harper, Master Mixologist and Head of Martin Miller’s Gin.  A limited amount of tickets will be  available at £10 each, redeemable against a bottle of Martin Miller’s Gin on the night. For more information on dates have a look at www.martinmillersgin.com

Text4Cocktails is a brand new service that allows you to receive cocktail recipes on the move. Whether you’re buying ingredients, making cocktails for friends or customers, or out socialising, receive recipes instantly on your mobile phone. There’s no subscription, just a small payment per text .

The brainchild of Aberdeen entrepreneur, Ryan Coutts and partnered by local design company Damage Inc. Design, the concept has taken bars, clubs and off-licences in the North-East by storm. As Ryan explains: “I was working as a bar manager and noticed that people would ask for cocktails and staff sometimes didn’t know how to make them. Cocktail recipe books aren’t always on hand, but eight out of 10 people these days have a mobile.”

To use the service all you have to do is text COCKTAIL and the name of your cocktail of choice e.g. MARTINI to 84383 to get an instant response:

Ryan added, “We’ve also seen the service prove useful for when you’re out and about and need to find cocktail recipes or recommendations as we’ve recently introduced two other options:

Simply text COCKTAIL and NEW to receive the latest recipe, or text COCKTAIL and the spirit of your choice e.g. GIN to receive the latest gin cocktail recipe. Cool or what? For more information please go to www.text4cocktails.co.uk

Martin Miller’s Gin celebrated its 10th Anniversary this week by hosting a Cocktail Competition with a difference on famous  Brighton  Beach. Top barmen from around the UK joined a panel of judges to compete for a trip to the Martin Miller’s Gin Masters in the US in November.  In full view of Brighton Pier and its slightly less sturdy neighbour, the West Pier, and a pebble’s throw from the beach, the participants battled it out over an al fresco bar)

The winner overall was Edinburgh’s Ryan Chetiyawardana of Bramble, with his 10th Anniversary Cocktail, ‘Decennalia’, using  Martin Miller’s Gin and Springbank 10 year old Single Malt, In the ‘Lost & Stolen’ category Ryan mixed the delicious ‘Ace of Violets’, for which he redistilled Miller’s Westbourne Strength to produce an innovative Crème d’Yvette drink. Jamie MacDonald, Barman at the newly opened Hotel Missoni, won first prize in the ‘Lost & Stolen’ category with a Cosmo and it was his knowledge and balance of the cocktail which won him the round. Cameron Daws from Koba in Brighton won the prize for Overall Bar Personality with what Lucinda McCaffrey, Martin Miller’s Gin Brand Ambassador, described as his “cheeky personality” and his “hilarious” speed round meant the judges voted they would most like to sit at his bar.  The other finalists included Dave White from Tiger Lily and Nico Espagnol from Lonsdale, who for the Speed Round stripped down to his Speedo swimming trunks!

Martin Miller’s Gin 10th Anniversary Cocktail – Decennalia

by Ryan Chetiyawardana

• 2 brown sugar cubes
• Rhubarb bitters
• 50ml Martin Miller’s Gin Westbourne Strength
• 25ml Springbank 10 Year Old Single Malt
• 1 x whole egg
• Grapefruit zest

Martin Miller’s Gin Lost & Stolen Cocktail – Ace of Violets

by Ryan Chetiyawardana

• 37.5ml Martin Miller’s Gin 40
• 20ml fresh lemon juice
• 25ml Martin Miller’s Yvette (redistilled Martin Miller’s Gin with Crème d’Yvette)
• 10ml Noilly Dry
• Dash of Angostura Orange
• 1 x egg white
• Nutmeg