Spanish Brandy ups appeal

31 October, 2022

Innovation in the category is aimed at attracting younger consumers, especially through cocktails.

The Negroni Sbagliato has become the darling of millennials thanks to a TikTok clip. Shay Waterworth says it’s opening new doors for vermouth producers.

Moebius, the Milan-based venue owned by Lorenzo Querci, includes a cocktail bar managed by Giovanni Allario, former bar manager of Le Syndicat, Paris, a bistrot restaurant, and a fine dining restaurant run by two Michelin Star chef, Enrico Croatti, it focuses on modern mixology.

In September, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto celebrated the anniversary of its sixth year. To mark the occasion, the brand announced the release of a new book outlining the first five years of Italicus. Drinks International caught up with founder Giuseppe Gallo to talk about the evolution of the brand.

More and more bartenders are embracing the allure of exotic islands. Hamish Smith discovers why.

Kurt Schlechter and Leah van Deventer's community-based bartender training course is helping to get people back into employment while raising awareness of hospitality. Schlechter tells us how it works.

Life on the Front Line

14 October, 2022

Kyiv’s bartenders are fighting back against the Russian invasion, as Hamish Smith discovers.

A spirit historically bound to the South Korean market, soju consumption is rapidly increasing in key global markets.

The cost of living crisis is a sobering prospect for hospitality. Of course, the entire drinks industry will be affected, from production to distribution, but hospitality is once again likely to take the biggest hit.

What next for Royal Warrants?

22 September, 2022

On 8 September 2022 Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history, passed away peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland aged 96.

Over the last few years, Kuala Lumpur has emerged as a cocktail city to watch. Drinks International caught up with Divyesh Chauhan, co-founder and director of JungleBird, one of the bars putting Malaysia’s capital on the bartending map.

Young Spirits was founded in 2019 as a small batch bottling site for craft whisky and rum producers. In three years, the business has gone from strength to strength, tripling its revenue and growing from two to 42 employees. 

VintageCellar is a member-only fine wine investment app that launched in the UK in July. Drinks International caught up with chief executive and founder Selim Bocti to talk about his mission to bring fine wine investment into the 21st century.

Producers of the always tricky-to-make wines are facing further challenges as the climate heats up, finds Oli Dodd.

Rum: The White Choice

23 August, 2022

White rum has long been a star ingredient of cocktails and with consumers now demanding better quality drinks, it is ripe for premiumisation. 

Catching up with Cachaça

23 August, 2022

Thousands of microdistilleries are helping to change the face of Brazil’s national spirit, creating aged and wood-blended expressions that are pulling in new fans.

Drinks International sits down with Spirit of Harrogate co-founder Marcus Black to talk heritage, sport, and how to create a gin that stands out from the crowd.

Cocktails in the City has returned to London for a series of garden parties featuring some of London’s finest bars. 

On 1 July The Balvenie launched the latest in its Stories range, a 27-year-old single malt finished in Caroni rum casks, Drinks International caught up with brand ambassador Alwynne Gwilt to talk about the distillery's unique relationship with rum.

Japanese whisky continues to go from strength to strength as shochu producers turn to the category to make their mark in international markets.

From the bartenders’ handshake cocktail to being sold in cans in supermarkets and restaurants, the negroni continues to dominate menus across the globe. Millie Milliken takes a closer look at the evolution of the Italian classic.

Vodka Takes a Stand

20 July, 2022

Businesses all over the world have boycotted Russian vodka in a show of solidarity with Ukraine, but what does this mean for the wider vodka market?

When it comes to the production of rhum agricole, terroir is key to quality. Oli dodd meets those at the forefront of this lesser-known spirits category.

Prosecco Rising

20 July, 2022

Owner of Martinotti prosecco bar in Nihonbashi, Japan, gives an insight into the country’s prosecco trends. 

Italian bitters are enjoying something of a golden era as consumers’ tastes evolve.

Flavours, packaging and a concentration on cocktails in the on-trade could be the way to a new audience for the Italian liqueur.

Modernising Calvados

28 June, 2022

The apple-based spirit’s newest incarnations are at odds with outdated consumer perceptions, but a new breed of producer is working to change this.

Tequila's Coffee Break

28 June, 2022

With Patrón discontinuing its popular XO Café, the tequila liqueur category has opened up to other brands – and it’s a popular space, finds Shay Waterworth.

Building Whiskey Bridges

28 June, 2022

Trade disputes resulting in crippling tariffs have been lifted after four years, but will America and its export countries find a permanent peace?

Famously the hero country for Malbec, Argentina has so much more to give when it comes to wine, thanks to the pioneers who are capitalising on the climatic possibilities. Sorrel Moseley-Williams takes a journey through some of the latest trends in this vast and varied land.

Whisky's rising star Dhavall Gandhi talks to Drinks International about his new consulting venture.

Spain’s most famous alcoholic export is on the cusp of some major changes. Millie Milliken takes a look at the incoming regulations in sherry and what the future could hold for the category.

While exotic woods from around the world have gained popularity for finishing Scotch, indigenous oak looks to be making a comeback for some producers, finds Shay Waterworth.

The Old Kent Road in south London is one of the country’s oldest and most storied. The original track was paved by the Romans and used as their principal thoroughfare between old Londinium and the coast. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote about its use as a pilgrim’s way in The Canterbury Tales and later it was the route by which King Henry V and his men returned triumphant from the battle of Agincourt.

Vinitaly returns for 2022

24 March, 2022

Thousands of leading wine and spirits buyers will descend upon Verona from April 10-13 to taste new vintages and innovations from prestigious producers.

It is in the lives of normal people that war’s impact is most profound. In Kyiv, under attack by Russia from land and air, the city’s bartenders are a compelling illustration. They are everyday civilians living everyday lives that now look unrecognisable from a week ago. 

Few drinks categories have seen as much start-up activity as alcohol-free spirits in recent times. Lyre’s chief executive Mark Livings concedes his brand was beaten to the market by the likes of Seedlip and others, but he’s convinced that rapid scaling, rather than being early to the game, holds the key to success.

The rise of quality RTDs

17 February, 2022

Last year’s launch of Panther M*lk, a vegan oat milk RTD made with gin, rum, brandy and overproof spiced rum, shows just how quickly the pre-mixed cocktail industry has evolved since the days of mediocre Gin & Tonics.

Irish exports bounce back

17 February, 2022

Irish whiskey exports soared by 25% to reach €856m in 2021, according to new government gures, which also show that cream liqueur exports increased 19% to €367m, while gin exports were up 38%, albeit from a lower base.

South African Wine Rebounds

17 February, 2022

Strong demand from the UK, the US and China helped South African wine exports increase by 12.1% in value to R10.2bn in 2021.

The winemakers of Chablis scrambled to light candles in a bid to protect their budding vines from severe spring frosts in the early hours of April 6, 2021.

The UK’s CBD market is now the second-largest in the world and following a period of regulatory red tape, the Association for the Cannabinoid Industry claims that the UK now has the most evolved regulatory framework for CBD in the world. Coupled with a growing consumer trend away from alcohol, CBD-infused functional beverages could be set to explode this year.

Logistics companies within the global drinks industry have been battered by an unprecedented confluence of headwinds during the past 18 months.

Central banks are coming under increasing pressure to hike interest rates after inflation soared across the globe.

South Africa has suffered greater than most countries during the Covid-19 pandemic. It has reported three times as many cases as any other African country, and many of the government’s attempts to curb the virus – closing borders, prohibiting or restricting the domestic sale of alcohol, and banning the transport of goods to the country’s ports – have had a damaging impact on the wine industry.

The adoption of local produce has been one of the biggest trends within the global drinks industry over the past few years, particularly in the on-trade where the influence of sustainability has encouraged consumers to look closer to home for their drinking choices.

Canned wine hits new heights

23 September, 2021

It’s fair to say that the perception of canned wine among consumers has historically been less than favourable, perceived as the choice of hen parties, train-drinkers, and people with “it’s wine o’clock” fridge magnets. In recent years though, canned wine has matured and now some very good products are available in the format.

The continued rise of RTDs

23 September, 2021

The RTD category proved remarkably resilient when the Covid-19 pandemic brought the global drinks industry to its knees last year. It was already on a tear, and its growth simply accelerated after strict lockdown measures forced billions of people to stay at home.

Jean-Etienne Gourgues landed one of the top jobs in the Scotch whisky industry when he took over as chairman and chief executive of Chivas Brothers this summer.

The Rise of DTC Sales

02 September, 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has inspired drinks producers across the world to significantly ramp up their focus on direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales.

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La'Mel Clarke

Service isn’t servitude: the skill of hosting

La’Mel Clarke, front of house at London’s Seed Library, looks at the forgotten art of hosting and why it deserves the same respect as bartending.

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