The Cocktail Lovers

We've said it before and we'll say it again, vodka is having its moment and to prove it, we’re sampling two bottles of the good stuff in this episode. We begin with the brand new offering from Jo Malone CBE – yes, THAT Jo Malone, who now lends her winning ways with fragrance to the spirit world with a trilogy of top notch vodkas bought to life through her super power, synesthesia. Then there’...

And just like that, we're over half way through season nine and rather coincidentally, that brings us half way through (or thereabouts) of summer. Not that we're letting the season TOTALLY dictate our choices in this episode, although (spoiler alert) our bar review and interview sees us soaking up the rays in France… But first, our two featured products – which couldn't be more different. On one h...

For everything you want to know about choosing, using and infusing teas there's only one woman to call, that's Henrietta Lovell aka the Rare Tea Lady. She talks to us about her passion for teaand shares her incredible knowledge on how teas can enhance all manner of drinking experiences – in the home, restaurant and bar. But before we hear from her, there's the business of our product reviews to at...

Sometimes we theme our episodes, sometimes we offer a mixed bag of tastes and goodies. This episode is all about the latter… We start with the first of our products, the unique and delicate spirit distilled from the flower of the coconut palm, Ceylon Arrack. Our second pick takes the ABVs up a few notches, it's Redbreast Single Pot Irish Whiskey, but the Cask Strength version coming in at 57.5% AB...

If you know anything about us, you’ll know we love us a Martini. So with National Martini Day coming up on Thursday 19th June, followed by World Martini Day on Saturday 21st June, it would be rude of us not to give a little nod to our signature drink. With that in mind, we’ve picked out two very different bases for our Martinis, we go high proof with Beluga Gold Line Vodka and low – not in quality...

We're counting down the days until Simone Caporale and Lorenzo Antinori open their destined-to-be-hot, new destination bar in Hong Kong but before we hear from them on the what, why and how of their first collaboration, there's our usual housekeeping to attend to. Starting with our product reviews… Gary gets the ball rolling with the latest expression from Johnnie Walker, Johnnie Walker Black Ruby...

We're back with season 9 and over the next few weeks we’ll be talking to some of the fabulous people we’ve met up with during our recent travels but this episode begins, as always with our chosen products: the first of which is Be-Gin a gin celebrating all things flowers and the second, a new range from Cointreau which zones in on citrus. Our book is spiritual wisdom, seasonality and locality pers...

In the first of our city specials, we're in New York where we spent three nights in seven incredible bars – eight if you count the two at Sip & Guzzle. As well as trying the drinks we caught up with the movers and shakers behind them to find out more about their respective venues and what they think makes the bar scene in New York tick. We also booked in to Great Jones, the first working disti...

International Women’s Day is March 8, so we're celebrating the incredible contribution of women across the drinks industry. Our products are Nc'nean founded by Annabel Thomas and Casa Dragones Tequila Blanco founded by Bertha González Nieves. Our book is The Cocktail Parlour - How Women Brought The Cocktail Home by Nicola Nice and we highlight a few bars founded and run by women around the world....

In this episode we're taking our tastebuds on a journey that goes from London via Latin America, Kentucky to England and various stops in between.  We start with Never Say Die, a whiskey distilled in Kentucky, then shipped to England for its final maturation. We then head to Sweden for a taste of Bex Almqvist's fresh take in a traditional Nordic spirit, Rejmyre Akvavit. This week’s read is a...

It wasn't planned, but Martinis pop up a few times in this episode. Not in our product reviews, which feature Planteray Cut and Dry Coconut Rum and Tito's Handmade Vodka (although, come to think of it, the latter would make a fab base if vodka-based Martinis are your thing). As the title suggests, they're front of centre of our featured book ' The Martini – The Ultimate Guide to a Cocktail Icon' b...

Appearance, aroma, flavour – the enjoyment of great drinks works on many levels – driven by aesthetics or emotions. Behind them, though, is often a great deal of deep and demanding thinking. This episode celebrates this thinking. We have two products which take on the difficult task of creating delicious non-alcoholic drinks: the complex Crossip Blazing Pineapple and, the delicious ready-to- drink...

In this episode we look back at some of our favourite moments of 2024 and look forward to 2025. Top of our list is a visit to Mexico for the two venues from this week's guests: Maura and Alex Lawrence Milia. For more from The Cocktail Lovers, visit thecocktaillovers.com What we're mixing: Imperial Cocktail 45ml London Dry Gin 45ml dry vermouth 2.5ml Maraschino Liqueur 2 dashes Angostura aromatic b...

We're less than a week away from Christmas Day and we don't know about you but we're definitely in the festive mood. While this episode won’t see us going into full eggnog and sleigh-bell sound effects mode, we're certainly offering a nod in the Christmas direction. Our book choice is one that we always rely on for the season – it’s How To Drink At Christma s from Victoria Moore. As for our produc...

De Kuyper is an icon in the drinks world. It’s been producing spirits for over 300 years, and the liqueurs, for which is rightly famous, for more than a century. So in this special episode we’re thrilled to be joined by De Kuyper Master Distiller Myriam Hendrickx, and De Kuyper Global Brand Ambassador Max de Smit to find out more, including what makes De Kuyper so special, insights into some of th...

Twenty years ago today Jason Kosmas, Dushan Zaríc, Igor Hadzismajlovic, Henry LaFargue and Bill Gilroy opened Employees Only NYC and we're thrilled that Jason and Dushan are joining us to talk all things EO today. But before we get to hear their thoughts on everything from the art of free pouring to how they build and retain their teams, we check out some new products and a recently opened bar. In...

We love Christmas as much as the next person but at this time of year comes the dreaded question of what to gift family and friends. That’s where this special podcast episode comes in. We’ve teamed up with our friends at Cider Mill Press to delve through their extensive catalogue of cocktail books and suggest Christmas gifts that are as useful as they are beautiful.   Whether cocktail aficion...

Boy oh boy, have we got a packed episode for you and the key words are: Luxury, Limited-edition, Sensualism and Secret Hideaway… The luxury comes in the form of our first product, Komos Anejo Cristalino tequila while the limited-edition is Le Clos Series, Batch #5 from our friends at Takamaka rum in the Seychelles. Sensualism is courtesy of our book choice, The Maison Premier Almanac: Cocktails, O...

It's been a while but we're back and we're super excited to be focusing on one of our favourite cocktail cities, New Orleans. Both of our products are deeply rooted in New Orleans and the official cocktail of the city, the Sazerac. First up, we have Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey, followed by Sazerac De Forge Cognac, produced in small batches and made in the same way it was 200 years ago. In our fir...

Since its launch in 2020, The House of Suntory has become renowned by bartenders, owners and managers for its exclusive DOJO programme. More than just another advocacy initiative, The House of Suntory DOJO has been curated with one aim: personal progression. Which it does to great effect by imparting the knowledge, wisdom and expertise behind the art of Japanese bartending through the core princip...

We’re just back from Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans where we're absolutely thrilled to have been awarded 'Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication' at the Spirited Awards. Whoop!! While it was very hot there, it’s been pretty damned steamy back home in the UK too. So, like most, we're looking at ways to enjoy the rays whilst keeping cool. Which is where this episode comes in… Starting with ou...

We've always been about the amazing creativity that runs throughout this industry – that goes for the people and products and of course, the drinks. We’re ticking all of those boxes in this episode, starting with our products, both of which show off their creativity by breaking convention in where they are made: the first is Outelier rum from the Isle of Man the other is Sogood sake made in Califo...

In keeping with the theme of the summer issue of The Cocktail Lovers magazine, we're dedicating this episode to some of the many amazing people of colour in the world of drinks. Our first product is a rum, but this one is different. It's Matugga Rum – rooted in Jamaica, with East African flavours but blended in, wait for it – Scotland! We then crack open another bottle with an equally surprising s...

We have a glorious mish-mash of tastes and experiences in this episode and we've loved every one of them. Starting with our two featured products, the omnipresent Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur and the small batch Baba au Rum Special Edition Guyana Single Cask Rum. Our book choice sees us going back in time, to 1948 in fact. This is when David A. Embury first published The Fine Art of Mixing Dr...

It's World Gin Day on 8th June, so what better reason to crack open not one, but two bottles of tasty gins? Our first is Citadelle Rouge from France, the other is Garden Swift, a deliciously crafted gin lovingly made in the Cotswolds. Jim Meehan is no slouch when it comes to writing ace cocktail books and in his latest The Bartender's Pantry – A Beverage Handbook for the Universal Bar , he's partn...