Liquid Academy

To innovate, educate, hydrate, stimulate & slightly inebriate!

[urbanmixologist]

Bar Knowledge: Glassware.

You can’t serve an Old fashioned in a coupette glass and you can’t serve a Mojito in a margarita glass. Don’t be an ass, and know you glass. Here is a list of the glassware you have or should have in the bar you work in or your own home bar. Let’s start with the basics…

1. Martini Glass- Used to serve drinks straight up without ice. Most common would be a Martini where the name comes from or the Manhattan.

2. Margarita Glass- A glass stylized like an upside down sombrero should only be used to serve the margarita or any type of margarita variation and nothing else.

3. Pint Glass- Beer and Beer/Cider based mixed drinks. example Black velvet, shandy or Black’n’Tans.

4. Rocks Glass/ Old-Fashioned- Used to serve liquor like good quality vodka or whisk(e)y, and cocktails with ice or neat. Examples of different drinks that go into a rocks glass: Negroni, Old Fashioned, Margarita on the rocks, Sazerac (Neat).

5. Shot Glass- The name itself says it. Used for shots! I imagine everyone knows this and at this point I’m just covering basics for the sake of it.

6. Highball Glass- Used to serve long drinks, aka spirit and mixers, aka highball drinks. Examples are: Screw Driver, Cuba Libre, G&T.

7. Collins Glass- Slightly shorter and wider than the Highball glass, this one is used to serve a good Collins, Fizz, or Rickey.

8. Brandy/ Cognac Glass- Used to serve Brandy/Cognac. Just make sure to swirl hot water inside it before pouring in the spirit. It should be served in a hot glass.

9. Wine Glass- There are different types for white or red wine but this is the standard everyone should be familiar with.

10. Champagne Flute- Used to drink sparkly wine, champagne or serve the following cocktails: French 75, Champagne cocktail.

11. Hurricane Glass- For blended frozen drinks and exotic drinks.

12. Irish Coffee Glass- Thick Glass with a handle used for hot drinks such as the Irish Coffee, Hot Toddy or Hot Buttered Rum.

13. Coupe Glass- The coupette is another great glass with a stem used for ‘straight up’ cocktails like the martini glass. I like to use this one for cocktails containing egg whites.

14. Grappa Glass- Used to enjoy Italian grappa.

15. Absinthe Glass- Thick and beautifully designed glasses used to drink Absinthe. Served with the iconic Absinthe spoon for the sugar.

16. Tiki Glass- There are many types of these glasses around and this is just one of them. They are ceramic and usually depict imagery from Melanesia, Micronesia or Polynesia. They are especially used for ‘Tiki’ style exotic cocktails based on rum blends and fruit juices.

17.  Buck Mug- Copper mugs used for Buck style cocktails, the most famous being the Moscow Mule.

18. Julep Cup- Iconic metal cup used only for the Kentucky Mint Julep.

19. Sour Glass- These are not used that much anymore, but they were the official ‘Sour’ glass for sour style cocktails.

20. Tasting Glass- Used by spirit connoisseur’s for tasting fine Scotch or Gin for example.  If you enjoyed this article share it with people and hit that like button! Also if you have any questions or want to share your thoughts please comment below. - UM. Thanks guys!

[thelagroupuk]

Well well well!! Its been another epic week at the UK’s Biggest Hospitality Exhibition!!!  SG & our events team were at Excel again and firmly in the thick of all the action again this year with Scott our MD curating another cutting edge Drinks Innovation Theatre for the team at Fresh Montgomery. With some of the most respected industry brains in the business in attendance and speaking,  our focus was to construct a forum for great brands & industry professionals looking to better understand trends and innovation within the drinks arena. Hosting a total of 13 talks and engaging over 40 individual drinks brands is quite a challenge - however vital to ensuring the talks remain educational and not overly commercial in terms of the content and delivery.  This ground work set us up for another great adventure within a 60 seater purpose built theatre and stage. Please see below an overview of all talks, speakers and brands who helped make this Theatre of Drinks Innovation a reality again this year.  Our thanks to all who attended and supported the show this year! Without you guys we are just a shell scheme x

DAY 1 TALK 1

GIN FEVER - FEVER TREE MIXERS UK with Craig Harper and Luke Benson from Fever Tree Mixers UK Craig Harper took to the stage with his colleagues Ben and Luke and opened the Drinks Innovation Theatre to a packed audience - a good omen for what was to come in the days ahead! The premise of the opening 20 minutes of their talk, indulged guests on a journey through the history of gin, showcasing the evolution of the category over many years. Fast forwarding our intellect to present day, they then highlighted how well the category is doing as a whole, using the G&T as a vehicle to highlight the importance of paralleling premium hand crafted spirits with exceptional mixers. The session opened up guest to sampling the FT mixers on their own followed by an open creative that allowed all guests to experiment with gin and tequila and the pick of 5 FT expressions.  Sloe Gin & FT Bitter Lemon - Tequila and Sicilian Lemonade - Citadelle Gin and Lemon Tonics went down a storm! Is there actually a better way to start the day - Probably not!!

www.fever-tree.com @FeverTreeMixers

DAY 1 TALK 2

CREAM OF THE HOP With beer blogger, drinks writer Pete Brown https://twitter.com/PeteBrownBeer

Pete Brown is a bit of gansta in the Beer Business and has a crystal clear approach and understanding of both craft beer and big brewer markets.  Writer of many best selling books on beer - Pete’s insights are helping shape our understanding of what is hot and what is not, as well as demistifying sales and marketing tactics sometimes used to abuse our pockets.  Great beer, by great brewers at a fair price is what we got from PB this year - with a tasting that incorporated 4 great beers from 4 exceptional brewers, all different but unique in their own way. See tasting mat for twitter feeds.......

@BeavertownBeer https://twitter.com/MeantimeBrewing https://twitter.com/CamdenBrewery

DAY 1 TALK 3 

THE FIRST IMPRESSION SESSIONS with Scott Gemmell our Managing Director https://twitter.com/scott_drink

Our Founding Director Scott Gemmell took to the stage to highlight the profound impact drinks has had on our evolution as human beings dating back thousand of years. This context sets the scene for an interesting insight in to how drinks are still shaping our reality today with a focus on the ill effects soft drinks and binge drinking can have on our well being plus mental and physical health. (Currently a very hot topic just now with sugar tax etc) SG has been training this First Impression sessions module for over 3 years, working with some of the most challenging groups in society and realising first hand the negative physical and mental health effects that poor drinks nutrition can have.  The motivation behind the content/delivery was to focus on challenging peoples understanding of life from a food, drink and hospitality perspective and using it as a vehicle for enhancing life skills. The hospitality industry can of course provide young and old with a platform to better develop the life skills hospitality veterans often take for granted.  The full course we deliver covers the following areas. #bodylanguage #bodychemistry history of the world in 6 glasses #drinksnutrition #mocktail mixology #caffeine/sugar addiction #neurotoxins #softdrinks #firstimpressionsessions - for more information on what we do and more importatnly why we do it - check out the Liquid Academy online! www.la-group.co.uk @la_group

DAY 2 TALK 1

CANNIE SCOT IN CEYLON Tea presentation from PMDTea Managing Director Dananjaya Silva https://twitter.com/PMD_Silva

Dananjaya’s talk - Cannie Scot in Celylon gave the theatre audience a perspective of what life is like on the tea plantations of Sri Lanka.  Having progressed from what is known as a creeper in the tea industry to where he is today as a business owner - Dananjaya managed to captivate the audience and seed his knowledge alongside a tasting that is designed to show how great tea is harvested and plucked in comparison to the industrial blends we see today.

He also hinted that fair trade might not be as fair as one thinks and that working directly with the plantations to sponsor families who live and work in the plantations directly is a road he is pursuing as a business to ensure the industry takes care of its own. Comparing his tea to a fine single malt was the turning point that made sense for many attending.  The audience tasted three great teas from PMD Tea with a Black / Green / Oolong comparisons and production insights - a journey that finished with the resulting liquid, doing all the talking.

@pmdtea https://twitter.com/PMDTea

DAY 2 TALK 2 

YOU HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPE VINE With Joe Wadsack & Bibendum Wines www.bibendum-wine.co.uk @bibendumwine https://twitter.com/vinesack

The Wild man of Wine was back again this year showcasing a phenomenal range of cherry-picked wines from the very extensive Bibendum portfolio.  Like many of our speakers at this years Drinks Innovation Theatre, what we got again was a no nonesense fun approach to the category.  A huge character in the trade, Joe is as honest as they come when it comes to his thoughts on particular wines.  What he brings to the table is so very refreshing from an industry perspective that sometime struggles to engage and connect with people outwith trade circles.  The audience tasted 8 exceptional wines - all very different and all reasonably priced.  He saved the best bottle for last with a beautiful red wine expression that blew the audience away, by which point we all felt like sommeliers, sipping and enjoying Joe’s epic banter.  He was of course spoilt for choice with the Bibendum Portfolio!! @vinesack

DAY 3 TALK 1

TOM LEWIS - A WHISKY BROTH - WWW.GLENGOYNE.COM https://twitter.com/MhorHotel

A marriage made in heaven, from place that could be!!

Great to have master chef Tom Lewis down from Perthshire this year, many of whom you will know from ITV’s Great British Menu.  Tom is a man of the land and is literally living the Chef’s dream up in Mhor with a beatiful farm and hotel perched between Loch Doin and Loch Voil. A local legend, Tom’s Monachyle Mhor hotel is one of the top places to visit in Scotland. They also have a motel (Mhor84), bakery (Mhor Bread) and fishery (Mohr Fish) so when it comes to fresh produce - this man can literally supplies himself - from farm to fork!! Working with Paul Jones from Glengoyne to another packed theatre audience - we all had the luxury of tasting a trio of exceptional Glengoyne expressions starting with their 10 year old > progressing to the 15 year old.  Following this tasting Tom invited the guest to enjoy and bowl of his Scotch Broth alongside a portion of tomato, coriander, fresh lemon and white balsamic vinegar. Adding this simple mix with a measure of the 10 year old to the broth competely changed the experience of the soup - becoming light, zesty and fresh, a soup perfect for any time of the day.  Evolving this broth even futher - Tom Invited guests to add the 15 year old Glengoyne to their broth with a spoonful of slow cooked stew. Not that is what we call a great bowl of soup!!!

Twitter handle: @glengoynedistillery Facebook link : www.facebook.com/GlengoyneSingleMalt Website: www.glengoyne.com

https://twitter.com/MhorHotel

DAY 3 TALK 2

SIMPLY GINSPIRATIONAL With Drinks writer Mark Ridgewell > Taste n Flavour https://twitter.com/RidgwellMark

Names don’t come much bigger that the one and only Mark Ridgewell from Taste n Flavour.  A scholar of the drinking arts for many years and publisher of multiple books - his most recent Spirits Distilled is an interactive work book that delivers exceptional outcomes for professional and novices looking to understand the chemistry and history involed in all categories for spiritous liqours. He is a bit like a drinks historian and to have him at the show alongside 6 tremendous craft gins, was a real scoop.  Cherry picking the following Gins, the scene was set with a progressive tasting that invovled:  Chase Williams Gin, Warner Edwards, Rock Rose, Caorunn, Boxer Gin, Citadelle & Zuidam all lined up the theatre for a deep and insightful discussion / tasting that defined categories with the category of Gin. Bravo Mr Ridgewell - the splendid gin gentleman! You can get his book here on amazon - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spirits-distilled-Mark-Ridgwell/dp/1908984341/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458339649&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=spirits+distilled+mark+ridgewell

https://twitter.com/CitadelleGin citadellegin.com   https://twitter.com/warner_edwards warneredwards.com   https://twitter.com/BoxerGin boxergin.com   https://twitter.com/CaorunnGin  caorunngin.com https://twitter.com/WilliamsGin chasedistillery.co.uk https://twitter.com/RockRoseGin rockrosegin.co.uk https://twitter.com/eauxdevieuk #zuidam

DAY 3 - TALK 3

TIKI INSIGHTS WITH IAN BURRELL www.realingredients.com

Ian Burrell was back in the thick of all the action again this year - uncovering the history and mystique that surronds the world and culture of Tiki Cocktails.  Working with the world reknowned puree and syrup specialists Real Ingredients - we had the perfect recipe to showcase this incredible genre of mixed drinks with the Global Rum Ambassador mixing up some unique Tiki cocktails with thier fabulous range of flavours now avaiable across the UK through Cellar Trends.  Please see recipes below.  These syrups & puree are providing flavours that are truly authentic not synthetic and giving bartenders and bars an efficient way to diversify their menus without cost of fruit spiralling and hitting their drinks GP’s. Real Ingredients were of course made famous by their founding flavour coco-real which is regarded as the key ingredient in Pina Coladas the world over.  For more information contact our friends from Cellar Trends UK for access to the entire range.  See cocktail recipes below for Tiki cocktail inspirations from Mr Rum himself.  The tasters and presentation left our audience thirsty for more.   

Mai Tea Ki                                                                                                    35ml Don Q or Bacardi White rum, 15ml Wray & Nephew White rum              50ml Sorrel (Hibiscus) tea, 25ml juice, 10ml Orgeat syrup 10ml Ginger Re’al syrup

Pusser's Painkiller                                                                         

50ml Pusser’s Rum, 50ml pineapple juice, 25ml Orange Juice, 25ml Coco Re'al cream of coconut, Nutmeg

Strong Back            35ml Appleton VX Jamaican Rum, 50ml Guinness stout, 25ml Pumpkin Re'al Puree, 25ml Condensed milk, Dusting of Nutmeg

Nellie Melba                                                                                    

50ml Angostura 1919 gold rum, 25ml Peach Re'al, 25ml Raspberry Re'al, 10ml lemon juice, Double cream, Vanilla pod

http://www.realingredients.com/ - http://www.cellartrends.co.uk

@cellartrends - @RumExperience

DAY 4 TALK 2

DRINKS INDUSTRY QUESTION TIME

No Stage or Theatre would be complete without a feisty debate on the cards.

This years innovation theatre did not disappoint with some hot topics and questions facing our Drinks Industry Question time panel and audience.  

The results were very interesting to say the least and brought some hot and current topics to the forum of the this years show.

Q.1 Does the eduction system meet the needs of the Hospitality Industry? In large this was a yes for back of house service - but there was a general consensus that front of house and innovations and service training was not living up to expectations or keeping up with innovations and expectations from behind the bar.  Deeper conclusion - working in partnership with business to modernise training ability will be key to competing on the international stage!

Q.2 Is the sugar tax really the answer?  Conclusion - all panel members agreed that it was a pointless tax and would do little to change the course of people’s soft drinking habits.  They highlighted that eduction is key from an early age and also discussed the harmful and now proven effects that artificial sweeteners increase the likelyhood of tumors, a startling fact that has not being discussed.

Q.3 What are the top challenges facing the Licensees today? Conclusions - Over taxation - Increasing costs of food / energy & staffing costs  the major issues affecting progress and profitablity. There was also a call from Sarah for consistency with respect to LSO’s - Licensing Standards Officers practices - siting many recent cases that have forced publicans to close as a result of unfair and biased restrictions being placed on licensees in London.

Other considerations that bars and restaurants are now competing in a virtual market place, with the use of technology increasingly becoming to key to success. This said - the real answer in our eyes - lies with bartenders and floor staff - invest in them and your success will be inevitable!

SIPPING TEQUILA & MEZCAL WITH CARLOS LONDONO From Cafe Pacifico - https://twitter.com/tatolondres

Cafe Pacifico’s top tequila dog took to the stage for the final presentation within the Drinks Innovation Theatre and what a great way to finish an incredible 4 days for the our events & training team in London.  Carlos has a unique style and way with words that helped captivate the audience in a his world.   From left to right we have many friends to thank for their support of this great tasting and finale that involved his very own Tommy’s Margarita and tortilla’s with homemade salsa. Following a deep insight to all the great spirits pictured above - the final scene was set for toasting to another wonderful show and Drinks Innovation Theatre at Hotelympia.

https://twitter.com/SpecialityBrand https://twitter.com/TequilaArette https://twitter.com/drinkfortaleza https://twitter.com/TequilaOcho https://twitter.com/dobeltequila https://twitter.com/cafe_pacifico

[thelagroupuk]

Stay tuned to our Tumblr Blog for coverage later this week of all the action at this year’s Drinks Innovation Theatre at Hotelympia 2016. Cheeky Peak >> #drinksinnovtheatre #yourshow

[thelagroupuk]

The Rekorderlig Jam Session Held here in the academy on Tuesday 7th july 2015

After weeks of preparation, hours of set-up and a fruit order befitting a Roman banquet, the First of its kind Rekorderlig Jam session was ready to rock.

So, a little background first; the concept itself was the brainchild of John Logue (Chilli Marketing) & Joel Persson (Rekorderlig Global Brand ambassador) who wanted an industry event which would take out the competition of cocktail creation and replace with it with bartender collaboration. It was designed specifically to create a network of bartenders who are excited about using cider in cocktails – a growing global trend which Rekorderlig is the forerunner patron of.

And did we do the industry proud, yes we did. Around 25 bartenders from all around Scotland descended upon the Liquid Academy for a day of creative mixology, networking and fun. 

The day kicked off at 1pm with keen bartenders turning up from around 12ish (did we mention it was free cider all day, La Favorita Pizza and BBQ)...... after all.

With the usual background decadence of electro jazz soothing the ambience, cider was flowing, introductions were nailed and the ever humorous stories of industry lore were being batted about like a Wimbledon volley. It felt like the bartenders were relaxed, almost indicative of the old ‘kid in a sweet shop’ analogy, there was an air of creative anticipation and an eagerness usually reserved for the finals of Masterchef.

It was time, Bartenders at the ready....and go. 

Every station was fully set-up with all the most common tools of the trade, glassware and fresh ice. The full compliment of Rekorderlig Flavoured Ciders from mixed berry to passion fruit, strawberry and lime to their newest and very tasty edition of Dry Apple Cider.

A centre table was created, opulently lavished with fresh fruit, herbs and vegetables from all around the world, these included industry standard fruits that would be commonplace in most cocktail bars. As well as some cheeky additions such as young coconuts, Ugli fruit, Jack fruit, Dragon fruit, chocolate and pineapple mint to experiment with.

Tables set with a full spectrum of juices, cordials, syrups, bitters, home made reductions and shrubs were further enhanced by the extensive range of spirits, liqueurs, tinctures, teas, herbs and spices on hand within the Academy’s ever growing library of ingredients.

Needless to say our bartenders needed very little coercion, the stage was set and the day was very much under way.

The drinks creations were coming in thick and fast, utilising the full range of Rekorderlig cider there were drinks mixed with passion fruit, guava and mangoes, perfectly complimenting Rekorderlig’s Passion fruit cider. Drink creations including chilli and basil, strawberries and pepper charged with Rekorderligs Strawberry and lime cider tasted amazing.

The versatility of Rekorderligs dry cider proved a very popular choice as our bartenders found it added a real dry and lengthy character to many mixed drinks. Playing around with the more aromatic gins, richly spiced rums and whisky’s were also keen favourites as punch derivatives and twisted classics became a bounty among themselves.

Some of the more unusual creations used the very tricky Absinthe and pastis flavour profiles as well as traditionally obscure bittered vermouths such as Dom Benedictine, Strega, Campari and Lillet rouge. Honestly it was fascinating to watch these talented bartenders collaborate and innovate all day long.

Suffice to say everybody involved had an amazing time, cocktails were born and relationships furthered. 

We’d really like to thank all who were involved in making this event so special and are very excited about the possibility of duplicating this concept nationally and perhaps globally in the future.

As for the post 9pm chat of the night...... well we all know what the first rule of drinks club is........... Until next time my fellow imbibers, I duly wish you a great weekend and a hangover free Monday morning.

From us all here at The Liquid Academy, thanks for reading and remember 

My doctor told me to watch my drinking. Now I drink in front of a mirror. ~Rodney Dangerfield

[thelagroupuk]

Diageo - Learning for life SCO

We recently teamed up with drinks powerhouse Diageo / Springboard UK on their ‘Learning For Life’ programme, aimed at giving out of work young adults key skills within the hospitality trade, in an aim to assist them in a flourishing Scottish hospitality market. 

Gone are the days where being able to pour a pint and clear a table were suffice to get you along in hospitality, with businesses recognising the fine margins between success and failure lying not just the quality of the product, but in the delivery and fantastic service.

Over a two day session, the LA Group training team hope to impart their years of experience and knowledge onto some willing and more than capable young adults. From professional bartending to professional front of house skills, the ‘Learning for Life’ programme hopes to act as a springboard to employment via improved skills, knowledge and confidence in ability.

For more info on the scheme contact [email protected] 

[thelagroupuk]

Working with... Caorunn Gin

Here at La Group, we’re always working with great brands to try and bring a new twist to cocktail creation throughout the world. This time around, the fine folks from Caorunn Gin got in touch... how could we resist?

Our Brief from Caorunn was simple; Create a selection of Perfect simple serves for Caorunn Gin aimed at the Asian Market, specifically for the Thai & Malaysian market .

So, utilising the wealth of ingredients, juices and the tried and tested method of well, making drinks, it was our pleasure to devise some rather tasty, market centred perfect serves.

Understanding the Thai/Malaysian market was key to our success here. With this in mind we began experimenting with Coconut Water, Rose water (a national drink called 'Air Sirap' and local favourites such as 'Teh Tarik' (a black tea and condensed milk favourite. Drinks from this region tended to utilise local tropical produce, limes, pineapple and other fruit juices. With particular note that all there drinks seemed to be very sweet in nature.

Here's a selection of the simple serves we created so far;

If you have your own Thai/Malaysian themed cocktails, then feel free to let us know in the comments section! We’d love to try them out! 

[thelagroupuk]

Twisted Boulevardier:

Because here at LA we are crazy for Negroni's, our tipple today just has to be a Boulevardier.

This time we twist it up with Maraschino Liqueur and old Fashioned Bitters.

A cousin of the Negroni, the Boulvardier subs in bourbon for gin.

[thelagroupuk]

Hosting: The Aroma Academy

So we welcomed our good friends The Aroma Academy into LA HQ for the latest in a series of ‘Aroma Diploma’ masterclasses designed to help you become  experts in aroma recognition, aroma development and developing your sense of smell.

This session took a small group of nasal adventurers through the skills and insights required to achieve their ‘Aroma Diploma’ in Gin. If you’re interested in attending any future courses, then drop them an email at [email protected]

[thelagroupuk]

Inspired by the sudden arrival of summer in Glasgow (note this date in the history books), are chief bartender got his thinking cap on created this sensational summer tipple.

Introducing... Ginger Ted House Punch

25ml Brugal Spiced Rum

25ml Dry Apply Cider

25ml Pressed Apple Juice

12.5 ml Lemon Juice

5ml Gingerbread Syrup

[thelagroupuk]

A Week In The Life...

The final week of May 2015 will go down in the LA history books as being one of the most exciting (read hectic) of the year to date! Over the week we were stupidly lucky to be able to collaborate with some great organisations, brands, businesses and of course, some kick ass people!

Here’s what we got up to over the course of a frantic few days!

#lighthouselate

Joining a host of local musicians, fashion designers, artisans and a general collection of hepcats at the stunning Lighthouse venue in Glasgow, we teamed up with the always game and forever tasty Brugal spiced Rum to offer #lighthouselate revellers a tasty tipple to help wash down the main course of culture on the plate. 

Making an appearence at this months showcase, were the increasingly popular Glasgow synthpop trio Prides, who provided an intimate stripped back performance, as well as sets from Kloe, Man of Moon and Kill The Wave.

Add some tasty threads in the shape of local fashion design collective Saunt & Sinner, Emily Millichip and a host of students from Glasgow School of Art for a feast that ticks all the sense boxes!

#beatsonballcharity

Once again this year, we’ve joined up with the Beatson Charity to come together for one of the largest charity balls of the year in Glasgow. In addition to being a great charitable organisation, the Beatson is something that resonates with the people of Glasgow and the west of Scotland and will forever be a charity that we as a group get behind.

Amoung the other local businesses helpeing to support the event, we teamed up with local gin bar Gin 71, who with the help of The Botanist Gin, provided a splendid concoction worthy of the occasion! 

Here’s hoping it was a successful ball in aid of the continuing great work done at The Beatson.

#west@highlandgames

So what’s better than a good old fashioned traditional highland games? Well, nothing really, but add a pint of liquid gold from the fine folks at West Brewery, where German head, meets Glaswegian heart and now yer really talking! 

We teamed up with Glasgow’s favoirite craft brewary to serve up the perfect pint to attendees at this years Carmunnock Highland games, and let’s just say that a few cabers were tossed to make way for a pint to be held instead!

#lafavorita@gibsonstreetgala

As any fellow Glasgow west endy dwelling peep with know, the Gibson Street Gala is a shining light in the crown of the West End Festival, and this year was no different!

With the usual Glasgow weather trying (and failing) to dampen spirits, and the ever impressive collection of local artists, organisations and general peeps of interest joining the splendid line up of aspiring musicians, local choir groups and drumming groups (not the best for a hangover!), the scene was set for Gibson Street new boys La Favorita Delivered to make there WEF2015 debut, with us there to help out with some stunning wee gala drinks!

#anyotherbusiness

Despite being flat out with all these awesome events (with more to come!!), we still found time to deliver what is our bread and butter work, with delivery of our Gold Bartenders course, working with top bartenders within the trade to offer the highest level of techniques, skills, theory and application to take a great bartender hurtling through space and time to the land of glorious bartender(wo)manship!

If anyone out there on this fine earth thinks that they’re ready to reach these heady heights, then hit us up at [email protected] for further details, or get us on the telefunkel at 0141 429 8989.

Peace out!

[thelagroupuk]

The Islay 22; A liquid salad immaculately dressed for the information age...

For the upcoming

#beatsonball

at The Thistle Hotel this Saturday 30th May

Raw yet statuesque, using glimmering textures and sudden flashes of gently bitter envy to illuminate

#thebotanistgin

bog-and-birch profile from within.

50ml Botanist Gin, 25 ml Dry Apple Cider, 25ml Breton Cider Vinegar, with an Absinthe rinse.

A sophisticated expression of Islays terroir, that gives way to just a breath of that ragged, iconic coastline.

Tickets are still available at

http://beatsonball.org.uk/tickets/

#charityball

#greatcause

#cocktail

#thebotanistgin

#cocktailporn

#absinthe

#islay

#glasgow

#beatsonball