Towards a Fluid State

2009 10 31 The Fluid State Secret from Towards A Fluid State on Vimeo.

Angella and Hayley from The Tasting Sessions are preparing to wow the world with their amazing brainchild: "Towards a Fluid State". I've been lucky enough to experience their whisky and cheese tasting as well as their white wine masterclass. If their super-slick spirits, wine and beer festival takes things to the next level as they've promised TFS is going to be out of this world.

The premise is to create "An immersive and informative food and drink experience profiling flights of Cognac, Whisky, Gin, Sake and Natural & Biodynamic wine matched with delicious morsels of food. Also a platform for some of the UK's hottest emerging contemporary artists, musicians, set and fashion designers this will be a truly unique experience and one not to miss."

They hosted a bloggers brunch last weekend which I, sadly, couldn't make. From what I've heard, seen and read it was a phenomenal event. It's clear that there's a lot of excitement and energy around the event. The video below, featuring a tasting of Courvoisier L'Essence should set the scene.



Press and bloggers have been recruited to "Join the Movement"...

... and to tie a ribbon to an objedct and share the photo.

This picture from Greg is is particularly good.

The whole event is being launched with amazing creativity and lateral thinking. If the event is as impressive as the marketing it will be ace. From what I've heard Courvoisier and Sipsmith are involved.

You can buy tickets here and join the movement here. It's all happening on 5th December in an undisclosed warehouse in the Dalston Territories.

It's great to be involved with people who are passionate about their food, their drink and more importantly about pushing creative boundaries. Good luck Angella and Hayley - I'll see you on the vineyard!

(All photos and videos are from The Tasting Sessions/Towards a Fluid State)

MYO Bar Seems to be Taking Off

We wrote about the launch of MYO Bar back in August last year. The concept is summed up in this press clipping:

It's a crowd sourced bar with communual ownership. Here's the spiel:

"A lifetime membership with MYO London will cost £175 (which includes a £25 administration fee) and the funds raised by this investment will be directed back into the society and into the creation of the very first MYO Bar.


We are looking at a minimum of 2,000 members of £175. A figure that gives us the minimum capital required to begin the process and purchase a lease on an existing licensed premises in Central London.

There is no maximum number of investors. Extra capital will mean a higher profile location, extra facilities or even a second or third venue."

Members get the chance to influence the "venue name, interior design, drinks and brands, staffing, music and art" with decisions being made by a vote. They have grand plans to expand to Brighton, Sydney and New York depending on what the members want to do. Members will be able vote on how to distribute the profits each year, just like you would with a proper company - surplus money can either be ploughed back into the company or drawn as a dividend.

Memberships are still available, so if you are interested, visit their site and sign up here.

The whole idea really captures my imagination. Whereas most members clubs are exclusive, this one is deliberately inclusive, not that Groucho Marx would approve. As Visit London say, part ownership of a cocktail bar in London would make an incredible Christmas present!

Hendrick's Horseless Carriage

Hendrick's are being unusual, with is very usual for them. Their latest bonkers idea is to curate a collection of unusual curiosities, partly submitted by the public. The collection is being housed in a horseless carriage and is touring the UK; starting in Edinburgh before travelling south to London through Manchester.

Here's what David Piper, Agitator of the Absurd and Carriage Host has to say about it:

“It is indeed a most curious phenomenon – that every object, idea, or occurrence I chance my eyes or mind upon, seems indefatigably odd. There can be no other conclusion than the existence of a further sense – so to sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing, can be added ODDNESS. Those who are deprived of it shall not be called blind, but bland.”

To book your place in the carriage for dinner, simply fill in their registration form and upload an image of something odd. It's a great idea and promises to be very special.

It is thoroughly in line with their brand behavior and is bound to generate a lot of PR during the hot summer months when we all crave a nice refreshing G&T. The fact that it's a road trip will mean that they get exposure across the country. And guess what... the ingenius Bompas and Parr are involved. So expect some fun and games. Brave clients.

Monkey Shoulder Treehouse in Shoreditch

Monkey Shoulder is trying to recruit younger drinkers by creating a treehouse in Shoreditch. Check out the details from their press release below and having a look at their website.

Secret hideaway: Made from reclaimed whisky barrel timbers, the Monkey Shoulder Tree House is the perfect place to unwind, relax and enjoy an ice-cold Monkey Shoulder Triple Malt Scotch Whisky cocktail, served direct to your table by the Monkey Shoulder chimpettes.

Carefully crafted: Just like the whisky itself, the Monkey Shoulder Tree House has been carefully crafted. Made by Cheeky Tiki, the conceptual designers behind London’s Mahiki bar, the Monkey Shoulder Tree House Bar is made from ¹pine, larch and cedar wood and also includes timber from reconditioned oak whisky barrels. The Monkey Shoulder Tree House is a friendly space for up to 40 guests in the bar area
and surrounding pods, which are accessed by a walkway, and offers plenty of outdoor seating. At night, the Tree House will be transformed by the warm glow of orange lanterns on the inside and outside of the wooden structure.

Monkey mixology + board games: If you’re the sporting type you can indulge in a little healthy competition, Monkey Shoulder style, playing original board games, like backgammon and snakes and ladders, which are carved into reconditioned whisky barrel heads and used as table tops. Bond with your mates, or make new ones, over an ice-cold Monkey Shoulder Tree House cocktail, made by Monkey Shoulder’s smooth, Scottish, mixologist and Monkey Shoulder Whisky front man, Jamie Forbes. He’s a modern cocktail genius and even if you’re not a whisky drinker before you visit the
Monkey Shoulder Tree House, you will be by the time you leave.

Contemporary whisky cocktails include Show Me The Monkey, combining Monkey Shoulder Whisky, Drambuie, apple juice and fresh mint, and the Monkey Mule, a modern twist on a classic, mixing Monkey Shoulder with fresh lime, sugar, syrup and ginger beer.

Where and when?: Celebrate the start of the whisky season with the perfect autumn rendez-vous at The Monkey Shoulder Tree House Bar in Ely’s Yard, at the Truman Brewery, in East London.

Cointreau Caviar

From the Londonist:

"If a few months from now you’re sipping a cocktail at one of London’s trendier cocktail bars and you notice a few squishy gold flecked bubbly pearls floating around in your glass, don’t be alarmed; that’s just Cointreau Caviar. Yes, Londonist has seen (and sipped) the future of booze, and it’s ridiculously over the top, rather tasty and derived from a scientific molecular mixology process.

Last night saw Cointreau’s London launch of what it has dubbed Cointreau Caviar: solid iridescent pearls of Cointreau liqueur with edible flakes of 24-carat gold inside. The pearls have the look and consistency of, well, caviar and add a nice little burst of ‘ooh’ to a drink. The process to make the Cointreau Caviar involves a simple laboratory-style technique and a few natural ingredients … and turns bartenders into mad scientists. As of yet, no London spots are serving what Cointreau calls an “innovative and startlingly transformation set to create a whole new wave of cocktail culture,” a claim Londonist finds a bit difficult to swallow. However, our sources suggest that come summer, a few drinking establishments of note will be adding these morsels to their line up. We hope to keep you posted. Cointreau reckons their caviar can be added to a range of cocktails such as cosmopolitans or used to enhance even the bubbliest glass of champagne. Hey, why not?"

Photography by Chris Osburn.

Cocktail? That'll be £35,000 please.

The world’s most expensive Christmas cocktail has been unveiled at Movida nightclub in London. The club's A-list regulars will be able to order "the Flawless" for £35,000 ($71,000) a glass.

The cocktail's ingredients are:

• Large measure of Louis XII cognac
• Half a bottle of Cristal Rose champagne
• Brown sugar
• Angostura bitters
• Chips of 24-carat edible gold leaf.

In addition, there is an 11-carat white diamond ring at the bottom of the glass. Understandably, given the cost, two security guards overlook proceedings to make sure nothing goes awry.

Story from Elite Choice and The Telegraph...

Movida Club, London.

Guerilla Lighting in London

From Coolhunting:


"A hundred-strong guerilla army is descending on London this Thursday night, to peacefully spread their love of light. After successfully turning Manchester many different colours in November 2006 (see images), Martin Lupton and his team from the Building Design Partnership are going to do the same in the English capital as part of Switched On London—a lighting festival that's been centered on a part of the River Thames all week. Cued by an air-horn, designers, architects, and manufacturers armed with high-powered torches, projectors and hundreds of gels and filters will blitz the area called the Pool Of London, between London Bridge and Tower bridge, with a transient light installation. It won't be on for long, and after it's photographed for posterity, it will be switched off forever.

Guerilla Lighting London happens on the evening of Thursday 15 February 2007, at around 7pm."

This would be a great way of driving people to our Grolsch Green Light District style brand drinking area. Disccover where this is and you'll look really cool.