- cocktail culture
Yesterday, to encourage sustainability in the bartending world, Werk8 in Basel invited 8 bars from across Switzerland (Angel’s Share and Werk8 from Basel; Atelier Classic Bar from Thun; Cinchona bar, Felix and Tales from Zurich, Die Taube from Bern and Little Barrel from Geneva) for a special event on their terrace: Liquid Garden. The Swiss bartending community working towards local plants’ diversity A few weeks ago, each bar drew a plant growing in Werk8’s garden to create a cocktail and a mocktail. The night’s profits will go to Pro Specie Rara, a charity supporting the diversity of Swiss plants and
Every two years, bartenders worldwide compete in their local Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix competition for a chance to represent their country at the global finals in Cuba. This year’s Swiss finals took place in Bern from March 4th to 6th. A mix of experienced and new competitors Among the 11 finalists, some were seasoned competitors. Nicolas Berger from Little Barrel in Geneva had already participated in the Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix six years ago. He was also one of the finalists at the Diageo World Class Switzerland 2015 (and successfully coached Sophie Larrouture, the winner for Switzerland in
Launched in 2009, the Diageo World Class Competition is now in its 10th year. In the USA, Canada and other countries, interested bartenders can now submit their entries. The national Diageo World Class 2018 champions will compete in the World Finals which will take place this fall in Berlin at the time of BCB (Bar Congress Berlin). The search for the Diageo World Class 2018 Swiss representative was launched on February 5 in Geneva with events in Zurich and Lugano the following days. Sharing his experience to the bartenders in attendance was the exhuberant and charismatic Dennis Zoppi, the 2012
Two weeks ago, on a whim, I decided to spend the weekend in Basel. I lived there for a year between 2008-2009 and had fond memories of the city. Back then I was impressed with Basel’s nightlife, finding it had incredible venues and a solid liquid offer (yes, I couldn’t resist the wordplay). What I got to see at Werk8 in terms of venue and drinks comforted my 10 year old opinion. Industrial setting for craft drinking Werk8 stands in place of what was my favourite bar when I lived in Basel, Eo Ipso. The bar is really special and
Named after Rome’s main railway station, Bar Termini is an oasis of calm, a little slice of Italy, in London’s ever busy Soho neighborhood. It is both a daytime stop for a coffee – Italian quality coffee – and an evening halt for a nice cocktail pre or after dinner. The bar is rather discreet with its Venetian blinds almost hiding it from passers-by. Inside, the atmosphere is cozy and laid-back with seven small tables and a few seats at the bar. The luggage racks on the brick wall give the atmosphere of a station bar. Vintage style posters on
I couldn’t go to London over Christmas and not visit Coupette. Its head bartender, Franck Dedieu, won the Bacardi Legacy competition in 2015 and is good friends with some of my bartender friends in Geneva. Two good reasons to visit him in his new venue to sample some of his creations! Also, the bar manager, Chris Moore, used to be head bartender at the Savoy’s Beaufort Bar. When I mentioned I wanted to visit Coupette while having drinks at the Beaufort, his former colleagues encouraged me to go. Discreet address for a golden bar Located in Bethnal Green, Coupette is
Imagine entering a whisky shop, perusing at the many bottles of your favourite spirit on the shelves, admiring the old bookcase at the back of the shop and suddenly disappearing from the other customers’ view to end up in a place of wondrous potions (aka cocktails). No, this is not the synopsis of Harry Potter and the Vanishing Liqueur Cabinet (sorry!). It is however what you can expect for real if you wander in London in search of The Vault at Milroy’s of Soho… When I arrived in London for the Christmas holiday, I had a whole list of bars
La Geneva Cocktail Week est de retour! Après le succès de sa première édition en 2016, l’événement revient fin septembre avec presque le double d’adresses, des masterclasses, des soirées à thèmes spéciales et des bartenders d’Athènes, Paris, Bordeaux, Munich, Bâle, Lausanne et Annecy! Trente-quatre adresses, 68 créations cocktails Le nombre d’adresses a augmenté depuis l’année dernière. Cette année, 34 bars du centre-ville, des Eaux-Vives, de Carouge, de Plainpalais et des Pâquis accueilleront les participants du festival. Parmi eux, il y a de tout nouveaux bars, comme le Black Sheep Rive qui vient d’ouvrir. Chacun proposera deux cocktails réalisés spécialement pour
The Geneva Cocktail Week is back! After a successful first edition in 2016, the event returns end of September with nearly twice as many venues, brand masterclasses, special themed nights and guest bartenders from Athens, Paris, Bordeaux, Munich, Basel, Lausanne and Annecy! Thirty-four locations, 68 cocktail creations The number of locations has increased since last year. Now 34 bars from downtown Geneva, Eaux-Vives, Carouge, Plainpalais and Pâquis will welcome the festival participants. There are some brand new venues, such as the recently opened Black Sheep Rive. Each will propose two cocktails specifically made for the Cocktail Week, one with and
Bottle Lausanne is the first Bottle Brothers establishment in Lausanne after Petit Bottle and Grand Bottle in Geneva and a winter pop-up in Verbier. Opened in June, it is ideally located a three minute walk away from Flon, Lausanne’s nightlife hub. As with the other Bottle locations, the decor is modern industrial. The bar/restaurant boasts a nice terrace away from traffic to enjoy the last days of summer. There is an open view over the kitchen. The cocktail menu Bottle Lausanne’s menu lists twelve alcoholic cocktails and three mocktails. Among them are several Bottle Brothers classics. The Bollywood is a mix