A preview of new products and events at Boutique Bar Show in London on September 16 and 17
Boutique Bar Show is back. Coming to London on September 16 and 17, it offers the trade a chance to sample the latest spirits and liqueurs and pick up tips from leading bartenders, drinks producers and business experts. Brands making their UK debut will include new French cognac-based coffee liqueur Grand Brulot, Kings County Bourbon from New York state and Greenhook Ginsmiths American Dry Gin. Other spirits will include Arta Tequila, Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky, and Russian-style spirits Polugar.
The show will also showcase the latest in British spirits, including Burleigh’s London Dry Gin from 45 West Distillers in Leicestershire, Cornish Pastis from Southwestern Distillery in Cornwall, and East London Premium Gin from the new East London Liquor Company. There will also be Bermondsey Tonic Water, handcrafted to a traditional Victorian recipe using only cinchona bark, citric acid, sugar and water.
For bars looking to create their own spirits, guidance will be available from leading distiller Jamie Baxter of Exigo Brewing and Distilling Company, which is behind Burleigh’s Gin and helps other companies set up distilleries – part of a programme of seminars and talks over the two days. Another session covers the on-trend topic of shrubs, slushies, shandies and punch, led by Gareth Evans, group bars manager of Jason Atherton’s bars such as Blind Pig in London, and Davide Segat of the London Edition hotel’s Punch Room, also part of Atherton’s operations.
JamesStevenson and Ally Martin of east London bar Peg & Patriot will lead a session on modern bartending techniques and serves, while Nikka whisky brand ambassador Stanislav Vadrna will talk about Japanese bartending. Luca Picchi of Caffè Rivoire bar in Florence will present insights from his research into the Negroni, hosted by Bacardi-Martini and the UK Bartenders’ Guild.
Business-building sessions will cover subjects such as the “Seven Key Skills for a 21st-century Manager” by Stephen Waters of the UK’s Watershed management school, while Sam Surl, former joint managing director of bar operator Rising Star Leisure, will look at ways for bars to improve profits through a better understanding of the psychological journey of their customers.
There will also be a session on the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association’s (WIRSPA) Authentic Caribbean Rum Marque initiative by Amit Sood of consultancy Shaker UK, as well as the London heat of the bartender competition for French aperitif Byrrh. A two-part session will be run in partnership with the annual London Cocktail Week festival.
Running from 11am to 5pm both days, the show will be in a new venue: the Art Deco 1920s Grand Hall by St Pancras station in Euston Road. For details and to register for free entry, visit www.boutiquebarshow.com.
Boutique Bar Show will be followed on September 18 and 19 in the same venue by Cocktails in the City, a consumer event featuring top London bars and brands. Details at www.cocktailsinthecity.co.uk.
