UKBG NEWS United Kingdom Bartenders Guild , London Area & Southern Area Newsletter Vol. 2 No. 1 March, April, May 2014

Few words from Mike Sweetman for you!

Hi Guys & Girls!

Well the new season for shaking your stuff is here,

We have some great events coming up, we have Ladies Only

Competition, Galvin Cup and the National. We are working in few

others.

We had a great trip to Cognac last October, and I am hoping to do

a similar trip to Portugal this September, and visit some very good

Port houses!

As you may or may not know it’s our 80th anniversary this year!!!

Regards,

Mike Sweetman

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Yes the 1st of August 2014 is our 80th Birthday and we are not retired yet!!! Hard to believe hum!?! Just like the old times we are still aiming to deliver as many training, masterclasses, exchange connections, educational trips abroad, and to give support to employer and employees to fit their business needs and promote the interests of the industry in which members work! Ok, we all know why we were established and what is our vision and mission but I am a very curious bartender, and digging more into details, I have noticed that year after year we have lost few traces of our origins, I have started to do a bit more researches and I have been so impressed that I couldn't wait to share it with you what I have discovered so far! How everything started?

So... For once I should start telling you

my story in a very traditional way:

Once upon a time... In the 1933, shortly after the first Cocktail Competition organized by “Wine, Spirit and Catering Trades Exhibition” at the Dorland Hall, in London, few passionate bartenders got to know each other and realized how much could be done in fellowship and the mutual ad-vantage of themselves, their employers, and of course… for their guests! This small committee was amazed to see how fast and unexpected result was achieved in such a short time.

By June 1934 the Guild was born. A council was set up with two Trustees and Harry Craddock, from the Savoy American Bar upon invitation, became our first President.

Two months later, our first Journal “The Bartender” was published.

In the first week of October a Cocktail Competition was organized the first officially recognized “British Empire Cocktail Competition”, the following week the Guild hosted the first annual dinner

and dance for it’s members at the “Frascati’s Restaurant”, in London. In the following two years the “British Empire Cocktail Competition” was organized and held at the Grosvenor House, London.

Gradually year after year the Guild has grown up, getting bigger and better, in fact in the 1937 in London at Olympia, with great success we organized the first International Cocktail Competition, where the membership grew with bartenders of known competency, devotion and honesty: they were looking after their guest on the seas and in the air... Not only in the UK, but in the British Empire, in Europe and USA.

Soon the Guild started to organize the first educational trips abroad.

Reaching the year 1939, the story gets in

UKBG, Where are we coming from?

Harry I. Craddock at the Savoy American Bar

In the first week of October a Cocktail Competition was organized the first

British Empire the following week

the Guild hosted the first annual dinner

s members at the in London. In the

British Empire was organized and

Gradually year after year the Guild has grown up, getting bigger and better, in fact in the 1937 in London at Olympia, with great success we organized the first International Cocktail Competition, where the membership grew with bartenders of known competency, devotion and honesty: they were looking after their guest on the seas and in the air... Not only in the UK, but in the British Empire, in Europe and

a direction of sadness as World War 11 has been declared, and many of the social activities such as Cocktail Competition, Social Functions and Educational Trips were abandoned.

Here we get to the point of the best loyalty I have ever came across in my life... Many bartenders, of course, were called into the Army, leaving families in the hands of god and leaving their employment for who knows how long. For the whole period of the war, till the 1945 the secretary, and other members that they were not accepted in the armed force, transformed themselves from bartenders, to rescue squad and fire fighters, managing to extinguish the bomb fire in our office and save all the Guild’s records.

Our second edition in the 1955 “Guide to Drinks”, tells this story naming our members: “The Guardians of the Guild” mentioning the “Herculean effort” they have

done to provide to our associates in the force with a “frequent supplies of cigarette, food, delicacy and many other things, at their own expenses”. Yes I underlined “at their own expenses”, and I would love to shout it loud, as I felt very proud to be part of the UKBG, mainly because as I already mentioned everything was born with a friendship and passion between few bartenders, and in such a hard time, the guild had a very strong spirit of brotherhood! Finally the War ended, and I am delighted to mention that many of our members were served with Distinction and Merit , quite a lot of them were decorated for their great service to their country. Our heroes comes back home and are trying to bring the bartender’s life style back to “normal” (can I call bartenders life normal?!!!), getting back their employment

and of course our activities left six years before. The Guild is expanding even more. So, here we are starting again, leaving our signature in Cocktail Competition in London, Dublin, Manchester, Torquay; visiting many distilleries, breweries and vineyards in England and France.

So Far... So Good! Let’s recap:

We found employment for many of our members, we assisted the others with economic problems, we supported the members during the war and.... We establish branches in UK, Dublin, East and West Coast of America, The best part? Comes in Torquay. 1951, 24th February to be precise. In the Saloon of the Grand Hotel, there was the first move to the IBA; the UKBG invite Italy, France, Netherland, Switzerland,

Sweden and Denmark Bartenders Guild’s President’s around a table, where the first IBA elected President was: Mr. Billy Tarling, yes, he was our president too!

Dear friends,

There is a lot more to tell, and to discover, for this edition I think is enough, my researches are jumping from date to date, therefore I would love to discover more into details and pass it on to you as soon as possible!

I am looking for any sort of material to collect, pictures, press releases, journals, stories passed on from bartenders to bartenders, generation to generation...! If you would like to share it please e-mail at: c.carrozzi@outlook.com!

Cheers! Claudia Carrozzi

, Where are we coming from?

Mr. Billy Tarling

Ladies before Gents The UKBG , is inviting female bartenders from across the UK to enter the inaugural Bloom Inspired

by Nature Ladies Only Cocktail Competition.

The competition, to be held on 28 April at the County Hall Marriott Hotel in London, is inviting female bartenders to submit Nature-inspired recipes using all natural ingredients. Bartenders will be required to present the motivation behind their drink to the judges, which include Bloom master distiller Joanne Moore, Sandrae Lawrence from Cocktail Lovers, Su –Lin Ong from Slo-London and Becky Paskin, editor of The Spirit Business Magazine.

The winner will be awarded a weekend break in the countryside plus the opportunity to showcase their drink at the Bloom Ladies Polo Championship at Cowdrey park on 19 July.

“It’s the first time we’ve had a ladies only com-petition”, said Mike Sweetman! Entries must be s u b m i t t e d b y 2 0 A p r i l a t : m.sweetman2@ntlworld.com

Talk about Heaven

can wait Robb Collins

was on cloud nine

when he found out

that he had won

the Snow Queen

Vodka Martini Masters and the coveted prize of being Snow Queen

Vodka Brand Ambassador.

His Cocktail " Queen of the Night " was quite sensational, the

glassware , the teapots , and the dry ice was simply amazing.

As one of the Judges I was delighted with his creation, I have judged

Robb on many occasions and he never ceases to amaze me .

It was a amazing competition the calibre of drinks were very high the

top four were so close.

Our very own London Vice Chairman , Fabio Immovilli came a very

respectable fourth with his creation " The Beauty Queen " this was a

very interesting presentation based on the health and beauty of a

Snow Queen, Unique drink .

Matteo Corsalini from the China Tang at the Dorchester came second

with his creation, " Her Majesty " Matteo is also a great creator of

drinks, Sam Baxendale came all the way down from Edinburgh to

deliver his creation, this was a very good concept of the Snow Queen

Vodka .

Mike Sweetman

Queen of night:

60ml Snow Queen Vodka

20ml Rosato Vermouth

15ml St Germain Elderflower Liqueur

2 Dashes of organic rose water

5ml Homemade tea syrup

Lemon zest

Lilly flower ice ball

Method:

Fill a large mixing glass with cubed ice, pour all ingredients over and

stir. Strain the cocktail into a pre-chilled coupette over the lily flower

ice ball. Finish with a zest of lemon.

Snow Queen Master 2014, Robb Collins goes home

with the new role of Brand Ambassador!

The London No. 1 Gin is one of Spain’s leading super premium Gin,

now enjoying success in key markets throughout the world.

Designed to make the perfect Gin & Tonic, London No.1 is distilled in

London using the classic 12 botanicals in traditional pot stills in order

to make the purest, most Unique London Gin.

Versatile and aromatic, the London No.1 Gin is perfect for Gin-based

cocktails and the very best Gin & Tonic.

A special invite for you!

Join London No 1 and the team from Gonzalez Byass UK for a Gin

Master Class with Peter Alison, Mixologist and Gonzalez Byass Spirits

Ambassador

On Tuesday 29th April at Copa de Cava, 33 Blackfriars Lane, London

EC4V 6EP (nearest tube: St Paul’s Central Line) from 2pm-4pm

(Master Class from 2-3pm, London No 1 Gin & Tonics with Spanish

Tapas from 3.30pm onwards)

This Gin Master Class will reveal the latest trends in Gin-based

cocktails from the States to the Far East. Looking at how top

mixologists around the world are innovating with Gin and how

The fashion for making the perfect Gin and Tonic, Spanish-style, has

spread from Madrid and Barcelona to the world’s top bars.

Peter Alison will also be making a number of different cocktails for you

to try and you are invited to join us for some Spanish Tapas with

London No1 Gin & Tonic following the Master Class

RSVP by 17th April to Charlotte Hey, chey@gonzalezbyass.es

Second edition of Armagnac Academies announced!

The second Armagnac Academy will take place on Tuesday 3rd June

from 9am to 5pm at Vinopolis, No 1 Bank End, London SE1.

Armagnac might be the oldest spirit in France that celebrated its

700th anniversary in 2010 though what do the professionals really

know about it?

The B.N.I.A. (Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l’Armagnac) has

recognised that there is still a great lack of knowledge of this fine

AOC brandy within the industry and has therefore decided to initiate

an education programme known as Armagnac Academies that will be

led and instructed by Edward Bates, well known spirits expert

heading The Spirits Authority and former spirits buyer at Berry Bros &

Rudd.

An Armagnac Academy will entail one full day of intensive learning

including lectures, tastings and a written exam. The first Armagnac

Academy took place in October 2013 at the wine and spirit

dedicated Vinopolis in south east London.

Candidates will pay £100 per person for an in-depth insight into the

diverse world of Armagnac, its three regions of production and the

different soil types in each. They will discover its producers, how it is

made and from which grapes, how the wine is produced and then

distilled, the different types of alambic used and the rules and

regulations surrounding the age categories, the wood used for the

barrels employed for ageing, the blends and the vintages.

Every subject necessary to allow a better understanding of this fine

spirit will be covered in detail and students will taste newly distilled

spirit from each region and each grape variety.

Each successful candidate will be presented with an official B.N.I.A.

qualification certified and issued by the B.N.I.A. from France.

This is a fabulous opportunity for sommeliers, bartenders, spirits

merchants and importers to widen their knowledge of Armagnac

enabling them to reply to demands from their customers with

confidence and credibility.

Places will be limited to 30 for this second session on 3rd June 2014.

Please contact Edward Bates on edwardnbates@gmail.com to

reserve your place.

For further information on Armagnac Academies, please contact

Amanda Garnham at the BNIA on Amanda.garnham@orange.fr or

Edward Bates on the above address.

In occasion of our 80th Anniversary, Our great supporter, and

Friend, Dave Marshland from Drinks Enthusiast very kindly invited our

Chairman Mike Sweetman to the NRB, ( Northern Restaurant Bar

Show ) giving us some space to do a presentation about the Guild.

Well, due to the very low attendance at the National Cocktail

Competition Manchester Heat 2013, we thought it would be nice to

support our Northern UKBG committee, helping them to spread the

news and the good work that the UKBG do throughout the year .

There was a lot of hard work and long hours researching

information behind this presentation from Myself and Mike, for the

sake of our Northern Bartenders,.

Of course an invite was made to our Northern UKBG colleagues,

who regrettably at the last minute we were to find out that we could not

be honoured with their presence...

But hey the show must go on, and we do not regret the long journey

made from London for our Bartenders.

About 20 people were present, and carefully listen to Mike’s words and

watched our presentation... Quite surprised that no one knew who we

are, and the exciting opportunities we can offer to our members.

A lot of interest in the room, we strongly hope that our message came

across, and we really would like to see you more close to the Guild,

and feel part of our brotherhood just like Londoners and Southern

bartenders do...!

We were made very welcome by the Epernay Champagne Bar, the

venue where we hold the Manchester Heath last year.

The show was Amazing and some of our great friends we met, such

as our colleagues from Amathus, Bloom Gin, Sip Smith, Emporia

Brands, First Drinks, Francis & Maya Weir and all other brands that

support us and always welcome us at their stand so warmly!!

We hope to see a lot more of you at the next UKBG events!

Claudia Carrozzi

Dictador the new boy on the block !

The 17th of March at the Mr. Foggs

Bar we had a great tasting of their

amazing 12 and 20 Years Solera

System Rum the Dictador XO

Perpetual Solera System Rum and XO

Insolent.

We also discovered some unusual

Gins such as Premium Colombian

Aged Gin Treasure and Premium

Colombian Aged Gin Ortodoxy both

aged in Rum Barrels but very

enjoyable ,

Their Master Blender Senor Hernan

Parra Arango who gave a great talk

about the history and the production

process.

There was also a short presentation by

Marcin Lukas, Sales Director and

Cesar Triana Botero, Brand

Ambassador for Dictador.

A group of 20 drink connoisseurs from Bournemouth and

London made their way to the Chase Distillery early in the

morning of the 4th of March 2014.

When we arrived Alex Davies “Chase quality controller,

research and distiller” proudly explained their concept of

Single Estate Spirit (inspired by Chichibu Japanese distillery

and bourbon in the ageing of their whisky) and he showed us

around the farm, just after a well deserved coffee.

A lot to see and admire:

From the typical crops of potatoes, apples and wheat, to the

new coming plantations of barley, the beginning of their very

exciting whisky project.

The equipped system of fermentation, distillation of vodka and

connected carter heads to flavour their gin, where there is not

computer control but just a lot of common sense, hard work

and passion is so impressive.

The “Marmaliser“ with some very unusual flavour that I can

not mention in respect of distillery policy.

The hand bottling system, where some of us had a go with

some interesting results, as you can see in Matt Pollards great

images of the day.

And last but not least the

tallest Column Still in the

world.

After Lunch we had a tasting

of all complete range and

portfolio together with Alex

and the man himself Jamie

Baggott master distiller/

operations manager, giving us

the opportunity to discuss and

discover more about all

things Chase.

No wonder that Chase entered

the market with their own

Potato vodka in the 2008 and today can count about

78 products including local cider and liquors, exporting even

in Canada.

A great experience for everyone involved, also considering

that for many in the group, it was the very first time in a

proper distillery.

A nice day where we learnt a great deal, had fun and

experienced a day we will always remember.

Salvatore Damiano

Educational Trip at Chase Distillery “The Single Estate Experience”

The Hotel and Catering Show 2014

At the B.I.C

The Gospel of good drinking

So it was that time again in sunny Bournemouth where all the

hotels, restaurants, cafes and other local venues and products

came together to share ideas and innovations and push the

envelope on quality and standards in the industry.

For the first time in the shows history, they had arranged an

oval bar where the B.I.C was introduced to some excellent

molecular gastronomy and mixology.

Jeremy from infusions4chefs was demonstrating where we can

now go on the food side of the industry, with airs and jellies,

even twisting a cheese and pickle sandwich.

Then at lunchtime and in early afternoon were the cocktail

mixology demonstrations presented from the Captains Club

Hotel, with fellow members Thomas Quy and Southern Vice

president Salvatore Damiano.

The boys from that lovely hotel in the south were raising

awareness for the charity, Classroom in the heart of the

industry for Limwood school and representing local brands

such as

Black Cow vodka, Langley’s No.8 gin and Somerset Cider

Brandy.

These mixologists showcased an array of cocktails and raised

nearly £1000 for their charity. Amazing cocktails sold at the

low price of £4 and Asahi beer for £3.

The bar was a real

crowd pleaser and

certainly intrigued

a few taste buds.

There was even a

pop up restaurant,

from the Limwood

school where

guests could have

an aperitif at the bar or even a nice digestive cocktail when the

had consumed their meal.

The overall two days were an excellent display from all the

stands who made it a show to be proud of, and will definitely

be gracing the floor next year where it will be

bigger and better than this year.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all of the

sponsors who supported the oval bar, includ-

ing Langley’s No.8 gin, Black Cow vodka,

Somerset Cider Brandy, Asahi beer, Jimmy’s

Iced coffee, Fevertree, Naked Jam, Miss Witt

chocolates and the general wine company.

Also, a personal thanks to Anna Wallis and

the rest of the B.I.C crew for making us so

welcome and being as helpful as you were.

I guess I will seeing you all next year at the

show

Salvatore Damiano

March 3/4th - Chase Distillery educational trip

Bournemouth - London

11/12th - Gospel for Good Drinking at Hotel & Catering Show

Bournemouth

17th - Dicator masterclass, at Mr. Foggs,

London

18th - Snow Queen martini Masters,

London

19th - UKBG Presentation, at Northern Restaurant & Bar Show,

Manchester

April 28th - Bloom Gin, Ladies Only Cocktail Competition at Leader’s Bar, Marriott County Hall Hotel

London

May TBC - Tiffon Cognac Masterclass, Location TBC

London

12th - Patron Tequila Masterclass, Location TBC

London

19th - Vermouth Vya Masterclass, Langham Hotel

June 9th - Galvin Cup at Steam & Rye

London

24th - National Cocktail Competition, London Heat, Location TBC

London

July 1/2nd - UKBG Presentation at IMBIBE, TBC

London

8th - Woods National Cocktail Competition, Bournemouth Heat, at the Captains Club Hotel

Christchurch

23th - Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum Cocktail Competition, at the Captains Club Hotel

Christchurch

1st - UKBG 80th Birthday Celebration!!!

TBC - National Cocktail Competition, Finals, Location TBC

London

TBC - UKBG Presentation, Boutique Bar Show

London

TBC - Portugal Educational Road Trip

Douro Valley, Oporto

TBC - Auchentoshan Switch, Location TBC

London

TBC - Young Bartender of the Year, Location TBC

London

27th - Bournemouth open day, Pre-Competition Forum!

27th - November UKBG open day and Bournemouth Bartenders Grand Prix 2014 in Bar So and 1812

Bournemouth

August

September

October

November

Proudly Associated with

&

Sponsored by:

The UKBG is you!

We know, every year is the same story, catch some money out of our

wallets! Is not a pleasure for anyone, but the committee has decided

to keep the same fare of £35.00 per year in order to don’t put too

much pressure in your expenses, and be able to deliver the best!

With less than £2.50 per month, you can sponsor the benefits

available to all our members, Educational Trips in the country and in

Europe, Masterclasses, Cocktail Competition and a lot more!

The UKBG committee is formed from very few people and we are

volunteering for our bartenders on our free time, our days off, holidays

and bank holidays are all marked in red and blue in our diary, in order

to provide to you the benefits up to the best standards.

We are working on a very big project, we want to show to the world

what we can do, and bring new and exciting events and ideas!

Paying your membership is doesn't mean you can only participate to

events, competitions and trips, but you are part of a no profit

association, where is very open to your suggestions,

recommendations, ideas, comments and anything you want to say!

Come on be active!

Shout it loud what you have to say to your committee

they will be happy to hear from you!

Your Key Contacts!

London Area:

Chairman:

Michael Sweetman

m.sweetman2@ntlworld.com

Vice-Chairman:

Fabio Immovilli

just_real_cocktails_please@yahoo.com

Ambassador & Editor:

Claudia Carrozzi

c.carrozzi@outlook.com

Southern Area:

Chairman:

Chris Underwood

cunder1999@gmail.com

Vice-Chairman:

Salvatore Damiano

bar.manager@captainsclubhotel.com

Don’t forget...

Awareness and responsible drinking is a must!

...www.drinkaware.co.uk