Distilled Beverage

Alcohol distributor Craft Works launches in the UK

09-Mar-2018 By Nicholas Robinson

An on-trade alcohol distributor has launched in the UK, with a particular focus on supplying the independent free trade.

Maxxium UK rebrands and adds three new products to portfolio

07-Mar-2018 By Nikkie Sutton

Spirits business Maxxium UK is set to rebrand as Edrington-Beam Suntory and is adding vodka, Tequila and Irish whiskey to its portfolio.

Experts' 2018 drinks predictions revealed

03-Jan-2018 By Nikkie Sutton

Mixologists from Sheffield’s Leopold Square area have revealed their top predictions for drinks over the next 12 months.

Brandy is the UK’s favourite Christmas spirit

21-Dec-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

The UK’s favourite spirit to drink at Christmas is brandy, according to new research from the University of Warwick.

Drink trends for 2018 – what do customers want?

06-Nov-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Northerners want gin in their cocktails, Londoners prefer herbs in their gin and those in the midlands have a severe thirst for cider.

Bartending is a ‘dream career’ with a big salary

18-Oct-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Leading bartenders are commanding salaries in excess of prime ministers’ and presidents’, as more consider the profession a desirable option.

Future Trends: Spirits

Top bartenders ‘driving demand’ for rum

04-Oct-2017 By James Beeson

Demand for rum is being driven by the enthusiasm of top bartenders and the growth in interest in cocktails, according to a leading global rum ambassador.

Future Trends: Spirits

Where next for whisky?

04-Oct-2017 By James Beeson

The rise of products from the rest of the world market and an increased focus on personality are just two trends to look out for in the future of whisky, according to a leading spirits author.

Future Trends: Spirits

Rum will overtake gin as the next big spirit

04-Oct-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Golden rum will be the next big trend in the spirits category, outpacing gin in the next three years according to data insight experts CGA.

7 things you need to know about spirits

21-Sep-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Spirits sales in pubs are now worth £1.7bn, having risen by 4.8% compared to the previous year, driven by the growth of premium in particular.

Consumers spending big on booze for home

16-Jul-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Brits, on average, are spending almost £1,500 on alcohol a year for the home, with premium spirits among their top choices, a new report has claimed.

Tequila sales soaring thanks to cocktails

20-Apr-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Sales of Tequila are on the up as consumers move from drinking shots and towards enjoying it in cocktails or as a sipping spirit.

Drinks predictions

What 2017 has in store for the drinks category

03-Jan-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Last year was a mixed bag for the pub trade, from the shockwaves following the ‘Leave’ vote of the EU referendum, to the heavily delayed pubs code and the anguish at the appointment of the US president-elect Donald Trump.

Legislation

Spirits will be hit hardest by minimum alcohol pricing

14-Nov-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Spirits will be hit the hardest out of all alcohol categories following the Scottish government’s announced plans to back minimum alcohol pricing.

Great British Pub Awards

Pub Awards: Best Spirits finalist - Pleased To Meet You, Newcastle

16-Sep-2016 By MA

Pleased To Meet You has been a key player in Newcastle city’s transformation into a leading hospitality player.

Event

10 reasons to attend the Future Trends: Spirits event

16-Sep-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Operators will descend on London’s Royal Institution next month for the must-attend Future Trends: Spirits event where top trends, innovations and new products will be exclusively revealed. Here are the top 10 reasons why you must not miss it.

Drink deconstructed

Rum cocktail: Golden Daiquiri

20-Jul-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Dark and spiced rums are rising in popularity, so it's time to put some easy and refreshing rum cocktails on your bar menu, such as the Golden Daiquiri.

Top 10 spirits brands in pubs

Brexit will lead customers to trade-up on spirits

15-Jul-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Brexit will impact the UK’s spirits category, but operators can benefit from any negativity by focusing on their customers’ needs, according to William Grant & Sons’ managing director for UK & Ireland.

Spirits

Own-label spirits range for on-trade ‘to counter rise of premium’

07-Jun-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

A complete range of affordable own-label spirits including gin, vodka, whisky, rum and absinthe have been launched into the on-trade by the owners of La Fée Absinthe under the name of ENVY & NV Spirits.

Gin

Halewood takes on Liverpool Gin

17-May-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Drinks manufacturer and distributor Halewood International has added Liverpool Gin to its portfolio.

Beer special

The 6 best beer cocktails

07-Jul-2015 By Laurie Macdonald

The words ‘beer’ and ‘cocktail’ are seldom found in the same sentence, but with a move away from sweet cocktails, inventive bartenders are turning to beer to jazz up their concoctions. 

Magners adds some Irish spirit to its new cider

29-Jan-2015 By Robyn Black

The burgeoning “spider” (aka spirit cider) category has a new entrant in the form of Magners with Irish whiskey.

Be At One to launch ‘Try January’ campaign

17-Dec-2014 By Jessica Mason

Be At One, the Piper-backed cocktail chain, is planning a new marketing campaign for the new year called “Try January”.

NEW PRODUCTS

Smith & Sinclair launches ‘world’s first’ cocktail confectionery

02-Nov-2014 By Noli Dinkovski

Smith & Sinclair has claimed to have created the world’s first confectionery made with real cocktail ingredients.

Cocktail flavoured sweets to be rolled out in pubs

28-Oct-2014 By James Wallin

Alcoholic confectionary company Smith & Sinclair is to work with a selection of pubs to offer its new range of cocktail flavoured pastilles.

Alcohol sales fall but value remains flat as customers increasingly ‘trade up’

17-Sep-2014 By James Wallin

Total alcohol sales fell by 3% in the last year but value remained flat as customers drank less but increasingly opted for premium products, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).

Revolution focuses on cocktails over vodka in branding overhaul

26-Mar-2014

The New Inventive Bar Company, the Revolution bar operator previously known as Inventive Leisure, is tweaking the branding of its venues in the latest stage of its Evolution programme.

Odessa vodka and Squire's Gin to be relaunched

16-Jan-2014 By Robyn Black

Odessa vodka and Squire’s London Dry Gin are being re-launched with a new look as “house” brands.

JD Wetherspoon food and drink January sale starts today

02-Jan-2014 By Lesley Foottit

The JD Wetherspoon January sale launches today (2 January) with offers on food and drink until 23 January.

Christmas drinks that will boost your sales

18-Nov-2013 By Alison Baker

Several summer drinks brands, such as Pimm’s and Aspall Cyder, have given their offer a wintry feel to get in on the festive action. The cocktails opportunity is no different, offering hosts scope for year-round sales. The PMA looks at how licensees can...

Badger Ales launches beer cocktail range

12-Aug-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

Mixologist Nick Strangeway has created a range of beer cocktails for Badger Ales, using gin, bourbon, tequila and absinthe.

Cocktail sales in pubs set to increase in the next two years

13-Jul-2012 By John Harrington, M&C Report

On-trade cocktails consumption is to grow more than 10% in the next two years, as 76% of outlets report equal or increased cocktail sales on the previous year, according to First Drinks’ annual Market Report.

Premium brands drive on-trade spirit growth

28-Jul-2011 By John Harrington

Premium spirits are driving growth in the on-trade spirits category, fuelled by a growth in cocktails and premium drinking venues and the continued...

WSTA to expand spirits role

17-Dec-2010 By Ewan Turney

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association will expand its role on behalf of the spirits sector in the New Year.

Whisky fun primed for a roll-out

22-Nov-2010 By Robyn Black

Cellar Trends is planning to roll out its Auchentoshan Presents events nationwide as it looks to attract younger drinkers into its Auchentoshan...

Rekorderlig targets mulled wine market

22-Oct-2010 By Jessica Harvey Jessica

The cider, made from apple, vanilla and cinnamon, can be served warm or cold. Bartenders are encouraged to add Grand Marnier or Cointreau to it to...

Diageo launches margarita mix

01-Apr-2009

Diageo has added its weight to the pre-mix cocktail market with a new Jose Cuervo margarita product.To make a margarita with the mix, barstaff need...

Stirring stuff for cocktails

17-Jul-2008

US cocktail brand Stirrings has plans to up its UK presence to tap into the "discerning drinker" who is "interested in drinking better, not drinking...

Licensee fined thousands for spirit "tipping

29-Apr-2008

A licensee has been fined £8,000 for refilling branded spirit bottles with cheaper alternatives.Simon Crathorn of the Blue Cow Inn in South Witham,...

The magic of mixing

31-May-2007

Cocktails are starting to make their way onto pub menus. But many outlets are still uneasy about offering them. Rosie Davenport reports Simply...

Licensing@aol.com

26-Apr-2007

Part-timers' holiday pay QCan you tell me how many hours a bar-person has to work before being entitled to holiday pay? We are having a debate about...

Evening: cocktails for party nights

18-Apr-2007

Cocktails are still considered by many to be the domain of the style bar, confined within city centres, to be drunk by the young, cool and trendy.Not...

All together now...

17-Jan-2007

I'd like to have lived in a Manns world. An innocent, charming world where moustaches, monocles and manners madeth the man; where men kept a snuffbox...

Licensing@aol.com

07-Sep-2006

Peter Coulson, the Morning Advertiser legal expert answers your licensing questions.

Host fined record £9,000 for spirit substitutions

31-Aug-2006 By John Harrington

A Leicestershire host has been fined a record £9,000 for selling cheaper spirits as well-known brands of gin, vodka and rum. The Bell Inn at Market...

Branded-spirits food sales boost

24-Feb-2005

Alcohol-themed dishes based on branded products could help pubs boost food sales, according to drinks distributor Thomas Lowndes & Co. The...

Club's bound by pub laws

14-Oct-2004

QOne of the members of our local cricket club has said that your answer on clubs using a room for private functions is wrong and that according to...

Food File - New products

01-Feb-2004

Masterfoods has launched Dolmio Fagottini, a new frozen, filled pasta. Two varieties are available, All' Arrabbiata and Crema di Formaggio. Trish...

Fickle Baines spurns beer as he Entertains

01-May-2003

Celebrity chef Ed Baines certainly likes to use alcohol to bring out the flavour of his cooking. Snifter has just been browsing through his latest...

Mixing it up

08-Apr-2003

For pubs that don't have time to turn their barperson into Tom Cruise, there are several ready-to-mix cocktails now on the market. By Ben...