Exhibition flags up London’s leading ladies in drinks

A new exhibition aims to shine a light on some of the leading ladies working in the drinks industry in London, from bartenders to brand ambassadors.

Claire Smith-Warner, head of Spirit creation & mixology for Belvedere vodka with her mentor Stuart Ekins

Curated by drinks power couple Sandrae Lawrence and Gary Sharpen, known as “The Cocktail Lovers”, the photography exhibition celebrates the wealth of female talent in UK drinks.

Organised to coincide with International Women’s Day on 8 March, the free show will run from 8-13 March at Library member’s club in London’s Covent Garden.

The exhibition includes portraits of 24 of the most influential women working in the UK drinks industry considered by The Cocktail Lovers as “bright, sassy, strong, ambitious individuals” and leading lights in their field.

“We wanted to put together this exhibition more as a recruitment drive. While there are an increasing number of women doing fabulous things in the world of drinks, it’s still very much regarded as a male domain, and there’s no reason why it should be,” said Lawrence.

Among the women to grace the walls will be Havana Club global ambassador Meimi Sanchez, Hawksmoor Spitalfields bartender Clotilde Lataille, Waitrose spirits buyer Herchelle Perez-Terrado, and Claire Smith-Warner, head of spirit creation & mixology for Belvedere Vodka.

All of the portraits will be auctioned off on 8 March and will be available to take home when the exhibition ends on 13 March. Proceeds will go to The Haven Breast Cancer Support Centre.

Click through for a teaser of five of the portraits featured in the exhibition.

Andrea Montague, Bulleit brand ambassador

Gary Regan’s The Joy of Mixology was the first cocktail book I read cover to cover. It inspired me to take bartending seriously as a career. In my job I get to look after an amazing portfolio with blended, single malt and American whiskey, so I have a lot of beautiful liquid to play with.

Esther Medina Cuesta, drinks consultant

My parents bought me this shaker, it means a lot as it showed their acceptance of my career. I was a teacher before becoming a bartender, so it’s easy for me to teach people.

Georgie Bell, luxury malts ambassador for Mortlach

The photo on my iPad is of my peers in Edinburgh who inspired me to go forward in my career. I’m breaking stereotypes by being the first female global malts ambassador.

Alex Irving-Smyth, PR director for Bacchus 

My phone battery runs out all the time and I used to charge it at the Artesian bar when Alex Kratena and Simone Caporale worked there. One day Alex surprised me with this portable charger – it’s been a lifesaver. I work with bartenders and brands – it’s great to see both sides of the story.

Melissa Cole, beer writer/sommALEier

Stemmed glassware and great beer in 330ml bottles has revolutionised the way people think about beer in a white tablecloth environment. No one else is doing food and beer matching to my level and I’m the only woman doing it.