The week in pictures

The nights are getting longer, and so are the celebrity tributes in our Week in Pictures round-up. We’re in the eye of the festive storm now, and the famouses are everywhere plugging their drinks partnerships.

Let’s start with our favourite celebrity distiller Ryan Reynolds, who appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday. Reynolds bought a controlling stake in US craft gin brand Aviation earlier this year.

During the show, Ryan and Ellen (mostly Ryan) played a game of “Ryan Reynolds’ Race to Raise Real Fudging Money.”

The Deadpool 2 star was challenged with taking three shots of his Aviation Gin and saying one nice fact about his friend, Hugh Jackman prior to each.

This is what he went with:

1. “Hugh Jackman has eyebrow implants.”

2. “Hugh Jackman has not worn underwear since X-Men 2.”

3. “Hugh Jackman named his dog ‘Hugh Jackman.’”

Midway through the game he said: “I can feel myself growing more powerful by the drink.”

Meanwhile, in London, Chris Noth (AKA “Mr Big” off of Sex and the City) told us he believes his recently acquired Ambhar Tequila is “better” than fellow actor George Clooney’s Casamigos brand.

Noth acquired a majority stake in Ambhar Tequila for an undisclosed sum in September. Clooney’s Casamigos Tequila brand was bought by Diageo last summer for US$1 billion.

Noth was in town on Tuesday for the Cigar Smoker of the Year competition (yes, really), held at the Belgravia branch of posh Scottish resto Boisdale. Those familiar with the venue and its owner, Ranald MacDonald, will know it is one of the best places to smoke a cigar in the city. Noth, of course, won the top prize.

Chris Noth and db editor Lucy Shaw get cosy

“Smoking a cigarette is like having sex,” he said, “while smoking a good cigar is like making love, which is how I view Ambhar, particularly the añejo – it’s a civilised way to drink.”

To see our editor’s original Instagram post from the night, follow this link.

While we’re still in London, it was the British Independent Film Awards on Sunday night, sponsored by sparkling wine partner Tattinger. Stars like Josh O’Connor (pictured), Rupert Everet, Olivia Coleman and Emma Stone all came out in force and enjoyed a resplendent dinner afterwards, served with Taittinger’s Nocturne City Lights.

Hats off to the Champagne house’s marketing team, who managed to get this snap with Josh O’Connor of God’s Own Country and the soon-to-be-aired TV series of Les Misérables.

This week, Luc Belaire, the French sparkling wine from Hip Hop obsessives Sovereign Brands’ aired its own TV show on Billboard starring multi-platinum artists Rae Sremmurd.

In the Belaire it Out (see what they did there?), dup Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi answer polite and insightful questions like “who spends more in the strip club?”

Rae Sremmurd and Belaire announced a global partnership for Belaire Gold earlier this year.

Bacardi released a series of short films co-directed by actor Michael B. Jordan on Wednesday to promote its recently-launched range of premium dark rums

Persie Distillery in Perthshire has teamed up with renowned dog rescue charity PADS to raise funds for unwanted dogs by creating a family of ‘dog gins’, with different styles of gin reflecting different breeds.

Spaniel Gin, described at “spicy and spirited but very gentle,’ has just gone on sale in time for Christmas.

In other philanthropy news, this week isn’t just the start of the holiday season. It’s also National Tree Week, and Yorkshire-based distillery Cooper King has made its second donation to plant 100 new trees in the Yorkshire Dales through its partnership with a local environmental charity.

As a member of international environmental initiative 1% for the Planet, Cooper King Distillery commits to donating at least 1% of gin sales to its chosen environmental project. So far, the company has donated £2000 to the cause, equating to 200 trees. Co-founder Chris spent a day in the heart of the Dales planting some to celebrate the news.

Heavy metal band Motörhead launched a new eight-year-old Dominican dark rum this week, following on from the release of the band’s Röad Crew beer earlier this year.

The resulting spirit is described as having “aromas of dried fruit, vanilla, brown sugar, arrack and dark chocolate. Full-bodied and spicy with notes of chocolate, vanilla, oak and nuts, with a medium sweet, spicy finish.”

Aside from launching their new beer, the band’s drinks brand, Motörhead Drinks, also produces a wine, vodka, cider, whisky and beer.

In festive news, Cockburn’s has launched the first ever Private Members’ Club for working Santas, offering a free Port and a comfortable spot for them to take a break from their duties this festive season.

The club will be based at M Restaurants in Victoria, with the Port producer prompted to provide such a space following a survey of 100 ‘Santas’ found that 92% felt stressed while performing their yuletide duties.

db headed to the shiny new London outpost of multi Michelin-starred restaurant group Imperial Treasure in Piccadilly this week for a swanky wine dinner hosted by philosophical wine writer Ch’ng Poh Tiong. The evening kicked off in style with magnums of Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle.

During the evening we were treated to a nine-course tasting menu that included baked crab with cheese, five spice marinated beef shank, crispy Ibérico pork belly (pictured) and wok fried hor fun noodles with Angus beef.

To pair with the food, Benjamin Vimal, assistant winemaker at Bordeaux third growth Château Lagrange, was on hand to talk us through some of the standout recent vintages from the estate. All of the wines shone that we tried, but among the most remarkable were the 2010 and 2011 of the estate’s second wine, Les Fiefs led Lagrange. The 2008 vintage of the grand vin also performed wonderfully with its silky tannins and exquisite violet perfume.

We ended the evening at Imperial Treasure on a high with elegant snifters of the rich and fruity The Macallan Rare Cask Batch No 2.