#WeekInPictures: from Soho to Shanghai
This week in drinks spanned mezcal in Marylebone, whisky in Goa and a Bordeaux tasting at 67 Pall Mall, proving the trade isn’t ready for winter hibernation just yet.
Desi Daru crowns its Culture Colliders Champion
At The Churchill Bar and Terrace, Carlos Garcia Picon produced a drink that carried the room. His cocktail, called Unrooted Routes, married Desi Daru Mango Vodka with English hops that he had coaxed into a vermouth, then lifted with sparkling chai masato and a mango rice jelly. The competition invited entrants to draw on an Indian ingredient and one from their own patch, which gave the evening a degree of personality often missing from such contests.
Paul John unveils its 2025 Christmas Edition
Dram Bar hosted the first taste of Paul John’s 2025 Christmas Edition. This is the oldest whisky the Goan distillery has released. It is unpeated, shaped by eight years of heat and humidity and finished in sherry cream casks that brought a gentle richness without heavy sweetness. A small gathering, but one that reminded the room what tropical maturation can achieve when the producer shows a steady hand.
Belfast hosts its first Cocktail Week
Belfast held its first Cocktail Week under the guidance of Alice Christison (pictured). The city’s bars offered their own creations for wristband holders. Venues across the centre and its backstreets showcased a mix of invention and local flavour.
Bathtub Gin x Tart London
Wild by Tart hosted Bathtub Gin for a dinner to reveal a limited edition bottle wrapped in woodland dreams and folklore rather than the usual brown paper. Chefs wove the gin’s botanicals into the menu with the kind of enthusiasm that suggests genuine collaboration. Trout cured with the gin made a fresh start to the meal and the last course arrived with a pavlova perfumed with cinnamon and cardamom.
Ten Vineyard Lunches with Isaac McHale
Part of his Ten Vineyard Lunches, Isaac McHale drew db to watch him move through Alex Moreau’s bottles, sending out XO ‘pickies’, frog’s legs, sea bass with decade-old tangerine peel and Moon Bay congee with guided by pours from Alex Moreau’s holdings in Saint-Aubin and Chassagne. Alex, whose name now stands alone, spoke of three decades of work, a village of 285 and vines now pulling towards freshness, while McHale, who doesn’t usually cook Cantonese, pushed every glass to show its full reach; Roagna next, then DuMOL.
Crus Bourgeois du Médoc tasting at 67 Pall Mall
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Anne Sophie Pagès of Château Noaillac attended the tasting of the 2023 Crus Bourgeois du Médoc at 67 Pall Mall. Sixty wines showed the breadth of the group at a moment when its classification enters a new cycle. Pagès explained the organisation’s recent system adjustments and the quiet confidence within estates that often provide Bordeaux’s most sensible buys.
Kioku Sake Bar launches shochu menu
Kioku Sake Bar launched a new cocktail list that places shochu at the centre. Bar manager Thanos Tzanetopoulos worked with the spirit’s breadth rather than forcing it into predictable shapes. The Yuzu Daisy was brisk and textured, while the Muscat Manhattan showed how well shochu sits with aromatics.
Freixenet sparkles in Barcelona
Henkell Freixenet has returned to Barcelona El Prat with a sizeable space where travellers can taste the wines and dress their bottles with personalised ribbons. It will run through early January, which suits the seasonal traffic. Freixenet is also now poured on Air Europa.
Kylie wines at Royal Variety after-party
Kylie wines were on pour at the Natural History Museum on Wednesday night, which was the host venue for the after-party following the Royal Variety Show at London’s Albert Hall. A Prosecco tower featuring hundreds of bottles was placed behind the stage where live bands played until 2am for the post-show party-goers.
ProWine Shanghai 2025
ProWine Shanghai gathered 630 exhibitors and a considerable crowd of visitors over three days. Tastings and conversations moved from serious to spirited depending on the hour.
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#WeekInPictures: from supermarket snacks to Scotch firs
