Spirit of Brazil: new ideas for cachaça

Bacana Berry

Leading bar and restaurant operators Jamie Barber and David Ponté are making us rethink cachaça. With their two “Brasilian barbecue restaurants” Cabana in London, they are showing that Brazil’s national spirit, made from fermented sugarcane juice, is far more versatile than just Caipirinhas. Jamie is best known for Villandry, Kitchen Italia and Hush while David, whose background includes Mocato and Momo, brings hands-on knowledge of Brazil having been born in Rio de Janeiro. They opened their first Cabanas at the end of last year in Westfield Stratford City in east London and in the new Central St Giles development in the West End, where the site includes a bar area.

Cocktails on trend for London Fashion Week

On-trend cocktails at Harvey Nichols

The latest trends in clothes and accessories are being paraded along the catwalks of the capital this week for London Fashion Week. At the Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Bar in Knightsbridge, they are celebrating the UK fashion industry’s premier event with cocktails that are just as much on trend as the clothes sold in the store.

Bacardi Legacy: Zdenek Kastanek wins with La Hermosa

La Hermosa

The great and the good of the bar industry came together for the final of the UK’s Bacardi Legacy competition last night. In the opulent, ornate surroundings of the historic Freemasons Hall in Covent Garden in London, the eight winners of a series of regional heats competed for three “most promising” places that will see them promote their cocktails to bars and the public over the next year in the run-up to next year’s final. At the same time, the ultimate winner from last year’s three “most promising” finalists was announced: Zdenek Kastanek from London bar and restaurant Quo Vadis with his cocktail La Hermosa.

Leap into love: cocktails for Valentine’s Day

The S Brach and N Macnaughton at the Lonsdale

With Valentine’s Day approaching, mixologists have been coming up with some romantic ideas for their cocktail menus. From London bars such as the Artesian, the Lonsdale and Wax Jambu to the Rooftop Restaurant at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, love is very much on the menu this month. And chaps better watch out: it’s a leap year when ladies are allowed to propose.

The final countdown to this year’s Bacardi Legacy

Jody Monteith, Metinee Kongsrivilai and Zdenek Kastanek

It has been a busy year for the three bartenders who, in February 2011, won through to the final stage of the annual Bacardi Legacy competition. Metinee Kongsrivilai from The Bon Vivant in Edinburgh, Zdenek Kastanek from Quo Vadis in London and Jody Monteith of consultancy The Liquorists (pictured) were named the three “most promising” finalists, challenging them to promote their competition cocktail to bars and consumers.

Cocktails with seasonal flavours at Charlotte’s Bistro

The cosy, narrow restaurant Charlotte’s Bistro in Chiswick, south-west London, is best known for its food but owner Alex Wrethman is starting to shout more loudly about the bar area at the front after the arrival of bar manager Laura Marnich (pictured) in April last year. She previously worked at London bar Sketch for two-and-a-half years and has brought high standards with an impressive list of classic and original cocktails.

Archer Street hits the target

After working in the licensed trade for 30 years, Siobhan MaGill has drawn on her experience of late-night London to create a new lounge bar across two floors in the heart of Soho. With business partner Sian Parry Jones, she aims to establish Archer Street as a destination both for cocktails and entertainment, with waiters and bar staff poised to burst into song.