Month: December 2013

Vanguard’s new German herbal liqueur, Kuemmerling

Vanguard Luxury Brands are bringing out Germany’s market leading herbal liqueur, Kuemmerling. The half bitter liqueur was created by a travelling chemist called Hugo Kuemmerling in 1938 and is made with “angelica, crisped mint, pimento, liquorice, wormwood, resin of guaiac, cinnamon bark and calamus.”

Bacardi unveils new Art Deco look and “Untameable” attitude

Not many brands can claim to have faced the adversities Bacardi has: they’ve seen fires, earthquakes, Prohibition and exile, just to name a few. And their new “Bacardi Untameable since 1862” campaign — which kicks off with the commercial shown below — is designed to capture those elements of the company’s family history.

A Peruvian pisco pilgrimage — part two!

From gin to mezcal, absinthe to armagnac, and whiskies all across the globe, the variety and quality of what we can get our hands on is increasing every day! One of the most remarkable renaissances has been happening in Peru, and I headed there at the most important time of the year, la vendimia (the harvest), to visit a whole load of bodegas, bars, and even a school of wine and pisco!

Coors bursts onto the Aussie scene with a snowy trade bash at the Coogee Bay Hotel

Last night saw the big trade launch celebrating the arrival of Coors into Australia. Some 350 guests from throughout the Sydney drinks industry gathered at the Coogee Bay Hotel for the party, which saw the Coors Explorers (resplendent in icicle-lade beards and frost-bitten faces, no less) bursting from Coors beer fridges in a blizzard of snow and abseiling into the venue from up on high.

Bartenders getting naked yet again

It’s that time of year again: the lads from Melbourne’s Black Pearl are parading their pastiest parts, showing off their bartender tan and stuffing santa hats with their swizzling sticks in their 2014 calendar.

We talk apples with cider maker Bob Cork

We talk head of cider development at Magners and Gaymers, Bob Cork, about what it takes to craft one of the world’s most popular cider brands — everything from the selection of apples to ensuring consistency and using technology to maintain traditional craft methods.