The week in pictures

Blood, sweat and cheers – auctioneer John Curley is given a high five after his shirt-drenching performance at the Sonoma County Barrel auction last Friday.

The Huracan – a blend of Ron Zacapa, walnut oil, oloroso sherry, salted honey and cacao nib bitters.

db headed to the launch of Jason Atherton and Jamie Jones’ new cocktail menu  – the world’s first augmented reality cocktails – called Mirage. Upon downloading a specially developed app, the cleverly crafted cocktails come to life. The full menu will be available in mid June. Stay tuned to find out about all 12 cocktails.

The Balvenie launches series two of The Balvenie Craftsmen’s Dinner with Michel Roux Jr., celebrating modern day artisans from urban bee keepers to experimental cheese makers.

The Craftsmen’s Dinner tells the stories of four exceptionally skilled craftspeople through a series of short films, demonstrating that true craft is not about what you make, or where you make it, but how you make it.

This week, GŎNG Bar at The Shard in London turned to big screen directors for the inspiration behind its latest cocktail menu, inventing cinematic serves such as Wingardium Leviosa, Feel the Force and Dirty Business.

Japanese robatayaki-inspired restaurant, Roka is set to celebrate cherry blossom season with the return of the stunning Sakura installation this spring. From 26 April to 7 June, Londoners can visit the fully-immersive cherry blossom installation with a Suntory Japanese Whisky cocktail in hand, and honour the Japanese practice of Hanami, the enjoyment and viewing of the transient beauty of flowers.

A managing director from Greene King swapped his business suit for running gear yesterday when he took on the Virgin Money London Marathon in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Clive Chesser, managing director for Greene King Pub Partners, joined around more than 40,000 other runners at the 37^th marathon to raise much needed funds for Greene King’s chosen national charity partner.

The winner of Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year 2017, a category of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2017, was announced at a packed reception at the Mall Galleries, London, this week, as Patrick Desgraupes of Pelissanne for his The Rosé Wine Tank.

GQ’s 3^rd annual Food & Drinks Awards, hosted by Claudia Winkleman and presented by Veuve Clicquot, took place this week. The judging panel included Clare Smyth, Michael Caines, Florence Knight, Ryan Chetiyawardana, Felicity Blunt, Dylan Jones, Oliver Peyton, Jo Thornton, Tara Bernerd and Matt Hobbs.

Claudia Winkleman and Stanley Tucci.

Dylan Jones, Nobu Matsuhisa and Jo Thornton.

Nobu received the ‘Lifetime Achievement award’ at this year’s GQ Food & Drink Awards. The judging panel commented: “It has been 30 years since Nobu Matsuhisa opened his eponymous Beverly Hills restaurant. Since then, his unique blend of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine has conquered Los Angeles, and then the world.

The chef proprietor now owns 32 restaurants across five continents, popularising the flavours of his native Japan and the Peruvian capital, Lima, and pioneering the international experimentation that has energised culinary creativity across the globe.”

Jo Thornton and Martin Morales

Martin Morales received the ‘Innovator Award’ for his work at Ceviche in London. The judging panel commented: “Everything about Martin Morales screams ‘Tono!’ Baffled? Then you’ll need to brush up on your Andean slang. Splashing colour liberally across the UK food scene, Morales is the man at the beating heart of this vibrant movement.”

Chef Nick McAllister of Mannings Heath, the UK’s first wine and golf estate, put on a six-course tasting menu to celebrate the first planting on the site. The estate is planting 38,000 vines within the 500 acre parkland site at Horsham in West Sussex to create England’s newest vineyard.

Greg Dillon, founder of GreatDrams.com, celebrates news of his company’s “awesome” award win in the Food & Drink category at The UK Blog Awards 2017 last Friday.

This week saw the official opening of a new London HQ for the Institute of Masters of Wine. Tasked with cutting the ribbon was the world’s youngest MW, Vicky Burt MW (left), and the oldest, Vincent Larvan MW, along with chairman of the Institute, Jane Masters MW. 

It wasn’t just the opening of the new offices that were celebrated – the Institute also marked the 90th birthday of Michael Broadbent MW with a cake.

This week also saw the launch of a shiny new wine bar in Marylebone called Clarette, run by Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos, daughter of Château Margaux’s owner Corinne Mentzelopoulos, restaurateur Natsuko Perromat du Marais, and Thibault Pontallier, son of Margaux’s former managing director Paul Pontallier.

The launch attracted the great and good of the London wine trade, who were delighted to discover the 2009 vintage of Margaux’s third wine, Margaux du Château Margaux on pour.

Both Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos and Thibault Pontallier are London residents and will offer fine wines at fair prices at their bar, which has taken over the Tudor Rose pub on Blandford Street.

We also found time to hoof it to The Savoy this week to road test some of the cocktails on the new Coast to Coast menu at The American Bar. The St Margaret’s Chapel, modelled here by former db staffer Marinel FitzSimons, is a twist on a Negroni made with gin, jasmine, manzanilla Sherry, Campari and rosemary honey, finished with a theatrical spritz of tangerine mist.

The peachy coloured Bright Lights Cities meanwhile, is a refreshing, appetite-whetting sour that blends rum, Aperol, Kamm & Sons, yuzu juice, lemon juice, ginger syrup and egg white.

Taking from the Castle Rock section of the menu, the Tunnel Piper plays on the tale of a piper being sent to explore the tunnels of Edinburgh Castle who never returned. The cocktail itself marries whisky, liquorice bitters, cacao-infused Martini vermouth, lemon juice, roasted barley syrup, apricot liqueur and egg white.

We were sent on our merry way with the Merry Major Oak, an unctuous blend of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel whiskey, apéritif de Normandie, ruby Port and Angostura bitters inspired by a giant oak tree in Sherwood Forest that allegedly served as a shelter for Robin Hood.