The week in pictures

In Champagne moments, the first of three cases of hand-painted magnums of Pol Roger Brut Reserve, are due to go on auction tomorrow, (7 September), in aid of Tusk Trust.

The unique bottles feature the work of artist Clare Brownlow, famed for her paintings using the tips of pheasant feathers. The three magnums are inspired by African nature, adorned with flamingos, bees and ostriches.

In beer collabs, north London brewer Beavertown (snapped up by Heineken last year) is teaming up with videogame publisher 2K to celebrate the upcoming release of Borderlands 3 coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on Friday 13 September, brewing a new, customised Light IPA which “captures the mayhem and madness of the highly anticipated shooter looter from Gearbox Software.”

How? Well, the artwork for this can is, naturally, inspired by the dystopian sci-fi graphics in Borderlands, but the beer also has a modest alcohol volume of 2.8%, which means you can focus on the game for longer.

Beaverton founder Logan Plant has launched a video celebrating the collab, which shows the similarities between the brewer and the game (for the real geeks, naturally).

The brewer will open its Tottenham HQ’s gates for an exclusive Drink and Play on the game’s launch day on Friday night.

It is inviting 100 fans to play the game on launch day and taste the specially designed collaboration beer, Bandit Brew. Tickets can be found on Eventbrite.

In product placement, Eoin Morgan, captain of the Cricket World Cup winning England side, celebrated the team’s victory with a bottle of one of Ian Botham’s wines in the Lords Dressing room this week.

Andrew, Monica, Ed, Nisha, Alexandra at the launch of the Cobra Collective .

Lord Bilimoria, Founder and CEO of Cobra Beer, hosted a dinner on Wednesday evening to launch the Cobra Collective initiative: a group of restaurant industry entrepreneurs working on a programme of masterclasses, workshops and ‘how to’ videos, developed to support start-up hospitality entrepreneurs and existing restaurant owners.

Masterchef host Monica Galetti, mchellin-awarded Chef Andrew Wong, restaurateur Nisha Katona, content creator Alexandra Dudley and beer sommelier Ed Hughes, who were hand-selected for their expertise, knowledge and commitment to revolutionising the restaurant industry, held a panel talk on the night to discuss what they’re doing this year to support new businesses in the sector.

In world domination, grain-to-glass gin maker Ramsbury Single Estate Spirits has expanded its global footprint and is set to enter the Italian market, headed up by Ramsbury’s new Global Brand Ambassador, Mikul Kalyan (pictured).

Currently available in several other markets, including the UK, Sweden, Philippines, Greece, Denmark and Germany, Ramsbury will officially launch in Italy at theGINday event in Milan on the 8th and 9th September.

Last Saturday saw an edgy takeover at Bethnal Green bar The Arches, where the street-art collective, Blank Walls, launched in the UK.

Incidentally, The Arches proves just how far the sparkling wine trend is spreading. No longer confined to refined spots such as The Bloomsbury Hotel or Searcy’s Champagne Bar, now even Hackney sites are serving spumante.

The Arches’ bar, 640East, has just launched its own “bubbles” menu, with fizz sourced from not just Italy’s Prosecco region or Asti, but also Australia’s Eden Valley, Columbia Valley, USA, the Niagra Penninsula in Canada, and, of course some English fizz courtesy of Hattingley Valley.

On Sunday, db stepped out in Angel, north London, to sample the new rums from AB InBev-owned bottler That Boutiquey Rum Company.

That-Boutique-y Rum Company has launched the first in a series of Signature Blends – the first continuous liquid in the range.

Signature Blend #1 is a predominantly unaged blend of rum from Jamaica and Rhum from Martinique, with a touch of 4 year-old Jamaican rum for added depth of flavour.

Signature Blend #2, meanwhile, combines Guyana rum with “heavier, funkier rum from Jamaica, providing elegant, dried-fruit notes and a great structure.”

To show us how the rums differ in style, Atom Brands recruited six bartenders from London’s top bars, including Jo Last from Beaufort Bar, Clare Morrow at Lyaness, and Siobhan Odea of London Cocktail Club, to whip up some mai tais and daiquiris.

In culinary news, entries for this year’s “Le Taittinger” International Culinary Prize.

Each year the contest will celebrate a “hero” ingredient, which chefs will use at the heart of a signature dish. This year, it’s king scallops.

Budding chefs must be aged between 24 and 39, currently employed in a restaurant and have five or more years’ experience in the sector to take part.

UK competitors have until 28 October to submit their recipes with photographs, with the national winner being announced on 18 November.

The challengers will need to draw inspiration from “all the influences of culture, country, heritage and style of cuisine before adding their own personal touch,” according to Taittinger.

The UK’s top chef will then go head-to-head with the winners of the other national competitions in Belgium, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.

Each chef will cook six plates of their signature king scallop dish for a panel of judges, along with six dishes that follow a set recipe, which will only be revealed to them the night before the international final. They’ll also be given an exclusive visit to Champagne Taittinger to get those creative juices flowing.

Michel Roux Jr – who holds two Michelin stars at his restaurant, Le Gavroche, in London – will return as the president of the UK national competition, joining a panel of judges to choose a chef to compete at the international final in Paris on 28 January.

Each national competition winner will take home €2,400.

(Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images for All Bar One)

In sustainability, UK bar chain All Bar One has launched a new sustainable drinks menu in response to the growing number of consumers driving the UK’s £8.2 billion ethical food and drink market.

Celebrating the new menu, All Bar One dressed actors up in moss and let them loose on astonished commuters outside its Leicester Square branch on Thursday.

(Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images for All Bar One)

The Champagne brand owned by Jay Z has officially launched its “most expensive cuvée to date” in the US.

Champagne Armand de Brignac is adding to its Blanc de Noirs Assemblage line with a new, expensive limited edition Champagne made from three separate vintages.

The label has unveiled a third wine in the Assemblage range, called A3, retailing at an eye-watering $1,000 per bottle, or £1,095 when it launches in the UK.

In English wine, the figure for the number of bottles produced in Britain in 2018 has been revised, falling by 2.4 million bottles.

The latter is the official figure which has been published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), which was revealed at the WineGB trade tasting in London by chairman Simon Robinson on Thursday. WineGB has originally stated that 15.6 million bottles had been produced in a report the body released earlier this year.

Robinson said the he said the original figures had been “based on early indications” and “a survey of our members”.

“There are a number of reasons why the figures may differ,” he said, “but we are not in a position to comment on the differences, as for reasons of commercial confidentiality, we do not have access to the raw data.”