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100 Years of the Negroni & World Bartender Day

As every self-respecting cocktail connoisseur knows, 2019 marks 100 years of what’s possibly the world’s most popular cocktail – the Negroni.

This Sunday is also coincidentally World Bartender Day, so to celebrate, we wanted to introduce you to some of our favourite bartenders from around the BBB family and share with you the recipes for their favourite tipples….

It’s Friday night and the weekend approaches, why not see how many of these you can make this weekend?!

Bar 45, 45 Park Lane – Francesco Orefici

Bar manager Francesco Orefici has previously worked at the Ritz Club and One Lombard Street. Francesco has created a special Oscars Negroni cocktail, the ‘Shallow Negroni,’ inspired by the hit movie musical ‘A Star Is Born’ and taking its name from the Oscar nominated love song featured in the film.

This variation of the cocktail takes influence from the Negroni Sbagliato cocktail, first created in 1972, deemed the most romantic with its vibrant red colouring and use of Champagne, providing that bitter-sweet taste.

Signature Cocktail – Shallow Negroni

‘Shallow Negroni’ at BAR 45 at 45 Park Lane

Ingredients:

  • 30 ml Campari
  • 30 ml Red vermouth
  • Champagne to top ( 40-50ml)

Pour the Campari and sweet vermouth into a mixing glass filled up with ice cubes.

Stir the cocktail with a long bar spoon( mixing spoon).

Using a cocktail strainer poor the chilled liquid into a rock glass full of ice cubes (or ice chunk if you have it).

Top up with champagne, give a last stir before squeezing the orange peel over the cocktail.

Twist the orange peel and let it drop into the glass….

Enjoy your Shallow Negroni!

The Century Bar at Gleneagles – Lech Silkovski

Lech Silkovski first joined Gleneagles at the end of 2017 and has spent the last 7 months mastering The Century Bar cocktails – including signature cocktail the ‘Smoking Gun’. The Century Bar, refurbished by David Collins in 2016 is the beating heart of Gleneagles. Featuring approximately 170 single malts, this atmospheric space is the perfect spot to relax, unwind and sample some of Scotland’s greatest whiskies.

Smoking Gun – (Makes one cocktail)

Ingredients:

  • Balvenie Double Wood 12 – 40ml
  • Carpano Antica Formula – 20ml
  • Maraschino – 2.5ml
  • Boker’s Bitters – 1 dash
  • Birch Water – 30ml

Method:

The ingredients are batched up ahead of time and chilled before being poured into a shotgun shell style flask.

Served on a board with glass and line of cordite/gunpowder which is lit to add a sulphurous note.

The American Bar at The Stafford, London – Benoit Provost

Benoit joined The Stafford in 1993, planning to stay a year to improve his English, but proved to be so popular that he never left. He became Bar Manager in 1997, replacing the late and beloved Charles, who, having served for 42 years at The Stafford, would be proud to see the high standards and buoyant atmosphere of the bar still going strong. Benoit is the utmost professional but sees his work as pure pleasure, relishing interaction with guests and building up close friendships with many regulars.

He says: “We see the same guests returning year after year. It’s so lovely meeting their families, watching their children grow up…I know they feel like they’re coming home when they visit us.”

Signature Cocktail – The White Mouse

  • 50ml saffron gin
  • 25ml lemon juice
  • 15ml rosemary syrup
  • Topped up with champagne
  • 10ml egg white

Place saffron gin, rosemary syrup, , lemon juice and egg white into the shaker

Add ice and shake again

Pour into a couple glass and top with champagne

Garnish with a sprig of rosemary

No 23 Cocktail Bar at The Merrion, Dublin – Martin Pramuka

Martin is from Slovakia and got into bartending at a fairly young age. He saw the hit 80’s movie ‘Cocktail’ with Tom Cruise when he was 14 years old and knew then that he wanted to be a professional bartender. He moved to London at 18, where he learned the trade from working in a number of different places including The Beaumont Hotel and Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park.

He says the place that had the most influence on me as a bartender, and for someone who loves everything to do with cocktails and beverage, would be The American Bar at The Savoy.

Lady Mornington

  • 50 ml Cork Dry Gin
  • 1 red berries tea bag
  • 25 ml lemon juice
  • 15 ml sugar syrup

Pre-batch/ Infuse the gin with tea for approx. 2 min.

Then add the other ingredients and stir in the mixing glass to dilute.

Strain and serve over crushed ice.

Nobu Hotel, Shoreditch – Roberto

Roberto has worked at Nobu Shoreditch since the opening in 2017. He has developed a great sense of hospitality and passion for Japanese culture. The Nobu Bar celebrates Nobu Matsuhisa’s ‘East meets West’ philosophy. They are the only bar to sell premium Hokusetsu Sakes available in the UK. Hokusetsu have been making sake for more than 140 years and has exclusively supplied Nobu restaurants across the world for over three decades.

Smoked Old Fashioned

  • Nikka Japanese Whisky
  • Luxardo cherry liqueur
  • Demerara sugar
  • Angostura bitters

Stirred and smoked in Japanese Cypress.

Served on ice with citrus twist and cherry Morello.

The Vincent, Liverpool – Osmar Paulucci

Osmar is Brazilian, 24 years old and has been a bartender for over 6 years. His favourite cocktail is the Old Fashioned.

Signature cocktail: Vincent Garden

  • 30ml tanqueray
  • 20ml raspberry liqueur
  • 15 no lemon juice
  • 10 ml gomme
  • 40 ml lychee juice
  • 5 mint leaves
  • 2 slice cucumber
  • 1 raspberry

Single strain.

Cubed ice

Glass sling

Raspberry garnish

Belmond Hotel Cipriani – Head Barman Walter Bolzonella

“I began here in 1978 as second Bartender and received a promotion to Head Bartender in 1989. I express my art in the marvellous venue of the Gabbiano Bar at Belmond Hotel Cipriani. I arrived in Venice as a young man after several work experiences around the world. I found Venice to be my true school: I met great masters from whom I learned all that this job has to offer, and demanding clients who, day after day, helped me better understand their desires and ultimately succeed in making them feel at home. When I am face to face with a client, I try to divide my soul in two, in an attempt to identify with them; my goal is to perceive what they feel and then translate those emotions into something that may satisfy them.

I am of the opinion that what makes a perfect bartender is the ability to convey your passion and offer a welcoming atmosphere to your guests, something that at Cipriani I always commit to do.

I love my job, and this is my philosophy: a Martini Cocktail is technically always the same, but I believe that it undergoes continuous evolution, dictated by the heart. Depending on who is sitting before me, or the moment when a cocktail is requested, I pour my emotions in a blend of tastes, perfumes and colours that gloriously end up in a Martini or a crystal flute.”

And a little story….

CLOONEY AND HIS CASAMIGOS

It was 3 o’clock in the morning and George Clooney was at the Gabbiano Bar. Noticing that the staff was in need of energy after long hours of work, he came behind the bar, took the shaker and filled it with ice and his Casamigos tequila. He started shaking the cocktail and then poured it into all the glasses that he offered to us to recharge: much appreciated and exceptionally prepared.

Buonanotte

Ingredients:

  • In an old-fashioned glass, mush ½ unpeeled lime, diced into small pieces with a tea spoon of cane sugar
  • A strip of cucumber peel
  • A ginger round
  • 3 drops of Angostura

Pestle well, then add:

  • 5 cl Vodka
  • 3 cl cranberry juice

Put crushed ice inside the glass.

As decoration use currant, cucumber peel and lime (see pic)

Serve with a short straw

If you’d like to book in and stay at any of these wonderful establishments, to escape for a night or 2 and possibly drink a cocktail or two made just for you by these master craftsmen, just contact Anna at anna@thebbbook.com discuss dates and special BBB deals.

Happy weekend everyone!

More Journals

BBB does Edinburgh in style

On Thursday 7th February, BBB were invited on a day trip to Edinburgh by private terminal experts Signature Elite Class. Not only was this to be a chance to experience the airport service first hand, but the itinerary included other treats such as a tasting at Glenkinchie Whiskey Distillery, lunch at Dalhousie Castle, a visit to the Royal Yacht Britannia and afternoon tea at brand new luxury ‘floating’ hotel Fingal. It was set to be quite a day!

BBB Partnerships manager and PA Alex Popoff reports…

Arriving at Luton Airport Parkway station, a mere 30 minutes from St Pancras by rail, I was met by a Signature Elite Class luxury car and taken in comfort to the private terminal at Luton Airport – it could not have been easier. Pulling up outside the terminal building, a friendly greeting awaited me at reception. My boarding pass was taken and I was ushered straight through to a private room along with my fellow invited travellers for tea, coffee and a stunningly elegant breakfast of miniature pastries, exotic fruit plates and creamy yoghurts, topped off with Moet on ice (of course).
Spacious and comfortable, the private room was calm and luxurious in mute greys, tastefully decorated and with large windows looking straight onto the runways. Guests travelling in groups or looking for complete discretion can opt for one of 2 private rooms, or the main lounge area is equally lovely, equipped with a world-class coffee machine (and barista), time-appropriate food and drink options and in the evenings, the vibe of legendary music club Ronnie Scott’s is channelled with cocktails, dimmed lights and jazz music.
We were then escorted through the security process; any hold luggage is left at reception on arrival and taken care of for you straight through to your car on the other end, and for those of us travelling with hand luggage only, the process could not be simpler. Having separated our liquids as in standard airport procedure and walked through the scanners, we were straight through in just a couple of minutes, directly to the luxury vehicles waiting at the doors to take us to the plane.
Another impressive element to this is that travellers are taken through the security by group (as opposed to with others from the private terminal), so guests with children, with mobility issues or famous faces can pass through with minimal hassle. Guests are given the option of boarding before or after the general public, but before is advised and we waltzed onto the aircraft like it was our own private jet!
After a very easy flight, we landed at Edinburgh and were met by luxury vehicles on the tarmac to take us directly to the terminal. We were introduced to the Signature team, who told us all about their impressive private jet and air travel services, then boarded our private transfers courtesy of Sleigh to our first stop, Glenkinchie Distillery. Sleigh are a first class chauffeur and transport company who we learnt specialise in high profile clients – they have indeed been responsible for many of the Royal visits, film premieres and more across Scotland, so we were in excellent hands!
Glenkinchie was fascinating. Our guide Willie was possibly the most entertaining tour guide I have ever had the pleasure to meet! The visit was interesting, highly enjoyable and ended with a tasting! A very serious looking individual with several large bodyguards in tow was also enjoying a visit, so it’s great to see that all types of visitor are well catered for!
Next stop for the day was Dalhousie Castle & Aqueous Spa, a converted castle luxury hotel just 30 mins outside Edinburgh. Driving up to the property is breathtaking – the scenery of sweeping hills, trees and stunning architecture is wonderful. After a royal welcome on the door, we were taken to the Dungeon Restaurant where we ate first class lunch surrounded by stone walls, suits of armour and candlelight – magical!
After lunch, we viewed everything the hotel had to offer in terms of facilities and learned a little of the incredible history of the place. The various public spaces include a library bar, a fabulous chapel-esque room for weddings and parties, a banquet room and stunning outdoor grounds. We also saw the various underground passages that provide secret entrances and pathways between the rooms, meaning Murder Mystery events, surprise party performers or naughty guests are all accommodated! The rooms are what you’d expect; tasteful castle elegance with lush upholstery, muted colours and traditional art. Overall, the hotel is a great location very close to Edinburgh and would be perfect for weekends away, corporate stays, celebrations and luxury stop-overs.
Back in the car we went and off to Royal Yacht Britannia, the largest tourist attraction in Scotland welcoming over 400,000 visitors per year. The general public enter via a connection in the adjacent shopping centre, but we arrived like family and were welcomed up the royal gangway!
Our host took us behind the ropes and into the personal spaces enjoyed by the Queen, much to the envy of the visitors around us, and we learnt about the possibilities for events aboard the yacht.
Evening hire is available on an exclusive basis, you can dine in the official banquet room and enjoy drinks on the deck. Any occasion would be stunning here and truly memorable, but I can imagine wedding dinners, brand launches, entertainment industry parties and more would be ideal. The rates were less than you might imagine, so definitely somewhere I’d love to host an event in future!
Next up was the Fingal, a luxury floating hotel just 1 minute in the car round the port from the Britannia. Fingal started life in Glasgow and was the final ship built by Blythswood Shipbuilding Company in 1963. Her duties included sailing the storm lashed seas, bringing vital supplies and equipment to some of the most remote lighthouses in Scotland.
Each cabin on Fingal is named after a lighthouse. The specific lighthouses have been chosen by NLB due to their characteristics, location or history. Today, Fingal has been transformed, through a journey of glamour and sophistication, to provide stunning cabin-style accommodation in the form of double rooms, duplex rooms and the incredible Skerryvore Suite, with private dining area (ideal for entertaining), large living space, private outdoor deck, Super King bed and luxurious bathroom with freestanding bath. The details on board are all carefully considered, with everything from fabric design, wooden finishes and even the beautiful Italian Art Deco circular lift adding to the ambience of the boat.
The event space on board is also impressive, a wood panelled hall space with mezzanine that would be the perfect backdrop for a wedding party, a birthday or even corporate dining.
After a delicious afternoon tea in the hotel’s dining room, we set off once again for the airport and after a very fast flight back to London, were met once again on the tarmac by luxury vehicles to take us to the Luton Private Terminal. Those travelling with luggage or internationally would then have their bags brought to them in the lounge and their passports checked, all whilst enjoying a snack or some more champagne. The full benefits of the Signature Elite Class service were highlighted when we were off the plane and out of the terminal in 15 minutes, on our way back to London! To take out of the stress of the public terminal, baggage carousel, immigration etc, and save in all likelihood an hour to boot, makes this service invaluable and I’m certain will be popular amongst celebrities and busy professionals who value privacy and stress-free travel.
Personally, I never want to travel any other way again! It was a delight, from start to finish, and I wholeheartedly recommend it as a good value add-on for any trip. I know the network of airports that this service is available is to be extended this year, so I have no doubt it will become a BBB favourite for 2019. For more info, please contact the BBB team. SPECIAL OFFER – travellers can benefit from 20% off the usual price for any bookings departing from Elite Class London Luton (the offer is valid for any bookings confirmed and paid for before 31st March 2019, travelling any time).  To book, just email eliteclass@signatureflight.com quoting BBB.
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10 Castle Street – Weekend Away with Sophie…

Long term SORTED friend and Estate Manager Sophie Simmance booked a weekend away through Battered Black Book to stay at Dorset hideaway 10 Castle Street. She enjoyed the weekend so much, she wanted to share it with you…

Tucked away on the edge of Dorset’s Cranborne Chase, 10 Castle Street (part of the Kasteel Collection) makes an excellent first impression. The immaculate grounds dotted with beautiful sculptures and manicured gardens surrounding the striking red brick of this Grade II listed country mansion.
We step into the entrance and are greeted by eclectic art, a roaring fire and two well-heeled guests who are passing through arm-in-arm, laughing warmly as they say their goodbyes to a member of the hotel staff in the Drawing Room.
Joe, the friendly and welcoming Hotel Director seems to be expecting us and greets us by name. Checking in is a breeze and we’re given a little tour of the many interesting rooms en route to our Junior Suite (Room 8). We pass through many-cushioned sitting rooms, a play room for younger guests, inviting meeting rooms and additional bar areas. It’s a rabbit warren of cosy, social spaces decorated harmoniously in classical country styling with colonial accents and a selection of carefully curated artworks from Mayfair’s Messum’s gallery and Camden’s Cob Gallery – all available for sale.
The largest of nine rooms (35.34 sqm), our room boasts a super king size bed (not two double beds pushed together thank you very much) in a space large enough to also include a comfortable living area with immense windows, allowing in floods of natural light overlooking the extensive rear gardens. Our bathroom is as big as most standard hotel rooms with similarly gorgeous views to the back of the estate. Deep bathtub and shower with high water pressure – check. Squishy, white bath robes – check. Lovely toiletries and that little sewing kit that nobody uses but whose presence feels oddly reassuring – check. There’s even an option to have room 8 turn into a family suite by adjoining with neighbouring room 9.
After a moment to ourselves we decide to explore the tiny town of Cranborne which is just charming despite the continued drizzle threatening to dampen our spirits. Hoods up, boots on, we traipse past a field of friendly alpacas and go only as far as the nearby nursery, lovingly stocked with beautiful homeware (I deeply inhaled a candle fragrance described as ‘summer greenhouse’ in the manner of someone recently released from prison). Just meters from the hotel lies The Inn at Cranborne. A 16th century Inn and pub offering comforting meals and refreshments. We decide to have a simple dinner here on our first night. Huddled up close to the fire, we allow any weight of responsibility from ‘real life’ to ebb away and we decide to end the evening at the 10 Castle Street bar for a little digestif.
It’s Tuesday night and the hotel is tranquil. Joe is there to lovingly serve refreshments from the very well stocked bar. Apart from making a mean cocktail, Joe passionately tells us about the history of the hotel, showing us maps of the area, the best local countryside walks and the detailed plans for a spa and fitness area which are already in their second phase of development. The three of us spend the rest of our evening chatting like old friends and learning more about the Kasteel Collection membership which gives you access to all of the lovely facilities at preferential rates. The next morning after a glorious night of uninterrupted sleep and a lavish breakfast during which we are visited by an adorably snuffly and affable French bulldog belonging to a member, we set out into the countryside armed with a map and failproof directions provided by Joe the night before. We start out at the frightfully impressive Cranborne Manor – a Grade I listed country house, and we follow the walking map past Manor Farm, deftly crossing streams, ascending evergreen slopes past horses and sheep, faultlessly following the path past Cranborne Farm and up to Jack’s Hedge Corner (where we somehow take a wrong turn and end up exploring the reaches of a far less accommodating clay bridleway). We continue our walk for another 45 minutes, the rain caressing our faces, until we reach a charming little village…only to find that we’re magically back where we began! We make our way back to the welcoming arms of 10 Castle Street where hot water bottles and pots of tea are on hand. Our Junior Suite beckons us to listen to Radio 4 and have a long, hot soak in the bath before dinner, which we booked at the hotel restaurant.
As we happen to be visiting in a little period of calm before peak season, we are offered dinner in the supremely comfortable Drawing Room which we have all to ourselves. The table is set and the fireplace is lit for us as we enter, we fall in love with some lamps in the form of giraffes (which we learn are also available for purchase!) and the wallpaper featuring delicate tangles of vines gives us further food for thought on how we could improve our own home décor. The head chef Bill Keera has a reputation for creating delicious seasonal menus with an Asian-inspired background. Local ingredients feature throughout and (spoiler) each dish is plated beautifully and delivers on appearance as well as taste.
It’s only after we peel ourselves off the tastefully upholstered sofas at the very end of the evening that we realise we had been laughing and talking about a wide range of varied topics – none of which had to do with life admin. And maybe that is exactly what 10 Castle Street does to you. In just two days, it neatly launders and attractively folds all the important issues on your mind like Marie Kondo and reveals a variety of things which spark joy in your life. Like making silly top 10 lists of your favourite films, making friends with alpacas and French bulldogs, outdoor adventures and rejuvenating sleep all in utterly delicious surroundings. And while we have loved the sheer comfort and decadence that 10 Castle Street has offered us over the course of our two night stay in early, drizzly March, we also imagine a visit in summer to be an equally rewarding visit – filled with promise, bottles of rosé and ‘summer greenhouse’ scents in the charming outdoor Logier. Both sheltered from the elements but still open to the beautifully maintained grounds.
On our final morning, we hit breakfast like a pro. Yes to a delicately flaky, buttery croissant; yes to fresh fruit; yes to eggs royale; yes to a large pot of tea. We check out, bidding Joe farewell, so grateful for our faultless babymoon break, and we’re ready to get back on the road – driving back to all of our responsibilities but feeling far more centred than before. And while this experience has ticked the boxes for us, you can easily see how a hotel of this calibre would similarly tick the boxes for HNWIs, corporate functions, intimate get-togethers, young families and people just looking to get away from it all. A truly uplifting experience from beginning to end. Decadent but unpretentious – just what the midwife ordered… If you too would like to experience the joys of 10 Castle Street, for a weekend away, event or even a business trip, please get in touch with Anna at anna@thebbbook.com for special BBB rates and perks.
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