Cocktails & Bars turns five, Births, Deaths & Elopements, Bombay Bramble, Apples at Manly, Social Distancing Snapchat Lens, Johnnie Walker Paper Bottle, Buckingham Palace Gin and more in this week’s industry news.
Cocktails & Bars at Home – Photo © Cocktails & Bars
Cocktails & Bars Turns Five
On this day, 3 August 2015, we launched Cocktails & Bars, a website dedicated to cocktail culture, bars, spirits and the home bar. Over the last five years, we have published nearly 1500 articles across the categories of Spirits, Cocktails, Bars, Interviews, Cocktail Projects, Home Bar, Essential Guides, Industry News and Bar Directory, with the vast majority being evergreen content. Our international readership continues to grow and widen across the globe, even more so during the last few months along with our social media channels.
It’s heartbreaking to see our hospitality industry going through devastating times and most of us are feeling the effects on many levels. We like to remain positive during these challenging times and continue to bring you articles and content that provide a momentary escape from the daily news.
As Cocktails & Bars turns five today, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank you – our readers and partners – for your continued readership and support of the website and our social media channels as we look forward to the next five years together and beyond. Keep well and stay safe.
Births, Deaths & Elopements
Innovation from bars continue during these challenging times and the latest comes in the form of elopements. Births & Deaths cocktail bar in Wollongong has introduced Births, Deaths & Elopements, an idea borne between the team and their friend and marriage celebrant, Mitch Bell of Ceremonies by Mitch. The venue was formerly the Register of Births, Deaths & Marriages and they wanted to bring back marriages to the site. “We recognised that due to COVID-19 restrictions, people have had to cancel or downsize their weddings with many people choosing to elope with just close friends and that’s where we fit in,” says co-owner Jared Huk.
Apples at Manly Alcohol-Free Cocktail Bar
Sydney is set to have its first alcohol-free cocktail bar with the opening of Apples at Manly. The bar which is located along Whistler Street has announced on social media that it officially opened to the public on Saturday 1st August 2020.
Bacardi Social Distancing Snapchat Lens
With some bars reopening across Australia, Bacardi has created a new Snapchat lens to help cocktail lovers ensure they maintain a safe social distance whilst enjoying their drink. Users who activate the augmented reality lens will be instructed how far apart they need to stand to maintain the required 1.5m distance. Once this has been achieved, users will be rewarded – a Caribbean island will appear, along with sunglasses, palm trees and the official Bacardi rum anthem, the Sound of Rum. Available in states across Australia where bars and pub are safely open from Thursday 30th July.
Sydney Bar Week Postponed
In light of circumstances regarding COVID-19 and Melbourne going into lockdown, Spanton Media Group have announced the cancellation of Sydney Bar Week in 2020, as well as postponing the 20th Annual Bartender Magazine Australian Bar Awards. Bar Week and the awards will return in 2021.
Johnnie Walker Paper Bottle
Diageo has announced that it will launch a plastic-free, paper-based bottle, which will debut with Johnnie Walker next year. The paper-based bottle is made from sustainably-sourced wood. It will be fully recyclable using standard recycling collections. The bottle is the result of a new partnership between Diageo and Pilot Lite, called Pulpex Limited – a sustainable packaging technology company. (source)
Buckingham Palace Gin
We’re surprised that it has taken this long. Buckingham Palace has officially announced its own venture into the spirits business, releasing a small-batch Buckingham Palace Gin. The gin has a unique royal origin, with many of its citrus and herbal notes sourced from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, namely lemon, verbena, hawthorn berries, and mulberry leaves. Currently only available for purchase online in the U.K. (source)
From Our Socials & Recommended Reads
- Bombay Bramble will be available in Australia in time for spring.
- From an ancient cure-all tonic to cocktails. Here’s what you need to know about oxymel.
- A simple yet elegant way to garnish a Martini
Opening a new cocktail bar or distillery? Contact us here.
