Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

On-trade: The highs, lows and holding on

Published: 18 July, 2024

Clinton Cawood examines the sectors of the market faring best and those suffering the most.

Buckingham Schenk welcomes new national account manager

Published: 18 July, 2024

Buckingham Schenk has announced Emma Hardy as a national account manager. Hardy joins the on-trade sales team, focusing on wholesale and expanding the market for the business.

Nick Gillett: Flavoured spirits – top tipples or faddy favourites?

Published: 15 July, 2024

Flavour. When it comes to food and drink – it’s the most important thing. As a producer, you can be entirely carbon neutral, use the finest ingredients, have the sharpest packaging – but if your liquid isn’t up to scratch, you won’t last long. But beyond that, producers are now using flavours to expand their ranges, tap into new markets, and attract new demographics of drinkers to their brands. As a man who has sampled thousands of liquids and has reasonably good taste (although I’m sure my colleagues might not agree, especially when it comes to taste in music or fashion!) here’s my reckonings about flavour trends in the spirits industry.

Atradius reports 59% drop in payment claims for food and drink sector

Published: 11 July, 2024

Trade credit insurer Atradius has revealed a 59% decrease in claims for late or failed payments in the food and drink sector between May 2023 and May 2024.

Henri

Published: 08 July, 2024

Chef Jackson Boxer, in collaboration with the Experimental Group, opened Henri last month, bringing a Parisian-inspired restaurant to Covent Garden. This new venture blends Boxer’s London restaurant expertise with the Experimental Group’s global hospitality experience, featuring standout bars and restaurants worldwide. Designed by Dorothée Meilichzon, Henri combines French brasserie charm with British pub elements, showcasing botanical shapes and Art Nouveau accents.

The menu offers a range of snacks, entrées and charcoal-grilled dishes, including Parisian classics like Fried Pieds de Cochon and Seaweed Canelé. The drinks menu features cocktails inspired by French icons including the Marie-Antoine, blending rye, ginger syrup and peach bitters; and the Gaston, crafted with Cognac, byrrh and maple syrup. The wine list showcases exceptional French wines, perfect for long lunches and celebrations.

Ambassadors Clubhouse

Published: 04 July, 2024

JKS Restaurants, founded by Jyotin, Karam and Sunaina Sethi, is set to launch Ambassadors Clubhouse this summer at 25 Heddon Street in Mayfair. Named after Sethi’s maternal grandfather, a former Indian Ambassador, the restaurant draws inspiration from his summer house in Dalhousie and the founders’ Punjabi heritage.

The menu celebrates the cuisine of undivided Punjab, featuring classic dishes like Paan Patta Chaat, Mooli and Dahi Kebabs and Hariyali Rara Rabbit Keema. The drinks menu highlights tequila and mezcal cocktails, including ‘Punjabi Margaritas’ with north Indian fruits and chaat masala spiced salts. The 140-cover restaurant includes a 40-cover outdoor heated veranda and three private dining spaces, featuring interiors with classic Indian patterns and modern prints.

Pemiumisation remains the key driver in on-trade drinks sales

Published: 02 July, 2024

The trend to premium drinking is predicted to continue as consumers continue to drink less but better, according to the latest insights from analyst CGA by NIQ. Moreover, while ‘value-for-money’ remains key, this is about drinks ‘worth the price’, rather than ‘cheap’.

Archive & Myth

Published: 02 July, 2024

Archive & Myth, a new cocktail den, has opened in London’s West End. Situated below Leicester Square, this hidden gem offers a unique escape with a drinks menu crafted by award-winning mixologist Jack Sotti. Highlights include full-sized creations like the Mizuwari, Whiskey Sour and Absinthe Frappe, plus miniature delights such as the Martini Mineraux and the Sazerac de Nata. The venue also features select bites from The Hippodrome’s Chop Chop restaurant. The venue, hidden behind a password-protected door off Cranbourn Street, leads deep beneath The Hippodrome Casino to a central bar with counter seating, plush fabric nooks, exposed brick and dark wood accents.

Archive & Myth

Published: 02 July, 2024

The results: Top 50 Sommeliers 2024

Published: 01 July, 2024

Harpers is delighted to reveal our newly expanded Top 50 Sommeliers list, celebrating the best in this dynamic and hugely important part of the hospitality and drinks world. Special congratulations go to Gareth Ferreira MS, head sommelier and beverage director at Core by Clare Smyth, who tops an incredible round up of talent.

The Tartan Fox

Published: 19 June, 2024

Chef Adam Handling (pictured) has announced the opening of The Tartan Fox in Cornwall. Located between Newquay and Truro, The Tartan Fox is Handling’s second venture in Cornwall, joining his St Ives restaurant and bar, Ugly Butterfly.

Chez Roux

Published: 17 June, 2024

The closure of Michel Roux’s Le Gavroche earlier this year surprised many, following the earlier shutdown of Roux at the Landau at The Langham, now replaced by Mimosa. But Roux is not finished with The Langham; he is merely shifting locations. Roux will take over the Palm Court space with a venture called Chez Roux. The new opening blends British classics with traditional French cooking methods, featuring dishes like Welsh rarebit and grilled lobster with fries and béarnaise. Diners can enjoy a selection of ‘60s-inspired cocktails such as the Queen’s Dubonnet and Madeira Cobbler. The wine list combines English and French influences, featuring Champagnes alongside English sparklings from Hambledon Vineyard.

Cornus

Published: 13 June, 2024

In mid-July, Cornus will open in London’s Belgravia, the second restaurant from David O’Connor and Joe Mercer-Nairne of the renowned Medlar in Chelsea. Chef Gary Foulkes, formerly of Michelin-starred Angler, will lead the kitchen, presenting a menu that highlights British seasonal produce with vibrant and precise cooking.

Bar Bruno

Published: 14 May, 2024

One of the best recent openings we’ve lighted upon is Michael Sager’s new outpost Bruno, which has tucked neatly into the leafy environs of the East End’s Victoria Park Village. A decade on from the opening of his seminal Sager + Wilde in nearby Hackney Road, Bruno, named after his father, offers a now familiar Hackney mix of low-intervention wines and simple but tasty dishes, all served up by a super-friendly team in this characterful ex-stable.

Sommelier Wine Awards 2024 revealed

Published: 13 May, 2024

The results of the Sommelier Wine Awards (SWA) 2024 are now live, revealing the Gold, Silver and Bronze medal wines.

Capilungo

Published: 09 May, 2024

The newly opened Capilungo in Covent Garden has expanded its all-day café offering by opening a basement bar, where guests can sample a range of Puglian wines and classic aperitivo-style cocktails. Hyper-local delicacies from Lecce, focused on freshly baked ‘pizzette Pugliese’, will complement the drinks list.

Nominations now open for Top 50 Sommeliers

Published: 08 May, 2024

Harpers is delighted to open this year’s round of nominations for Top 50 Sommeliers.

Undercroft

Published: 07 May, 2024

Undercroft, a new restaurant from Birmingham-based chef Brad Carter and former music publisher Martin Priestnall, is due to open this summer in the crypt of St George’s Church in Mayfair. Bringing together art, design, music and food, Undercroft will offer an eclectic cocktail list alongside the classics. The wine list follows a similar style, providing a range of Champagne and fine wines as decadent pairings for Carter’s dishes.

‘Rare gems’ on show at Keeling Andrew tasting

Published: 17 April, 2024

Keeling Andrew’s trendy portfolio attracted a suitably young and vibrant crowd at its tasting in Holborn yesterday (16 April), where the business took the opportunity to highlight some of its under-the-radar producers while honing in on specialisms in Burgundy and Champagne.

The London Cabaret Club

Published: 12 April, 2024

Luxury entertainment specialist The London Cabaret Club has found a permanent home where it will continue to draw on its USP of combining fine dining with world-class performances. The London Cabaret Club was originally launched as a pop-up within the Arts Club, before going on to launch sold-out residencies at One Mayfair and The Collection in South Kensington. It has set up full time in the 1920s Bloomsbury Ballroom in Holborn, where it is serving a Prohibition-inspired drinks list created to coincide with its latest show. Cocktails are heavy on flavour and theatre, while the wine list bounces between top estates from Italy to Argentina, by way of France and vintage Champagne.