72 | squaremeal.co.uk
CHERRY NICE
Spiced rum is going great guns (see p.84), and rum brand Lamb's
has released a new flavour: Lamb's Spiced Cherry. At 30%abv, it's
not strong enough to legally be called rum, but it's made with a
blend of Caribbean rum and spices, plus wild cherry and almond
flavours. It tastes like a Bakewell tart, with plenty of drying spice
character to boot. £14.99, drinksupermarket.com
MAGIC FOR
MARGARITAS
Be prepared to welcome some savoury
characters into your home bar… in the
form of avoured salts. Anyone who
enjoys a salt rim on their favourite Tequila
cocktail - or any other cocktail, for that
matter - now has a range of 10 avours
to play with. Available from World of
Zing, a 'food and drink emporium' in
east London, the collection includes
Mexican Cactus and Applewood Smoked.
£2.45/75g, worldofzing.com
THINK TANK
As we went to press, Alan Yau (of Wagamama/Babaji fame) was about to open
his eagerly anticipated Duck � Rice in Soho. Yes, � ne - that's a restaurant story.
But what interested us, dear drinker, was the four Pilsner Urquell Tankovnas
(that's tanks) installed in the bar. The fresh, unpasteurised beer comes straight
from the Czech brewery to the restaurant in a tank, where it stays until you
drink it. Like all unpasteurised products it doesn't last long - about seven
days - but extra, unpasteurised
avour means that won't be a
problem because we're sure it'll
y out. In fact, Duck � Rice isn't
the only place to o er Tankovna.
The chaps at Draft House were
won over by its quality and
stocked it last year. And this is a
trend that is clearly growing: if
you � nd yourself in The Big Easy
in Covent Garden or The Crown
� Shuttle in Shoreditch, check
out Meantime's Brewery Fresh
London Lager; while Budvar
has a beautiful tank installed in
Hoxton's Zigfrid von Underbelly
that counts down the days to
the next delivery.
the only place to o er Tankovna.
Fashion in a bottle
Never has the water bottle on your table
looked so stylish. s.pellegrino has launched
a limited-edition bottle in partnership
with Vogue Italia to celebrate their new
collaboration: the s.pellegrino Young
Chef competition, an event that will see
some of the most talented young chefs
from across the globe battle it out in a
challenge that will mix taste, art and
fashion. The final will take place in
Milan in June. These smart bottles
can be found in bars and restaurants
already serving the sparkling Italian
water, so keep your sunglasses
at the ready in case one should
appear at your table.
Feeling vine
Vintage Cognac specialist Hine has released a
new expression made entirely from its estate
in the tiny parish of Bonneuil, in the Grande
Champagne region. Eighteen casks -
producing 9,000 bottles - were selected
for Domaines Hine Bonneuil 2005 and it
was matured in French oak. According
to the house, the weather pattern of
2005 was very similar to 1953, which
was one of the best vintages of the
last century. On the nose, tropical
notes of pineapple mix with hints of
gingerbread, liquorice and oriental
spice, giving way to a jammy palate.
Feeling vine
Vintage Cognac specialist Hine has released a
new expression made entirely from its estate
in the tiny parish of Bonneuil, in the Grande