Held at its new dates May 6-7 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, IWSB is the only forum in the world focused exclusively on the role of beverage alcohol in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

“The Star of the Bar mixology competition provides a great opportunity for mixologists to see who can create the most modern, inventive and marketable cocktail of the year,” said Jack Crawford Convention Chair for NRA Show 2012 and President and CEO of Ground Round Independent Owners Cooperative, LLC. “Whether you’re a head mixologist at the hottest spot in town or simply an alcohol artist, you just might be the next Star of the Bar.”

Interested individuals who would like a shot at the title, a trip to Chicago to demonstrate their skills at IWSB, as well as $5,000, should complete the following:
• Perfect a signature cocktail recipe that prominently features at least one product from an IWSB exhibitor.
• Create a video no more than 2 minutes long and upload it to YouTube describing and mixing the drink.
• Submit the entry form online by April 6, 2012, including a link to the video in the written recipe section.

Voting will take place at www.winespiritsbeer.org from April 9-11. Six semi-finalists will be flown to Chicago to demonstrate their cocktail live on the exhibit floor in front of top food and beverage industry leaders at IWSB on Sunday, May 6, 2012.

IWSB attendees will help narrow the field down to the top three finalists, who will then advance to the final round of live competition to be judged by Tony Abou-Ganim “The Master Mixologist,” “King Cocktail” Dale DeGroff, and Bravo’s Top Chef superstar Spike Mendelsohn at Restaurants Rock, the official party of the NRA Show and IWSB. All proceeds will benefit ProStart, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s high-school culinary training program.

No purchase necessary. Limit one video submission per person. Content open to all legal residents of the 50 United States, 21 years of age or older. Void where restricted by law. See Official Rules online. Please bartend responsibly, depictions of unsafe or reckless mixology will not be accepted.

Now celebrating its 5th year, the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event—co-located with NRA Show 2012—is the only forum in the world focused exclusively on the role of beverage alcohol in the restaurant and hospitality industry. IWSB features domestic and international brewers, distillers and vintners showcasing hundreds of established and emerging labels, beverage alcohol-focused, industry expert-led education sessions, hands-on demonstrations, dynamic mixology competition and access to professionally paired menu items from local Chicago restaurants.

The annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is the largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice and lodging professionals. NRA Show 2012 will be held May 5-8, at McCormick Place in Chicago. The event attracts 58,000+ attendees and visitors from all 50 states and 100+ countries, and showcases the latest products, services, innovative ideas, up-to-the-minute information about trends and issues and other growth opportunities than any other industry event.

For more information, visit the Show Web site at www.restaurant.org/show.

It might seems obvious, but you should build up a sound knowledge of the drinks you will be serving. If you have an extensive drinks menu then this may take some time, but it is worth doing. Often customers will ask your opinion on cocktails you think they might like, depending on their preference for certain spirits. Customers might have a particular wine which they have bought from a high street retailer, such as M&S, and be looking for something similar at your bar. This is why it can be a excellent idea to develop a basic knowledge of wines in general, not just the bottles you have on your wine list.

You should also make an effort to gain a clear understanding of which glass is required for each drink. With wine glasses, for example, this can be relatively straightforward. However, you will also be expected to know which glasses should be used when serving less obvious choices, such as liqueurs or particular types of beer. This is essential if you want to seem professional and maintain the excellent reputation of the bar in which you are working. However, it can also be a useful way of managing a large and varied drinks order, as you are more likely to remember which drinks you are making if you line up the correct glasses beforehand.

Lastly, if nothing else, it is essential that you have a thorough knowledge of the laws surrounding the serving of alcohol. This can vary in different countries and may depend on whether or not you are also serving food. Don’t be afraid to ask for proof of age – most people who are above the legal age will not mind showing you some identification, and it is always better to be over-cautious.

The crème de la crème of the UK coffee industry will descend on ExCeL for the semi-finals and finals of the competition in a bid to be crowned the best barista in the country. The winner will then go on to compete against winners from 75 other countries in the World Barista Championships, held in Colombia.

Christopher McCuin, IFE’s Event Director, enthused: “We’re clearly extremely excited about holding the final stages of the UK Barista Championships at the show – it’s a really prestigious industry competition and the synergy with IFE is perfect.

“We have a really strong foodservice element to the show so will be able to deliver significant exposure for the contestants as well as highlight the exceptional heights the UK coffee industry has reached over the last few years.”

However, achieving the title of the UK’s best barista is no mean feat. Each contestant is required to make four espressos, four cappuccinos and four versions of their own ‘signature drink’ in just 15 minutes. Points are deducted for every additional second after the clock has stopped and if one minute is exceeded, contestants are disqualified.

The judging panel is made up of four sensory judges, two technical judges and a head judge. Sensory judges are there to judge the taste, smell, and presentation of the coffee as well as the contestant’s knowledge, communication, product handling and hospitality skills.

Technical judges look for cleanliness, hygiene and waste as well as the techniques used to make the coffee to ensure it flows perfectly. When the contestant has finished, he or she is then graded on the state of the bar area.

Christopher concluded: “The UK Barista Championships is a great showcase for those serious about a career in the industry and highlights the unwavering skill, creativity and determination needed to succeed in the profession. We look forward to welcoming the final stage of the competition to IFE, the largest food and drink event in the UK.”

The semi-finals and finals of the UK Barista Championships will be held on Tuesday 15 March and Wednesday 16 March at IFE11, ExCeL, Royal Victoria Dock, London. For further information, visit www.ife.co.uk.

A special event was held for the men and women of 40 Commando Royal Marines at their base in Taunton, Somerset, after Remembrance Sunday. Arranged by The British Forces Foundation, the evening began with a traditional Indian meal prepared by Arfan (better known as Raz) before moving into a transformed assembly hall for a special comedy show by several celebrity comedians.

“I’ve long admired the outstanding dedication of the Armed Forces and the great sacrifices they make,” commented Raz. “The fact is that these brave men and women put their lives on the line and I’m humbled by the way they downplay this and say that they’re just doing their job. So, I decided to show my appreciation by doing my job and cooking a meal worthy of these troops.

“We have done a lot for Help for Heroes and as a result of this I was invited by The British Forces Foundation to the 40 Commando Royal Marines evening. Some great celebrities have been involved in this project to help raise the morale of the troops, but there need to be more events like this. The true stars on the night were the troops and it was a privilege to cook for them.”

The British Forces Foundation is a charitable organisation that helps to boost the morale of British servicemen and women by producing top quality shows both in Afghanistan and back in the UK.

Mark Cann, chief executive of The British Forces Foundation, added: “As an organisation we receive no Government funding and rely entirely on private and public donations. Events, such as the one in Taunton, are our way of conveying the gratitude of the British public for the work of the Armed Forces. Those taking part offer their time and talent without charge, which is why it’s fantastic when a chef of Raz’s calibre offers to support us.

“Troops returning from the front-line often tell us that curry is one of the foods they miss the most, so they were thrilled to be served some truly authentic dishes by Raz and his team.”

Raz and The Curry Lounge shot to fame after appearing on Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares show in 2007. Since then, the restaurant has gone from strength-to-strength, developing a reputation for traditional Indian, Punjabi and Kashmiri cuisine. It has also picked up some of the industry’s leading awards.

For further information on The Curry Lounge, visit www.currylounge.co.uk.

Additional details on The British Forces Foundation can be found at www.bff.org.uk.

The annual report shows that cask ale’s value to the beer sector grew by 5% to £1.4bn, against a beer market decline of 2%.

Last year was the first year there was no decline in cask ale volumes since 1994 — a significant out-performance of a beer market down 4.1% overall.

Cask now accounts for 15.2% of all on-trade beer volumes. The drink is becoming increasingly popular with 18-24 year-olds with figures showing a 17% rise in that category. 121,000 people started drinking cask ale last year, taking the total number of cask drinkers to over 8.6m.

Regional and cask ale brewers saw volumes rise 1% and 5% respectively while multinational brewers saw volumes drop by 11%.

Strong performance

“Considering everything else that was happening in the beer market, with continuing pub closures and consumers switching from on-trade to off-trade consumption, it’s hard to view this as anything other than a strong performance from cask ale,” said author Pete Brown.

“More interesting than the bald figures are the changing market dynamics and patterns of consumer behaviour.

“We might be emerging from recession, but we’re not jumping back to conspicuous consumption: instead, we’ve become more thoughtful about our purchases and in our food and drink choices, we’re looking for tradition, provenance and wholesomeness — all values that cask ale can provide in spades.

“At the same time, this trend against ‘discretionary spending’ is leading people to visit restaurants and pubs less than they used to.

“Cask has an advantage in that, unlike almost every other drink, it can only be enjoyed in the pub rather than purchased more cheaply in the supermarket, but brewers and licensees still need to work at convincing consumers that a pint of cask beer is worth the detour.”

Shedding the stereotypes

The image of cask ale as a “northern” drink is misplaced with London and the south-east accounting for 41.8% of all cask ale sold, while Scotland also recorded a 31% growth in cask volumes on last year.

The report also analysed, for the first time, which type of pubs sell most cask ale. Cask outperforms in branded food-led pubs, recording a14% volume uplift and a 16% value increase.

Cask drinkers are more upmarket than non-cask drinkers — 68% of them are in social grade ABC1. They agree that “it’s worth paying more for good quality beer” but nine out of 10 pubs charge more for lager than cask.

The image of cask as an old man’s drink is also outdated with 1.9m cask drinkers now in the 18-34 age group.

Compelling choice

“This is the fourth Cask Report and the third year in which cask has outperformed the overall beer market,” said Brown.

“The fact that we haven’t seen an actual uplift in volumes isn’t that surprising, given the continuing onslaught on pubs and the consumer trends around provenance, heritage, taste and so on should give cask brewers and pubs grounds for cautious optimism.

“However, there is clearly still work to do in recruiting new drinkers. In every issue of the report, we have talked about the importance of providing tasting notes, of letting customers ‘try before they buy’ and other ways of overcoming the obstacles to trial.

“While more pubs are doing this than were four years ago, not enough is being done to make cask a really compelling choice for the new consumers who are needed if the impressive gains of recent years are to continue.”

After being escorted onto the site by a dray and Shire horse, driven by Andrew Whetton, the Centre’s head horseman, Her Royal Highness was welcomed to the Town by the Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Sir James Hawley, accompanied by Lady Hawley, whom then presented a number of dignitaries from throughout the county of Staffordshire.

The Centre’s chairman, Mike Stickland and general manager, Kim Clarke, led Her Royal Highness on a tour of the new red carpet route that guides visitors around the ‘Brewing Experience’, showcasing the hundreds of exhibits and artefacts. The visit commenced with the new holographic-style ‘Pepper’s Ghost’ presentation, telling the story of brewing, from its ancient origins right up to the present day.

Andrew Whetton, head horseman, introduced Her Royal Highness to the Centre’s Shire horses and gave her a tour of the dray shed, tack room and stables, all of which proved to be of great interest to the Princess.

Kim Clarke, the Centre’s general manager, said: “As we all know, Her Royal Highness has been long-associated with horses and you could tell by the questions that she asked just how interested the Princess really was in these magnificent creatures.”

“Up until the early 1960s, they will have been a common sight in towns and cities throughout the country delivering beer to pubs from the breweries such as those in Burton.”

The transport theme continued with a visit to the Robey Steam engine and the historic vehicle collection, where the Princess met with the team of dedicated volunteers that keep everything maintained throughout the year.  A pair of coopers from local brewer, Marston’s, demonstrated their skills in making the traditional wooden casks used for the beer before the advent of the modern-day metal alternative.

A visit to the National Brewery Centre is not complete without sampling real ales in the authentic Edwardian bar, and as such, Her Royal Highness was introduced to master brewer, Steve Wellington and Master Brewster, Jo White, both from the William Worthington Brewery located at the site. Steve offered the Princess a small sample of the ale that was brewed for her back in 1978 when she officially opened, what was at the time, the Bass Museum.

Steve Wellington said: “Her Royal Highness respectfully declined the 32-year-old ale. She did confess to not really liking beer and suggested that her father would be far more interested in trying some!”

Next on the tour was a specially-laid-on performance by a life-size Punch and Judy, played out to an audience of children from the Holy Trinity School, Burton, who were dressed in authentic period costume. The story, quite naturally, had a beer theme and had been written by the Centre’s own team of character performers.

European Barrel Rolling Champions, former Burton College Principle, Keith Norris, accompanied by his wife Christine, showed off their speed and immaculate control of a wooden barrel around the courtyard, much to the Princess’s fascination.

After a short break for refreshments and the chance to view a private gallery detailing photographs from previous Royal visits, Her Royal Highness met with the Centre’s staff in the Centre’s Brewery Tap restaurant, where Mike Stickland, chairman, invited the Princess to unveil a brass plaque commemorating her visit and the official opening.

Paula White, the Centre’s education manager, who wrote to Buckingham Palace inviting the Princess, thanked Her Royal Highness for visiting and presented her with a posy of flowers, asking her to sign the visitors’ book to record the prestigious occasion.

In front of a gathered audience of invited guests, including dignitaries, business leaders, the Centre’s staff, volunteers and the media, a clearly pleased Princess, drew her visit to a close by making a short speech, wishing the Centre every success for the future, before departing to travel on to her next engagement.

Speaking after the event, Mike Stickland, chairman of the National Brewery Centre, commented: “It was an absolute honour to be able to welcome Her Royal Highness to the National Brewery Centre and for her to officially open the new Brewing Experience.”

“It was rather fitting that the Princess carried out this role, as she opened our first incarnation, The Bass Museum, on its inception in 1978.

“I would like to not only thank Her Royal Highness for giving up her valuable time to be with us today, but also to recognise all of the effort that everyone has put into making this day so special. It really does mean a lot to us.”

Leading beer writer and historian, Pete Brown, whose latest book, Hops and Glory, retraces the route of Burton’s famous India Pale Ale (IPA) from Burton to Calcutta, said, “Burton is world famous as the home of brewing. Nowhere, except perhaps the city of Plzen for lager lovers, is as significant to the history and development of beer.  Over recent years Burton’s amazing brewing heritage has been allowed to slip into decline, so I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the reopening of the NBC is of global importance to the beer community.  The fact that the Centre received a Royal visit sends an important message about the revival of Burton’s brewing story.”

The Centre is open to the public all year round and further details can be found by visiting the website: http://www.nationalbrewerycentre.co.uk

Momma Cherri

Italian chef Gino D’Acampo, TV personality Ainsley Harriott, Caribbean soul food star Momma Cherri and Great British Menu representatives Atul Kochhar and Sat Bains will all be performing.

Biographies:
Aisley Harriott
Atul Kochhar
Gino D’Acampo
Sat Bains
Momma Cherri

Festival organiser We Are Nottingham has teamed up with National Bartender Magazine to offer two readers the chance to win a pair of VIP tickets to see Momma Cherri on Friday 24 September and a ‘meet and greet’ with the Caribbean chef.

For your chance to win, send an email marked ‘bartender giveaway’, with your name and telephone number to info@wearenottingham.co.uk, or post your details to We Are Nottingham, Office Suite, Days Hotel, Wollaton Street, Nottingham, NG1 5FW by 17 September 2010.

To find out information about the festival or book tickets, go to http://www.wearenottingham.co.uk/foodfestival.php

Squares, the Nottingham Ice Centre, Gatecrasher and the Toby Carvery in Wollaton won Best Pub, Bar, Club and Restaurant respectively in the Best Bar None Judge’s Choice awards. Squares, a Tattershall Castle Group premises, also scooped the coveted Overall Best Bar None award for their exemplary policies and procedures.

Nottingham residents also made their voices heard, with nearly 2,000 people voting for their favourite accredited venues online. Their winners were The Pit & Pendulum, The Rescue Rooms, Rock City and Bistro Live.

55 of the city’s bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants applied this year, and were assessed by teams from Nottingham Businesses Against Crime (NBAC), the City Council Licensing department and other representatives from the licensed trade.

The 75 assessment criteria included whether a venue had adequate crime reduction measures in place, policies to deal with things like drunkenness, refusal of entry and venue capacity, and the scope of its staff training.

Nottingham Best Bar None Winners

51 venues passed the assessment to become Best Bar None accredited venues, and these made up the shortlist that Nottingham’s public voted their winners from.

The 3 highest scoring bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants also had their scoring notes anonymously scrutinised by a panel of expert judges from Rushcliffe Borough Council, the British Beer and Pub Association and Diageo to decide the “Best Bar None” winner in each category.

Leader of Nottingham City Council, Councillor Jon Collins, said: “I am pleased to see that so many of our city centre venues have taken part in the Best Bar None scheme, which helps to reassure people going out for a drink in Nottingham about the venues they are visiting.

“Many venues have demonstrated some extremely good management practices that go above and beyond the legal requirements of their licence, which helps to promote a safe, comfortable environment for visitors to our city.”

Sylvia Manser, Chief Executive of We Are Nottingham, organisers of this year’s scheme, said: “Best Bar None is a great way for the businesses to work in partnership with the authorities to help make the city centre a better place for everyone to visit at night.

“Many of the award categories this year were very tight, which is a testament to the high level of regard the city’s licensees pay to their customers’ safety and overall experience.”

A full list of Best Bar None accredited venues can be found online at www.nottinghambbn.co.uk.

One winner will be selected via a web-based competition through the Welsh water company’s website http://www.tynant.com/main.aspx?pID=25-0 and will win 15 cases (360 bottles) of Ty Nant’s 500ml PET bottles.

The choice of Ty Nant as the exclusive water is fitting as this is the first time The Ryder Cup has ever been staged in Wales. For information about the Ryder Cup www.tynant.com/main.aspx?pID=66-0

Ty Nant is known not only in Wales but throughout the world. Frequently in the public gaze, the water brand has come to notice for its prestigious associations including the Stella Artois Tennis Championships, The Brits and Masters Tennis as well as for appearances in films such as James Bond film Die Another Day, both Bridget Jones films, The Italian Job, plus television shows including Friends, The Apprentice and The F Word.

The Celtic Manor Resort near Newport will host this premier golfing competition, ensuring that players and guests are refreshed and hydrated with one of the finest drinks Wales has to offer. Fittingly, given the red v. blue team colours, Ty Nant Natural Mineral Water is available in the famous cobalt blue glass bottles and in crimson red glass, both of which will be served in hospitality and dining areas whilst Ty Nant’s ‘ice like’ PET bottles will provide on-the-go hydration for the golfers and spectators on the golf course as well as being the focus for the competition.

Ty Nant, sourced in Bethania, Ceredigion, was selected because it is an internationally renowned Welsh brand that enjoys a reputation for the highest quality water. Ty Nant also offers impressive environmental and ethical credentials having achieved ISO 14001 and soil association accreditation, whilst also working with the Pink Ribbon Foundation to raise funds for breast cancer charities.

Nick Taylor, General Manager Director at Ty Nant, said: “The Ryder Cup is the largest event ever to have come to Wales and as one of Wales’ top international brands, we are immensely proud to be part of what is amongst the most popular spectator sporting events in the world. Water is of course essential to good health and hydration and our competition will remind people that a daily supply of water is recommended for maximum performance whether on or off the golf links. Ty Nant is a by-word for style and well-being.”

Ty Nant is a member of British Bottled Water Producers www.britishbottledwater.org which exists to promote the benefits of UK-sourced waters.

The Martin Miller’s Classics Challenge is to reignite the consumer passion for simpler drinks such as the Vesper, which do not rely on an abundance of obscure ingredients but instead let the drinker enjoy the core flavours in a pure and uncluttered form.

With heritage and elegant flavours, cocktails like the Vesper have stood the test of time, so the Martin Miller’s Classics Challenge is hoping to incentivise bars to sell more Martin Miller’s Vespers or other classic cocktails – most likely already on their Classics Menus anyway – to today’s customers. Every week until Christmas Eve, the participating bars that sell the most Martin Miller’s to do so will
be given keys and all the bartenders with keys at the end of the promotion will be invited to a VIP reception in their region. At each regional reception, one of the keys will fit a classic Vespa scooter –
meaning bar staff around the UK will literally drive off with a fantastic prize.

Comments Mike Pulvertaft, brand manager at Martin Miller’s Gin: “This challenge has already run to great success in several states in the US, where consumers were extremely receptive to the idea of classic cocktails; some bars saw a sales uplift of over 10% purely on word of mouth. We expect a good success rate in the UK too – and look forward to helping our customers promote some of the classiest, simplest older cocktails to the contemporary consumer.”

Martin Miller’s Gin is perfectly suited to classic cocktails such as the Vesper. Using only the 10 classic gin botanicals , Martin Miller’s is then blended using Icelandic spring water, arguably the purest and softest water on earth. The result is a soft, sweet mouth feel that is uniquely Martin Miller’s, providing a premium positioning that offers potential high profit margins to on-trade customers.

For further information on how to order Martin Miller’s Gin, contact Mike Pulvertaft on 07884 498 494, or email: mike@martinmillersgin.com.