Welcome to Jigger Daily, your 100% bars and bartenders newsletter!

This edition is brought to you in partnership with the Bartender Beach Challenge.

On the menu of this issue (among others!):

• 🧐 A Monopoly menu
• 🍅 An Everyday Bloody Mary
• 🏆 Competition
• 🌵 Agave syrup without agave
• 🥃 Perfectly imperfect glassware
• ⚖ The question of cocktail recipe rights
• 🤖 AI mixologists
• 💡 Nerfing
• 🌊 Briny drinks
• 👐 Openings

And much more!

🏖️ The Bartender Beach Challenge 2024 is launched!

Organized in partnership with Cozigou, the Bartender Beach Challenge is back on the Breton coast for a 2nd edition that promises to be rich in briny flavors! Starting today and until June 1st, all bartenders in France are invited to register on Instagram via @bartenderbeachchallenge, for a spot in the finals on July 1st at La Potinière (Carnac). The grand winner will receive a trip for 2 to a European capital. So, are you ready to succeed Axel Pencolé (in the photo), winner of the 2023 edition?

🍸 Bars

Xplorer

Back from India, Corentin Gaudin, bar manager of Danico, shared with us the concept and the steps in creating his Xplorer menus. He also sheds light on the young Indian cocktail scene, as well as that of Japan, which inspired the current menu of the bar - Read more

A Sense of Taste

On the occasion of the launch of the spring menu at Les Ambassadeurs (Hôtel de Crillon), Kevin Rigault, its director, spoke with Jigger Daily to present his creative process (inspired by AI, among other things), his background, and a mixed review of the Parisian palace bar scene - Read more

Le Syndicat x Arnaud Scotty

As 2024 promises to be rich in events for Le Syndicat (Paris), Arnaud Scotty, the new bar manager of the establishment, also spoke with Jigger Daily to explain the concept of the new bar menu and share his ideas on various aspects of a cocktail menu, his upcoming work directions for the coming months, etc. - Read more

In Brief

• Bastien Bonnefoy, former director of the Bisou bar in Paris, has opened a new address in Lyon (6th), You. The menu (24 cocktails, some clarified, like a Pornstar Martini served clear) is inspired by the world of perfumery and presented in a magazine format like Vogue. For the rest, the establishment promises a relaxed high-end service, summarized by the phrase: "5 stars in sweatpants" 👌 - Source
• On his side, Colin Lach, former bar manager at Monsieur Moutarde in Dijon, will open his own establishment in the coming weeks, named Nuage. He will offer a menu focused on 100% French spirits and ingredients - Source
• And Guillaume Drouot (ex-Danico) is expected to soon open a new address in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris: Nature - Source
• L'Heure du Singe, in Toulouse, closed its doors on March 9 after 8 years. Its co-managers Nicolas Blanchard and Morgane Peyrot-Blanchard wish to reopen the bar in a more central location in the city, and with a terrace now. Stay tuned! - Source
• Across the Atlantic, the Experimental Group will reopen this summer in Soho (New York) a new bar divided into two concepts: a wine bar on the ground floor (i.e., the Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels) and a cocktail bar in the basement (i.e., the Experimental Cocktail Club), whose drink program will be supervised by Nico de Soto. For reference, the first ECC in New York closed in 2016 - Source

• Finally, Tao Zrafi, finalist of the first season of the show Drink Masters on Netflix, will inaugurate this Thursday, April 18, a new cocktail bar, No School Tomorrow, on the campus of the Itasca Country Club, in Illinois. Notably, the establishment will only be open from Thursday to Saturday, from 5 PM to midnight (because "nothing good happens after midnight"). And its menu, "inspired by school activities such as science classes or recess", will be served in steel lunch boxes - Source

🗺 International Menus

The Grand Maybe Sammy Hotel

Maybe Sammy (Sydney) has unveiled a new cocktail menu. After Mirage and its AI-generated illustrations, it’s time for The Grand Maybe Sammy Hotel, a menu inspired by the film The Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson. Aiming to be more interactive and playful than the previous one, it presents itself like a game board reminiscent of Monopoly - Source / Video

Preservation of Fire

The Singaporean bar Atlas has unveiled its new cocktail menu, Preservation of Fire. Divided into 4 chapters, each representing a modern technique (Carbonation, Temperature, Washing, and Infusion), it offers reinvented versions of 4 classic cocktails (Martini, Champagne Cocktail, Sour, and Old Fashioned), all illustrated by Adrien Pack, like vintage advertising posters for spirits - Source

🕺 Bar People

Ducasse Paris

Alain Ducasse has officially announced the arrival of Margot Lecarpentier (Combat) within the Ducasse Paris group as a Cocktail Chef - Source

Margot will bring her creative and unique mixological signature to the menus of my venues. We share a common taste for original liquid pairings, and of course our commitment to sustainable and responsible gastronomy.

In Place

Alex Francis and Barney O’Kane (now De Vie) have been busy since leaving Little Red Door:

• They participated in creating the new menu for Bar 8 at the Mandarin Oriental (Paris) on one hand - Source
• And published the first episode of their new web series "Mise en Place" in which they explain the steps of creating a bar - Watch

Nomad' Spirits

Nathalie Hobe (ex-The Bootleggers, LRD, PWP, and Ferrandi) has founded Nomad' Spirits, a new event communication agency specializing in the world of Wines and Spirits. Her ambition: "to produce responsible events that not only delight the senses but also contribute to the well-being of our planet and our collaborators" - Source

Sweet&Chilli

The global drinks agency Sweet&Chilli announced that it has recruited Mido Yahi to lead its Strategy & Trade Advocacy projects in France - Source

Schofield's

Joe and Daniel Schofield, owners of Schofield's Bar in Manchester, have increased their minority stake in the brandy brand Seven Tails, founded by former Singaporean bar operator Joel Fraser and the founder of Banks Rum, Arnaud de Trabuc - Source

Meanwhile, Joe Schofield has also been appointed brand ambassador for the mixer brand Fentimans - Source

🌱 Sustainability

Wabi-sabi

Every detail counts! Double Chicken Please (New York) explained in an Instagram post that the bar does not necessarily throw away or replace its chipped glassware but opts for repair instead, to extend its life and reduce waste. And the result is quite aesthetically pleasing - Source

Agave Straws?

The latest episode of Agave Road Trip explored, with Natasha Tucker from Mind Your Plastic, the topic of agave straws, questioning whether they are actually more eco-friendly than plastic ones, which apparently is not as straightforward due to some chemical additives present. The episode therefore encourages bar owners to consider other alternatives, such as reusable metal straws - Listen

🧪 Mixology

All Day Bloody Mary

If the words monosodium glutamate and citric acid don't scare you, Jeffrey Morgenthaler shared on his blog his recipe for the Bloody Mary (and the homemade mix to make it), whose methodology aims to facilitate its daily preparation in bars, economically and efficiently - Cocktail / Mix

Nogave

In the creative section, at the bar Mírate in Los Angeles, bartender Max Reis has created a homemade syrup called "Nogave", which serves as a sustainable alternative to agave syrup. To achieve this, he combines Demerara sugar and orange blossom honey, allowing him to emulate the taste of agave but with less ecological impact - Source

Recipe Rights?

In its latest episode, the VinePair Podcast questions the rights that bartenders should have over the cocktails they create. Indeed, while it seems legally impossible to protect a recipe, what happens if a brand bottles, for example, a Cosmopolitan (Toby Cecchini), a Naked and Famous (Joaquín Simó), a Paper Plane, or a Penicillin (Sam Ross)? Shouldn't they be entitled to royalties? Or at least be mentioned? - Listen

🏆 Competitions

Nc'nean Creations

The eco-responsible Scottish distillery Nc'nean has launched the 2024 edition of its bartender competition Nc'nean Creations, and a small novelty this year: France can participate! The prize: a trip to Scotland and the opportunity to select and sign a cask from the distillery that will then be bottled! Deadline to register: April 30 - Source

In Brief

• The Danish whisky distillery Stauning has also launched its cocktail competition, titled Stauning Drinks Kollektive. Bartenders wishing to participate (including French ones) have until May 4 to register. Finalists from each country will notably win an all-expenses-paid trip to Denmark to visit its distillery - Source
• The Bartenders Society has unveiled the theme for its 9th edition: The Future! Applications are open until June 10 - Source
• Jameson has launched the 3rd edition of its Jameson Black Barrel Bartender Series competition. Registrations began on April 1 - Source
• Regarding results, the French final of the Cointreau Margarita Challenge 2024 took place on April 8. Thomas Trefcon (Le Verre à Mélange) won, ahead of Benoît Bouillard (Monsieur Moutarde) and Julien Le Charpentier (Bar 300) - Source
• Italicus held the French final of its Aperitivo Challenge 2024 this Monday. Maureen Cadet (Chateau de la Gaude, Aix-en-Provence) placed first, ahead of Régis Célabe (Jules & Jim, Paris) and Pierre Dieusaert (Bar 300, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin) - Source

👔 Bar Business

Nerfing

In Class, Kevin Armstrong from the London bar Satan's Whiskers warned against "nerfing", a practice where some brands discreetly modify the recipe of their products, risking degrading their quality. Among the examples cited, he mentions tequilas that have successively gone from 100% agave to mixto and then back to 100% agave, a bourbon that reduced its alcohol content (i.e., Maker's Mark apparently), or a gin whose ABV recently dropped from 43.1% to 41.3% (i.e., Tanqueray here, but we can also mention Beefeater) - Source

Quarterly Sales Tracker

According to the latest Quarterly Sales Tracker from CGA, the total value of cocktails in the United States increased by +5% in the last quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. On average, establishments sold 1192 cocktails on 778 tickets, representing a +6% increase, at an average price of $13 (+$1 vs Q4 2022). The Margarita remains the most popular cocktail (1/5 of sales), ahead of the Martini and the Moscow Mule. Tequila-based cocktails now account for 34.1% of sales by value (+1.8 points), ahead of vodka-based cocktails (28.2%, -1.3 points) - Source

Aperitivo

According to a study conducted by CGA by NielsenIQ, 56% of French consumers say they consume aperitifs at almost every visit to bars, pubs, and restaurants. Cocktails are favored by more than a quarter of them - Source

Heritage

According to a study by the General Social Survey, conducted over more than 20 years in the United States, bartending is a profession that is passed down from parent to child. Indeed, children of bartenders are 36 times more likely to pursue this profession later (which is much higher than the average for children of parents in other professions) - Source

Pub Closures

According to the accounting firm Price Bailey, 769 pubs went bankrupt in the UK in 2023 (vs 518 in 2022), equivalent to an average of 2.1 closures per day (vs 1.4 in 2022), the highest figure in a decade. Among the factors explaining these difficulties: rising energy, labor, and raw material costs, as well as declining consumer purchasing power. The total number of pubs has decreased from 41,015 in 2013 to 38,175 at the end of 2023 - Source

📚 To See, Read, or Listen

AI vs Humans

Who, artificial intelligence or real bartenders, imagines the best cocktails? That’s the question we chose to explore in a new episode of the Bottlefield Show! We analyzed, among other things, the case of the bar Axelrad in Houston and its bold menu "Humans vs Machines" where customers were invited to taste cocktails created by ChatGPT and by the bar team, as well as the concept of the podcast Drinking with Robots which pits a bartender against an AI in each episode, both tasked with creating a cocktail from the same prompt - Watch

How To Drink x ChatGPT

In a similar vein, in its new video, How To Drink had fun putting ChatGPT into an old computer, creating a vintage interface for cocktail recipe creation inspired by pop culture, which it obviously tests. Overall, the results seem quite successful, although some proposed creations appear more mixed. Entertaining in any case! - Watch

In Brief

• Christophe Davoine (MOF, Brand Ambassador House of Suntory, and Vice President of the ABF) participated in the brand new episode of Derrière les Bouteilles - Listen
• The spring issue of BARTENDER Magazine (USA) is now online and available for free. You can even find a double page on clear ice: a heads up for enthusiasts! - See

💌 That's all folks!

And there you have it, that’s "all" for today! 😅

If you enjoyed this edition - or not at all - feel free to let us know by clicking the thumbs 👍 / 👎 at the end of this email, and especially to share it with your colleagues, friends, etc.!

And in any case, don’t forget to sign up for the Bartender Beach Challenge!

We’ll see you this summer for the results of all this!

With that, have a good shift!