Welcome to Jigger Daily, your new 100% bar and bartender newsletter!

Here’s what’s on tap for this issue (plus more!):

• 🏆 Competition cocktails
• 🧔 Cool bartenders
• 🥣 A Kellogg's cereal liqueur
• 🤖 Mixologist robots
• 🤡 The throwing debate
• 🗽 50 top-quality New York addresses
• 🍸 Miniature glassware
• ⛪ Rum tastings in an unusual setting
• 🌾 The largest sake bar in Paris
• 🍹 Questionable recipes
• 🥑 An avocado syrup
• 🧀 Liquid parmesan

And much more!

🍹 Mathieu Teisseire launches its first international competition!

If you’re a fan of new flavor experiences, get your mixing glasses and shakers ready! Mathieu Teisseire has just launched the first edition of its international mixology competition, Flavour Masters, with an incredible prize for the grand winner: a trip around the world to the most important beverage industry shows! To participate, all you need to do is create a cocktail, with or without alcohol, hot or cold, that tells a story—maybe through ingredients, flavors, or aromas related to places or personalities that inspire you. The only requirement is that it includes at least 15 ml of Mathieu Teisseire syrup. Other than that, let your creativity run wild!

🍸 Bar news

Minore

Minore is the new venue created by Michelin-starred chef Katsu Okiyama (Abri) and Hugo Combe, co-founder of Classique. For the opening of the establishment’s bar section, Hugo told us about the concept, then explained how the kitchen will influence the cocktail recipes. – Read more

Le Syndicat

The bar on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, Le Syndicat, officially announced last Thursday the arrival of Arnaud Scotty (former Lipstick and Avek, among others) as its new Bar Manager – Source

Fréquence turns 6!

To celebrate Fréquence’s sixth anniversary, co-founder Guillaume Quenza shared the story of how this low-ABV audiophile bar concept first took shape, and the thinking behind its menu, before announcing the upcoming opening of his restaurant in Corsica – Read more

The New York Bar 50

Traveling to the Big Apple soon? Robert Simonson compiled a list of the 50 best cocktail bars in New York for his newsletter, The Mix, aka The New York Bar 50. It highlights venues that stand out for their originality, unique décor, service quality, or history. Among the notable bars are Angel’s Share, famous for introducing the Japanese speakeasy concept to New York; the must-visit PDT (Please Don't Tell); Nico de Soto’s bar Mace; and some of my personal favorites: Amor y Amargo, Dear Irving, The Dead Rabbit, Attaboy, and Dutch Kills. This selection also highlights New York’s diverse offerings, from classic cocktails to modern mixology. All in all, there’s plenty to explore! – Source

Monastic

Domaine Reine Margot Paris Issy - MGallery, right on the edge of Paris (in Issy-les-Moulineaux), has unveiled a rum-tasting bar (with nearly 400 different rum expressions on offer) in quite an unusual spot: a deconsecrated chapel! They’ve named it Monastic – See more

Xplorer Japan

Danico has unveiled the third edition of its Xplorer menu series. After Indonesia and Mexico, it’s now Japan’s turn to be featured (while waiting for India in a few months). Among the cocktail examples: Zaru Soba, inspired by cold soba noodles, or Capsule Hotel with sushi rice syrup and tea-infused gin – Menu

Lyaness

Lyaness, the London bar by Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr Lyan), unveiled its new cocktail menu, 3.0 Cookbook, a few days ago. Featuring 15 creations, highlights include a Forbidden Cola that mixes Kellogg’s cereal liqueur with bourbon, and a Kentakki Fried Cocktail, described as a cross between an Old Fashioned and a Whisky Sour – Source

🚀 Trends

Mini cocktails

Amid growing demand for healthier and more affordable options in the current inflationary climate, a trend for mini cocktails seems to be taking off globally in bars. Drinks Digest cites examples including Jackalberry in Sydney, Tayēr + Elementary in London, and For The Record in San Francisco, all offering smaller options priced between £4 and $9 – Source

Throwing or not throwing?

Dutch Kills (New York) caused a stir in the bar industry after posting on Instagram a critique of the throwing (or Cuban Roll) technique, calling it downright stupid, ridiculous, and simply ineffective. While some see genuine scientific merit in it, others think it’s just flashy showmanship—so Vinepair jumped in to investigate! – Original Instagram post / Vinepair

Bartenders’ ambitions

According to the Global Bartender Report by CGA by NiQ, here are bartenders’ main career goals: 56% want to own their own bar, and 46% aspire to become a brand ambassador. Also: 85% of bartenders acknowledge social media’s importance for career growth, yet 41% never post there – Source

🧪 Mixology

Cocktails you might want to avoid

For some fun, Le Figaro listed cocktails that should never have existed. These include – among others – the Lollipop Passion Goblet from the The Sugar Factory chain (see photo above), an ultra-sweet mix of Midori, Absolut Citron, Malibu, pineapple juice, and Sprite, garnished with a candy necklace and a lollipop… or the Bone and Bacon, whose ice cubes were made with beef stock! – Source

Parmesan

If you’re still curious about the cocktails-with-parmesan trend, Kevin Kos has published a new video demonstrating a Spritz recipe that includes, among other ingredients, a homemade liqueur featuring the famous Italian cheese – Watch

Margarita

If you like to celebrate Margarita Day whenever you please (though it was technically on February 22), and you want to twist this timeless classic, Drinks Digest suggests trying a Pier Bar recipe from Sydney, made with mezcal and avocado syrup! – Recipe

Homemade orgeat

Tired of the hassle of making homemade orgeat syrup? Steve the Bartender shared a simplified recipe using concentrated almond milk, so you don’t have to blanch or roast almonds yourself – Watch

Garnish-free cocktails

For those who like cocktails without fuss, Vinepair compiled a list of 10 classic cocktails that work just fine with no garnish. Among them: Death in the Afternoon (absinthe, simple syrup, Champagne), Paper Plane (bourbon, Aperol, amaro, lemon juice), Aviation (gin, crème de violette, lemon, maraschino liqueur), White Russian (vodka, coffee liqueur, cream), and Last Word (gin, green Chartreuse, lime, maraschino liqueur) – Source

🏆 Competitions

Trophées du Bar

The Trophées du Bar are celebrating their 20th edition this year. Regional qualifiers will begin on March 25 in Bordeaux, followed by Toulouse (March 26), Marseille (April 7), Cannes (April 8), Paris (April 21), Rennes (April 22), Lyon (May 5), and finally Strasbourg (May 6). The national final will be held in Paris on October 27 – Source

In brief

• Julie Nguyen from Opium Bar in Bangkok won the Flor de Caña Sustainable Cocktail Challenge 2023. She bested 32 other bartenders from around the world during the international final held on February 3 in Nicaragua – Source
• Italicus announced the national finalists of the 6th edition of its Art of Italicus Aperitivo Challenge. Representing France, we have: Nicolas Simeonidis (Boubalé, Paris), Pierre Dieusaert (Le Bar 300, Roquebrune Cap Martin), Lucas Fossier (Le Fantôme de L’Opéra, Lyon), Mattia Galantino (Drinks & Co, Paris), Régis Celabe (Independent, Paris), Maureen Cadet (Château de la Gaude, Aix-en-Provence), Margot Crété (L’Absinthe, Rouen) and Aurélien Ouillon (Marié, Lyon) – Source
• The European final of the Havana Club Cocktail Maestros took place in London on March 4. The French team (Louis Garel and Maxence Gatebois-Lavalle from Hôtel des Grands Boulevards) unfortunately did not qualify for the global final in Cuba. They were outdone by teams from Triplo (Italy), Paradiso (Spain), Vogatsikou (Greece), Lyaness (UK), and Brloh Bar (Czech Republic) – Source
• Cointreau used Margarita Day (February 22) to release a teaser video for the new edition of its Margarita Challenge 2024. With Alfred Cointreau and Rory Shepherd reprising their main roles, and a healthy dose of humor! – Watch

• Mandarine Napoléon launched its online cocktail competition for both professional bartenders and hobbyists (including in France), with a €1000 check for the winner. Entries are open until March 27 – Source
• Giffard announced the return of its Giffard West Cup, its international cocktail competition, which is celebrating its 27th anniversary (the first edition dates back to 1997). As for the timeline, applications are open until April 3 – Source

📚 To watch, read, or listen to

Drinking With Robots

Wondering whether humans or artificial intelligence come up with better cocktails? There’s a podcast dedicated to that very question: Drinking With Robots! Each episode pits a human bartender against ChatGPT, each creating a cocktail based on a theme chosen by the hosts. The recipes are then made and judged, coupled with an interview of the guest bartender. A second season is already on the way – Listen

Emma Watson Show

If you missed her in a recent DistilNews, here she is again just in case! For Vogue, actress Emma Watson made 5 cocktails on camera: an Espresso Martini, a Bramble, a Gin Sour, a Vesper Martini, and an Emma Spritz (with Renais gin whenever possible, of course). From her shaking technique to making crushed ice with her shoe heel, or how she separates tins, it’s flawless! 💯 – Watch

Cool Bartenders

The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, along with actor Keegan-Michael Key, poked fun at bartenders in a recent comedy sketch titled “Cool Bartenders”. From their looks and styles to the price of their cocktails, clear ice, obsession with twists on classics, or IPAs, it seems nothing escaped their notice! 😅 – Watch

Books

The Connaught Bar (London) announced the release of its first book on April 10, 2024, The Connaught Bar: Recipes and Iconic Creations. Published by Phaidon, it features 100 signature cocktails from the World’s Best Bar in 2020 and 2021, each with the story of its creation and a detailed recipe – Amazon*

Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix will also publish a book on April 30, A Quick Drink: The Speed Rack Guide to Winning Cocktails for Any Mood. It includes over 100 cocktail recipes from more than 80 contributors worldwide – Amazon*

📅 Events

Sustainability Summit

Paradiso (Barcelona) is hosting the 3rd edition of its Sustainability Summit on March 17-18. This event, created by the owner of the world’s best bar in 2022, Giacomo Giannotti, aims to promote sustainable mixology in the bar industry, offering masterclasses, workshops, and networking for professionals. The summit will host, among others, renowned venues such as Alquimico and Himkok, both recognized for their sustainable practices – Source

Edinburgh Bar Show

The first Edinburgh Bar Show, founded by renowned Panda & Sons bartender Iain McPherson, will take place in the Scottish capital from April 8-10. The three-day event will focus on Scottish products, through seminars, distillery tours, tastings, and various collaborations – Source

Saké Nouveau

La Maison du Whisky and La Maison du Saké are hosting the 6th edition of Saké Nouveau from April 15 to May 4. As part of the event, the bar The Golden Promise in Paris will offer no fewer than 111 Japanese sake references, from over 50 producers – Source

Immersed in Be Spirits 2024

In mid-February, Hall 7 of Paris Expo Porte de Versailles buzzed with shakers and tasting glasses for the first major event of the year, held alongside the Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris 2024 show: Be Spirits. Missed it? Here’s the scoop! – Read more

Awards

• Time Out revealed on Monday night the winners of the second Time Out Paris Food & Drink Awards. In the Best Cocktail Bar category, Bar Nouveau took the prize, while in the Best Sustainable Bar category, Boubalé was the winner – Source
• The North America's 50 Best Bars 2024 will be revealed on April 23, live from the Rosewood hotel in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Last year, Double Chicken Please (New York) topped the list – Source

👩‍💼 Jobs

PWP is recruiting a Brand Ambassador for the Malfy and Beefeater gin brands – Apply

📰 Press releases

• The culture of Martinique goes global with the Clément Ti’Punch Week – Source

💌 That's all folks!

That’s all for today! (Quite a lot already, right? 😅)

If you liked this issue – or not at all – feel free to let us know by clicking the 👍 / 👎 icons at the end of this email, and especially share it with your colleagues, friends, and so on!

And in any case, don’t forget to participate in Mathieu Teisseire’s new international competition!

We’ll be sure to follow the results in a future edition!

Have a good shift!

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