THE GLOW OF SUMMER

With heatwaves incoming, there’s nothing better to draw us out of lock-down than the chance to enjoy London’s bars and restaurants again, preferably on a sun-soaked terrace, almost feeling like it’s the Med! We’re lusting after Pineapple Daiquiris, Mezcal highballs and Clean & Press hard seltzers served icy cold!

With nearly 8 million adults in the UK buying a CBD product since the start of the year, it’s no surprise this is one of the fastest growing drinks categories. Leading the trend is Kolibri CBD, non-alc cocktails with a 20 ml full spectrum CBD dosing cap all in one, so the CBD stays ultra-fresh and you can put in as much as you want. It comes in 2 flavours: Citrus Grove and Dark Forrest so easy to just pour over ice and feel that stress slip away. Perfect to try out on National CBD day on Saturday 8th August, available online or instore from Holland & Barrett

National Rum Day means it’s officially summer, incoming on Sunday 16th August, with multi-award winning Plantation Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple Rum teaming up with everyone’s favourite tropical rum-joint, Laki Kane, for some serious Caribbean style vibes.

Swing by for complimentary Stiggins’ Daiquiri and catch the Plantation global brand ambassador host rum tastings in the evening, pre-booking essential.

Or drop a bottle into your virtual basket (from Master of Malt) and shake up your very own Pineapple Daiquiris at home, quite possibly the tastiest, simplest cocktails ever..

If you haven’t heard of hard seltzers, where have you been? The biggest new spiked soda to hit the UK that’s THE drink if you’re looking for something light, refreshing, low abv and park-picnic friendly. BrewDog Distilling Co’s Clean & Press hits the spot being zero sugar, zero calories, zero carbs and made with Rogue Wave single malt vodka. Available in Cactus and Lime, Crushed Black Cherry and White Peach and Mango from BrewDog.com the perfect work (out) hard, play hard drink.

Enjoy those rays guys, don’t forget the sunscreen!

New Beginnings

Bars & restaurants are opening on the 4th of July and we couldn’t be more excited! Whilst we’ve loved seeing all the creative and innovative ways people have kept the industry alive, bars and restaurants have suffered greatly, opening their doors again and getting people back to work will be monumental, we hope you will all be supporting your locals as much as we will be!

Here’s a snapshot update of what we’ve been up to this past month:

We started working with Kolibri Drinks, launching their new CBD-infused alcohol-free drinks, helping people find the calm in the chaos, especially poignant in current times. Complete with their patented Smart Cap technology they ensure you control your dose. Launching in two flavours, Dark Forest and Citrus Grove, available from Holland and Barrett.

Kolibri Drinks are also hosting a free online retreat on Sunday 5th July, helping you combat feelings of stress and enjoy some ‘me-time’. Hosted by Kamila Sitwell (CEO of Kolibri Drinks) and Elaine Grundy (founder of The Reiki Centre and author of ‘Reiki – A Path to Freedom’), with Elaine introducing the power of Reiki and creative manifesting and Kamilla discussing how to find the calm in the chaos

·      Access is FREE and the first 25 to sign up will win luxury bath salts from Verdant Alchemy, and one lucky guest will win a wellness hamper worth £150. Sign up here

BrewDog Distilling Co. called on the renegade rum-lover with the launch of limited edition Distiller’s Cut rum, a barrel aged spiced rum. Aged in Oloroso sherry casks with bold flavours of blood orange peel and spiced botanicals. Ever the maverick, head distiller Steven Kersley breaks the mould by combining the flavour properties of spiced and sherry-cask rum; a ground-breaking concept and we can vouch that it tastes delicious, loaded with blood orange flavours and spice.

We celebrated National Martini Day in style with the effortlessly stylish Kavka vodka – vodka ‘how it used to taste’. Pro tip for the ultimate Martini from Jan Woroniecki, owner of Kavka vodka - deep freeze your vodka and use a chilled martini glass to allow the flavour profile to subtly change as the martini warms up.

With summer in full swing, we’re bringing our summer hols closer to home by perfecting our Margarita-making skills with Corte Vetusto mezcal. If we close our eyes, it *almost* feels like we’re in Oaxaca, Mexico! Try out the Tommy’s Vetusto Margarita recipe below:

·      50ml Corte Vetusto Espadín

·      25ml fresh lime juice

·      10ml agave syrup (or sugar syrup)

·      A lime for garish

Shake hard all the ingredients over cubed ice, until the outer shaker is covered in frost. Strain over cubed ice into a rocks glass and garnish with a lime. ¡Salud!

Together in Spirit!

Reaching out to everyone pushing on through another month, we’ve been constantly blown away by the creativity and positivity we’ve seen from our clients, media and our community. Adapting and turning this situation into something productive and beneficial for those who are really suffering has been inspiring. You guys rock!

Here’s a snap-shot of what amazing things Domino clients have been up to:

This Cinco de Mayo saw BrewDog Distilling Co. launch their new LoneWolf Cactus & Lime gin; made in the wild frontiers of Aberdeen and loaded with lime and topped with press cactus juice and Queen of the Night – an elusive fragrant cactus flower that only appears after dark. An oasis of flavour with waves of watermelon and lychee notes, met with a strong juniper backbone.

The launch was made even more exciting (if possible) with the BrewDog Open Arms Virtual bar, with tasty cocktails from drinks expert at BrewDog Distilling Co. Jono Mayes and a special cactus taco cook-a-long with Eduardo Gomez of MexGrocer

Corte Vetusto mezcal launched The Cut Above Challenge, as a way to support the industry, whose support for this small, independent brand, has been a vital part to its success. Inviting UK bartenders to flex their skills and create a Corte Vetusto mezcal cocktail inspired by the good times when bartender’s creations flowed freely in busy bars. We’ve already seen some truly outstanding creations and cannot wait to find out the winner!

Fernet Branca saw some truly spectacular entries in the Fernet Branca 2020 Coin Competition, with voting for the top 12 designs now open – check out the link here and vote for your favourite design!  #BitterIsBetter

Finally, a shout out two iconic moments that certainly lifted our spirits...

The ever-charming Stanley Tucci providing us with a Negroni masterclass, albeit not quite the perfect serve, addictive viewing none the less.

Three icons of cinema and theatre Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald gracing us with a rendition of ‘The Ladies Who Lunch’ whilst in white bath robes and enjoying some delicious Martinis! FYI Meryl Streep + bath robe + Martini = forever iconic 🍸

Thanks again to our NHS and key workers!

Stay safe, we will be together again for a cocktail soon X