Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Cocktail festival to return to Brighton with 50 bars announced

Published: 15 April, 2026

Brighton Cocktail Festival has announced that it is returning for its second year of city-wide celebrations, running from 18 to 27 September.

FlipDog

Published: 13 March, 2026

Opening in March, this Ukrainian-founded cocktail bar describes itself as “method-driven”, with its signature technique – the loggerhead or flip-dog – involving plunging a 1200°C iron poker into its cocktails to caramelise sugars in the drinks, intensifying flavours and enhancing textures. Complementing these cocktails will be a seasonal sharing menu, inspired by both eastern Europe and Asia. In the heart of Old Street, the bar was designed by Kyiv-based YOD Group and is structured around two different levels – the first a 20-cover space on the ground floor, inspired by pop-up installations, and the second a quieter and “more refined” 80-seat lower level.

Automat

Published: 04 February, 2026

Reincarnation is the theme for Automat, with the Mayfair venue having recently reopened its doors on the neighbourhood’s Mount Street. In line with the original Dover Street venue – a popular noughties haunt – the restaurant will transport diners to a different era, with New York early and mid-century dining the modus operandi of the sophisticated new eatery. Akin to a speakeasy, it is accessed via luxury leather goods store Tanner Krole. Upon arrival diners will be met with dishes that combine culinary nostalgia with Mayfair nuance. Burgers, lobster rolls and steak tartare can be washed down with timeless American cocktails – a Dirty Martini, anyone? An international wine list, including a curation of US wines, rounds out the Automat experience. Opening in 2026 alongside is a lower-ground dining space named Sporting Club.

Pisco ramps up UK focus with cocktail push

Published: 22 December, 2025

Peru’s pisco producers have been dipping their collective toes in the UK market for some time, with embassy-backed London tastings attracting small but growing numbers from the trade. At the latest event, though, at the In & Out Club this December, there was a new focus as to the possibilities for pisco – and especially the premium propositions – to grow as an exciting ‘new’ category on back bars and independent merchant shelves in Britain.

Nick Gillett: The spirit of 2026 – a cocktail of contradictions and thirst for value?

Published: 22 December, 2025

Looking back, 2025 was another stinker of a year for the spirits and hospitality industries; a rollercoaster ride punctuated by a bad business environment, consumers having less disposable income, and venues closing their doors at an unprecedented rate. With that out the way, it’s time to look ahead to 2026 – as we thoroughly cheer the fact that 2025 is over and done with. So, with just a dash of optimism and foresight, what will be pouring into our glasses and being enjoyed in-venue next year? I have a few ideas.

Q&A: Tasha Iny, international agave ambassador, Proximo

Published: 16 December, 2025

Andrew Catchpole catches up with Tasha Iny, recently appointed champion of all things tequila and mezcal at world-leading category driver Proximo.

Port refresh for a new generation

Published: 21 November, 2025

Port’s postprandial image is one that has long buoyed UK sales for the Douro’s array of fortified wine producers. However, with changing tastes come changing demands. Although there will remain a strong appetite for traditional expressions of the category, Port houses both established and new are looking to appeal to a younger demographic who may be only just commencing their Port journey. Harpers spoke to producers who ply their trade in the steep-hilled valley to determine how they are seeking to appeal to this disruptive demographic.

Report: Gen Z drives UK cocktail growth

Published: 17 November, 2025

According to the seventh annual Bacardi Cocktail Trends Report, Gen Z is driving cocktail culture in the UK.

World Class: Norwegian bartender Felice Capasso crowned global winner

Published: 06 October, 2025

Norway’s Felice Capasso has won the title of World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2025 at the Toronto-hosted annual ceremony.

Catching up with World Class GB 2025’s deserved winner

Published: 10 July, 2025

Having competed in the past three years of World Class GB, 2025’s winner Emanuele Mensah has some perspective on how Diageo’s bartender competition is evolving, and how it reflects broader industry trends.

Nick Gillett: Vermouth's underappreciated charm

Published: 09 June, 2025

I do so enjoy punctuating my usual grumbly opinion pieces with love letters to spirits. And this month, it’s the turn of vermouth. An historic fortified wine infused with various botanical flavours, it’s a firm favourite all over Europe, in the United States, and perhaps unexpectedly, in South America. It conjures romantic images of shaded al fresco drinking spots, on sunny European streets, and it’s bloody delicious to boot. So why isn’t it a staple in our booze cupboards at home? Here’s my reasoning for why it should be.

Driving trends: the symbiotic relationship between brands and cocktails

Published: 27 May, 2025

If it wasn’t for the Aviation – love it or hate it – Créme de Violette may not exist. For much of this century-old classic cocktail’s existence, bartenders couldn’t get their hands on the violet-flavoured liqueur that gave the drink its distinctive colour and floral notes, and it was frequently omitted. But in the early 2000s, the craft cocktail movement brought enough demand for this near-forgotten ingredient that it reappeared; today there are more than a few to choose from. And the Aviation continues to be found on cocktail lists around the world in its original form.

Riviera Drinks acquires Soho Street Cocktails in B2C entry

Published: 14 April, 2025

Colchester-headquartered independent drinks manufacturer and distributor Riviera Drinks has announced the acquisition of Soho Street Cocktails, a ready-made cocktail brand.

3’6 Bar at Fortnum & Mason

Published: 29 May, 2023

181 Piccadilly, St James’s, London W1A 1ER

Florattica

Published: 24 January, 2023

Canopy by Hilton London City, London EC3N 1AX

Nick Gillett: Don’t listen to the snobs – RTDs have a lot to offer

Published: 21 November, 2022

You’ll not find many in the spirits industry praising the rise from the grave of the humble RTD – and to those who are disparaging of ready to drink products, I say, get over yourself.

Pernod predicts return to form for Christmas spirit(s)

Published: 30 September, 2022

Pernod Ricard is banking on the return of a pre-pandemic Christmas atmosphere this year, with its festive campaigns revealing a heavy focus on leveraging treating behaviours amid a tense economy, bouyed by the world cup.