Ghraoui is one of the oldest luxury chocolate houses in the world. Its story began in Damascus in 1805, and encompasses centuries of cultural heritage and dedication to quality and craftsmanship amidst global change and political upheaval.

The House of Ghraoui takes its name from the prominent Middle Eastern family whose trading business, in the early 19th century, specialised in sugar, coffee, tea, and fruit. Their chocolate enterprise began in earnest in the 20th century, when Sadek Ghraoui, head of the family’s fourth generation, visited France in 1931. His experiences there inspired him to introduce luxury chocolates to the Middle East.

With great business acumen and knowledge of his customers he realised that a marketing strategy was called for to tempt the Middle Eastern market, who were used to Arabic sweets, to try a new European confection. He placed other desirable goodies, such as silver scissors and golden letter openers, within the beautifully made chocolate boxes to add to their allure.

Discover Ghraoui's mouth-watering delights

Ghraoui chocolates were soon well known and highly esteemed, and they became a prized luxury gift. Appreciation of Ghraoui delicacies was not confined to the Levant region, but spread into Europe too. During the 1930s and 1940s, their products were sold in fancy London emporiums such as Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges and Harrods, and In Paris, at luxury food stores Fauchon and Hediard.

The Ghraoui story is bittersweet tale of Damascene heritage and of resilience, as it moves through decades of political turmoil in Syria, and the rise and fall of the family fortunes. Despite this, the Ghhraoui’s kept their legacy alive. Sadek’s son, Bassam Ghraoui, rebuilt the business from a single remaining shop, and in 1996 he founded the Ghraoui Chocolate Company and opened a modern factory near Damascus. This was forced to close in 2012 because of the Syrian civil war, but in 2017, the brand was reborn in Hungary, with Ghraoui’s flagship store located on Budapest’s prestigious Andrássy Avenue, (a UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Ghraoui chocolates are a unique fusion of traditional Middle Eastern ingredients and modern European chocolate-making techniques. They feature fragrant Levantine flavours including orange blossom, rose, apricot, and pistachio, and Ghraoui also offer other delicacies such as dates, fruit confits, and marron glacé. The confections are hand finished and elegantly presented in a range of gorgeous boxes befitting a luxury gift.

Ghraoui products are available in Budapest, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha, as well as Beirut and Amman, and in London they have made a proud return to Harrods, within the magnificent Chocolate Hall.

ghraouichocolate.com

Nyonya kuih are gorgeous, jewel-like cakes and snacks that you will find in Southeast Asia. ‘Nyonya’ refers to the fusion of Chinese and Malay cultures that began to develop centuries ago when Chinese immigrants settled in Malacca, Penang, and Singapore. They applied their culinary skills to the local produce and ‘Kuih’ are the delectable delicacies they created, using ingredients such as sticky rice, tapioca, palm sugar, and coconut milk. The kuih are scented with pandan leaves, and often served on vivid green pieces of banana leaf. There are numerous forms and varieties of Kuih, both sweet and savoury, with distinctive shapes and textures, and unique flavours.

These beauties were made for Wallpaper* by The Pandan Bakery: a small, family affair based in London, and run by the Robinson family. Ling Robinson is from Seremban in Malaysia and came to the UK as student nurse. She is a talented home cook and used her skills and knowledge of Nyonya cooking to make kuih for family and friends who couldn’t find the real thing in London. In 2014, Ling, Valence, and their daughter Tamsin Robinson started making kuih more seriously and selling them, freshly made, in small batches. In 2016 they launched the Pandan Bakery and once a fortnight they set up their stall at Putney or Battersea Power Station Sunday markets – rotating different varieties of kuih month by month.

Try the striped Kuih Lapis, which is best eaten by peeling apart the squashy layers made of steamed coconut milk and tapioca flour. Seri Muka is a mouthwatering layer of pandan-flavoured custard atop a layer of glutinous rice. Ang Ku Kuih translates as ‘Red Tortoise Cake’, with a chewy, glutinous rice shell filled with mung bean or peanut paste (these are must-haves at Chinese New Year celebrations, as the bright red colour is associated with wealth and prosperity).

Many of Pandan Bakery’s patrons are Malaysians and Singaporeans longing for a true taste of home, and often travelling far and wide to get hold of it. There are also curious first-time customers looking to try something different. Attracted by the fragrance of pandan leaves and the vibrant colours, they are pleasantly surprised by the delicacy and complexity of the flavours, and inevitably come back for more.

You have to get these kuih while you can. They sell out fast and when they’re gone they’re gone. Happily, you can also order them online for delivery (they are hot property at Malaysian festivals and special occasions). Thanks to the Pandan Bakery, there is no need to travel all the way to Southeast Asia to taste authentic kuih and experience a delicious part of Nyonya culture.

pandanbakery.com

Most champagne houses wear their identity in shades of ivory and gold – the visual grammar of luxury. Veuve Clicquot is the conspicuous exception. Its now-iconic yellow branding dates to the 19th century, when the house introduced a vivid label to distinguish its drier champagne.

For Milan Design Week 2026, Veuve Clicquot has taken that sunny legacy and translated it into a limited-edition collection of drinks accessories, among them a champagne bucket and cooler. Entitled ‘Chasing the Sun’, the collection was developed in collaboration with British-Nigerian designer Yinka Ilori MBE. When you're building a collection around colour and vibrancy, the self-styled ‘architect of joy’ was perhaps an obvious choice.

Ilori's interpretation is light, bright and uplifting. Drawing on his Nigerian heritage, he has fashioned a visual world of joyous motifs across the accessories: hands cradling the sun, reimagined celestial forms and symbols rooted in nature and human connection. The standout pieces – the 'Sun Totems' and 'Sun Holder' – are inspired by the calabash fruit, which has traditionally served across West Africa as a portable drinking vessel.

The collection also includes a reimagined version of the Clicquot Arrow gift box – shaped as a road sign displaying the distance between a chosen destination and the maison's cellars in Reims – alongside smaller accessories such as a bottle stopper and grape-material charms. Upcycled materials and 3D knitting technology are used throughout.

Yinka Ilori on his joyful collection of drinking accessories

Wallpaper*: How did you balance your signature aesthetic with Veuve Clicquot’s visual heritage?

Yinka Ilori: It was about finding the right framework. I saw myself as the frame, reframing their heritage through my own lens.

There was already a natural invitation through the brand’s signature colour. That colour, depending on the light, perspective and what surrounds it, offers a range of tones – sometimes more orange, sometimes more yellow. Just like the sun, it has natural variations.

Since colour is what gives my work depth and perspective, this became the common thread – the natural equaliser between my visual language and their heritage identity.

W*: How do you translate emotions of happiness and optimism into tangible objects?

When it comes to joy and optimism, I’m really interested in how we get there and where we pick people up, because everyone is chasing that feeling.

For me, optimism comes from the idea that happiness is something we create ourselves. It exists within each of us. So the process begins with looking inward, listening closely and then translating that into physical form. The shapes and objects come out of that process of reflection, giving form to something that is usually invisible.

W*: What was your design process for this collection?

YI: The process was very much about immersion: both in my own context and in Veuve Clicquot’s world. Visiting the vineyard, I was interested in the role that the sun plays – on a practical level, it helps the grapes grow, but more importantly, on a conceptual level, you can feel its presence in the warmth and care that goes into the making.

That connected strongly to my own heritage. In Nigeria, the calabash is a natural form that is used in many ways. The sun helps it grow, but it reaches its full potential when people gather around it and use it.

The shapes in the collection are inspired by the calabash, which was very present in my upbringing. The hand motifs represent community and craftsmanship, the circle represents the power of the sun, and the sun itself is reflected in Veuve Clicquot’s signature colour. The colours are also inspired by natural elements – the different hues the sun creates depending on the time of day, the materials it touches and the environment.

W*: How did you approach selecting materials and processes?

YI: My journey as an artist and designer started with upcycling. What interests me is the idea that objects already carry a history, a life that has been lived. It’s about recognising that and reframing them. That’s why upcycled materials felt natural for this project. They already hold stories, and when brought together, they create new ones.

3D knitting is a newer element for me, but I’ve always had a strong interest in textiles, especially because of their importance in Nigerian culture, whether it’s aso-oke, tie-dye or Dutch wax prints. What I find interesting about 3D knitting is that it gives textiles a sculptural quality. It allows them to take up space rather than remain flat. In that sense, it becomes another medium for storytelling.

W*: What can visitors expect from the installation at Milan Design Week, where these pieces will be debuted?

YI: I wanted to create a space where people can feel warmth, calm and inspiration. It reflects the same sentiment as the products themselves. Milan Design Week is very energetic and exciting, but also quite intense. I wanted to offer a moment where people can slow down, come together in warmth and peace.

W*: What do you hope people feel when they use or experience these pieces?

YI: I hope to take people on a journey, show them my own journey, but also Veuve Clicquot’s. Ultimately, I want people to look within themselves and find their own ‘sun’, both individually and within their community.

‘Chasing the Sun’ makes its debut at Milan Design Week, running 21-26 April 2026, at Mediateca Santa Teresa, Via della Moscova 28, Milan.

Elevate your egg basket this Easter with Louis Vuitton’s decadent ‘Chocolate Egg Bag’. The new edible collection is created by Louis Vuitton pastry chef Maxime Frédéric, with realistic detailing and adorned in the maison’s recognisable codes.

Tuck into Louis Vuitton’s chocolate egg bag

The ‘Chocolate Egg Bag’ was first released last year, and is inspired by the original ‘Egg Bag’ designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, artistic director of women's collections at Louis Vuitton, for the S/S 2019 show. In 2026, the well-received chocolate version is back, this time in a colourful iteration.

The taste is as good as the bag's artistry promises. The piece comprises two dark chocolate shells, which are filled with an assortment of roasted nuts, candied fruit and hazelnut praline. The white chocolate handles and zipper are in a soft shade of yellow. Inside, you will find a bar of milk chocolate filled with a luscious centre of hazelnut praline and lemon caramel.

The collection also includes a box of six mini chocolate egg bags. These are smaller takes on the main design, and come in different, but all divine, flavours: a milk chocolate egg is filled with hazelnut praline, pieces of hazelnut and vanilla caramel; a dark chocolate egg is filled with a crunchy chocolate praline and caramel; and another milk chocolate egg is filled with peanut praline, pieces of peanut and vanilla caramel.

Frédéric, who won the title of Best Pastry Chef in the world in 2025, finished the collection with the return of three chocolate chicks, each with a Louis Vuitton motif around its neck. Like with the miniature eggs, the chocolate chicks come in three flavours: there's a dark chocolate chick filled with crunchy buckwheat praline and buckwheat caramel; a milk chocolate chick filled with oat praline and honey caramel; and another milk chocolate chick filled with corn praline and vanilla caramel.

These chocolate morsels look too good to eat, but that won’t stop us indulging in the gourmet range this Easter. The collection is available to purchase online here, and will be available in-store at the Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton chocolate shops in Paris and New York, from 13 March 2026.

Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton, 2 bis rue du Pont Neuf, 75001 Paris

Le Café Louis Vuitton at Louis Vuitton 57th Street NYC, 6 East 57th Street, New York, NY 10022, USA

Marchesi 1824, one of Italy’s oldest and most esteemed pastry houses, has opened its first-ever concession in Harrods’ famed Chocolate Hall – perfectly timed for all of your Valentine’s gifting needs.

On 9 February 2026, the Milanese institution launched its new space within one of Harrods’ most celebrated departments, offering Londoners a curated selection of its Italian chocolate. Visitors can expect a showcase of Marchesi 1824’s signature creations, including pralines, cremini, dragées, biscuits and – the showstopper – the Grand Cru Venezuela cocoa mass, available exclusively in Harrods. Sourced from the region south of Lake Maracaibo, the cocoa mass has been calibrated for both intensity and balance, with a flavour profile which is deep, elegant and aromatic.

Founded in Milan in 1824, Marchesi 1824 quickly became a landmark of Milanese confectionery and café culture, synonymous with refined Italian taste. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the house remained a defining presence in the city's social and culinary life. After its acquisition by the Prada Group in 2014, Marchesi 1824 began expanding globally, with flagship locations in Milan and an outpost on London’s Mount Street. The Harrods concession marks a new chapter for the house, allowing it to focus exclusively on its chocolate offering.

‘The opening in the Chocolate Hall at Harrods represents a further step in Marchesi 1824’s development,’ says CEO Andrea Menicatti. ‘It is an important opportunity to introduce our brand and our vision of chocolate to a global audience, continuing to share our story and values worldwide.’

Diego Crosara, pastry art director, adds: ‘We are thrilled to enter the world of Harrods. It is a great honour for us to bring our craftsmanship and the Italian artistry of our products into such an iconic location.’

Marchesi 1824’s arrival in the Chocolate Hall invites Londoners to savour a taste of Italian heritage – and there’s still plenty of time to visit before Saturday.

As the calendar flips decisively into 2026, there’s an unmistakable sense of renewal in the air; perhaps an opportunity not to renounce pleasure per se, nor to stride grim-faced into a monastic-like abstinence, but to embrace a more mindful kind of enjoyment. Given how bleak January tends to be, a completely Dry month has never appealed to me, but what does is the opportunity to refine my drinking habits and explore the wealth of low and no-alc options now appearing on bar menus and retailer's shelves.

Increasingly, drinkers are discovering that moderation needn’t feel like a compromise; in fact, it can open the door to a richer, more curious world of flavour. And at the heart of this shift sits a burgeoning sector of non-alcoholic alternatives: drinks crafted with the same intent, creativity and provenance we’ve long admired in fine wines and spirits- yet engineered to offer the drinker greater control over how, when and why they imbibe.

What does 'Non-Alc' actually mean?

Today's most credible non-alcoholic alternatives, in the truest sense, are not merely soft drinks dressed up in fancy packaging. They are thoughtfully built beverages designed to replicate the structure, complexity and ritual of alcoholic drinks - minus (or with minimal) alcohol.

For wine, this often means de-alcoholised expressions: wines that begin life exactly as any conventional bottle would, grown in the vineyard, fermented, and nurtured into a well-balanced liquid. Only then is the alcohol removed, usually through techniques such as vacuum distillation or reverse osmosis. Both methods allow producers to retain the aromatic compounds and flavour nuances that define the original wine. The result is a drink that feels familiar in the glass: structured and tannic, food-friendly and genuinely vinous, yet invites us to sip without consequence.

Creating a credible – and tasty – spirit without the alcohol content is devilishly tricky. The inherent complexity of a spirit is intensified by the distillation process, so resorting to other means to create similar flavours has meant that the results are never quite as robust or mouth-filling as the original. Some are made in the same way, ie distilled from a beer or wine, with the alcohol molecules removed post-distillation. Others use what is called a hydrosol: distilling water, or tea and adding specific flavourings, such as ginger and citrus elements, salts, acids and flavour stabilisers, to mimic the flavour and mouthfeel of a spirit, which is combined with other flavourings such as gin botanicals and spices - and in the case of low-abv spirits, a small amount of spirit, such as gin etc.) This results in a concentrated, realistic spirit flavour. Adding a small amount of glycerol, post-distillation can also help to develop the thicker, perceived ‘unctuousness’ that an alcohol-rich spirit brings.

What feels most exciting about entering 2026 with these drinks at our disposal is the sense of possibility they offer. it’s about expanding our toolkit of pleasure. It’s about pacing ourselves across the night, staying present in the conversation, waking up clear-headed, yet still feeling like you’ve indulged in something crafted, thoughtful and delicious.

Five Solid Non-Alc 'Wines' to try:

Five Non-alc 'Spirits' to seek out:

There’s a certain quiet magic about Aÿ-Champagne. The village hums with history, its cobbled streets echoing with the clink of bottles and the low, cool stillness of cellars far beneath your feet. Somewhere under those streets, in a labyrinth of chalk and time, lies the beating heart of Billecart-Salmon – a champagne house whose story stretches back seven generations, yet feels as alive and expressive today as the bubbles in a freshly poured flute.

Descending into those cellars is like slipping into another world. The temperature drops, the air stills, sounds become deadened and more distant – and the faint waft of yeast and limestone mingles with that unmistakable perfume of ageing wine; a whisper of brioche, citrus peel, and above all else – potential.

Inside Maison Billecart-Salmon

The tunnels were first carved in the 17th and 19th centuries, long before electricity or industrial machinery. Some 2.5km of them snake beneath the village, like veins carrying the lifeblood of champagne itself. Here, what seems like millions of bottles slumber in silence, stacked in perfect symmetry, their slightly cloudy lees slowly performing that remarkable transformation from still wine to the bubbly liquid celebration we're more familiar with.

Our guide through the labyrinth of tunnels is Mathieu Roland-Billecart, seventh-generation family member – and the man tasked with maintaining the traditions of the past but keeping the brand on the path to continued future greatness, too.

He speaks of these cellars with the kind of reverence usually reserved for a cathedral tour. And in truth, these cellars are a place of worship: a subterranean temple to patience and precision. Every bottle is touched by time; prized vintages laid down for over a decade, marked by the character of its season and the quiet decisions of those who nurture it.

'Because we're a family-run champagne estate, we have the luxury to take our time,' he says, gazing into a dusty bottle waiting patiently for its time to come. 'Time – especially time on the lees – is a critical factor for greatness in champagne, but unfortunately a lot of producers seem to forget that important fact.'

It’s a sentiment that captures the spirit of Billecart-Salmon, founded in 1818 by Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon. Seven generations later, the family still follows the same principles: finesse over force; freshness over flamboyance. While many houses have embraced modernity with industrial zeal, Billecart-Salmon moves to a slower rhythm, trusting in intuition as much as innovation.

Just a few steps from the family home, in a small walled 'garden vineyard', this philosophy takes root – quite literally. Le Clos Saint-Hilaire, a single hectare of Pinot Noir vines, is a marvel of meticulous viticulture. The vines here are tended to with fastidious detail; horses plough the rows, sheep graze the plot after the harvest, to help fertilise the soil, and every grape is hand-harvested with reverence. The result, bottled as Le Clos Saint-Hilaire, is one of Billecart-Salmon's rarest expressions – a soulful wine with profound complexity.

Tasting it in situ is a special moment. The wine is rich and deep, with real precision. Notes of hazelnut, a dusting of spice, and orchard fruit give way to echoes of minerality, reminding one of the earthy silences in the cellars below. There’s a distinct sense of place in every sip: a conversation between soil and winemaking craft that has been ongoing for more than two centuries.

The main guest house was refurbished in 2024 by French-American interior designer Elliott Barnes and feels both timeless and intimate. The inside walls are decorated with unique natural materials, and the wall covering is appropriately called ‘Winepaper’ for the ingenious way it combines hemp and linen with dried grape skins, sourced from grapes hand-picked from the Clos Saint-Hilaire plot during the 2022 harvest. Outside, a majestic bicentennial chestnut tree dominates the courtyard, underscoring the family's commitment to the importance of appreciating time and tradition.

The core range of wines, from the lighter, delicate, Chardonnay-rich Blanc de Blancs, through to the oak age-driven, toasty, yet beautifully balanced Le Sous Bois, (blended between Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier,) perfectly demonstrate that Billecart-Salmon’s style has always been about subtlety - a considered conversation rather than a shout. Even the rosé, often a sweeter, zesty, fruit-filled explosion in lesser-skilled hands, is a masterclass of intricacy: paler than most other brands and delicately perfumed, with freshly picked strawberries. It’s champagne for reflection as much as celebration.

'The wine world is often far too inward-looking,' says Mathieu. 'Our objective is to bring a smile to people's faces. If you can't smile after a glass of Billecart-Salmon, then we haven't done our jobs properly,' he beams.

With the afternoon sun dipping low over the village, glinting off the slate rooftops, somewhere beneath us, the bottles continue their slow transformation, watched over by a family that understands the value of waiting. Seven generations on, Billecart-Salmon remains a house not of spectacle, but of soul – a reminder that true elegance lies not in extravagance, but in the quiet pursuit of perfection.

champagne-billecart.fr

Björn Frantzén has a new approach to whisky tasting. The Swedish chef – who has three Michelin-starred restaurants – has partnered with Highland Park, the Orkney distillery founded in 1798, on a 16-year-old single malt whisky, ‘Between You and I’. Invited to provide tasting notes for the whisky, Frantzén ventured away from unpacking the usual flavour references – following considered sips of an amber-hued dram – and instead asks drinkers to explore personal memories and emotions inspired by the whisky.

In his own tasting, Frantzén reflected on his experiences and focused on personal associations, rather than identifying specific notes. ‘Taste is such a personal thing, and it has such an incredible power to take us places, bring back memories, and make us feel certain ways,’ he tells Wallpaper*. ‘Eating great food is a very personal experience, and whisky is the same. What I taste will be different to what you taste, and that’s why Between You and I is such an exciting concept – it identifies that we all have unique perspectives, and allows us to each experience the whisky without predetermined tasting notes, just letting its flavours evoke our individual memories and emotions.’

For Frantzén, the whisky reminded him of his travels, and spending time with loved ones. ‘I got a hit of tonka bean on the nose, which reminded me of being on a beach in the Caribbean. Palm trees swaying, warm air, the sound of waves crashing. Another flavour I tasted was marzipan, and it immediately made me feel like I was back in my grandmother’s kitchen in Sweden, doing the Christmas cooking. That smell of almonds, the cold outside, and the cosiness inside. Pure nostalgia.’

The whisky itself matures for 16 years in virgin Swedish oak (a first for Highland Park), sherry-seasoned European and American oak, and ex-Bourbon casks. ‘Between You and I has this kind of attitude – that’s how I would describe the mood,’ says Frantzén. ‘The flavours are really deep and layered, and then there’s this confident kick of smoke. To me, it tastes a little bit like rock music. Not digital, but analogue, handcrafted – people playing instruments at the peak of their craft.’

Each bottle of whisky comes in a customised box, with a booklet filled with questions and prompts inviting the owner to experience the whisky in their own way. Frantzén’s words of advice to those trying out the new tasting experience are: ‘The key is to listen to your palate rather than trying to impress yourself with fancy words. When I began cooking, I didn’t describe flavours – I remembered them.’

'Between You and I' by Björn Frantzén is available including Selfridges, The Whisky Shop, Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange

With its spirits boasting amber hues and golden flecks, Casa Noble has been making tequila for over 200 years. The boutique distillery has seen more than seven generations of production of Single Estate Organic tequilas – blanco, reposado, and añejo. Now, it has announced a new limited-release tequila, Marqués de Casa Noble Tequila.

Discover Marqués de Casa Noble Tequila

Much like the company’s previous tequilas, the new limited edition is harvested, distilled and bottled using only traditional production methods on the private family estate (located near the town of Tequila in Jalisco, Mexico, it comprises over 6,500 acres of land and more than one million blue agave plants).

Each stage of production is controlled and overseen by founder and master tequilero José Pepe Hermosillo. Firstly, the blue agave is grown in the region’s volcanic soil, which creates the plants’ distinct flavour profile. Marqués de Casa Noble Tequila is then aged in new French oak barrels for two years.

These barrels are selected from trees in the Allier region of France, which are then transported to Tronçais and Bertrange (the French forests known for producing high-quality oak wood, prized for winemaking), where they are toasted and aged one additional year to create Hermosillo’s perfect vessel for liquid maturation. Hermosillo then blends 12 ‘extra añejos’, and nine ‘añejos’ aged for up to five years to create the Marqués de Casa Noble Tequila.

‘Each step of the tequila-making process was carefully planned and executed over the course of many years to create this unmatched spirit,’ explains Hermosillo. ‘We aimed to create a spirit that is not just complex and premium but also sippable – something to be enjoyed alongside life’s best moments.’

The result makes for a rich and silky tequila with a flavour profile of cooked agave, vanilla and peach, topped with roasted pecan, almonds and white chocolate, finished with spiced touches.

Marqués de Casa Noble Tequila, RRP £240, available at casanoble.com

It may be Notting Hill’s hottest dining ticket, but you’d be forgiven for ambling straight past The Fat Badger. An unprepossessing door down a Portobello side street – set behind the modish Italian diner, Canteen – and a painted pub sign of the eponymous burrower give little hint to what lies above. Ascending a tight, dowdy staircase, one first happens on the bar; all ecru linen, rough beige plastering and anachronist downlighting, ersatz Georgian and charming with it. Up again, and it’s into a vision of dining room: a simulacrum of bucolic British and retro Alpine, swathes of oak panelling and mahogany leather dotted with bushels and copper pans, a bustling open kitchen demarcated by a black-marble counter its nexus. It’s swooning, but looks aren’t everything. These merely buffer some of the finest modern British food crossing a pass anywhere in the city. But before dinner, some context.

The Fat Badger is perhaps the most garlanded opening yet from Public House; the newest sibling of artfully scuffed contemporary gastropubs The Pelican in Westbourne Park, The Hero in Maida Vale, and Cotswold bolthole The Bull in Charlbury. The group, inaugurated in 2022 with the opening of The Pelican, is the brainchild of Philip Winser (concept and design) and James Gummer (ops and menu development), who grew up together near Charlbury. (The third partner, Olivier van Themsche – business and acquisitions – is French.) Returning to the UK during Covid after a long hospitality jaunt in the US, Winser was galvanised with a growing interest in farming and food pathways, and keen to open something in London. Gummer’s local – now The Pelican – was up for sale: 'A hideous, blue-painted Italian pub concept,' says Winser. 'But such amazing bones.' Piqued with the idea of framing a traditional British pub as both a hub for beer-sloshing conviviality and a vehicle for platforming homegrown cooking and produce in an unbuttoned context, they took the plunge. The rest is history.

Provenance has been the group’s core tenet across both aesthetics and eating from the off. All its pubs are laughably beautiful: urban-pastoral amalgams of muted minimalism and an elegant harnessing of original and curated features. They operate a full-service, in-house design and build studio, led by interior designer Leticia Blakiston Houston, and have adhered to a key set of rules from the outset: no paint, natural materials, lime plaster, beautiful objects, a sense of nostalgia. 'A design style that’s sort of how our houses would look,' Winser says. 'Everything had to have a level of craftsmanship and be based around UK heritage. Even down to the oak we use, it was all taken to a really nerdy level.' (To those ends, they work closely with a furniture restorer near Charlbury; with deVOL kitchens on custom lighting; luxe kitchenware brand Katto for their knives; and an artisanal Somerset bedmaker to forge the four-posters in the Bull’s overnight rooms, to name but several.)

As for the food, seasonality and sustainability are paramount. As much produce as possible is sourced in the UK, with a decent amount pulled from their own market garden at Bruern Farms near Charlbury (a 1.6-acre plot with approximately a polytunnel per pub), and animals bought whole from the the regenerative Whittington Lodge and Paddock farms in the Cotswolds. Its simple, ingredient-led dishes bely some serious cheffing bona fides: Sally Abé, previously of The Pem, has been recently installed as head of food at The Bull; The Fat Badger’s head chef George Williams manned the hobs at Dorian and the River Café; and group exec chef Doug Sims led the kitchen at Quo Vadis. The menus are as ascetic in concept as they are deft in practice, offering no more detail than things like ‘fresh cheese, pea’ or ‘cod’s cheek, curry’ – which would seem affected if the results weren’t so delicious.

The Pelican, et al, run a conventional à la carte. But at the Badger, wunderkind Williams and sous Beth O’Brien have devised a set menu format: four courses, a few snacks, a modicum of choice in terms of the headline mains but you’re generally at the whims of the kitchen. The overarching focus on seasonality and sourcing remain, but things err more painterly here, especially in the small bites: a chilled tomato and crab soup with perfect soda bread; a Cornish tuna belly tostada with finger lime; shuddering nuggets of sweetbread on celeriac tacos; scallops with Lilliputian white prawns and bisque (and so on).

Delicate it may be, restrained it is not. 'It's a bit of a feast,' says Williams. 'Exactly how I like to eat: loads of food at the beginning, something really intricate and interesting, and then just something big to make sure that everyone's nice and fed.' It’s all, cumulatively, exceptional – the pub experience embellished with a slick of ceremony, subtle recherché club vibes afforded by the half-hidden entrance, and course after course of blinding eating. The immersive spatial design and hubbub of the visible kitchen were conceived to heighten the communal ambience, too: 'The thing that kept coming up in the conversation was that we wanted to feel like being in someone's kitchen,' explains Williams.

And next? After opening another pub – The Hart, off Marylebone’s bijous Chiltern Street this autumn – Winser, Gummer and van Themsche have their sights set on co-launching Pub Club. A training initiative near Charlbury, its aim is to impart practical knowledge and skills in cooking, front-of-house, food production, nutrition and financial literacy, promoting hospitality and its skillsets in a hands-on, project-based way for new generations. 'We spent the last couple of years working on food distribution and producers,' explains Winser. 'We're now looking within the organisation of how to invest and create new systems.' The scheme, he says, aims to give 'young adults the confidence to get into the hospitality industry and realise that there's a really great career path there' in a way that isn’t as regularly embraced in the UK as it is on the continent. Embryonic it might be, but the intention is laudable.

When it comes to food, Notting Hill and its near environs are, irrefutably, having their moment. Dorian, Ria’s, Dove, Canal, Canteen, Eel Sushi Bar, Permit Room... the cast proliferates by the day. The Fat Badger might be its most esteemed player yet. As for the group itself: city-best eating, design mag looks and a social conscience? Call it a full house.

In 1986, Keith Haring designed a poster for Absolut Vodka – the second artist to do so (following a recommendation from Andy Warhol) as part of the Absolut Art Collection – an initiative that, between 1985 and 2004, invited over 550 artists to collaborate with the brand. Haring produced four lithographs, which are now held by the Spritmuseum in Stockholm along with the rest of the collection, with one being chosen to become the face of Absolut’s campaign.

Nearly four decades later, Haring’s signature style returns to Absolut. The Absolut Haring Artist-Edition bottle reimagines his original artwork in three dimensions, featuring a vibrant yellow background with debossed red linework which harmonises with the blue of the logo.

The bottle features Haring's signature on the shrink sleeve, and a hand-drawn rendition of the Absolut medallion – depicting LO Smith, who founded Absolut in 1879 – is wrapped around the neck. The result is a collectible piece of 3D art that transforms Haring’s poster into a tangible object.

To celebrate the launch, Absolut has developed a signature cocktail: the Absolut Haring Fizz. This yellow-hued drink, inspired by the vibrant palette of Haring’s design, blends apple, orange, toasted sesame and ginger.

The limited-edition bottle channels Haring’s artistic ethos: that art should be accessible and lived (and follows collaborations from Keith Haring Studio with the likes of Swatch and Lexon). In 1980s New York, Haring sought to take art off the museum walls and into real life. The bottle also preserves the original spirit of the Absolut Art Collection: ‘Absolut has always believed art should be open, joyful and for everyone,’ says Deb Dasgupta, VP global marketing at Absolut.

David Stark, founder and CEO of Artestar, which represents the Keith Haring Studio, adds: ‘Our mission is to keep Keith Haring’s spirit alive by continuing to expand access to his art and the important messages within it. This project with Absolut revives a moment that meant so much to Keith – not just creatively, but symbolically.’

The Absolut Haring Artist-Edition will be available in global travel retail from 1 July 2025, and then in over 40 markets from October, for a limited time

If there’s one thing to know about Stanley Tucci, it’s that the man loves pasta. Between his 2021 CNN series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy and this year’s Tucci in Italy on National Geographic, in which he explores his ancestral homeland (his grandparents emigrated to the US from Calabria), he has sampled rigatoni in Rome, pansotti in Liguria and bigoli in Veneto – and that’s just the beginning.

‘I'll eat pasta every day,’ Tucci says. On a week like this, with London basking in a heatwave, his go-to is spaghetti alle vongole – ‘which is perfect, light, satisfying’ – paired with salad: ‘You don’t need much more than that.’ The idea of cheese with the dish, however, leaves him cold: ‘That’s bad, very bad.’

Pasta may be Tucci’s number one, but there’s a close runner-up: oysters and a martini is, he says, ‘one of the best things in the world’. On the perennial debate of gin versus vodka, he’s torn. ‘I love gin,’ he reasons (we’re speaking in his capacity as an ambassador for Tanqueray No. Ten, which he describes as ‘incredibly versatile, not super juniper-y and very citrus-y, which makes it totally refreshing’). ‘But also, making a Vesper martini [gin, vodka and Lillet Blanc vermouth] is a really nice thing, too.

With World Martini Day impending (June 21), Tucci reminisces about time spent at New York landmark Café Luxembourg on the city's Upper West Side. ‘I used to go there when I had a little money and treat myself to a cocktail,’ he says. ‘As the years went on, I was finally able to afford to eat there, so that was nice.’

These were Tucci’s pre-Hollywood days, when he worked in restaurants to support his acting training. ‘I’ve always been interested in food and drink,’ he muses. ‘My parents were amazing cooks – my whole family, actually, on both sides. I learned how to bartend many years ago. I also worked in a kitchen as a prep chef, and was really fascinated by restaurant culture. That’s why my cousin and I wrote the movie Big Night.’

The 1996 film, which is about two Italian immigrant brothers running a struggling restaurant in 1950s New Jersey, is a love letter to food – and became the catalyst for Tucci’s career. He went on to star in hits such as The Devil Wears Prada (2006), The Lovely Bones (2009) and The Hunger Games franchise (2012–2015), becoming a household name.

A gourmet to his core, Tucci never left the world of food and drink behind. He was perfectly cast as chef Julia Child’s husband in 2009’s Julie & Julia. But it was perhaps in 2020, when he posted an Instagram video of himself making a negroni which promptly went viral (1.3 million views at the time of writing), that the public became, as he puts it ‘interested in my opinion about food and drink’. With Searching for Italy and Tucci in Italy, where the actor deep dives into regional specialties from lardo to limoncello, he has carved out a niche as something of a modern ambassador of la dolce vita. Think of him as an urbane Bourdain, with less swearing and more biscotti.

The first thing that Tucci does when he gets to a new filming location is ‘go find a great meal’, or, if he’s staying in an apartment rather than a hotel, ‘go grocery shopping and make a big pot of tomato sauce – marinara’. He is nothing if not consistent.

While filming his most recent series, he came across what he considers to be the most magical place he’s ever been (a considerable endorsement given the visual sumptuousness of his shows): Trentino-Alto Adige in the Italian Dolomites. ‘It’s one of the most beautiful places ever,’ enthuses Tucci. ‘And, because that area was controlled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the food is really interesting: different kinds of noodles – not really pasta in the traditional sense – polenta, root vegetables, meats, fresh water fish… More butter and less olive oil.’

There are plenty more gastronomic odysseys ahead – Tucci in Italy has just been renewed for a second season – but for this weekend, it’s Tanqueray at the Tuccis’.

Stanley Tucci celebrates World Martini Day with Tanqueray No. Ten and a limited drop of pre-batched martini cocktails, inspired by his own recipe. Follow the link to be in with a chance of receiving one of the limited edition bottles.

‘I've loved chocolate my whole life – it’s always been part of my daily ritual,’ said Noor Freiha, founder of a new London chocolatier Makers. The ‘healthy chocolate’ shop, located on a corner plot at the intersection of Fulham Road and Old Church Street in London’s Chelsea, offers chocolates free of refined sugar, seed oils, wheat and dairy.

Inside Makers, London’s new ‘healthy chocolate’ shop

The Lebanese chemical engineering graduate taught herself how to make chocolate at home and infuses her creations with her love of wellness and ‘clean’ eating without compromise. ‘I grew up in Lebanon in a family that believed in cooking from scratch and eating clean, long before it was called that. If we wanted dessert, my mum made sure we baked it ourselves. That’s where I learned that flavour and nutrition don’t have to be at odds,’ Freiha tells Wallpaper*.

‘That mindset never left me. When I started teaching myself how to make chocolate, I realised how much conventional chocolate relies on ingredients that aren’t great for you: refined sugar, seed oils, wheat, dairy, artificial additives and preservatives.

‘So I wanted to challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of the artisan luxury chocolate world using “better for you”, health-conscious and clean ingredients, without ever compromising on incredible taste. If you're going to eat it every day, it should be guilt-free.’

The Makers kitchen is led by the Belgian chocolatier and patissier Alexandre Vandale, who comes from a traditional luxury chocolate background. The chocolates look as good as they taste, as he unites his savoir-faire with a contemporary take on indulgence. Products include sphere bonbons, square bonbons, candy bars, tablettes, paleo baked goods, spreads, hot chocolate on tap and seasonal soft-serve ice cream.

The flavours are unique, with ingredients including ancient Chinese herbs and Peruvian plants. Achieving a tasty result, Freiha confesses, wasn’t an easy ride. ‘Everything had to be rethought. Our executive chef, Alexandre Vandale, built every single recipe from scratch: praliné, ganache, feuilletine, and jams. We weren’t using the conventional ingredients most luxury chocolatiers use, so it became a technical challenge in the truest sense. But that was the fun part. Working within strict limitations pushed us into real invention. It’s a scientific process – the timings, temperatures, textures – and we thrive on that level of precision.’

To recommend a favourite flavour is difficult for Freiha, but she says the coconut praliné candy bar with astragalus really caught her off guard. Astragalus is an ancient Chinese herb known for supporting cell regeneration and vitality. Other offerings include soba cha crunch sphere bonbons (a particular hit in the Wallpaper* office, although everything we tasted was delicious); almond orange blossom marzipan square bonbons; hazelnut wafer and maca candy bar; caramel popcorn covered in dark chocolate; paleo marble bundt; and a secret off-menu iced chocolate.

The shop interior is inspired by the origin of cacao and boasts a maximalist colour palette, including blue tones that nod to the western coast of Africa. However, Makers’ interior also nods to Freiha’s heritage. ‘Hospitality is such a big part of Lebanese culture. It’s not just about service, it’s about making people feel seen, remembered, cared for,’ she says. ‘The space includes personal touches, copperware handmade by a Lebanese workshop, hand-painted tiles with the Lebanese flag, lemons and wild strawberries, and motifs from my childhood. Even the rhythm of the boutique, with its layered textures and interior design, mirrors an old Lebanese house. It’s important to me that Makers feels like an extension of that world, warm, generous, and intentional.’

‘Some of our bonbon flavours nod to that heritage too: pistachio marzipan, tahini black sesame, and coffee cardamom. They’ve become quiet favourites, and I’m always dreaming up more. It’s my way of bringing a little bit of home into each bite.’

Makers is located at 2-4 Queen's Elm Parade, Old Church Street, London makerslondon

Over the past decade, Irish whiskey has gone through an incredible transformation, from the life and soul of the party to a seriously sophisticated – and super premium – player, rivalling the likes of high-end Scotch and Japanese whisky. Our resident spirits writer Neil Ridley picks out his luxurious favourites to try ahead of St Patrick's Day on 17 March.

A potted history of Irish whiskey

If ever there was a tale to be told in the world of spirits – one of success, tragedy and then a most-justified redemptive renaissance, it would almost certainly have Irish whiskey as its leading character. In fact, the fortunes of this legendary spirit run deep into the heart and culture across the whole of Ireland.

From a brief historical perspective, it could be argued that whiskey-making as we know it was derived from Ireland before Scotland, thanks to the worldly travels of 12th-century Irish monks – whose distilling skills were transferred to the Scottish west coast some years later.

Arguably the oldest recognised distillery site in Ireland, where the famous Old Bushmills distillery now operates from, can trace its roots back to 1608, when King James I granted a licence to distil whiskey – and Bushmills is today recognised as the oldest continuously running whisk(e)y distillery in the world.

Fast forward a few centuries to the 1800s and Ireland was a thriving powerhouse of whiskey production, distilling one gallon in every seven made across what was then the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, eventually becoming its largest spirits producer. Indeed, Irish whiskey’s popularity gave rise to frantic fund-raising from new distillers, especially in Dublin, which was home to no fewer than five of the biggest licensed distilleries in Ireland and a host of smaller, independent ones dotted across the Liberties area of Dublin and widely across the whole country.

With such a rosy outlook, what could possibly go wrong? Jump forward again to the mid-1960s and only four whiskey distilleries remained open across the whole of Ireland, where 30 once stood: Bushmills in County Antrim, Jameson and Powers in Dublin and the Cork Distillers Company in the south. Previous cold economic winds had finally taken their toll, with the Great Depression, both World Wars and Prohibition in the USA resulting in a huge oversupply, and sadly, a lack of future business.

Ireland’s enduring liquid legacy

However, you can’t keep a good thing down when a nation’s passion and pride come together. The Irish whiskey industry began to rebuild. In 2015 Teeling became the first distillery to be built in Dublin for 40 years, followed at incredible speed by a raft of smaller, craft operations across Ireland. Today, that number is close to 50 in operation, demonstrating the popularity of the spirit once again.

The rise in new distilleries offering a more youthful spirit has meant there is now a huge premium on the older, rarer stocks of whiskey distilled decades before and the market for ultra-premium Irish whiskey has expanded dramatically, with some distilleries offering age statements that command eye-watering price tags, to rival those offered by both Japanese and Scotch

Irish whiskey’s unique flavour

One of the biggest contrasts between Scotch and the majority of Irish whiskey, is the production style, which results in a distinct difference in flavour between the two. Ireland has become synonymous with what’s called Single Pot Still-style whiskey: a spirit triple distilled in large copper pot stills, made from predominantly unmalted barley, rather than the 100 per cent malted barley used in Scotch single malt.

This unmalted, triple-distilled style gives an incredibly fresh, floral and almost tropical fruit note to the whiskey and once it has had a chance to really get some age behind it in oak casks, it becomes a thing of absolute beauty: complex, rich, structured and bursting with character, making Irish whiskey without doubt, one of the most highly-prized – and now sought-after – spirits in the world.

Neil’s alternative selection of Irish whiskey gems for St Patrick’s Day

Whilst the pubs across Dublin’s Temple Bar will be no doubt overflowing with pints of Guinness and many a toast raised with large glasses of Jameson Original (arguably the benchmark that Irish whiskey has long been measured against), there are plenty of other gems to explore this St Patrick’s Day, which exemplify Ireland’s deep rooted love affair with great whiskey-making.

Bushmills 15-Year-Old Cognac Cask Finish

Bushmills has been the consistent beacon of Northern Ireland’s whiskey-making traditions and is made using 100 per cent malted barley, rather than the single pot still traditions Ireland is famed for. Take a trip over for a visit and you’ll see the fusion of traditions from the old distillery and a remarkable, state-of-the-art new facility, alongside one of the most impressive cask warehouses in Europe. The Giant’s Causeway is only a stone’s throw away too, which makes for an inspiring backdrop for your whiskey journey. There’s an impressive portfolio of core releases including a vibrant and fruity 16-year-old, a rich and rewarding 21-year-old, part matured in madeira casks, all the way through to a bold and complex 30-year-old, finished in Pedro Ximenez sherry. However, my pick is this incredibly easy drinking Cognac cask matured release, which has swathes of dried fruit, honey and hidden tropical fruit notes.

The Heart Cut – JJ Corry #11

This very limited-edition bottling is a partnership between London-based independent bottlers The Heart Cut and Louise McGuane from JJ Corry, a renowned whiskey broker and curator of unusual whiskey casks from across Ireland. The blend explores Irish Pot Still, grain whiskey (a lighter style used in blending,) and single malt whiskey, all of which have been matured in a range of casks, including oloroso sherry and the highly unusual Pajarete (a Spanish sweet wine, which was one used abundantly to season casks, before being filled with new make spirit.) Well-balanced, light and fruity, there’s some serious blending skills at work here.

Midleton Very Rare 2024 Edition

Arguably one of the key players to spark the rise in super and ultra-premium Irish whiskeys, Midleton is a major distillery based down in the beautiful and verdant area of Cork in the south of Ireland. Celebrating its 200th Anniversary in April 2025, the distillery has some of Ireland’s oldest whiskey in its warehouses (some dating back 50 years,) which it periodically releases as extremely limited-edition and expensive bottlings. The Midleton Very Rare series (we previously explored 2024’s Ruby Edition) has become arguably its most collectible and is a blend of Single Pot Still and grain whiskeys, leaning into the blending skills of Master Distiller, Kevin O’Gorman. This vintage is full of floral, aromatic notes, lighter dried fruits (apricot) and an abundance of vanilla and darker toffee apple notes.

Green Spot 2013 10-Year-Old Bourbon Cask

Green Spot is one of Ireland’s most lauded Single Pot Still whiskeys, with a heritage dating back to the Dublin heyday, when Irish whiskey was originally flourishing. One of five from the ‘Spot’ range (you’ll also find a superb Yellow Spot finished in Malaga wine casks, a Red Spot rich in sherry cask notes, a Gold Spot finished in Italian Valpolicella Riciotto wine casks, and a youthful Blue Spot 7-year-old in ex-bourbon casks…), this single cask edition, exclusive to spirits retailer The Whisky Exchange, is also finished in a bourbon barrel and is wonderfully fresh and fruity, with vibrant citrus notes and softer orchard fruit.

Dingle Single Malt Triple Distilled Whiskey

Dingle has emerged as one of the key standouts from Ireland’s craft distilling renaissance, since it first arrived on the scene back in 2012. It consistently delivers a very impressive and complex whiskey and this latest release, matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and Pedro Ximenez casks shows just how rosy the future is for the new breed of Ireland’s distilleries.

Method & Madness Japanese Chestnut Cask Finish

If innovative flavours are your thing, then Method & Madness will be just the ticket. The concept is simple: a meeting of minds between some of the most experienced distillers down at Midleton in Cork, (the ‘Method’ element) and some of the younger distilling minds in the business (the ‘Madness’…) The modus operandi is one of exploring the boundaries of Irish whiskey, without breaking the regulations, so you’ll find unusual cask types (like this Japanese chestnut) different grain mixtures and other technical trickery to produce whiskeys full of character.

Waterford Cuvee Koffi

Waterford is something of a bittersweet pick - as late last year, the distillery sadly went into receivership and - at the time of writing, its future still looks to be on shaky ground. However, it would churlish not to include one of its existing bottlings in the list, given how much of an impact it has had to understanding the terroir of the barley used in Irish whiskey production. This release is a marriage of no fewer than 24 barley distillates from different local farms, which are then matured for six years in a combination of French and American oak. Herbaceous, floral and spicy, it’s certainly a gamechanger.

Jameson Triple Triple Chestnut Edition

An altogether different take on the Jameson we know and love, this version has been triple distilled as usual but matured in a trio of cask types (bourbon, oloroso sherry and sweet chestnut casks,) and there’s a distinct darker flavour profile, with toffee, toasted nuts, and chocolate.

Redbreast 18-Year-Old Single Pot Still

Another legendary name in Irish whiskey, Redbreast has a broader, slightly darker and spicier flavour profile and house style to its contemporaries and has been one of the industry’s favourite choices to introduce a richer side of the category to new Irish whiskey drinkers. The 18-year-old has notes of stewed fruit, woody spices, sultanas and fresh cherries, with a darker, drier finish. A whiskey to finish the night with, that’s for sure.

The A/W 2025 fashion cycle has almost come to an end and with the spotlight having swung from New York to London and Milan and now settling on Paris, last is certainly not least. As the Wallpaper* fashion team arrive in the City of Light, we reveal their favourite spots to refuel.

These ‘if you know, you know’ spots all embody the irrepressible chic of Paris Fashion Week while offering sanctuary from the chaos; where substance takes precedence over style, but where, of course, style is in no short supply. It is Paris, after all.

Where to eat and drink during Paris Fashion Week

Brasserie Emil

While, once upon a time, Paris was safe in the knowledge that it was the gastronomic capital of Europe, with the culinary scenes in London and elsewhere on the up, the French capital is flexing its muscles. One of the spots defending the title: Brasserie Emil, the restaurant connected to the Chateau Voltaire hotel.

The menu encompasses French classics invigorated by Mediterranean touches: yellowtail carpaccio, veal escalope al limone, rigatoni with fresh morels. Of course, you can always plump for a perfectly-executed chateaubriand. The food, prepared under chef Valentin Lambert, is not stuffy or fusty, but honest and elegant, embodying the sort of social dining that Parisians hold dear.

The surroundings are convivial: despite being perfectly placed for dipping in and out of fashion shows in the 1st arrondissement, Brasserie Emil is a far cry from the white-tableclothed dining halls of yesteryear. Staged by Festen Architecture, the restaurant curates an intimate tavern setting with coffered ceilings and period tiling.

chateauvoltaire.com

A l'Épi d'Or

A l'Épi d'Or has barely changed since the 1920s when it was one of many bistros surrounding the old Baltard food market. This is the sort of old-fashioned bistro that would delight an American tourist, with a vintage interior of moleskin banquettes and tarnished mirrored walls. The establishment falls under the dominion of restaurant kingpin Jean-François Piège and his wife Élodie, serving elevated classics like salad Niçoise, croque madame, and steak tartare with chips (you know what they say – 'if it ain’t broke...')

jeanfranoispiege-jpb.com

19 Saint Roch

19 Saint Roch is the brainchild of Pierre Touitou, son of the founder of the French fashion label APC, Jean Touitou. If Touitou the younger ever worried about living in his father’s shadow, he need not have: Pierre has become, in his own right, one of the emblematic chefs of the Parisian bistronomy scene.

At 19 Saint Roch, black and white tiles pave the floors and an open kitchen is separated from diners by a stainless steel counter. Dishes are ravishing, both in appearance and taste, laying on big, bold presentations and flavours in dishes such as grouper with cherries and walnuts, duck with giblet salad, and the famous île flottante, where the bobbing meringue is a perfect cube (all accompanied by a robust selection of natural wine).

Touitou’s influences span from the Mediterranean to the Far East; his signature hors d’oeuvre, for example, is lo bak go – turnip cakes modelled on Chinese dim sum. While the food, like APC’s designs, relies on the minimalist elegance native to Paris, it also allows itself a rare flourish, and is less ‘brutalist’ than Touitou’s other establishments.

19saint-roch.com

Caché

If you want ‘off the beaten track’, the 20th arrondissement cul-de-sac that Caché calls home (next door to the cemetery containing the tombs of Edith Piaf and Gertrude Stein) is about as inconspicuous as it gets. On a semi-derelict alley, in a velvet-, marble- and brass-clad space that echoes the speakeasies of New York, chef Sylvain Roucayrol does one thing – fish – and does it well. Think toro tuna with ponzu, bergamot-seasoned scallop roasted in its shell, and chicory tempura with anchovy sauce; tables of more than four can also order a whole roasted fish. Wine is a big deal, with a sommelier matching drinks with dishes with pinpoint precision. Italian duo Lorenza Lenzi and Gianpaolo Polverino packed in their respective careers in fashion and advertising to open Caché, whose light-filled space was previously their studio.

cache-paris.com

Gigi

Gigi Rigolatto occupies one of those coveted pieces of Paris real estate that boasts full-length, close-up view of the Eiffel Tower, located in the city’s ‘golden triangle’ of premium arrondissements, right above the Théâtre des Champs Elysées. Despite this, Gigi is not a tourist trap. In fact, it is discreet, intimate and inviting, named after a conceptual Milanese host who transports diners to his native region with authentic gastronomy and irrepressible charisma. The atmosphere at Gigi’s is irrepressible, with live entertainment, photogenic aperitivos and a bellini bar, not to mention a menu brimming with delicacies such as arancini and ossobuco. The interior, which is the work of architect and interior designer Hugo Toro, is soothing and modern with a touch of opulence in the form of flashes of Sienna marble and Roman travertine.

gigi-restaurant.com

Pharrell Williams today marks the launch of his new venture with Moët & Chandon, a reimagined birthday bottle of champagne.

The American musician and producer is having a busy year. He was in Paris last month at Perrotin gallery, with a new group show, ‘Femmes’, that pays homage to Black women, while in January we saw the release of two new jewellery collections in collaboration with Tiffany & Co, and of course this all runs parallel to his role as Louis Vuitton men's creative director.

The Moët & Chandon Pharrell Williams Limited Edition Collection

Birthdays are at the heart of the new design for Moët & Chandon, with the idea to focus on the people you share them with, as Pharrell said: ‘The best part about a birthday are the people who want to celebrate it with you.’

Working with the champagne house, he dived into its archives and landed upon the signature tie on the bottle, which originally appeared as a bow in 1892. Using this as inspiration, Williams created a series of bottle designs and went to Parisian embroidery studio Atelier Baqué Molinié to create detachable, embroidered bows that can also be worn as brooches.

The series consists of three parts: ‘A Jewel Masterpiece Jeroboam’ (£25,000), which is limited to 30 hand-crafted pieces with embellishments by artist Astrid de Chaillé and a detachable jewelled bow; ‘The Bow Capsule Collection’, which includes the Brut Impérial in Midnight Blue Gift Box and The Grand Vintage Collection 2003 in Black, both magnum bottles with hand-crafted detachable bows; and the ‘Limited Edition Collection’, which includes Brut Impérial 75cl bottles in gift boxes in celebratory hues of gold, deep red, and midnight blue, embellished with Williams’ pearled monogram. A toast to playful design and Williams’ incredibly busy calendar.

The collection is available via Moët & Chandon Champagne Bar in Harrods, harrods.com

Crisps, who doesn’t love them? A humble snacking staple, the crunchy crowd-pleasers are devoid of pretence. But for Wallpaper’s resident drinks expert Neil Ridley, crisps are so much more than an in-between meal filler. In his new book, The Crisp Sommelier, he dives into the subtle art of elevating crisps’ flavour profile by matching them up with the perfect drink. ‘British tapas’ are looking up.

Ridley (also co-author of 60-Second Cocktails) has done the hard work and explored a plethora of flavours – from Torres’ earthy truffle crisps to prawn cocktail Skips – even throwing controversial pretzels into the mix in his desire to lay everything on the tasting table. Here, he sits down with Wallpaper* staff writer Tianna Williams to discuss life as a crisp nerd, perfect crisps-and-drinks pairings, and whether pretzels made the cut.

Perfect pairings with The Crisp Sommelier, Neil Ridley

Wallpaper*: How did the idea for a crisp-and-drinks pairing book come about?

Neil Ridley: I've been a lifelong crisp nerd, and it’s been a secret I've never talked about with anyone. Around two years ago, my agent got a call from publishing giant Bloomsbury about doing this book on pairing crisps and drinks, which she turned down. I was distraught as it was a book about my two life passions, and ran to get Bloomsbury back on the phone. Luckily the opportunity hadn’t gone away, and it grew into this tentacled beast of really fun research and passion points.

W*: We’re glad it worked out, otherwise who would have known that ready salted crisps are the perfect champagne pairing?

NR: I love crisps because there is something incredibly humbling about them. Everybody eats them, they pack a punch of childhood nostalgia, and now there are many options that are much more sophisticated in terms of flavour. I think, because of the cost of living crisis, going out isn't as much of a thing. This idea of having a night in with your friends and buying two or three different packets of crisps, different flavours or different textures, and then pairing those with wines, particularly different grape varieties, has become quite a thing. I think the book really tapped into this zeitgeist of home entertaining and the art of bringing fun back into food and drink.

W*: How did you decide what made the cut?

NR: Everything was, quite literally, on the table. I had 185 different bags of crisps in two big blue Ikea bags. For about six weeks, my office was filled with all these different flavours; I had my very own crisp library! The main criteria for the crisps was that they had to be available. And there's a mixture of well-known brands and more sophisticated flavours, so what you’ll see ranges from Space Raiders and Nik Naks to bags of Torres, for example.

W*: Did you match the crisp to the drink, or the drink to the crisp?

NR: I approached this from the point of view that, because I'm predominantly a drinks expert, I wanted to cover ten white grape varieties, ten red grape varieties, sparkling fortified wines, then all of the different cocktails, beers, ciders and non-alcoholic drinks. Once I got the list of drinks I wanted to include, then it was a case of going back and asking myself, ‘OK, what would work with a sparkling rosé?’ Alongside this, I also thought about different occasions, from hosting an elegant dinner party to watching Netflix.

W*: Does the shape of the crisp affect the flavour in the pairing?

NR: With some of the ridged crisps, you get a much more intense flavour. This was important to note, as you don't want one [half of the pairing] to overshadow the other, or it's going to fall flat.

W*: What surprised you in your research? Is there a crisp that is overrated?

NR: I think the more sophisticated crisps get, the more likely they're going to disappoint. And I think there's a two-fold answer to this one because, in a way, the older we get, the more we're led by this desire to be more sophisticated. You can't just have a cheese flavour crisp. You've got to have the 28-day mature cheddar, or barrel-aged feta crisp. This is when it either doesn't taste as you'd hoped, or it tastes artificial. I think that's when it really falls apart.

W*: If you were having crisp pairings for breakfast, lunch and dinner, what would they be?

NR: There is, without doubt, an absolutely killer pairing of Torres Fried Egg crisps – where they’ve captured the flavours of a very crisp fried egg and its runny yolk – with black Arabica coffee. And then if you throw in a bacon frazzle as well, you've got a crisp version of a fry-up. Around mid-morning, I would have pickled onion Monster Munch and a really nice-quality lemonade. From this, you get this lovely pairing in the sharpness of the lemonade, and then the pickled onions, which really wakes you up a bit. Going into lunch, I would have ham and mustard crisps with a German lager. Dinner has to be more sophisticated: a cool glass of Chardonnay with a cheese and onion crisp, or a Rioja with chorizo crisps. Dessert would be white chocolate-coated pretzels, with a creamy cocktail. There's a crisp-and-drink pairing for every occasion during your day.

W*: And finally, what are your thoughts on a crisp sandwich?

NR: For a textural delight, it is hard to beat a crisp sandwich. It is actually the chapter that got away in the book, as annoyingly I ran out of room. But you could really take it to a whole new level. Think of a crisp club sandwich – you could have one layer, one flavour, followed by another. You have butter, which keeps the crisps in place. It's a real staple and I am an advocate for the unbridled joy of a crisp sandwich.

The Crisp Sommelier, £12.99, published by Bloomsbury, is available to buy from Amazon, and Waterstones

As cinematic icons go, Harrison Ford is arguably up there with the true greats of leading men in Hollywood. From his iconic roles as Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise, Indiana Jones and Blade Runner’s Rick Deckard, to the award-nominated roles in Witness and The Fugitive, Ford has shown his broad breath of artistic talent over an incredible seven decades as an actor.

His next role, however, is something a little different, and this week it was revealed that he is to star alongside one of Scotland’s leading lights – namely single malt whisky, Glenmorangie, in a series of short episodic films, directed by actor and filmmaker, Joel Edgerton.

Once Upon a Time in Scotland takes us behind-the-scenes as Ford journeys to Glenmorangie’s Highland home, to discover the skill and craftsmanship that goes into making each bottle of the well-known whisky. It sees the actor enjoy an authentic Scottish experience — from getting to grips with the nuances of Scottish pronunciation and kilt etiquette, to bonding with locals and distillery workers over a dram of single malt — all shot in an unconventional, deliberately ‘off-script’ style.

'I loved working with the team at the distillery — they were all great,” explained Ford. “The whole process of filming was full of unanticipated joys: little unexpected moments. It’s a tribute to Glenmorangie’s sensibilities that they let us be less than totally serious. I think what Joel [Edgerton] has produced has a certain charm to it, because it’s unpretentious and just amusing.'

A total of 12 episodes were filmed, taking in the picturesque north-east Highlands of Scotland: from the historic distillery in Tain where Glenmorangie has been created for over 180 years, to the storied 19^th century Ardross Castle, (most recently seen in the BBC One show, The Traitors,) and the dramatic landscapes surrounding Loch Glass. Ford is supported by an unlikely cast of the actual Glenmorangie distillery team, including whisky maker, Dr Bill Lumsden (who was just awarded an MBE for his services to the whisky industry), alongside several whiskies from the brand’s range including the Original 12 Years Old and Glenmorangie Infinita 18 Years Old.

The 12 episodes are complemented by still images shot by acclaimed fashion photographer Lachlan Bailey. They feature Ford as he’s never been seen before: donning a stylish Scottish kilt designed by streetwear brand Palace.

For more information on the campaign and to watch the first six episodes visit glenmorangie.com

In partnership with Glenfiddich

Velocity and distillery. Stealth and speed. British racing green and Highland gold. Glenfiddich’s partnership with Aston Martin Formula One Team is an alliance of complementary disciplines and shared values: two timeless marques renowned for their history and innovation, coming together in a relentless pursuit of excellence.

How did this heritage-fuelled pairing get together?

Slowly at first, then very quickly. Just a few months ago, as the 2024 F1 race season started, the storied Aston Martin marque and the revered Scotch whisky house agreed on a partnership that would foster an industry-transcending legacy and set a new standard for blending passion, precision and quality.

Racing against the clock and cross-border distances, factory visits were arranged, the Aston Martin Formula One Team coming to Dufftown, Scotland, and in turn hosting the distillers in England. Common ground in expertise, processes and principles were rapidly revealed. ‘We discovered a lot of similarities,’ says Glenfiddich CEO Søren Hagh. ‘A very deep heritage, a long and rich history of pushing boundaries. A meticulous way of working.’

At Aston Martin Formula One Team’s brand-new Technology Campus in Silverstone, with its state-of-the-art wind tunnel, optimised working environment and intelligent use of natural light, the Glenfiddich visitors encountered a sleek, fast and hyper-modern environment. ‘But also a very slow, manual and methodical way of doing things,’ says Hagh. ‘When you are making an F1 car, nothing is left to chance and everything is exact. There’s an element of magic as you watch every part, process and essential ingredient coming together in the correct way. There’s an evolving design language, a careful application of skill and passion. The unhurried investment of time. Just like our distillers, malt masters and coopers, these people are specialists in their respective crafts.’

In both Formula One and whisky distillation, there’s an obsession with detail, agrees Brian Kinsman, Glenfiddich Malt Master. ‘With whisky, we need to know the pH of the water, the temperature of the mash. Even the exact position of the warehouse plays a part. Constant monitoring. No corners cut.’

At each meeting, fascination and connection flourished – and Hagh’s curiosity and appetite for synergistic potential rapidly accelerated. ‘How could we marry something that moves very slowly with something that moves very fast?’ he reflects, adding that ‘we found a genuine connection and a shared set of values’. With only a few months to pull the project together, both distillery and car-maker worked at pit-crew intensity. At Silverstone speed, the Aston Martin AMR24 arrived in Moray, Scotland to receive its Glenfiddich livery.

To honour the partnership with a whisky, Glenfiddich looked to 1959, the year of Aston Martin’s Formula One debut, unearthing a rare expression from the same year. Research proved the 1950s to have been a pivotal time for whisky’s future and a defining one for Glenfiddich – a period when single malts were virtually unknown beyond Scotland. This particular expression, casked by third Malt Master Gordon Grant, had helped lay the groundwork for the category’s rise and also plays a key role in Glenfiddich’s heritage.

Some 75 years later, that same expression, made from an exceptional sherry cask known for its rich intensity, embodies the craftsmanship of Glenfiddich Malt Masters across generations. How rich, intense and exceptional is the resulting whisky? Kinsman references worn leather and fine chocolate.

A deep mahogany-hued single malt, the whisky is ‘layered with notes of oak, aged leather, tannin and beeswax mingling with the earthy essence of a dunnage warehouse floor’, explain the tasting notes. ‘A drop of water releases waves of sweetness and dried fruit, with whispers of raisins and sun-dried prunes.’ On the palate, it’s a journey of ‘bold and balanced flavours: oaky spice intermingling with cloves, dates, and walnuts, evoking Christmas pudding and dark chocolate’. As flavours linger, they shift up a gear to offer intense depth, complexity and a sensory experience that mirrors the high-performance elegance of Aston Martin F1.

Serendipitously, and to much delight, Glenfiddich discovered that 1959 also happened to be Aston Martin Formula One Team boss Lawrence Stroll’s birth year and the year when the iconic, Betty Wilis-designed ‘Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign made its debut on The Strip. It was perfectly fitting, then, that Nevada would play host to the launch of the Glenfiddich 1959 liquid on the occasion of the Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix, while The Strip itself would announce the partnership with Aston Martin Formula One Team to the world.

Bringing excellence and passion, Glenfiddich’s signature intensity balanced with Aston Martin Formula One Team’s bold spirit, this new chapter in the slow art of whisky-making marks a shift up to new depth for the F1 universe.

glenfiddich.com

Just for a second, spare a thought for the beleaguered Japanese whisky salesperson in Glasgow, some 25 years ago. Imagine turning up at any number of the well-stocked bars, already laden with fine single malt Scotch, holding, in their no doubt trembling hands, the promise of a ‘new way of thinking’ in whisky. I suspect it was pretty slim pickings back then, as the spirit sought to establish itself outside of its already hugely successful domestic market.

Today sees a different scenario indeed. Thanks to the success of established brands such as Yamazaki, Hibiki and Nikka, (which celebrated its 90th anniversary this year) the reputation – and sales – of Japanese whisky have become nothing short of extraordinary. However, as demand has increased, the spirit has inevitably taken on a prestige status – in both the price and desirability stakes.

Japanese whisky full of distinction

This year has seen two hugely significant releases from Suntory, the owner of Yamazaki and Hakushu single malt distilleries, and the Hibiki blended Japanese whisky brand.

The first of these is the remarkable ‘Suntory Tsukuriwake Cask Collection’: retailing at £3,750 and representing four distinct single malts, each crafted to emphasise a profoundly different aspect of flavour in single malt whisky.

There's the light, delicate and buttery Yamazaki Golden Promise, which was distilled using a once legendary strain of barley; an Islay-cask-finished Yamazaki (which brings swathes of elegant, sweet medicinal smoke); an 18-year-old Mizunara-oak-cask-matured Yamazaki (Mizunara oak has become something of a calling card for inimitable and complex Japanese incense aromas); and finally, a smoky and rich 18-year-old Hakushu – the sister distillery to Yamazaki, built in the beautiful surroundings of the Japanese Southern Alps.

2024 was a prestigious year for Hibiki, Suntory’s flagship blended whisky, seeing the release of a 40-year-old – the oldest Hibiki to date, (limited to just 400 bottles and retailing for around £33,000) and arguably the pinnacle of chief blender Shinji Fukuyo’s long and highly lauded career. Created using a mixture of five components – or building-block whiskies – including Yamazaki from 1978 and 1983, both matured in American white oak puncheon casks, a lightly peated Hakushu from 1981, light and buttery grain whisky distilled in 1979 and 1981 from the Chita distillery, as well as robust and complex Yamazaki casks (sherry and Mizunara oak) from 1980 and 1983 respectively.

The resulting blend is testament to Fukuyo-san’s undoubted mastery as a blender: soft and fragrant at first, with wafts of gentle smoke, leading into more powerful, expressive and expansive notes of dark, peppery spice, polished wood, orchard fruit and sweet malt.

A new generation of Japanese distillers

Alongside these titans of the category, comes the new wave of distillers, eager to shake things up and bring the spirit to a new generation of whisky drinker. It was arguably Chichibu, founded back in 2007, which stirred the fiery renaissance for whisky distillation in the country, and thanks to several highly regarded releases ever since (including the much sought-after Chichibu 10-year-old (RRP £1,200), many new aspiring artisans have been keen to ride the crest of the Japanese whisky wave.

Kanosuke has its roots in rice-based Shochu production (Japan’s other rich spirit history), leaning all the way back to 1957, with a new dedicated whisky distillery built at its home on the west coast of Kyushu Island in 2017. The distillery uses an element of locally grown barley in its production and has stuck with traditional distillation techniques, using copper ‘worm tub’ condensers, which gives a more robust, heavier spirit. However, when it comes to the mature whisky, the distillery has begun to push boundaries with its cask choices, with the likes of beer, red and white wine and Madeira casks being used to play broad tunes with the flavour profile. Seek out the 2023 vintage, (RRP £150,) which is full of bright, fresh fruitiness, creamy custard notes and wisps of soft smoke.

Returning to the main Japanese Island of Honshu, a handful of other new – and resurrected ‘old’ – distilleries are also making waves, including Shizuoka, founded in 2016, which has also set out its stall extolling the virtues of using locally grown barley. Seek out its latest release of Pot Still K 100% Japanese barley – (RRP £229) – a youthful, but surprisingly complex malt whisky, with layers of malt, honeycomb, some gentle herbal notes and a dusting of woody spice.

Also worth exploring are the yearly released bottlings of Mars Komagatake (RRP £137) from the Shinshu distillery. Originally founded in 1985, but closed in 1992, only to be resurrected in 2011, the new operation based in the Japanese alps, the highest distillery in Japan, has roared back to life, complete with brand new pot stills and an entirely new visitors centre, for anyone fancying a spot of whisky tourism.

With 70 distilleries now in operation right across the country, filling the plains, valleys and hillsides on nearly all of Japan’s numerous islands, the future seems very bright indeed for an industry that thrives on a balance of deep respect for tradition and an unshakable desire to be the best it can be, day after day. Kampai!

Nestled into a fold of rolling Somerset countryside, a few miles from the art-gasto hotbed of Bruton, Osip v.2 – the feverishly anticipated new opening from chef Merlin Labron-Johnson – is a consummate place to take in the late changing seasons. It’s one of those crunchy autumn days; mizzle descending, wafts of fragrant woodsmoke curling from an alfresco cast-iron burner outside a handsome whitewashed old pile, bustling activity and twinkling lights within. An achingly winsome scene, even without the giddy epicurean context.

But giddy it is. Osip v.2 is the definitive phase of a project that began on Bruton’s high street in 2019. A tiny, design-mag bolthole with a lyrical Modern British menu in thrall to the seasons and bounties of the surrounding area, Osip v.1 quickly became a lynchpin for the field-to-plate boom and a vehicle for Labron-Johnson’s rising star (he made his name at Portland and Clipstone in London, before decamping to the sticks).

Having outgrown its roots, sights were set on a new base in this 17th-century coaching inn, previously owned by Hauser & Wirth. The move sees Osip v.2 reimagined as a kind of ‘contemporary auberge’: the Gallic farmhouse-restaurants seeing a revival in places like Bertrand Grébaut’s D’une île in Brittany and Thomas Benady’s Auberge Sauvage in Normandy. 'The site felt perfect,' explains Labron-Johnson. 'It feels like it's in the middle of nowhere, but still accessible, surrounded by fields and at the foot of a beautiful pine forest. But having it close to Bruton was also really important.'

The building, gleaming in washed white lime, has been overhauled by Bruton-based architects Bindloss Dawes: its once insular aspect opened up to the garden (replete with Japanese-style teahouse) and fields beyond, by way of a modernist extension with trailing vegetation and huge slim-framed windows between the steel-topped pass and the restaurant grounds (which, by summer, should have become a technicolour wildflower meadow). It’s not an industrial kitchen garden by any means – just asparagus and herbs thus far – but Labron-Johnson hopes to install a nursery next year, to propagate plants before digging them in to the fields.

Inside, the firm’s ascetic, naturalistic restoration is more cultivated still. It’s a blank canvas of sorts: the traditional white alcoves, exposed beams and crimson earthenware floor – made from locally-sourced and acoustically absorbent earth – a stage for a raft of keenly curated furnishings. As with the food, provenance is all: whether modern ceramics from Anna Karin and Collette Woods, and horsehair upholstery by Castle Cary’s John Boyd; to a hand-carved, English walnut bar by Forest + Found studio, and a rotating bevy of artworks led by Christopher le Brun’s pacific abstracts.

'It's a lovely pub, but it's not listed, so we don't want to lose that character,' says Bindloss Dawes co-founder Oliver Bindloss of the refit. 'And it’s been fun using local makers to feed into the narrative of how the building is made. It's similar to how Merlin uses local ingredients in his food.' Taken collectively, the vibe is as akin to a gallery as it is a restaurant; a painterly vision that chimes with the provenance-driven, refined cookery that is Labron-Johnson’s MO.

A cool 85% of the produce for the menu is grown between Osip’s two farms and orchard, and all dictated by the seasons. They also have a ‘low-meat’ credo, butchering whole animals in house for minimal waste; and they source much of what they can’t grow from hyper-local suppliers that share the restaurant’s small-scale ethos. Visually, the dishes are meticulous: the eleven-ish course menu flitting from mahogany-coloured root tea with burnt garlic oil, through beetroot ‘tacos’ flecked with red mole and dried venison heart; autumnal dishes of polenta with roasted corn, cured yolk and pied de mouton ‘shrooms, or scallop and lobster with pumpkin satay; a pitch-black puck of pig’s head in squid, doused in ink; and various other precision-honed titbits. (The drinks do no less heavy lifting; a fermented tomato and blackcurrant oil martini the West Country’s finest cocktail by some margin.)

It’s an undeniable achievement; the platonic realisation of Labron-Johnson’s vision for Osip, and of the holistic farm-to-table philosophy at large. 'On a simple level, we try to create an offering that's an expression of the local landscape at a specific time, that evolves weekly, if not daily,' he explains in conclusion. 'I hope that when people come, they taste and feel that. People talk a lot about a "sense of place", which has become a bit pretentious. But we do it because it feels very natural to us. This new space is about giving us the opportunity to evolve and grow without limitations.'

Osip, 25 Kingsettle Hill, Bruton, Somerset, BA10 0LN

The best Christmas hampers are perennial crowd-pleasers, signalling the start of the festivities with an age-old tradition. Once simple wicker baskets of preserves and port to share with neighbours and friends, they’ve evolved over the centuries into curated expressions of taste and design with more than a little touch of luxury to boot. Our hand-picked 2025 edit proves just how elevated the art of gifting has become.

Today’s hampers are as much about storytelling as they are about flavour: crafted by chefs, designers and independent producers who value provenance and presentation. From sculptural boxes filled with limited-batch olive oils to maximalist chests brimming with truffles and sparkling wine, this year’s offerings blur the line between culinary craft and collectable objects.

Each hamper in our round-up is designed to delight in both form and flavour. Whether destined for a client, close friend or the family table, these are gifts that speak to generosity, good taste and the joy of the beautifully made.

The meal we had the day we got engaged has stayed with me. It was a lunch at Asador Astillero in Getaria, a professional, business-like affair frequented by business-like Basques, at the very end of a business-like pier. I always enjoy places like that – ones that don’t romanticise what’s implicitly romantic. I like clean, plain tables, sturdy chairs – nothing perfunctory, of course, but nothing indulgent either. Restaurants in Milan often have this quality. So do some in Genoa and the Basque Country.

That morning we had made a pilgrimage to the Balenciaga museum in Getaria, Cristobal Balenciaga’s hometown. Afterwards, we followed various people’s directions and found ourselves the beneficiaries of the last table at Asador Astillero. After a bit of handholding, as we struggled with the names of dishes in Basque, we landed on percebes – goose barnacles – and rodaballo – a huge turbot cooked over fruit wood and served dripping in olive oil and fried garlic. These are two of the most famous dishes of the lands around the Bay of Biscay. We drank txakoli, which is from Getaria. Later that day, after a long and beautiful descent into Deba, we were again fate-kissed. We got a hotel room in town. We dropped our things, ate cheese and bread and drank local cider. We went to the beach and hopped around, finding shells. And then we got engaged.

Someone asked Pete if he had planned the engagement, and his answer had just been to recite the day we’d had, especially the meal at Astillero – as though after a meal of percebes, rodaballo, txakoli, just the two of us, alone in a sea of gracious Basques, beside the gracious sea, of course we decided to get married.

There are other meals. The plateau de fruits de mer that we ate later on the same trip at Chez Albert in Biarritz, or a year later, a similarly unexpected lunch – exploring a mountainside on bicycles – of preserved duck and salad and whatever light red wine they were pouring. The point is the way that restaurant meals can mark time. They are spiritual milestones. Often it is their fullness that inspires action – admitting that you love someone, making momentous decisions, understanding that you’ve touched, for a moment, the completeness of what life has to offer. That is, I think, what the great restaurants can offer.

My first evening at Adrère Amellal, in the Egyptian oasis of Siwa, was an unforgettable experience. When I arrived in the pitch-black night, I was guided by gas lights and bonfires through the stars and the silence. We were led to the most beautiful setting of a rock formation creating a natural open-sky dining room with a spectacular view over a white mountain. It was a chilly evening, as it can be in the desert, and as we sat, I could feel the gentle warmth of the braseros under the tablecloth. The table-setting was sophisticated and simple at the same time. What came after was nothing less than magical. I felt I belonged to planet Earth. To the universe.

Founded by Dr Mounir Neamatalla, Adrère Amellal is an ecolodge built from kershef – a mixture of salt and mud – set in the most beautiful, remote landscape. It resembles a vernacular village at the foot of the white mountain of Adrère Amellal, facing the Sahara desert. All the vegetables are picked from surrounding organic gardens. The food is cooked in wooden ovens and served in earth pots glazed with honey and egg yolk, which was a technique used by the pharaohs. The cuisine is a modern take on ancient Egyptian food, reviving flavours with sycamore fruit, dates or minted basil, all of which are locally available. Every evening, dinner is served in a different location chosen according to moonlight with a ceiling of stars above. The grounds are lit by candles and bonfires, engaging all the senses and creating a moment of magic that remains forever.

To me, a good restaurant involves three types of comfort: visual, physical and emotional. Authenticity is important, as is local produce, good service, and anything that enhances the experience. Customers want to feel the care and love that is put into a restaurant. Sometimes, paying small attention to details can add up to create a suspended moment of happiness.

Birley Chocolate has opened in Chelsea to offer Londoners a chance to discover the delicious diversity of the highest quality cacao, in gorgeous surroundings. Located amid an enclave of gourmet food stores on Cale Street, it joins Birley Bakery, which opened in 2023 (and made an impression with its homage to the Magnum ice cream last summer).

The new shop is a jewel box of delights, with exquisite chocolate creations offered alongside exceptional bread and pastries, ice creams and sorbets. The interior, conceived by Notting-Hill based JR Design, conjures up the opulent, colourful Birley world. Crimson walls are adorned with murals hand-painted by artist Lizzi Porter; they depict fantastical birds, trees and flowers in a style inspired by the motifs of 19th-century Japonisme. Glowing lanterns, cane seating and flourishes of gold add to the exotic mood of the space.

Inside Birley Chocolate shop

Birley Chocolate is a partnership between Robin Birley, the club owner behind 5 Hertford Street and Oswald’s, and his executive pastry chef Vincent Zanardi, with whom he has worked closely since 2012. Excellent chocolate has always been a feature of Birley establishments, and this latest venture brings to fruition Robin and Zanardi’s long-held vision of a dedicated shop.

The chocolates are made using the finest ingredients, carefully sourced from Zanardi’s long-standing suppliers in all corners of the globe: there’s vanilla from Tahiti, coconut from Sri Lanka, and Piedmontese hazelnuts and Valencian almonds used to make the pralines.

Zanardi and his team drew inspiration from the ‘mendiant’, a classic French confection composed of a thin layer of chocolate topped with nuts and dried fruits. They refined and elevated it by pairing only a single fruit with a chocolate that best complements its flavour profile.

‘The intention was to create a chocolate that is one of a kind, something distinct and elegant,’ Zanardi explains, and the Birley interpretation is an alluring array of sleek, slim rectangles in combinations that include dark chocolate and pistachio, milk chocolate and sesame, and white chocolate and matcha-lemon. Birley Chocolate’s signature boxes, whose beautiful design echoes the interior of the shop, contain a selection of 12, 24 or 48 of these delicious chocolates.

As well as the signature collections, the shop offers almond, hazelnut and popcorn dragées, and orangettes – candied orange from Corsica coated with dark chocolate. There are also dark, milk or white chocolate bars, slabs and sticks, lavished with roasted nuts and fragrant fruit.

In addition to its sumptuous house confections, Birley Chocolate celebrates other chocolate makers from around the world, offering a range of outstanding specialist bars, including those made by Nicolas Berger, the renowned pâtissier who is devoted to the sourcing and production of chocolate for use by pastry chefs. ‘This will give purists the opportunity to enjoy the product alone and for, the more daring, a chance to bake with it,’ says Zanardi, who holds a deep respect and appreciation for artisan producers.

Birley Chocolate goods are available to purchase online or at the shop, which also boasts an elegant seating arrangement where breakfast and lunch are served, and customers may sit and enjoy a croque monsieur or a salad, among other dishes, while taking in the ambience and contemplating which chocolates to take home.

birleybakery.com

Ah tequila: a spirit which has coloured the stories – and memories – of practically every drinker… arguably in equal measures of both the spectacularly good and bad. Over the past few years, tequila – and its various agave-based buddies, such as mezcal and the lesser-known gems, raicilla and bacanora – has become more highly sought after, with a level of connoisseurship to rival the likes of Scotch or Japanese whisky.

Alongside this distinct premiumisation comes a wonderful versatility with these once humble agave spirits: from a classic Margarita, its spicy sibling the Picante, simple, satisfying shots, smoky Old Fashioneds or THE Cocktail du Jour, the Paloma, there’s now an agave spirit-based serve out there for everyone.

In fact, tequila brands are really seizing every opportunity to help get the consumer into the swing of things (there's even a National Tequila Day). Recently, Patrón launched the hugely entertaining Paloma Ventana pop-up in Covent Garden: an activation in partnership with two Michelin-starred chef, Tom Sellers, where Patrón reposado Paloma cocktails and Mexican-inspired small plate bites were passed through a tiny velvet-curtained window by a mysteriously skilful hand to those passing by, along with tokens to redeem another delicious cocktail at handful of selected bars around London, including Satan’s Whiskers, Aqua Nueva, Side Hustle at NoMad and Café Pacifico (see below).

All this got me thinking, with so much happening around this truly wonderful spirit, where abouts should we all be heading to enjoy it? So, here’s my pick of some of London’s best tequila outlets. Salud!

Paloma Café

An absolute agave gem in every sense of the word, Paloma Café, evokes the imagery and panache of a simple, understated but perfectly formed, 1950s Mexican Cantina.

You’ll find a treasure trove of everything agave behind the bar, from craft tequila brands of all kind (blanco, through to extra anejo, the oak-matured style) to more difficult-to-find raicilla and mezcals which will change your perception about the spirit for the better. As expected, the house Paloma doesn’t disappoint, nor do the small bowls of Anrojitos – or ‘Little Whimsies’ which accompany each cocktail: Mexican snacks with a real twist! I won’t spoil the surprise here, so get yourself over to Shoreditch to see what all the fuss is about.

79 Wentworth St, Shoreditch, E1 7TD palomacafe.co.uk

Kol Mezcaleria

Those of you who know a thing or two about Mexican cuisine will no doubt be familiar with Kol and its peerless Michelin-starred marriage of the very best of Mexican street food and seasonal British produce. The restaurant’s basement also houses a topflight, stand-alone agave bar too, with the cocktails mirroring the inventive fusion of the kitchen. Think sorrel and hops effortlessly blending with warming, smoky Leyenda cupreata mezcal, or a Martini mixed with Volcan blanco tequila, pine distillate and cucumber and you’ll get the picture at the level of skill on offer here.

Lower Ground Floor, 9 Seymour St, London W1H 7BA kolrestaurant.com

Café Pacifico

The OG when it comes to Mexican good times in the city, Café Pacifico has been bringing its unique good times and charm to the capital since 1982 and feels more than ready to keep supplying them for another few decades yet. It was founded by the late Tomas Estes, a remarkable guru and authority in the world of tequila, whose (recently reprinted) book, ‘The Tequila Ambassador’ has become an essential read for anyone looking to further their knowledge of the world of agave spirits. If you’re after a quiet, post-work, wind-down cocktail, Pacifico is definitely NOT the place: however, if you require a stirring of the soul and senses in only the way that a well-made Tommy’s Margarita and raucous laughter can provide, then there’s really no where else like it.

5 Langley St, London WC2H 9JA café-pacifico.com

La Bodega Negra Café

A tale of two locations, very much with the same ethos, but done differently, Bodega Negra’s restaurant offers a very up-market twist on traditional Mexican street food, (think sea bass ceviche, prawn and lobster tamal and some terrific tacos), served in an altogether sultry environment. Its upstairs café is the opposite: bright and vibrant, it also possesses one of the most comprehensive agave spirits lists I’ve seen in ages: nearly 50 different tequilas grace the menu: everything from bright, fresh blancos such as El Rayo and Ocho, to a sublimely aged Patrón Anejo and Tapatio’s Excellencia Gran Reserva, and this is before we come onto the separate mezcal pages containing another 20+ spirits. There are also flights of both spirits to try, allowing you to become fully immersed in the culture and flavour of the spirit.

16 Moor St, London W1D 5AP bodeganegracafe.com

Decimo – The Standard

Heading up to the vibrant Kings Cross culinary quarter and you’ll come across the Standard hotel, which is home to Decimo: the playful domain of Michelin-starred chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias, whose passion is the fusion of his family’s Spanish cuisine with a love for all things Mexico. The food menu is a colourful tapestry of bold dishes including Gambas Rojas, Birria Short Rib and smaller bites, nestling alongside a flight of four different mezcals, designed to showcase the diversity of agave styles, (such as Espadin and Tobala) and several seasonally influenced mezcal cocktails.

10 Argyle Street, London WC1H 8EG decimo.london

Doña

Sticking with the mezcal theme and any aficionado of this lovably smoky delight needs to head on over to Stoke Newington for a visit to Doña, a fabulously vibey bar which is truly dedicated to the spirit. Doña was established by Thea Cumming and Lucia Massey, the brains behind London Mezcal Week and the duo seamlessly fuse mezcal into classic cocktails such as the Negroni, as well as provide a colourful backdrop of nightly live musicians, DJs and performers. Like the drink they’re clearly so dedicated to, it’s a spirited, playful and hugely fun-filled ride-of-a-night-out.

92 Stoke Newington High Street, London, N16 7NY bardonalondon.com

Hacha Agaveria

The South London sibling of the outstanding original Hacha in Dalston, which has regularly graced Best Bar lists internationally. Hacha Brixton is a wonderfully light and airy space above the bustling indoor market, with a beautifully laid out lounge feel. The 25-strong list of spirits is a love letter to everything agave including raicilla and bacanora and the addition of detailed, value-for-money tequila and mezcal flights and a bottle shop, selling its signature cocktails in ready to serve form, make Hacha a proper must-visit on your path to tequila heaven.

12-14 Market Row, Brixton SW9 8LD hachabar.com

Glenmorangie’s director of whisky creation, Dr Bill Lumsden, is an icon of the whisky world. He has won the prestigious Master Distiller of the Year award more times than anyone else and is known for his pioneering approach. He pushes at the boundaries of taste and experimentation and focuses on recreating sensory experiences through the huge range of complex and nuanced flavours that are attainable at the highest level of whisky making.

For this exciting new expression, Dr Lumsden collaborated with acclaimed Japanese botanical artist Azuma Makoto (who has worked for Dior Parfums and created installations for SFER IK in Mexico) to conjure up a spirit that would reflect their shared love of the natural world: a deep appreciation of the earth, the sky, and everything in between, a concept known in Japanese as ‘shinra bansho’. Together they imagined how they would create a uniquely delicious single malt that celebrates nature in all its forms.

The pair set forth on a trip to Glenmorangie’s Distillery to be inspired by its rich heritage and the unique beauty of its Highland surroundings. Dr Lumsden envisioned a whisky that would entwine Glenmorangie’s floral side with notes of earth and moss.

He took a classic Glenmorangie single malt long-aged in bourbon casks and united it with the brand’s first whisky ever finished in casks that once held Chardonnay white wine from the Meursault appellation in Burgundy. The resulting limited edition is the first of its kind, a truly elemental spirit: rich, deep, and mellow, with notes of moss dampened by rainfall, burning oak and earthy scents of the forest floor.

Sipping a dram back at his Tokyo studio, Makoto drew on the whisky’s exquisite flavours to create his own work of art. He gathered orchids, roses and wild flowers from Scotland and around the world, and wove them through tree bark, roots and moss. His complex, flowing botanical sculpture (entitled Shinra Bansho, after the notion at its heart) is Azuma’s tribute to nature, reflecting the layered depths of the whisky, and is showcased in the limited edition’s packaging.

Says Dr Lumsden: ‘Our collaboration with Azuma Makoto is a delicious celebration of nature’s wonder. Including our first whisky finished in Chardonnay casks from Burgundy, this 23-year-old single malt encapsulates nature in all its forms, through notes of lemon balsam, poached pears and cocoa powder layered on the oaky, earthy tones of the forest floor. Azuma-san’s stunning sculpture, featured on the whisky’s packaging, evokes the fragrant scents and elemental depths of this extraordinarily rare whisky – a gift from nature itself.’

€1,250/£1,050, glenmorangie.com

London 2024 is a city awash in natural wine, deep into a second formative wave of openings keen on low-intervention and biodynamic booze. ‘Natural’ here basically means created (give or take a trace-level dusting of stabilising sulphur) without the addition of synthetic yeasts, chemicals and spurious preservatives in the way that industrially-made or ‘conventional’ wine is – revealing a world of flavour and expression of terroir almost impossible to imagine in the mainstream a decade ago. Here are some of the best places in London to drink it now.

The Wallpaper* map of London's best natural wine bars

Cadet, Newington Green

An airy, blissfully ascetic spot on the edge of Newington Green – a vision of liver-coloured formica, recherche metal lampshades and posters designed for the bar’s myriad winemaker events – Cadet is the brainchild of wine importers Tom Beattie and Francis Roberts, chef Jamie Smart and charcuterie George Jephson. Not for zip is it one of the hottest properties on the London scene; its meticulous list taking in everything from smashable sparkling pinot gris courtesy Austria’s Christoph Lindenlaud to rarefied savagnin from the Jura.

57 Newington Green, N16 9PX

cadetlondon.com/

107, Clapton

Rising from the ashes of P Franco – bona-fide first-wave icon, the sudden shuttering of which remains a mystery to most – 107 has kept near everything but the name of its original guise: be that the general manager (William Gee), the low intervention remit, the single central communal table, even the cutlery. Crucially, its walk-ins only policy and a garrulous, near-pedagogic approach to pouring outré bottles from across the natural spectrum also remains. A generational classic.

107 Lower Clapton Road, E5 0NP

107wine.co.uk/

Bar Levan, Peckham Rye

Thrumming offshoot of the Modern European stalwart Levan next door – and located in what was once Larry’s, another natty wine mainstay – Bar Levan is inspired by the Parisian caves à manger model but with an inimitable Peckham twist (that is to say: DJs). The zippy natural, biodynamic and organic carte is all served by the glass, and might include anything from the Wiltshire-based Offbeat’s hazy Field Notes 2 to a chilled, five-grape red blend from Serbia’s Oszkár. House pours are a bargain £6 and the croque monsieur is textbook ballast.

Unit 5, 12-16 Blenheim Grove, SE15 4QL

barlevan.co.uk/

Sune, Hackney

Honey Spencer – wine director of the Palomar Group (thus: Palomar, Barbary, The Mulwray, Evelyn’s Table), author of the excellent Natural Wine, No Drama and general drinks world doyenne – may have reached her zenith with Sune. An off-Broadway Market restaurant, launched with her partner (and former Noma GM) Charlie Sims, it’s singlehandedly revitalising the ‘small plates and natural wine’ trend – not least through a democratically priced list that skews pan-European for the most (give or take a fistful of New World bottles) with a neat provision of labels from Georgia, Greece and the Czech Republic.

129A Pritchard's Road, E2 9AP

sune.restaurant/

Hector’s, De Beauvoir

The bustling murmur of outdoor drinkers and a sunny yellow awning marks your arrival at Hector’s, a lynchpin of the ever-fertile De Beauvoir/Dalston wine axis. There’s a short and sweet list of things by the glass but, being a bottle shop, more palpable excitement can be found by nabbing a vividly-labelled bottle from the shelves or emptying one’s wallet with one of the rarer vintages from the cellar room behind the bar. Simple plates of charcuterie and cheese, or bijous tons of tuna belly and anchovies in oil, complete the breezy scene.

49a Ardleigh Road, N1 4HS

hectorslondon.co.uk

Bar Crispin, Carnaby

Dom Handley’s Crispin group (which also includes an OG site at Spitalfields, the zeitgeisty Cripsin at Studio Voltaire in Clapham and Shoreditch’s Bistro Freddie) has been quietly carving a niche at the fore of the London wine scene for years. No more so than in this, its Lilliputian bar on Kingly Street. Unusually, the wine list is organised not by region, but by climes – Mediterranean, Maritime and Continental – while the house tap wines are sourced from a Campanian co-operative.

19 Kingly Street, W1B 5PY

barcrispin.com

Sager + Wilde, Hackney

Michael Sager’s iconic Hackney Road bar, Sager + Wilde, might be part of the furniture these days, but there’s no dismissing its pioneering, trend-setting status. Come for the feted toasties and striking bar made from glass pavement tiles, stay for the deeply considered list, heavy with French and Italian bottles and spanning everything from hyper-summery catarratto to oenophile-baiting bottles like Eduardo Valentini’s pink Trebbiano d'Abruzzo (plus gewürztraminer / cherry ‘Beetle Juice’ and rarefied lambic beers for the wine-agnostic).

193 Hackney Road, E2 8JL

sagerandwilde.com

Quality Wines, Farringdon

Such is the fervour behind the casually brilliant plates Nick Bramham knocks out on a couple of hot plates at this sister site to Farringdon’s Quality Chop House, that it’s sometimes easy to overlook the booze. But maintain focus: Marcos Spyrou and Emidio Russo’s heaving shelves are an absolute trove, with a heady provision of riesling and chenin blanc plucked out from the wider, overwhelmingly Old World inventory (which also includes several hoofing, conventionally-produced vintages for the deep pocketed).

88 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3EA

qualitywinesfarringdon.com

The Pelican, Notting Hill

Its demographic might be almost comically braying (we’re deep into signet ring territory here), but The Pelican is a clattery gem. A vision of distressed and muted design-mag hues, low lighting and a menu that doesn’t so much nod to St John as bear-hug it, it also boasts an excellent list brimming with low-intervention treasures: from Tim Wildman’s Lost in a Field English/Welsh blend pet nat, to gamay from Beaujolais’s Chateau Cambon (made from vines once owned by Jules Chauvet, one of the regions OG natural winemakers). 

45 All Saints Road, W11 1HE

thepelicanw11.com/

Omnom and Theodóra Alfreðsdóttir whip up a harmonious blend of chocolate and design, creating a showcase of delectable confectionary morsels that taste as good as they look.

Omnom, a small-batch Icelandic chocolatier, united with product designer Alfreðsdóttir to think of a solution to reduce waste within the chocolate-making process. Husk is a common by-product of the cacao bean, with six kilos of husk collected every day at Omnom alone.

Merge by Omnom and Theodóra Alfreðsdóttir

Merging their creative minds, the impactful team tapped into the cacao shell's potential. As a result, their collaboration aims to create a circular system within the chocolate industry, where the by-product and end product meet in the form of small husk sculptures that display tasty chocolate shapes.

The partnership came about on the occasion of Design March, the annual Icelandic design festival, which hosts more than 100 events across the city of Reykjavik, held in late April over five days. The project was exhibited at the Omnom Chocolate Factory, where visitors could immerse themselves in the story of chocolate’s origin, from bean to bite.

Through flavours, Omnom nods to its Icelandic roots, with birch, barley, liquorice, and rhubarb chocolate bonbons. The larger rectangular chocolate blocks feature speckled detailing that is inspired by surrounding landscapes. Alfreðsdóttir shares the same Icelandic connection, channelling her adoration for her country through the sculptural husk plinths the chocolate sits on, which touch on personal memories for the London-based designer.

Much like the flavours, the designs are inspired by Icelandic nature and culture. In Alfreðsdóttir's notable geometric style, they come in a variety of shapes, from smooth spheres, to pointed cone shapes, and curved crisp-like forms.

omnomchocolate.com

theodoraalfredsdottir.com

There’s no denying it, gin exploded on a global level roughly five years ago, as we welcomed in the new Roaring Twenties. Gin, with its beautifully balanced, simple botanical backbone gave us a new-found fondness for classic drinks of the original, hedonistic, cocktail-fuelled era: the Martini, with its elegant, romantic herbaceous splendour; the Negroni, full of dry, mysterious complexity, and of course, let’s not forget, the G&T. Once a perfunctory serve, with a cube of ice and a slice of citrus, with little care or attention to detail, the G&T is redesigned as the ultimate vehicle to show off a gin’s broad botanical appeal.

Gins from all corners of the world emerged with their national credentials and botanical terroir on full display. Alongside this, we witnessed a localisation of the spirit in the UK: each county (and in some cases, city) proudly distilling its own gin, to the delight of the local residents, while some distilleries also offered fine dining. (Scotland’s The Glenturret whisky distillery has recently released its first gin, featured below, named after its ‘brand home’ Aberturret Estate House, and opened The Glenturret restaurant in 2021 with luxury glassmaker Lalique.)

Fast forward to today and I’ll be totally frank with you: its seems as if the gin craze has dimmed slightly. A plethora of unusual, densely packed botanical recipes, post-distillation fruit flavourings (for infused gin), and other more commercial factors have meant that our love of gin in its purist sense has become somewhat lost.

Couple this with a rise in popularity for tequila, rum and – for the first time in years – vodka, and the lustrous shine has begun to slip away from gin, alongside its global sales foothold. According to the Food & Drink Federation, gin exports fell by 12.4 per cent in volume during 2023, hinting at a cooling in enthusiasm for the spirit.

However, according to some forecasters, the sector for premium gins is predicted to grow substantially over the next six to seven years – as much as 10 per cent year-on-year by some estimates. This begs the question: what qualifies as a premium gin?

Premium gin to discover

The unusual, the elegant, and the celebrity element

Whereas a few years ago, it would be virtually unheard of to see a gin retailing for over £35, today, looking at the gin listings of The Whisky Exchange, arguably the UK’s biggest purveyor of quality spirits, and you’ll no longer find this a surprising benchmark. Innovative top-end craft brands such as Cambridge gin have pioneered the ultra-premium gin space by using unusual and unconventional ingredients in their recipes, such as ants (yes, you did read that correctly), and truffle. An ant-infused gin will set you back a cool £232, whilst the elegant, subtle truffle flavouring will cost you £84.

Elsewhere, gin is not without its celebrity admirers, who have, in turn, decided to become distillers. Renais gin is the brainchild of actress Emma Watson and her brother Alex, with the concept coming from the Watson family’s long history in the Burgundy region of France. The spirit for the gin is created from what they describe as ‘upcycled grape skins from the winemaking process’, including some from the family’s own vineyards; these sit alongside Kimmeridgian (a type of limestone), lemon peel, juniper and coriander seeds, which are finally blended with Chardonnay grape juice to give the finished gin a slightly golden colour. A limited-edition bottle, designed, painted and inscribed by Emma Watson costs £60.

Renais gin from £48, renais.co.uk

A symbiosis of gin and whisky

In Scotland, you’ll obviously find plenty of classic whisky brands to tantalise and delight the palate, but one distiller has endeavoured to fuse the traditions of both its national spirit and gin firmly together. The Aberturret is a new gin created by the Glenturret distillery in Crieff, which is also home to a two Michelin-starred restaurant from the highly acclaimed Mark Donaldson. The chef has brought his culinary prowess into the realm of gin-making by helping shape the botanical choices, including locally sourced sumac and chamomile flowers, as well as pine needles for additional aromatic qualities. However, the most unusual addition comes from a small proportion of new-make whisky spirit, which brings a distinctly malty note and richer mouthfeel. For additional pizazz, the bottle was designed by luxury glass maker, Lalique.

The Aberturret Gin, £45, theaberturretgin.com

Small-batch, craft, precision: still watchwords in gin

Down in the leafy, picturesque surrounds of the Cotswolds, a mini revolution in distillation has been quietly occurring, in a building no bigger than a moderately sized garden shed. Capreolus Distillery’s mastermind is Barney Wilczak, a man on a mission to highlight the wonders of distilling Britain’s heritage fruit into eaux-de-vie. Damsons, quince, blackberries, apples and pears are all sourced as locally as possible by Wilczak and turned into exquisite spirits, packed with freshness and flavour. He’s also turned his hand to making a sensational 34-botanical Garden Swift gin, which brings together organic blood orange, flowers, spices, berries, pine and resins, alongside a healthy heart of juniper.

Garden Swift gin, £45, capreolusdistillery.co.uk

Over on the Cornish coast, you’ll find another in the latest batch of premium craft distillers. The Padstow Distilling Co may not yet be as well known as the town’s most famous culinary resident, Rick Stein, but its gin, described as a ‘plough-to-bottle spirit, with a taste of Padstow in every sip’ is certainly gaining a firm reputation, combining spirit made from locally grown Cornish barley, juniper, citrus, bay and the stems of alexander: a plant foraged locally: a simple yet wonderfully elegant recipe indeed.

Padstow Gin, from £48, padstowdistilling.co.uk

Let’s keep it simple

Speaking of simplicity, one current trend in premium gin is to bring the spirit back to being as close to its core botanical – juniper – as possible: something which goes back to the very roots of gin, some 400 years ago. One such exponent is Sweden’s Hernö, whose master distiller Jon Hillgren (one of the most highly decorated gin distillers in the world) has created a recipe combining just two botanicals: juniper and coriander seeds. This ‘noise-cancelling, no buzzword gin’, as Hillgren calls it, may sound uninspired, but one sip and you’re transported firmly back to why everyone got excited about gin in the first place: the pungent, aromatic oiliness of pure juniper goodness. The result is a timeless – and yet very timely – addition to the premium gin category, and a reminder that sometimes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Hernö Botanical Flavoured Gin, £42. Info at hernogin.com, available to buy from systembolaget.se

Staying on the same simplicity tip, Nairobi’s Procera has upped the ante in terms of juniper-led ultra-premium gin with the launch of its Green Dot vintage, a limited-batch gin made using the 2022 harvest of the lesser-known Procera variety of juniper, which only grows in Kenya and Ethiopia. Bold, oily and distinctly herbal, it’s a fine example of showcasing why juniper should always be the true jewel in the gin crown.

Green Dot gin, £119, proceragin.com

The accolade ‘La Grande Année’, or ‘The Great Year’, is a beautifully simple indication of the prestige of two new Champagne Bollinger cuvées – La Grande Année 2015 and La Grande Année Rosé 2015 – because only truly extraordinary years are awarded this vintage status at the house.

In order to understand why these cuvées are so special, we must talk about the weather – obviously a key factor for growing grapes and producing wine. The year 2015 was one of remarkable weather; a mild, wet, winter gave way to an April that saw the highest recorded levels of sunshine since 2007 and set the tone for a searingly hot, dry, summer (fortunately, the vines were able to cope with a lack of rain because the chalky vineyard soil had absorbed large amounts of water from the wet winter).

This chain of meteorological events resulted in a marvellous September grape harvest – it yielded compact bunches of small, concentrated, and extremely healthy berries with high levels of acidity. As a result, the 2015 cuvées display exquisite texture and an incredible power and generosity.

Of course, underlying the gratifyingly good 2015 harvest is Bollinger’s excellence in winemaking. This vintage showcases the house’s finesse, where technical precision is married with layers of hand craftsmanship, experience, and history. The unique heritage of the house is intertwined with its family forest, which stands above its vineyards in north-eastern France and provides Bollinger with the oak that makes the barrels in which its vintages mature.

Bollinger is the last remaining champagne house to have its own resident cooper, Gaël Chaunut, a highly skilled artisan, who is responsible for assembling and maintaining its magnificent oak barrels. This brings us to another crucial element in the Bollinger story, its savoir-faire in oak cask maturation.

Maturation in old oak casks (averaging 20 years of age) is the house’s most distinctive characteristic. This process allows the wine to breathe and facilitates micro-oxygenation, which creates magnificent flavour and complexity and gives the wine a wonderful capacity to age. It evolves in a very specific way, with the oak aromas melding with those of the grapes, and the structure, precision and sensory qualities of the wood imparted to the wine as it mellows and matures.

The champagne blending stage at Bollinger is an art form. Performed with meticulous precision under the expert eye of cellar master Denis Bunner, it involves tasting some 500 different wines to achieve a flawless balance of taste and texture.

Bollinger’s impressive range of vineyards are planted mostly with Pinot Noir – a black grape variety that defines the house style, which is complex and powerful. La Grande Année and La Grande Année Rosé are wonderfully opulent, with a luscious richness that is offset by an elegant note of bitterness. They are superb gastronomic wines that pair perfectly with fine cuisine, their creamy effervescence complementing delicate, sophisticated flavours and illustrating the exquisite harmony between great wine and food. (Similarly, Bollinger’s La Grande Année 2012 was launched at London restaurant St John with bespoke pairing menu.)

Bunner is thrilled by this release, and says: ‘2015 expresses more of the soul of a Bollinger millésimé than any other year. More opulent, more powerful, it exalts Pinot Noir. Uplifted by maturation in wooden casks, this champagne reveals the characteristics of an exceptional year.’

champagne-bollinger.com

From a vintage Italian egg basket to a meringue disguised as a fried egg, if omnipresent tinselly towers of chocolate eggs give you that sickly sweet feeling, there are plenty of other ways to celebrate the humble egg this week. Here are some of our favourite alternative Easter eggs.

No-chocolate, alternative Easter eggs

The egg canteen

The arrival of Easter means that picnics, al-fresco dining, and tennis tournaments are due to start peppering schedules. Roland-Garros, the first European major tennis competition is limbering up to open its doors on 20 May 2024 (tickets here), and French silversmith and purveyor of fine tableware Christofle is marking its partnership with the event in what it terms ‘a match of manners’. ‘MOOD Roland-Garros’, is a celebratory version of Christofle’s noted egg-shaped table-top canteen in three terracotta versions, reflecting the rich, russet Roland-Garros clay courts. Containing cutlery for six people (24 pieces), the special edition is due to arrive at Christofle’s rue St Honoré Paris flagship and international boutiques in April, just in time for spring picnics. It will also be launched in party and coffee versions. 

MOOD Roland Garros available in April, from christofle.com (other ‘MOOD Christofle’ versions are available now)

The ‘egg’ dessert

Trust Albert Adrià, the man commonly known as the 'the world’s best pastry chef', to come up with this too-good-to-eat delicacy. Adrià’s carrot cake recipes are legendary and, as part of his Easter menu at Cake & Bubbles, his restaurant at the Hotel Café Royal in Piccadilly, London, he is offering one in a celebratory guise: an orange and carrot concoction of foam, frosting, ginger and biscuit, topped with a perfect ‘egg yolk’ of lime mousse with an orange glaze. However, if you're on the hop or looking for a gift, pop in for a takeaway delight, such as a spiced meringue and mandarin marmalade Hot Cross Bun or a Cake & Bubbles Easter egg, one of which contains a golden ticket offering a prize of an overnight stay for two at the hotel. 

hotelcaferoyal.com

The egg basket

An egg basket is generally made for everyday use, presumably to sit on a kitchen counter. So why are so many contemporary designs so unattractive, chintzy or all-round aesthetically unpleasing? The point is this: a good egg basket is hard to find, and so it’s off to the past we must go. This abtract brass and aluminium Italian modernist chicken, with yellow and red accents in all the right places, is, we think, an egg basket you could live with, day in, day out. 

£1,313, at 1st Dibs

The egg cup

Jochen Gerner, the artist, illustrator and member of comic art experimentalist group OuBaPo, imagined these way-too-charming motifs for the Saut Hermès egg cup and saucer. Inspired by the French maison’s annual showjumping event, traditionally held inside the Grand Palais in Paris, his drawings have been transferred to porcelain using a hand-laid screenprinting method. Whether you are a horse-lover or not, the Saut Hermès egg cup and saucer make a delightful case for boiled eggs for breakfast on Easter Sunday and every other day besides. 

£190, at Hermès

The egg on toast

For an oh-so-cute Easter breakfast treat, this fun-sized recipe from our October 2015 edition of Smallpaper* by Wallpaper* entertaining director Melina Keays never fails to raise a smile.

Egg flowers on toast

Ingredients

1 thick slice of bread
butter, at room temperature
1 egg
2 frankfurter sausages
baby tomatoes and baby corn, to serve

Method

Butter the bread generously on both sides. Press out a cavity in the centre of the slice using an 8cm flower-shaped biscuit cutter. Reserve the bread flower.

Break the egg into a small bowl.

Heat a non-stick pan over a medium fame and place the bread and the cut-out flower in the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes until golden, then flip over.

Tip the egg into the cavity. Press lightly at the edges of the flower, until the white begins to set, to prevent the white from spreading outside the toast. Cook until the egg is just set.

To make the frankfurter flowers, bring a small pan of water to a simmer. Slice one sausage lengthways, and make a series of cuts halfway across the width, about 1/2 cm apart, on the whole length of each half-sausage.

Cut the other sausage into 3cm lengths and this time make vertical cuts, halfway down the length of each piece, to form the ‘flower petals’.

Place the sausage pieces in the simmering water for 2 minutes until they have curled into flowers.

Assemble the plate, surrounding the egg toast and cut-out flower toast with sausage flowers using halved tomatoes at their centres, and baby corn as leaves.

Easter treats go beyond chocolate eggs. From Alain Ducasse’s abstract chocolate chicks to Dolce & Gabbana’s Sicilian colomba, a dove-shaped cake signalling renewal and made for sharing, here are five of our favourites, to tuck into now or give year round.

5 irresistible Easter treats

A perfect egg

It was a decade ago that the now 40-something Edwin Yansané opened his chocolate ‘factory’ in Paris. By his own admission, the chocolatier’s world view is ‘deeply Parisian’ and he makes full use of the city’s multi-ethnic culinary influences in his search of inspirational ingredients. As well as his gastronomic leanings, Yansané is fascinated by tattooing and considered a career in psychology before choosing a future in chocolate. A smart choice? You decide when you savour one of his ‘mentalist’ concoctions, such as this oozing boiled egg, dripping with peanut praline. 

L'Œuf coque cacahuète, €18.33, at Edwart

A mouthwatering miscellany

Just look at the little chocolate chick at the top of our story. Stripped of all its cutesy fluff and hatched in a wondrous origami form. And it is no less adorable for it, which just goes to show that good design can be ephemeral and tasty. Fresh from chef Alain Ducasse's Le Chocolat confectionery line, the chocolate chick is only a tiny part of the Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse ‘gourmet nest’ story. There are woodpeckers, hens, swans and ducks and even a chocolate peacock in this delectable flock, each offered in 45 per cent cocoa milk-chocolate and 75 per cent cocoa dark-chocolate varieties. And that’s only the start: tiny chocolate bells, eggs and bite-size lobsters are chiming and scuttling their way into boutiques and department stores now. 

Praliné treats, pictured, £21, at Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse, Coal Drops Yard, London, and boutiques throughout Europe

A golden egg

Alongside delicious bread and pastries, chocolate is something of a preoccupation at Birley Bakery, and it has its own chocolate factory in London’s Battersea to show for it. As you’d imagine, the bakery on Chelsea Green is a cornucopia of chocolate creations this weekend, and the Golden Crunch milk-chocolate egg with roasted Piedmontese hazelnuts, is a highlight. The Italian Easter colomba, a panettone-like egg cake studded with candied orange and laced with Tahitian vanilla, is also worth picking up for an Easter breakfast treat. 

Egg, £85, and Colomba, £36, at Birley Bakery

A curly confection

Whenever I’m flying out of Geneva airport, the Sprüngli chocolate boutique, conveniently on the corner before I head down to the gate, is my last point of call. The legendary Swiss chocolatier’s variety of shapes, recipes and figurines makes it the perfect stop for a last-minute gift spree. To be honest, I’m often the only giftee I can think of in the moment, but less selfish types might opt for an elegant Sprüngli chocolate bunny, its tall form as if imagined by a 1950s illustrator. But it's this unruly, curly little Easter rabbit that takes my fancy – it’s one sad eye just begging me to take it home and scoff it before it cries. 

Rocher Bunny in milk chocolate and crunchy almond slivers, CHF39, at Sprüngli

A peace offering

Dolce & Gabbana cakes, created in partnership with Italian fine food specialist Fiascanaro, are delicious all year round, and so is the fashion duo’s Sicilian Easter colomba. Colomba – dove – cakes are shared in Italy at Easter as a symbol of peace and rebirth. As you’d expect, Dolce & Gabanna’s highly illustrated cake-tin designs are something of a gift in themselves, and each D&G cake is delivered in a matching gift bag. This colomba tin is decorated in a Sicilian Maiolica motif. Inside, the dove-shaped cake is infused with candied orange, Marsala, sugar crystals and almonds. 

Colomba by Fiasconaro x Dolce & Gabbana. £49, at Fiasconaro

In 2024, Midleton Very Rare celebrates four decades of exceptional whiskey-making. The elite Irish brand (whose Midleton Very Rare Forêt de Tronçais we explored last year) has marked the occasion with the launch of Midleton Very Rare 40th Anniversary Ruby Edition. This very special spirit has been inspired and crafted by all three of the revered Midleton master distillers – Barry Crockett, Brian Nation and Kevin O’Gorman – and combines liquids originally laid down by each of them.

The story began in 1984, when Barry Crockett set forth on a mission to create the most outstanding Irish whiskey ever made. Drawing on Midleton’s rich heritage, combined with increasingly advanced techniques and the expertise of the distillery’s craftspeople, he presented the very first Midleton Very Rare release. His passionate pursuit of excellence yielded magnificent results; Midleton Very Rare has been a resounding success worldwide and stands at the peak of luxury Irish whiskey. As Crockett puts it: ‘the exacting professionalism behind the brand has paid off’.

Midleton Very Rare 40th Anniversary Ruby Edition

Forty years after Crockett’s bold initiative, three superb casks (individually filled by each master in their respective eras) were carefully selected to create the Ruby Edition – an exquisite blend of single pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys with an age range spanning four decades. O’Gorman gave the whiskey its final and defining touch by finishing the blend in a ruby port cask for nine months, resulting in a particularly rare nose, taste and finish.

The Ruby Edition maintains the elegance and finesse of the classic Midleton Very Rare profile, with its floral undertones, notes of orchard fruits and citrus and a hint of sweet vanilla, and O’Gorman’s inspired use of a ruby port cask has added a unique new layer to the signature style, with rich bursts of blackcurrant, raspberry and plum.

O’Gorman says: ‘We are excited to create yet another milestone in Midleton Distillery’s extraordinary history with the launch of Midleton Very Rare 40th Anniversary Ruby Edition. This exquisite release brings influence from all three master distillers and not only helps us to preserve the knowledge of Midleton Distillery’s past masters but builds on it by evolving the art of distillation and maturation with the addition of the ruby port cask. It has been a privilege to play a part in the creation of this pinnacle of Irish whiskey and I look forward to continuing to evolve the Midleton Very Rare brand.’

The whiskey is presented in a bespoke crystal decanter by Waterford Crystal featuring a four-point crystal that represents the four decades of Midleton Very Rare. It is encased in a luxurious, hand-crafted, ruby red leather and wood cabinet befitting a rare and precious item. Indeed, Midleton has gone even further in honouring the anniversary with the creation of a ‘one of one’ (ie, only one exists) NFT bottle adorned with rubies. The brand collaborated with Keanes Jewellers in Cork, to craft a spectacular decanter that features hand-engraved 18ct solid gold on both the neck and the stopper, and 32 rubies encrusted within the neck collar. Patrick Keane, third generation of the Keane family, commented: ‘We were ecstatic to be asked to collaborate with Irish Distillers and took huge care to create something worthy of the Midleton Very Rare Ruby Anniversary Edition. It has been an honour to be involved in such a momentous and historic moment for the brand.’

Midleton Very Rare 40th Anniversary Ruby Edition is bottled at 53.1% ABV with a RRP of €20,000.midletonveryrare.com

In partnership with The Dalmore

For The Dalmore Luminary Series 2024 Edition – the second in a world-first partnership with the V&A Dundee that celebrates outstanding talents from the worlds of whisky making and architectural design to showcase rare and collectible releases – the big meadowland distillery embarked on a journey of craft and exploration, a close collaboration between flavour and form. 

The project brings together Melodie Leung, director at Zaha Hadid Architects, and The Dalmore’s award-winning Luminary Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass, with the support and expertise of Master Distiller Richard Paterson OBE. Together they have created a unique sculptural presentation case for the 49-year-old The Dalmore Luminary - The Rare - 2024 Edition, and, echoing its form, packaging for the 16-year-old The Dalmore Luminary - The Collectible - 2024 Edition.

The latter, known as ‘The Dalmore Luminary No.2 - 2024 Edition’, is a chance for epicureans to collect a one-of-a-kind expression from The Dalmore, and will be available from 2 April in a limited edition. The packaging’s design is inspired by the swirling sculpture of The Rare, while its copper colour nods to the precious whisky it holds, and light-catching details add dynamism.

The immersive creative process between the collaborators took in discussions around the interaction and flow of flavour notes, the sculptural shapes and glowing copper of the stills, and the powerful, Proustian evocation of roasted chestnuts. During the joint exploration, Leung also drew inspiration from the idea of nature channelled over time by The Dalmore whisky makers, and the concept of flavour notes combining into something new, dynamic and tangible. 

In turn, Glass was inspired by the childhood flavour experiences noted by Leung, which led him to some of the rarest casks within the Dalmore’s warehouses – The Dalmore Luminary No.2 - 2024 Edition is matured in American White Oak ex-Bourbon, and finished in Graham’s Tawny Port pipes and Apostoles Sherry Cask,  featuring a small amount of exceptionally rare peated Dalmore spirit. This introduces a whisper of smoke, evocative of roasted chestnut, an atypical flavour note for the distillery.

The collaboration allowed a convergence of flavour and form, to produce a holistic, multisensory experience of swirling complexity, texture, depth, and nuance. Two very special one-of-a-kind whiskies.

The creative and philanthropic partnership between The Dalmore and Leung was unveiled at the V&A Dundee on 21 March 2024. A global Sotheby’s auction of The Luminary - The Rare - 2024 Edition decanter and sculpture in May will benefit the museum’s education and community initiatives.

A continued celebration of the worlds of architectural design and whisky making, this latest iteration of the project brings to life the energy sparked between The Dalmore’s Luminaries.

The Luminary No.2 will be available from 2 April 2024, in a limited edition, priced £275 at select luxury and specialist retailers worldwide as well as global travel retail

thedalmore.com

The Macallan and Bentley Motors have collaborated on a smooth, limited-edition single-malt whisky to celebrate the distiller’s 200th birthday. Titled ‘The Macallan Horizon’ the light amber-coloured nectar is presented in a horizontal glass bottle enveloped with silky wood that playfully reveals its core. The presentation’s sleek exterior reflects the interior workings of the sought-after luxury cars, and gives the whisky a dynamic, 180-degree twist.

The Macallan Horizon with Bentley Motors

The two companies teased the collaboration in September 2023, showcasing the prototype presentation for The Macallan Horizon and its horizontal design.

The Macallan distillery,founded in 1824 by Alexander Reid, sits along the River Spey in Scotland. A tranquil environment that has provided a vast source of inspiration for its array of whiskies, including The Macallan Horizon. The celebratory release is built on ‘six pillars’ (six materials) that define the storied craftsmanship of The Macallan and are shared with Bentley Motors.

Reused copper from old stills features in The Macallan Horizon’s design as a delicate detail, mirroring the deep colour of the spirit. The presentation’s sculptural foundation is crafted from aluminium, which is also used as a structural ribbon that runs through its form. Wood is shaped into the design’s notable twist, which caresses the vessel, and finished with a ‘Crown Cut Walnut’ veneer, exclusive to Bentley. Presented in a glass vessel, intrinsic for both brands, The Macallan Horizon is protected by a leather sleeve in a chestnut colourway, which complements the earthy colour palette.

The whisky was crafted specifically for The Macallan Horizon and inspired by Bentley’s vehicles. Kirsteen Campbell, master whisky maker at The Macallan, toured the Bentley factory in Crewe to capture the essence of a Bentley car through taste and texture. From there, she whittled down six first-fill, sherry-seasoned oak casks from the estate, and began to craft the revolutionary single malt. The warming spirit carries a velvety smooth taste that packs notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and crystallised ginger, followed by hints of rich sticky dates, sweet orange, vanilla pods, fudge and chocolate. It’s a fine-tuned balance, with a finish that delivers comfort and refinement.

themacallan.com

bentleymotors.com

In partnership with AIX Rosé

Maison Saint Aix, just outside Aix-en-Provence, blessed with 300 days of annual sunshine, and with an azure Mediterranean sparkling in the distance, is a winery that has only has one wine and one brand – AIX Rosé. Run since 2009 by former advertising executive Eric Kurver, the 140-year-old winery has an idyllic terroir, producing the kind of well-concentrated, freshly acidic fruit that marks a truly great rosé. And the ethos that underpins the complex production of the wine is simply to make the very best rosé each year.

Provence, home to Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh, is also the birthplace of pale, dry and aromatic rosé wine. Manicured rows of vines dot the landscape. Côteaux d'Aix-en-Provence, one of the three appellations (or regions) that make up the Provençal wine district, has garnered a particular reputation for premium, rosé production. 

At an altitude of 420m above sea level, gifted with mineral-rich soils, warm sunny days and cool nights, Maison Saint Aix’s 75 hectares of vineyards make it one of largest domaines in the AOP Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence appellation; 60-year-old Grenache vines ensure highest quality juice and make up the backbone of the wine, while Syrah and Cinsault grapes add to the classic rosé blend.

‘The frequent mistral wind ensures the vines are blown dry during the growing season. Along with our organic viticulture, it also guarantees the health of the domaine’s soils and vines,’ explains Kurver, who has built Maison Saint Aix into a state-of-the-art winery. ‘My goal was to produce a thoroughly enjoyable wine, but also one that was complex and exclusive enough to win gold medals and receive excellent reviews around the world.’

As both an everyday luxury and a celebration wine, AIX Rosé’s reviews from around the dining table matter most. Echoing the sunny outdoor lifestyle synonymous with the Provence region, the soft-pink rosé pairs perfectly with a vast array of dishes and cuisines. ‘Conviviality and generosity are key to our lifestyle and how we want AIX to be thought of,’ says Kurver. ‘From fresh seafood and Provençal salads to more robust charcuterie and soft cheeses, AIX Rosé is versatile and informal. Joie de vivre in a bottle.’

aixrose.com

Champagne Telmont is seeking to appease the planet as well as satisfy the taste buds. The maison is striving towards sustainable innovation, and has set ambitious goals to become the first climate-positive champagne house by 2030, and net positive by 2050. 

The first steps are in place, with the transition to create champagne bottles using glass discarded by glassmakers, that doesn’t match chromatic standards. 

Champagne Telmont, ‘193,000 shades of green’

The project, titled ‘193,000 shades of green’, is a bold move within the industry, breaking classic champagne glass colour standards. Telmont has already eliminated superfluous packaging, bespoke bottles and transparent glass. 

Deciding to make use of the glass produced during the transition between two different shades in a glass maker's furnace, the company has created a collection of uniquely colourful bottles that deliver intrigue and elegance to a drinking cabinet. 

Telmont will release 193,000 bottles each year, varying in shade from light green to earthy cinnamon. The repurposed glass infuses elegance with environmental responsibility. The project runs alongside the brand’s ‘In the Name of Mother Nature’ initiative, which lays out guidelines for a responsible future, humility toward nature, and loyalty to wine-making know-how.

‘In 2024, Telmont reinvents green and glass,’ says Ludovic du Plessis, president of Maison Telmont. ‘"193,000 shades of green" exemplifies our philosophy. For us, sustainability is not a limit or a constraint, but a ground for creativity and innovation. Every shade of green is a symbol of our commitment to the environment. We're not just changing the colour of our bottles, we're trying to transform the wine industry, one shade at a time.’

champagne-telmont.com

Premium sake brand Toku Saké has announced Cate Blanchett as its new creative director, 18 months after launching onto the UK market.  

The double Academy Award-winning actor and producer, best known for her roles in films such as Tár, Blue Jasmine, The Aviator and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, will play a very different but integral role for Toku Saké, overseeing creative strategy and direction, from new product development through to innovation.  

Having spent time during her role as global ambassador for Japanese skincare brand SK-II visiting sake breweries in Japan, this move has fulfilled Blanchett’s long-held desire to work with a sake brand, she revealed in a welcome speech to guests (including Wallpaper*) at a celebratory event in  London last week, at Japanese restaurant Izakaya at Supermarket of Dreams.

'We've had some great nights, and great friendships, great conversations have been ignited through the sharing of sake,' she tells us in an interview on the night. Having been introduced to brand founders Anthony Newman and Peter Hudson through a mutual friend, it’s clear that  Blanchett is looking forward to working with the people behind Toku Saké. 'It’s a collaboration. We have a shared love of the long traditions of sake, but also of the trades that surround it. I've been obsessed with creating a sake for a very long time.'

Cate Blanchett and Toku Saké

The announcement comes at a pivotal time for the Japanese drink category, with sake exports reaching a record high of 47.5 billion Japanese yen (US$361m) in 2022, up 18 per cent from 2021, and up 431 per cent from 2012, according to the Japan Saké and Shochu Makers Association. 

Toku, meaning ‘virtue’ in Japanese, is brewed at the Takasago Brewery in Asahikawa, Hokkaido – Japan’s coldest city and prefecture, with temperatures plummeting to -20°C in the coldest months. Currently producing a Junmai Daiginjo sake (the highest grade of the sake), it uses highly polished (35 per cent) Yamada Nishiki rice, which is fermented in the region’s freezing conditions. Blanchett recalls her first experience of Toku: 'It has such a beautiful fruity invitation, but then it finishes in a very clean way.  It's really surprising.'

Sake has suffered from misunderstanding among consumers outside of Japan, but the brains behind Toku are hoping their brand will help to re-educate consumers on the many ways in which this versatile product can be enjoyed. And Blanchett’s investment (personally and financially) will no doubt help them do just that.

Honouring tradition, embracing change

When it comes to how she will approach her new role, Blanchett wants to pay homage to the traditions at sake’s roots while also evolving the experience of the consumer. 'We're really interested to evolve what the experience is before you even try  the liquid… inviting the consumer, the diner, the drinker to sort of look at the category slightly differently.'

One way in which that can happen is in making the brand stand apart on a shelf. Blanchett feels that Toku Saké is already in a good position: 'I love the way it's already beginning to evolve. It's very curated, it's very confident and calm and quiet.'

The bottle incorporates both Japanese and English languages, a relative rarity in the category. 'What I love about our bottle is [that it] pays absolute due respect to the heritage and the origin of the Hokkaido region, but you flip it and [it] says we're also here in English-speaking countries.'

Blanchett champions how sommeliers can introduce consumers to Toku – and the sake category as a whole. 'I think it opens up your experience of food. It's got this complexity that is able to bring out flavours that hitherto perhaps haven't been brought out by wine. I think that's part of the excitement.'

While the export market for sake looks strong, production has been dwindling since a peak in the 1970s, and local interest in the category is waning. How does Blanchett hope Toku Saké can help bring the category back to health? 'Part of what drew us to the category in the first place is love, respect and reverence for the traditions and the processes. But sometimes, when there's a product that your country is well known for [and] a culture outside takes a fresh look at it, you see it afresh.'

Time – and Toku – will tell.

tokusake.com

Los Angeles is generally a fickle city, but when it comes to restaurants, Angelenos are particularly loyal, especially to their favourite dishes. The chopped salad at legendary Beverly Hills spot La Scala is one of them. Concocted by restaurateur Jean Leon in the 1950s, the off-menu dish is still one of La Scala’s – and LA’s – most popular salads today. Ahead of this Sunday’s Oscars ceremony, we get a flavour of its beginnings, and also serve up some showstopping salad ware for your own celebrations. 

Stars on their way to the Oscars requested a dish that was easy to eat in their finery

Legend has it La Scala invented the chopped salad after Leon’s well-heeled guests – Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Garland among the – begged him to make something that was easier for them to eat in their finery. 'It was originally called the gourmet salad and it was all the same ingredients, just with bigger pieces,' says Gigi Leon, Jean’s daughter and current owner of La Scala.

'Back then, everyone dressed for dinner, and they all complained to my dad, saying, “The salad’s delicious, by why is it so hard to eat?” So, he spoke to the chefs and said, “Why don’t we just chop this all together?”'

The salad is a combination of lettuce, salami, mozzarella cheese and garbanzo beans served with a vinaigrette dressing, the recipe for which remains a closely guarded secret. 'Whenever I see it printed somewhere, I giggle to myself because it’s always wrong,' says Gigi.

La Scala chopped salad goes viral on TikTok

The salad recently went viral on TikTok after it was said to be a favourite of Kim Kardashian (though the ever-discreet Leon won’t be led on names), with self-made videos on how to make it racking up millions of views.

So, what’s the secret behind its enduring appeal? Leon says it’s all down to how the salad’s on-trend toppings have changed over the years. 'In the Seventies, everyone wanted roast beef on it, and right now grilled salmon is really big,' she says. 'People even put Bolognese on it – they’ll just order the sauce without the pasta and put it straight on the salad.'

As for trying to recreate it at home, Leon swears it never tastes the same. ‘I don’t know why; I think it’s the way the chefs chop it – they really bang away at it, rather than slicing the ingredients. That and the fact that it’s made with love.’

lascalabeverlyhills.com

Mothaiba pandan vodka may answer your craving for the perfect crisp vodka martini – ideal to toast good fortune, wisdom and success in the upcoming Year of the Wood Dragon (also see Lunar New Year accessories for your celebration). Mothaiba’s founder Liliane Nguyan, a Vietnam-born former interior designer, had just such a craving when she was inspired to craft a flavourful spirit for ‘adventurous and inquisitive drinkers’. 

The inspiration came from UK-based Nguyen pining for nostalgic comforts. ‘I missed the flavours I grew up with in childhood, but I only ever saw them showcased in traditional forms, such as confectionery,’ says Nguyen. ’I wanted to reinterpret those flavours but in a more grown-up fashion, a refined spirit. And I wanted a martini.’

Mothaiba pandan vodka for a martini with a twist

Nguyen used British grain vodka redistilled by a small family distiller using fresh pandan leaves imported from Vietnam. The result is a neatly packaged, fine-tuned spirit that flirts with the taste buds.

Mothaiba – named after the expression ‘Mot Hai Ba!’ that people exclaim before a toast in Vietnam – is also infused with makrut lime leaves, lime zest and ginger to create a crisp and refreshing flavour.

Nguyen notes, ‘Although it is distilled with four botanicals, the main focus of the vodka is pandan. On the nose, it has a very earthy, biscuit-y note, with a strong fresh pandan smell. The citrus leaves and zest help to give the flavour profile a lift but aren't heavy enough to overshadow the pandan.’

As well as making a fine martini, Mothaiba is versatile and adaptable for an anytime summery spritz coupled with the tart flavours of a pomelo, poured over ice. ‘Get playful and make yourself a tropical cocktail in the middle of winter, and stick a paper umbrella in it, if that's your thing,’ says Nguyen.

mothaiba.co.uk

Chocolate should always include a little fantasy and alchemy in the recipe, so it’s no surprise to learn that famed Parisian chocolatier Debauve et Gallais, was founded by Sulpice Debauve, a pharmacist to the court of Louis XVI, whose signature chocolate ‘pistoles’ (named after gold coins) were developed as a way of making bitter medicines more palatable for Marie-Antoinette. Knowing of her taste for drinking chocolate, Debauve mixed finely ground cocoa powder with almond milk as a disguise for the medicine, which he set in flat, coin-shaped discs, thus creating the original edible chocolate.

Debauve et Gallais’ chocolate revolution

The pistoles were a hit and, a decade after the revolution, were enjoying enough success for Debauve to open a factory and shop on the Rive Gauche in Faubourg Saint-Germain. What had been an experiment became his vocation. 

Over the next decades, Debauve supplied the courts of both Napoleon and the Bourbon kings, partnered with his nephew, Jean-Baptiste Auguste Gallais, and developed new flavours and exquisite formats that are replicated today with all the mastery and knowledge that you would expect from a 220-year old institution.

Debauve et Gallais trades from two listed stores, on rue Vivienne and rue des Saints-Pères, the latter originally a townhouse designed by Napoleon’s favourite architects, Percier and Fontaine. A recent, sensitive modernisation has seen that both stores’ historic interiors remain intact while offering a contemporary customer experience.

Debauve et Gallais continues to sell pistoles, croquamandes (chocolate-coated caramelised almonds created for Napoleon), ganaches and pralines. The pistoles are made from Venezuelan chocolate flavoured variously with almond milk, honey flakes, orange blossom, verbena and vanilla – ingredients that the brand suggests aid sleep and restore energy, as they did for Marie-Antoinette.

And, as fantasy reaches us through the eye first, the chocolates are presented in ribbon-wrapped, re-usable jewel boxes that take their colours from the 1783 ‘Rose’ portrait of Marie-Antoinette by Vigée Le Brun and are embossed with the royal arms and the words ‘fournisseur des rois de France’ (supplier to the kings of France).

debauve-et-gallais.fr

We’re all set to welcome the Year of the Wood Dragon (from Lunar New Year on 10 February 2024) in fine style with dragon-themed food and drink – from cute buns and biscuits to spectacular spirits (on which note, also consider a Mothaiba pandan vodka cocktail) – as selected by Wallpaper* entertaining director Melina Keays. May your festivities be a roaring success.

Year of the Wood Dragon treats

The bao buns

Bao London is known for its particularly delectable Taiwanese Bao buns. How could you not want to take a delicious bite out of one of these little dragon claw buns, oozing with molten and cherry chocolate? And there’s the added delight of co-founder and creative director Erchen Chang’s heartening message: ‘We’re looking forward to spreading prosperity this Lunar New Year by encouraging everyone to eat gua BAO for good luck,’ she reveals. A limited number of buns is offered on 10 and 11 February at BAO eateries – which now include BAO and Dover Street Market pop-up until 11 February, as well as BAO Mary, which opened in Marylebone in 2023 – but be quick, as these little dragons will sell, quite literally, like hot cakes.

£22 for a box of 4, baolondon

The sculpture

Lalique puts over a century of exquisite fine glass- and crystal-making into something very special to commemorate this Year of the Wood Dragon. That this mythical creature is created from glass is fitting, as both are associated with heat and fire, and Lalique’s stunning Tianlong Red Dragon Sculpture is born of sand and flame. It is as meticulously crafted as you would expect a Lalique design to be, with a single piece of crystal requiring up to 40 different processes to produce. The result is a jewel-like work of art.

Tianlong Red Dragon Sculpture, £765 at Harrods

The whisky

The Wood Dragon appears once every 60 years in the lunar calendar, bringing notions of growth and renewal with it. Glenfiddich’s collaboration with artist Raku Inoue encapsulates the energy of this lunar year in its ‘A Gift for Blossoming Futures’ collection of limited-edition premium whiskies, with the Glenfiddich Reserva Rum Cask 21 as the star turn. An opulently golden offering, the Reserva Rum Cask 21 aroma is intense with vanilla, florals and hints of banana and fig, topped with a touch of leather and oak. Inoue has intertwined Glenfiddich’s traditional stag motif with the magnificent Wood Dragon in a beautiful presentation box, which can be personalised. ‘What better way to encapsulate the spirit of both than to combine aspects of their characters on a journey that harnesses the magnificence of nature, petal by petal, element by natural element,’ says Inoue. 

£195, at Selfridges

The iced biscuits

This gorgeous box of buttery, vanilla scented biscuits, artfully iced in a variety of charming designs, makes for a joyful gift to mark the Lunar New Year. Nibble one of these beauties with a cup of fragrant jasmine tea as you contemplate the sweet tate of hope the Year of the Dragon brings with it. 

£19.95, Fortnum & Mason

The Cognac

Martell (whose new L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château de Chanteloup we recently celebrated) is now honouring the Year of the Wood Dragon with the exclusive L’Or de Jean Martell Zodiac Edition. The Assemblage du Dragon (following last year’s Assemblage du Lapin) is as exceptional a cognac as the name Martell suggests but this year, cellar master Christophe Valtaud has carefully chosen a selection of very old eaux-de-vie drawn from previous Dragon lunar years and combined them with the original L’Or de Jean Martell blend. In the hands of a master blender, this celebratory spirit is an elegant balance of floral aromas, exotic fruit, and warm spice notes. All of which is only heightened by its beautiful Baccarat decanter, finely decorated with 19ct gold, and crowned with a dramatic sculpture of a dragon’s head. Available in strictly limited quantities – fewer than 750 pieces, each individually numbered. 

€9,900, Martell.com, available from thewhiskyexchange.com

You could almost hear the cries of dismay when it was announced that St John restaurant in London’s Smithfield, a Wallpaper* favourite and helmed by owner and previous guest editor Fergus Henderson, is closing for a well-deserved refit. Henderson, of course, is the English chef whose ‘nose-to-tail’ eating philosophy made chefs and diners everywhere realise that every part of an animal is equally worthy of respect. 

The cries, though, have now been replaced with sighs of relief as Henderson has said that, in the meantime, the original London restaurant’s tables, chairs, tablecloths, et al would be relocating for a temporary residency at the legendary Fortnum & Mason department store on Piccadilly for three weeks, beginning 6 February 2024. Die-hard fans can also choose to frequent the restaurant’s other city outposts: Bread & Wine in Spitalfields, and St John Marylebone.

Inside St John at Fortnum & Mason: a ‘best of British’ pairing

Wallpaper* entertaining director Melina Keays admits to being initially perplexed at the unexpected pairing of St John, ‘so pared back’ and Fortnum’s, ‘adored for its Victorian opulence’. However, she says, ‘I realised that the idea of placing one local icon inside another is so entirely different in mood, it's thrilling, and such a London way of doing things. It’s also a marriage of the best of British – wonderful meat, organic cheese, freshly baked bread, pies and Eccles cakes, chutneys, preserves – both St John and Fortnum & Mason offer the stalwarts of Victorian cuisine.’

Henderson and St John co-founder Trevor Gulliver told us ahead of the temporary restaurant’s opening, ‘We were given carte blanche with the space – and we are busy blanche-ifying.’ And so Fortnum’s ground-floor restaurant has been painted cold white and fitted with a white-and-steel-clad bar, replicating the original restaurant, a former smokehouse within spitting distance of the capital’s Smithfield meat market.

Added Gulliver, ‘This was to be no “pop up” but the real thing, team, furniture, the brine bucket, wines, rhythms, rigour, us!’ He continued, ‘Every one of our Smithfield chefs is in the kitchen, every one of our front-of-house beacons of knowledge is at the door and on the floor. In short – you will be in St John.’

The St John at Fortnum's menu boasts many of Henderson’s most famous dishes, including roasted bone marrow and sublime Welsh rarebit. He is also taking advantage of the change in locale to be inspired to create new soon-to-be classics. 

And, of course, Henderson will be serving his legendary ‘Fergroni’, the ultimate Negroni, the recipe he learned in a long-defunct little bar in Florence. How could you not raise a glass?

St John at Fortnum & Mason opened 6 February 2024, stjohnrestaurant.com

Whisky, served in the kind of weighty lead-crystal glasses that billionaires prefer, will be flowing at Burns Suppers across the world tonight (25 January). Robert Burns’ most popular Scottish-dialect poems will be awkwardly garbled by many, a few drams in. But there is one Burns-related verse that is unlikely to be performed by anyone this evening – the one Muhammad Ali scribbled down during his little-known visit to Burns Cottage in Alloway, west Scotland, in 1965:

I’d heard of a man named Burns – supposed to be a poet;

But, if he was, how come I didn’t know it?

They told me his work was very, very neat,

So I replied: ‘But who did he ever beat?‘

– Muhammad Ali

Ali, who had just become heavyweight champion of the world, had touched down in Glasgow for a show fight with his friend Jimmy Ellis in Paisley, as part of an international tour. Scotland was so honoured by his visit, they sent the Braemar Ladies Pipe Band of Coatbridge in all their tartan finery to welcome him.

With a little bit of pre-fight downtime to kill, who knows why Ali ended up leaving the city for the hour’s drive to the historic county of Ayrshire, Burns’ birthplace, to the tiny museum containing the writer’s life’s work. Ali’s poem, perhaps, has the answer – Robert Burns, the handsome young ploughman-turned-literary-hero was hailed as Scotland’s ‘greatest’ even in his own lifetime, and, by then, Ali had made it a noun all his own. The sportsman, of course, was also a gifted linguist, while ‘poetry’ was another word Ali trailed in his wake.

The visit shimmered with symbolism. Roped off, a formidable velvet-seated wooden chair, made in 1858 from the printing press which produced the first edition of Robert Burns’ Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, is a museum highlight. On seeing it, Ali swiftly ducked under the red cord and geared up for his finest literary bout. The next moment is captured in the photograph above: a theatrically pensive Ali, pen and notebook in hand, regaling the mesmerised locals with his brazen tribute to their most famous son.

A Burns supper in three easy steps

The haggis

A dinner consisting mainly of peppery oatmeal and offal wrapped in sheep’s bladder sounds like the kind of gnarly endurance test with which Succession’s Dundee-born Logan Roy would blindside the younger Kendall, Roman and Shiv when they were promised pizza. But the Scottish delicacy, so revered that Burns penned an ode to it, is now so widely celebrated that it’s not just made in Scotland. English Rare-breed butchery Fruit Pig Haggis offers an oat-rich, meatier variety, and a haggis recipe booklet for the uninitiated, with five awesome, different recipes.

fruitpig.co.uk

Also available from Fortnum & Mason

The whisky

A Burns Supper demands the best of the best whisky, says Wallpaper* entertaining director Melina Keays, whose dram of choice is the Speyside Tamdhu 18 Year Old. It’s the American and European oak Oloroso casks that the sherry is matured in that give the Tamdhu 18 Year Old its magnificent coppery tone and rich red-fruit flavour. And, as Keays points out, it’s not just for sipping: ‘I’d serve it poured over a plateful of haggis,’ she offers. 

Speyside Tamdhu 18 Year Old, £169, from thewhiskyexchange.com

tamdhu.com

The glassware

A copper-tone whisky glistening with fiery warmth deserves a barely-there receptacle all the better to admire its superior qualities. The pure lines of this LSA mouth-blown decanter and two tumblers will do nicely. Each glass has a satisfyingly weighty base, and all three will make a sleek, modernist glassware set to grace any bar cart.

Cask Whisky Glasses and Decanter Set, £150, from lsa-international.com

Choosing the best drinks for a decadent evening, we turn to a chic concoction or two made from seductive spirits designed for discerning palates. Raise a toast to the meritorious members of our ultimate drinks cabinet, the nectars that give us a warm glow on sociable sojourns at our favourite watering hole.

Best drinks: Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024

Pomello

Sometimes we like to kick off with Pomello, a sweet, pink-tinged apéritif that’s tempered by a refreshing acidity and a bitter floral flavour. Made from elderflower and pomelo, a mellower relative of the grapefruit, it’s delicious served over ice with sparkling wine, a dash of soda or tonic and a wedge of grapefruit.

pomello.world. £33, from pomellouk.myshopify.com

Isle of Harris gin

If we’re in the mood for some maritime freshness, we’ll conjure up a cocktail using gin produced by the Isle of Harris distillery in Scotland’s remote Outer Hebrides. Made from local sugar kelp seaweed and Macedonian juniper berries, with coriander, Javan pepper, orange peel and licorice, the spirit is distinctive and smooth with a dry, flinty taste, offering plenty of deliciously bitter juniper notes at the fore, followed by sweet citrussy hints of orange, lime and grapefruit leading to a warm peppery finish.

From £44, harrisdistillery.com. Also available from thewhiskyexchange.com

Mount Gay single estate rum

When we want a whiff of tropical sunshine, we reach for a neat pour of single estate rum from Barbadian distillery Mount Gay. Made from dense layers of molasses, it boasts flavours of burnt caramel, pineapple, sweet vanilla, warming spices and citrus.

mountgayrum.com. £345, from masterofmalt.com

Glenmorangie Signet whisky

Meanwhile, the most luscious way to round off an evening is with a tot of velvety rich Glenmorangie Signet whisky, with its overtones of mocha, tiramisu, dark chocolate and smooth butterscotch. For a more comprehensive whisky experience, take yourself to the Glenmorangie House and Distillery.

glenmorangie.com. £192, from thewhiskyexchange.com

L’Or de Jean Martell cognac

Equally exquisite is a dram of the deliciously complex L’Or de Jean Martell cognac, with its notes of blackcurrant, gingerbread and orange peel. For a new limited-edition, see L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château. Santé!

martell.com

A version of this article appears in the February 2024 issue of Wallpaper* – dedicated to the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024 – available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château is a magnificent new collection announced by Maison Martell, the oldest of the great cognac houses, founded by Jean Martell in 1715. This series of exceptional, luxury cognacs will be released annually, each one in partnership with a prestigious French château. 

L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château de Chanteloup is the first of this remarkable series, and honours the brand’s historic family estate in France, located in the heart of the Borderies terroir. This small and unique terroir is renowned for delivering particularly refined and elegant eaux-de-vie, and it was chosen by Maison Martell more than 300 years ago as the embodiment of the house’s signature style.

Réserve du Château de Chanteloup has been meticulously crafted by Martell cellar master Christophe Valtaud – using great skill to blend more than 1,400 eaux-de-vie from the four finest terroirs in the Cognac region. 

Each of these eaux-de-vie has been carefully selected and aged in fine-grained oak barrels, sourced from France’s most ancient forests.

Valtaud approaches the creation of cognac as an artist rather than merely a cognac producer, and he melds a deep understanding of the brand’s heritage with a constant fluid movement towards modernity.

Valtaud understands what today’s luxury cognac consumer is expecting, and whilst respecting tradition, he embraces innovation and challenges convention to present exciting new expressions – the launch of L’Or de Jean Martell series truly marks ‘a golden age of cognac’.

The collection represents continuity, precision and bold artistry, as well as Valtaud’s passionate belief that outstanding cognac should be made and enjoyed with real feeling. He says, ‘It needs to be true, and it needs to create emotion.’

These words are made tangible with the first smooth taste of the spirit itself. To sip Réserve du Château de Chanteloup is to embark on a sensory journey: notes of iris, wild carnation and honeysuckle merge into rich, sweet, aromas of red and black fruit – notably cherry and blackcurrant, heightened by a hint of spice. As the cognac evolves, earthy aromas come to the fore, and fragrant notes of sandalwood and cedar recall the casks made of the 300-year-old French oak in which this precious liquid aged.

The opulent presentation of L’Or de Jean Martell displays French excellence in luxury and craftsmanship. Two iconic French brands, Maison Martell and Baccarat, have collaborated in the creation of an exquisite crystal decanter. Its graceful form is inspired by a single, pure drop of cognac, and comes encased in a beautifully crafted wooden box, lavishly accented in gold.

Valtaud comments: ‘When you hold a bottle of L’Or de Jean Martell – Réserve du Château de Chanteloup, you have in your hands a real treasure, a cognac that represents a quest for excellence spanning 300 years.’

Only 1,000 individually numbered decanters will be available globally, from January 2024, with an RRP of €6,900.

martell.com

In partnership with Dry Farm Wines

Dry Farm Wines founder Todd White describes himself as a ‘lifelong biohacker’, always on the lookout for ways to optimise and improve the human experience. His tireless pursuit of epicurean fulfilment and corporeal delight extend to art and architecture, food, design and wine.  

A few years ago, obsessed with both taste and provenance, health and happiness, Todd discovered that the grape he had been consuming for most of his adult life was actually full of nasties: additives, sugars and dimethyl dicarbonate (the last is toxic to humans).

In 2015, mindful of his personal wellbeing, he had an epiphany; a conscious consumption of organic, sugar-free wine was the way forward. He imagined a wine made from grapes grown at vineyards free of artificial irrigation; the concept of Mother nature’s divine design as the original luxury house. ‘What's more beautiful, more luxurious than being in nature?’ says Todd.

‘People who care about wellness and longevity and optimising their health also understand that eating organic fruits and vegetables or anything grown organically is just inherently better,’ he says. ‘There is a universal understanding that organic farming is healthier. Organic not only tastes better, it's also better for the planet and better for us as humans to consume.’ 

On a mission to convert the oenophile community to the same thinking, Todd set about developing the Dry Farm Wines Certification as a marque of approval on the world’s purest, artisan wines. The criteria would be strict: organically farmed, sugar free, additive free, lower alcohol, lower sulphite, lab tested, European wines only. ‘The difference is incredible,’ he says. ‘The taste, the purity, the entire drinking experience.’ 

Todd and his team would seek out vineyards, from French villages to the Austrian mountains. All Dry Farm Wines growers would be employing organic, regenerative, and dry farming practices. ‘No pesticides or herbicides. Only nutrient-rich living soils and sun.’ He’d find bottles of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pineau d’Aunis and Zweigelt – produced by small-scale, multigenerational family-owned growers and boutique makers, their craft lovingly connected to the terroir – taste and test them, and then make them available to fellow vinous enthusiasts all over the United States. 

‘Dry Farm Wines buys directly, vigneron-a-vintner, and sells directly to the drinker. Which means we can pay the farmer more and faster. And give the drinker better value. All Dry Farm Wines are the same price – $30 – extraordinary value for a handcrafted, organically grown artisan wine.’ Each is bottle backed with a 100 per cent happiness promise: fall in love with each mouthful, or the bottle's on Todd. 

Dry Farm Wines – the rules

1. No additives 

In the USA, wine producers can use 76 different additives – from defoaming agents to preservatives and colourants – in wine, without disclosing any of them on the bottle. Some additives are harmless and natural, others are more toxic. Wine companies can use additives to produce a shelf-stable product that is consistent year over year and cheaper to make. 

2. No sugars

To speed up production and maximise profits, most commercial wines are bottled with sugar in the bottle, before full fermentation has completed. Every bottle sold by Dry Farm Wines is ‘fully fermented’ –  its  natural yeasts having turned all the grape’s sugars into alcohol, making it technically  ‘sugar free’. 

3. Lower alcohol

With commercial winemaking favouring higher-alcohol wines – the average alcohol content in wine currently sitting around 14 per cent ABV – Dry Farm Wines are, at most, 12.5 per cent ABV. Many are even lower. Alcohol drowns out the finer notes in wine. Studies find that casual drinkers enjoy low-alcohol wine more for aromatic experiences.

4. Organic, biodiverse family farms only

Commercial, monoculture vineyards maximise capacity but can also destroy the soil. Farming chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides have been shown to destroy natural ecosystems and end up in the finished wine. Dry Farm Wines only works with growers who prize the exact opposite: biodiverse farming without man made chemicals. Organic farming creates resilient grapes with a wide array of aromatic compounds, imparting personality to the wines.

5. Living wines 

Dry Farm Wines likes to compare commercial, sterilised and clarified Sancerre with Natural Sancerre that’s been grown organically and bottled without filtering. The mass-produced Sancerre is dead in the bottle. All the living organisms in it have been killed and removed, while the natural alternative is alive – rich with bacteria and wild native yeasts, a joyous complexity of aroma and flavour. 

6. Irrigation free

The ‘dry farming’ technique dispenses with artificial irrigation, with vines relying on natural rainwater and groundwater only with which to nourish themselves. This increases the health of the vine and the grapes, forcing roots to dig deeper to search for their own water. Dry Farm Wines estimates growers to be saving over seven billion gallons of water every year by not using irrigation. 

7. Native yeast 

Yeasts turn the sugar in grape juice into alcohol through fermentation. Generally, there are two types of yeast: lab-grown and native. Lab-grown yeasts are engineered to produce certain flavours and profiles of wine. Native yeasts are naturally found on the skin of every grape. Most wine companies don’t use native yeast to ferment their wines because they are too unreliable and they will die at higher alcohol levels. Dry Farm Wines are fermented with native yeasts because it’s the way wine has been made for thousands of years – the less man-made manipulation, the better.  

8. Rare varietals

Most modern wine companies choose to plant the same grape varieties because they are famous: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Natural Wine growers take a different approach, planting and encouraging the growth of ancestral, indigenous grapes that grow in their regions: Zweigelt in Austria, and Pineau d’Aunis in France are rare in the wine market, but make regular appearances in Dry Farm Wines’ collections.

9. Lab-tested transparency

Because wine is taxed as alcohol, not food, the US government doesn’t require producers to disclose ingredients, including basic nutritional facts like sugar content. At Dry Farm Wines, every wine is sent to a certified, third-party oenologist to make sure vintner and consumer know exactly what is in the bottle. Every wine also undergoes a rigorous, seven-step process to make sure it’s ready to share with the world.

10. Taste

Ultimately, Dry Farm Wines’ obsession with quality comes down to taste. Each of the company’s wines needs to taste nothing less than delicious, and also taste different from regular wines. Without heavy additives and artificial flavouring, the wine goes down smoothly. It is fresh and pairs better with food. It is drinkable and soulful, to be enjoyed and to bring people together.

dryfarmwines.com

Dry or dirty, shaken or stirred? Regardless of the choice you make, the iconic Martini promises a decadent time, tingling with possibilities to suit your personal taste. Now, on its 160th anniversary, the classic Martini stays true to its original components, while also welcoming additional flavours, such as a touch of orange or a dash of gin, to produce a unique drinking creation.

Martini was born when herbs and botanicals were married with finely selected wine to create a vermouth, the perfect aperitivo and the foundational base for many beloved cocktails.

160 years of Martini & Rossi

Much like this partnership, entrepreneur Alessandro Martini and master herbalist Luigi Rossi – founders of Martini & Rossi, the brand behind the drink – made an unlikely duo when they took over the National Wine & Spirits Distillery in the village of Pessione near Turin, stirring up creative genius within the beverage industry to create Martini Rosso, the first iteration of Martini, back in 1863.

The village was ideally located, according to Martini & Rossi; 'within reach of the winemakers of Piedmont, the botanical-rich foothills of the Alps, the vermouth trade of Turin and the port of Genoa.'

Although Martini & Rossi has graciously welcomed the glamorous image and celebrity endorsement that its product has garnered over the years, the company has remained firmly rooted within the Italian foothills, becoming a magnet for the world's best mixologists and wine connoisseurs, while also developing a community programme to support local people.

The brand has become so iconic that even fictionalised characters have created their own cocktail preferences that have become classic. James Bond’s ‘shaken not stirred’ quote, from the 1953 novel Casino Royale, applies to what the character dubbed the Vesper Martini. Of course, the Martini wasn’t exclusively for made-up spies, but also enjoyed by Sophia Loren, Winston Churchill, and Sean Connery – off Bond duty.

Martini & Rossi’s vermouth is created with crisp white wines including Trebbiano of Emilia Romagna and Cataratto of Sicily, blended with a crafted combination of aromatic fruit, spices and herbs picked from local fields. Not limited to vermouth, the company also produces delicately balanced Prosecco, as well as non-alcoholic options.

To celebrate 160 years of Martini, we recommend a Bergamot Americano or a classic Negroni to tantalise the taste buds and warm those winter nights.

martini.com