Features
Features
Joe Wadsack's Champagne Bar Crawl
Joe Wadsack is tasked with finding the best champagne-imbibing spots for the festive period.
—19 December, 2024
Features
On the Couch: how a local bar became nationally known
Couch is a local bar that’s become big nationally. Hamish Smith talks to owners Katie Rouse and Jacob Clarke about how to connect with community.
—19 December, 2024
Features
Last call: Sean Muldoon on the historic decline of Irish bars
Sean Muldoon – formerly of The Dead Rabbit, The Merchant and soon to be the founder of Hazel & Apple – tracks the decline of the Irish pub culture that inspired his career
—03 December, 2024
Features
Australian wine’s second coming
Once the undisputed champion of popular wine, Australia’s star has been waning in recent years. But Joe Wadsack says it’s worthy of more investigation now as a new generation of winemakers are making it interesting again.
—26 November, 2024
Features
A guide to neuro-inclusion in the workplace
One in seven people in the UK are neurodivergent. Laura Lenox and Merly Kammerling from Well & Being talk us through how we can better support them.
—25 November, 2024
Features
Exploring...Spanish Brandy
Laura Foster gets the lowdown on how brandy is made in the important Spanish regions of Penedès and Jerez.
—21 November, 2024
Features
Five gin experts choose five favourite bottles
Oli Dodd speaks to five gin aficionados about their favourites - the only condition, it can't be a London Dry.
—20 November, 2024
Features
Beyond Mexico: new frontiers of agave spirits
A surge in demand for Mexican agave spirits is seeing corners cut in production. Other countries can share the load, says Kol’s Matthias Ingelmann
—19 November, 2024
Features
The new face of American whiskey
From peat and experimental proofing, to reinvigorating rye and the continued love affair with single malt, bartenders should be sniffing out the innovations in American whiskey, says Millie Milliken.
—11 November, 2024
Features
The big brand dilemma
Shouldn't the best bars use the best spirits, asks Hamish smith.
—11 October, 2024
Features
Making drinks with tomatillos
Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown sing the praises of a versatile berry that is easy to grow and can add zing to a Bloody Mary or a Margarita.
—22 October, 2024
Features
Techniques & trends... Tiny tipples
Sometimes, the best things do come in small packages, says Tyler Zielinkski as he tracks the trend of small-format cocktails.
—15 October, 2024
Features
Scarfes Recast: Andy Loudon on his plans for Scarfes Bar
As Andy Loudon takes over at the helm of top London bar Scarfes, Hamish Smith finds out what he will bring to the bigger picture.
—08 October, 2024
Features
The CLASS Report - an analysis of the results
While many big-name brands feature in this report, Hamish Smith explains how there’s room for a broad offering as bartenders balance their approach.
—09 October, 2024
Features
International spotlight: CLASS explores Sub Astor in Sao Paulo
Brazilian bar Sub Astor is known for using unusual foraged ingredients, collected during its twice-yearly Missions. Hamish Smith joined one of this year’s events to see at first hand how they operate.
—08 October, 2024
Features
How to make non-abv versions of your cocktails
Sexy Fish’s Jérôme Allaguillemette has recently helped create Unity – a menu where alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails are given equal billing. He delves into the drinks-making process.
—01 October, 2024
Features
Bart Miedeksza and Valentino Girotto's guide to carbonating cocktails
Bart Miedeksza and Valentino Girotto, formerly of Crossroads Bar, published the book Bubbles with the help of Millie Milliken this summer. Guest writing in Class, the duo outline the key principles involved in this short but sparkling guide to carbonation.
—30 September, 2024
Features
Five agricoles chosen by five experts
A mystery to many, rhum agricole is not without its superfans. Oli Dodd rounds up five connoisseurs to find out what makes the sugarcane spirit so special to them.
—11 September, 2024
Features
The CLASS Report: Spirits
Hamish Smith zooms out to the categories that sell best in the UK's Best Bars.
—13 August, 2024
Features
The CLASS Report: Rum
Hamish Smith digs into which rums sell best in the UK's Best Bars.
—27 August, 2024
Features
The CLASS Report - how it works
Hamish Smith introduces the first Class Report with an outline of the thorough process undergone to ensure that the polling reveals the sales insights of the UK’s best bars.
—29 August, 2024
Features
Forget what you knew - this is the new history of gin
Anastatia Miller & Jared Brown have discovered the true history of gin. Here they give us the headlines from their newly published A Most Noble Water: Revisiting the Origins of English Gin.
—29 August, 2024
Features
Exploring… amaro
There’s a lot of mystery around the Italian speciality. Laura Foster digs down in an effort to define the category.
—22 August, 2024
Features
Best in the West: How Ben Alcock's Filthy XIII and HMSS became Bristol landmarks
Filthy XIII took the title of Best Bar in the West at this year’s Class Bar Awards. Hamish Smith shoots the breeze with owner Ben Alcock. Photos by Leonardo Filippini
—23 July, 2024
Sponsored Content
Q&A: Funkin Cocktails on its Heritage Competition
CLASS talks to Hyppolite Civins, brand ambassador at FUNKIN COCKTAILS about its Heritage Competition.
—04 July, 2024
Features
Five Irish whiskey experts choose their five favourite expressions
With plenty of new distilleries opening up in this vibrant category, here are the top tipple suggestions from those in the know. Compiled by Oli Dodd.
—11 June, 2024
Features
Legs 11 - are there tasty, concentrated, lower-abv wines?
The new duty rules have pushed producers to make wines at 11% abv for the UK market. But can tasty, concentrated wines be made at cut strength? Joe Wadsack looks for naturally lowabv wines – with legs
—09 May, 2024
Features
How to create a classic cocktail, according to the people who have
Writing for CLASS' sister title Drinks International, Hamish Smith asks the global bartenders who have fashioned a classic cocktail how it’s done.
—31 May, 2024
Features
Exploring...Aquavit
An ancient Scandinavian spirit little known outside of its native countries could be poised for a breakout, says Laura Foster.
—06 June, 2024
Features
The reason to season drinks
Guests seasoning their own drinks was once commonplace. Prof Charles Spence asks if it could become so again.
—09 May, 2024