Hamish Smith

The CLASS Report: Rum

Hamish Smith digs into which rums sell best in the UK's Best Bars.

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27 August, 2024

Hamish Smith

The CLASS Report launches

CLASS has launched its first data-led insights project: The CLASS Report.

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22 August, 2024

Hamish Smith

The CLASS Report: Spirits

Hamish Smith zooms out to the categories that sell best in the UK's Best Bars.

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13 August, 2024

Hamish Smith

Why we need to de-industrialise the guest shift

Hamish Smith can’t seem to escape guest shifts. We must de-escalate this trend, he says.

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31 July, 2024

Hamish Smith

Spirited Awards: UK bar figures recognised / Alquímico wins world's best bar

Alquímico in Colombia was named World's Best Bar at Tales of the Cocktail's Spirited Awards in New Orleans, while UK media, bars and figures were also recognised.

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29 July, 2024

Hamish Smith

Review of Fenix in Manchester: "Step inside a troglodytic network of caves with (potentially) killer drinks"

Hamish Smith reviews Manchester restaurant-bar Fenix. There's a lot of style, but is there substance?

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25 July, 2024

Hamish Smith

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

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23 July, 2024

Hamish Smith

Bex Almqvist returns to the UK with aquavit and Nordic gin

Former London bartender and brand ambassador Bex Almqvist has launched an aquavit and gin in the UK through distributor Speciality Drinks.

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22 July, 2024

Hamish Smith

Andy Loudon announced director of bars at Rosewood London

Andy Loudon has become director of bars at Rosewood London, whose flagship venue Scarfes Bar is among The World’s 50 Best Bars.

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18 July, 2024

Hamish Smith

CLASS Summer 2024 magazine launches

Access the digital magazine here. Not subscribed? Bartenders can sign up for a digital or hard copy here. INSIDE CLASSHamish Smith introduces the latest edition of CLASS.

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18 July, 2024

Hamish Smith

Swift Borough launches South of the River menu

Swift Borough has launched its first new menu since opening in 2022, ‘South of The River’, which is available in its basement bar The Back Pocket.

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12 July, 2024

Hamish Smith

Non-abv agave spirit Almave Blanco launches in the UK

Mangrove Global has launched Almave Blanco, an alcohol-free alternative to tequila co-created by Formula 1’s Lewis Hamilton and Mexican Spirits Group, Casa Lumbre.

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12 July, 2024

Hamish Smith

The UK bar industry shines in Bar World 100 list

The UK bar industry has shone in Drinks International’s recently published Bar World 100 in association with Perrier, contributing 17 names to the list of influential figures, including Monica Berg who polled in first place.

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04 July, 2024

Hamish Smith

Imbibe Live to make way for BCB London

Imbibe Live takes place for the last time this week, with organiser RX announcing plans to relaunch the on-trade show under the banner of BCB.

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01 July, 2024

Hamish Smith

Wacky Wombat temporarily closes

Nico de Soto's Wacky Wombat in Soho has been forced to close after its team resigned, CLASS understands.

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01 July, 2024

Hamish Smith

Mia Johansson and Bobby Hiddleston depart Swift as Coral Anderson steps up

Mia Johansson and Bobby Hiddleston, who co-founded Swift with Roisin Stimpson and Edmund Weil, are to leave the London bar group this summer, CLASS can exclusively reveal.

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01 July, 2024

Hamish Smith

50 Best menu award applications open

Applications are now open for the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award for The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024.

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28 June, 2024

Hamish Smith

Hoot the Redeemer to close

Edinburgh bar Hoot the Redeemer will close its doors for the final time on January 1st 2025.

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26 June, 2024

Hamish Smith

UKHospitality backs Labour's hospitality plan

UKHospitality has backed Labour's plans to replace the business rates system and cut energy bills should the party be elected into government in July.

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20 June, 2024

Hamish Smith

Cressida Lawlor launches The Quest for Queer docu-series

Sexy Fish’s Cressida Lawlor has collaborated with Monkey Shoulder to produce a documentary that explores the experiences of LGBTQIA+ bartenders in the UK cocktail bar industry.

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19 June, 2024

Hamish Smith

UK bars and bartenders among Spirited Awards' finalists

A slew of UK bars and bartenders have been nominated as finalists in Tales of the Cocktail's Spirited Awards 2024, with Kevin Armstrong's Satan's Whiskers and Remy Savage and Paul Lougrat's A Bar with Shapes for a Name both competing for Best International Bar.

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18 June, 2024

Hamish Smith

PJ Jaurre joins DrinksOne

PJ Jaurre has joined the DrinksOne team as the head of Luxury Brands working on Porte Noire Brands, the soon to be launched Papa Salt Gin and Onikishi Japanese Whisky.

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14 June, 2024

Hamish Smith

Chockie Tom takes ambassadorial role

Mr Black Coffee Liqueur has appointed Chockie Tom its new UK brand ambassador.

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14 June, 2024

Hamish Smith

Gaucho's Latin-inspired drinks “finest of any restaurant group in the UK"

Gaucho has revealed its new menu, The Spirit of Argentina, claiming it to be among the best cocktail lists by a UK restaurant group.

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07 June, 2024

Hamish Smith

Kiki Lounge unveils new modernist tropical cocktail menu

Tropical bar Kiki Lounge on the Isle of Man has unveiled its latest cocktail list, Menu Zine Issue 3.

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07 June, 2024

Hamish Smith

BBAs: Which product reigned supreme?

We finish our review of the BBAs 2024 where the competition ends. Once all the scores had been tallied these were the best-performing products. So which brand was best of the best?

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06 June, 2024

Hamish Smith

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.

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31 May, 2024

Hamish Smith

Jack Sotti to launch hidden Hippodrome bar

Bar consultant Jack Sotti is to launch hidden bar Archive & Myth beneath the Hippodrome Casino in June.

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28 May, 2024

Hamish Smith

Sign up to our CLASSROOM on the history of drinks with Anistatia Miller, Jared Brown & Schweppes

Bartenders can sign up free to the latest CLASSROOM event - Born Social - hosted by Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown, sponsored by Schweppes.

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23 May, 2024

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