Hamish Smith

Oriole’s long-awaited comeback announced

Award-winning cocktail bar and music venue Oriole will make its return this March, with a three-month pop-up to launch in Covent Garden ahead of a full reopening.

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22 February, 2024

Hamish Smith

Iain McPherson and ECW founders launch Edinburgh Bar Show

Iain McPherson of Panda & Sons has teamed up with Edinburgh Cocktail Week founders Jamie Faulds and Gary Anderson to launch a new three-day international bar show in the Scottish capital.

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07 February, 2024

Hamish Smith

Brass Monkey owner takes over Nottingham's Tilt

Liam O’Brien of Nottingham’s Brass Monkey has taken over another of the city’s longstanding bars, Tilt.

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07 February, 2024

Hamish Smith

Award-winning low-waste restaurant bar Terroir Tapas closes

Terroir Tapas, a pioneer of sustainable practices in the UK hospitality industry, has announced it has closed due to financial difficulties.

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06 February, 2024

Hamish Smith

CLASS Bar Awards 2024 finalists revealed

CLASS is delighted to announce the finalists of the CLASS Bar Awards 2024, ahead of the ceremony at Battersea Arts Centre in London on April 16th.

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30 January, 2024

Hamish Smith

International spotlight: Class talks to Native in Singapore

Fresh back from Singapore, Hamish Smith has the questions and Vijay Mudaliar from Native the answers

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26 January, 2024

Hamish Smith

Beaufort Bar at The Savoy appoints new manager

The Beaufort Bar at The Savoy has appointed Markus Basset as bar manager.

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08 January, 2024

Hamish Smith

The most-read stories of 2023

What were the big bar industry stories last year? Hamish Smith provides a guide to the most read on Classbarmag.com.

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05 January, 2024

Hamish Smith

Noel and Max Venning to open Three Sheets Soho

Three Sheets' Noel and Max Venning have announced they will open a second site in Soho in March 2024.

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04 January, 2024

Hamish Smith

Bar openings you may have missed: inside Nessa Soho

Hamish Smith features a recent launch that went a little under the radar: Nessa in Soho.

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04 January, 2024

Hamish Smith

Review: Atelier Coupette, London

Hamish Smith drops in on Soho's latest cocktail bar - Atelier Coupette

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20 December, 2023

Hamish Smith

Nico de Soto on returning to London and opening Wacky Wombat

Globetrotting bartender Nico de Soto of famed bars Mace in New York and Danico in Paris has landed in London. Hamish Smith is at Wacky Wombat to hear about his new digs under Daroco in Soho.

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19 December, 2023

Hamish Smith

Elon Soddu opens Twice Shy in Earl's Court

Elon Soddu, Victor Maggiolo and the team behind Amaro bar are today opening the doors to their second west London venue: Twice Shy.

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15 December, 2023

Hamish Smith

The Liars Club to close after 12 years

Manchester tiki bar The Liars Club is to close after 12 years, it's been announced.

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15 December, 2023

Hamish Smith

Review: Hamish Smith on Dram and the fast-changing notion of 'cool'

Hamish Smith stops by London's biggest launch this winter.

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14 December, 2023

Hamish Smith

Mastering the bar experience: Kevin Armstrong on ten years of Satan's Whiskers

Hamish Smith takes a seat next to Kevin Armstrong at Satan’s Whiskers to hear one of the lesser-told stories of bar success.

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13 December, 2023

Hamish Smith

CLASS Winter 2023 launches

Access the digital magazine here. Not subscribed? Bartenders can sign up for a digital or hard copy here.

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11 December, 2023

Hamish Smith

Inclusive mentorship programme for content creators launched by The Three Drinkers

The Three Drinkers' Aidy Smith has launched Drinklusive, an inclusive mentorship program for aspiring drinks writers and content creators.

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11 December, 2023

Hamish Smith

Agave spirits bar Mezcalito Brompton to open

Agave spirits bar Mezcalito Brompton on South Kensington’s Old Brompton Road is set to open its doors today.

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07 December, 2023

Hamish Smith

The Busker launches small-batch release

The Busker Irish Whiskey has launched its first small batch expression, The Busker Small Batch Single Pot Still.

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04 December, 2023

Hamish Smith

International spotlight: Class explores Jewel of the South in New Orleans

Opened in 2019, this creole cottage-set bar has quickly become a must-visit for any cocktail aficionado. Hamish Smith gets the lowdown on the offering

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30 November, 2023

Hamish Smith

Callooh Callay celebrates 15th birthday with alumni guest shift

Shoreditch bar Callooh Callay is to celebrate its 15th birthday, bringing back some of the bar's best-known bartenders for a one-night-only guest shift.

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15 November, 2023

Hamish Smith

Schofields and Vennings to unite in December

Bar industry brothers Daniel & Joe Schofield from Schofield’s Bar in Manchester and Noel & Max Venning from Three Sheets in London will bartend together for the first time this December.

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14 November, 2023

Hamish Smith

ECC's Lorenzo Di Cola joins Altamura

Lorenzo Di Cola, formerly of the Experimental Cocktail Club Group, has joined Altamura Distilleries as international head of brand across its key global markets, including Italy, the USA, the UK, and India.

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14 November, 2023

Hamish Smith

Review: Rum Ex Machina, Manchester

Reviewer for the north, Dave Marsland stops by a bar of one of the biggest venues to launch this year - Diecast.

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13 November, 2023

Hamish Smith

Drinks One launches e-commerce arm

Agency Drinks One has launched an e-commerce arm aimed at providing a platform for smaller scale, “innovative” drinks brands to sell directly to consumers and trade.

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01 November, 2023

Hamish Smith

Angel's Treasure - the spirit world's lesser-known phenomenon of divine evaporation

Hamish Smith explores the distilling world in search of Angel’s Treasure.

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24 October, 2023

Hamish Smith

Sips takes The World's 50 Best Bars crown as London named cocktail capital

Sips from Barcelona has taken top spot at The World’s 50 Best Bars sponsored by Perrier – announced in Singapore tonight - while London became the cocktail capital 2023, contributing more bars to the list than any other city.

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17 October, 2023

Hamish Smith

Review: Lucky 7, Birmingham

Ellen Manning passes by Rob Wood and Kyndra Vorster’s latest Birmingham creation.

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17 October, 2023

Hamish Smith

Veronica Di Pietrantonio and Pietro Collina on the reboot of Viajante 87

Veronica Di Pietrantonio, formerly of Dandelyan/ Lyaness, and Pietro Collina, ex-Eleven Maddison Park/ Nomad, have relaunched Viajante 87 in Notting Hill. Hamish Smith caught up with them.

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16 October, 2023