Ellen Manning on why you might find spirits that best add value right under your nose.

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It’s fair to say some owners embrace hyper-local sourcing more enthusiastically than others, but for Kiki Lounge on the Isle of Man, the ‘local first’ approach has become key. “Before sourcing elsewhere, we always ask, ‘Can we find it locally first?’,” says co-owner Jamie Lewis. “That principle ensures that our decisions align with our key criteria of quality, production methods, regularity of supply, financial sustainability and company values.”

Yet it can’t just be a case of local for local’s sake, explains co-owner Drew Fleming. “We’re a business that prides itself on quality, so there are examples of things that are available that perhaps aren’t of the quality we would want to offer to our guests. It has to be a balanced approach. Of course, you want to support people who are pursuing passions, but it has to be from a point of view that our guests are going to get the same quality that they know us for, and not just blindly supporting local.”

Price is also an issue, and whether a small supplier can provide what a busy bar needs at the right quality, price point and volume. “We’re doing as much as we can, but in some cases we have to say we’re just going to have to get this from somewhere else.”

Isle of Man

Almost all of Kiki Lounge’s wholesalers are within a 30-mile radius, with partnerships including the Outlier Distilling Company, producer of the bar’s house rums, shipped in 20-litre refillable jerry cans to eliminate single-use bottles, as well as local distiller Fynoderee and winemaker Foraging Vintners. “It was a very honest conversation with Outlier about how we could make it work so they got the volume they needed to bring the price down to what we needed.” The benefits of such a partnership have seen Kiki able to champion a local spirit, and to help Outlier grow and scale its production.

London

Muse at RSA House puts sustainability at its heart and aims to spotlight British ingredients, with a core menu including Vault Aperitivo Bitter, Two Drifters Signature rum and Devil’s Botany absinthe, as well as Cotswolds-produced Capreolus Raspberry eau de vie. “For us it’s about concentration of flavour and the quality of raw produce picked at perfect ripeness,” says Marcis Dzelzainis, drinks partner for Muse.

“So if you look at the eau de vie from Capreolus, over 25kg of fresh raspberries goes into every litre of distillate, so it’s incredibly expressive and a small amount really shines through in a mixed drink. By comparison, using fresh raspberries throughout the year is an unseasonal approach, the quality is variable, and often they’re grown outside of the UK. For us, using these wonderfully crafted spirits is a much better expression of produce at its peak.” There are broader benefits too, he adds, including the potential for better, more creative drinks. “We have a real personal connection to the spirits we showcase on the back bar.”

South west

The obvious example of hyper-local sourcing is Ugly Butterfly (now relocated to The Headland in Cornwall), whose sustainability ethos runs through its restaurant and bar operation, from reusing food waste to creating its own ferments and distillates. Alongside these, you’ll find super-local spirits, including Cornish Connie Glaze vodka, Tarquin’s gin and Two Drifters rum, which hails from Exeter.

But there are other bars quietly crafting drinks from spirits made just miles away. Such as North Coast Wine Lounge in Bude, whose cocktail list would tell you where you are even if you’d been transported there blindfolded, thanks to creations such as a Bramble Fizz featuring Bude Bramble gin, Martinis using Knightor vermouth, and a Cornish Collins featuring Elemental gin and Cornish fruit liqueur.

North of England

Tommy Banks is a proponent of local sourcing when it comes to food, but his venues don’t stop there. In 2018 he announced a collaboration with Yorkshire’s Cooper King Distillery, providing a range of bespoke spirits for The Black Swan and Roots York. The spirits were as personal as it gets, using ingredients such as marigold flowers grown in the Black Swan’s kitchen garden – picked, delivered to the distillery and distilled on the same day.

Scotland

Scotland is no stranger to local spirits – ask any whisky lover. But it goes beyond that, with other spirits also helping to create cocktails that ooze a sense of place. At The Court at The Caledonian in Edinburgh, hyper-local Scottish spirits dominate the menu, from gins by Electric Spirit Co in Leith to Buck & Birch and Arbikie Nàdar vodkas, cask-rested gin from Islay and Scottish-made Vault Coastal vermouth. Its purpose is clear in the blurb, which offers a promise that cocktails here will: “Evoke the essence of Scotland’s natural landscapes – rugged peaks, crisp rivers and rich florals.”

Wales

In Wales, the search for a hyper-local gin led Claire and Tim Whalley to create their own. Beer bar owners first, they established Craft Republic in Barry in 2020, then decided to create a house gin inspired by Barry Island. And so Barry Island Spirits was born, producing gin, rum and vodka that is now distributed across the UK, but most importantly served in their own bar to a recipe they created inspired by surroundings they look at every day.

How easy is it?

With bars increasingly embracing local sourcing, in spirits as much as produce, it seems an easy win. Supply chain and price point are challenges, admits Dzelzainis, and the key is to stay focused, starting with two or three products and having a purpose on your menu.

Kiki Lounge’s Fleming, too, admits that financial sustainability can’t be forgotten amid a desire to promote environmental sustainability and champion local producers. But for him, the relationship is symbiotic, and closer partnerships with local suppliers can only help everyone. In his words: “A rising tide raises all ships.” And might lead to some great cocktails along the way.