Lush Life

Thinking of opening a new cocktail bar or planning a fabulous cocktail party? Thanks to our guest today we don’t have to start from scratch. He’s given us the tools to hone every facet of the guest experience! How lucky are we that Jason Williams, Creative Director of Proof and Company and head of Proof Creative, their bar and beverage consultancy program, has shared his 20 PIllar Plan with the rest of the world. He could have kept it a secret...

For those of you who listened to the very, very end of my ep last week, you were expecting this week to be all about the City of London, well, due to unforeseen circumstances with which I won’t bore you. Instead, this week we will be answering all your questions about bitters with two who have been in the bitters biz for almost 10 years. I’ve had many eureka moments in the over 200 episodes of Lush Life I’ve done, but never so many in one episode! All to do with bitters...

I wish I had known my guest sooner. Every dinner party he has ends with a round of homemade liqueur. The liquid was so good that he was convinced to bottle it for the whole world to enjoy. Now everyone’s dinner party can end with one more sip! Thomas Lester was busy doing other things when he realized what he was making was just too yummy not to share. Thus, Reverend Hubert Winter Gin Liqueur was born...

Yes, it’s a biggie. My 200th episode, and who should join me but one of the biggest names in cocktails and my constant companion during the lockdown, Lynnette Marrero. 199 episodes ago, I had a mic and “bottom’s up” to end the show...

Yorkshire is known for its turbulent weather and wildly romantic hills and dales, which influenced not only the Bronte sisters but our guest today. We have Richard Thompson, Co-Founder of Sing Gin, with me today on the program. When his father brought home a still, they were not sure what would come of it. Throwing caution to the wind, he and his family produced an award-winning gin that comes from and is tied to the Yorkshire landscape. He is here to tell us what transpired...

This is a pre-Thanksgiving quiz. What American Revolutionary War hero said, “I have not yet begun to fight?” and has a rum named after him. No, it’s not Hamilton! We have Finnian Gill, Co-Founder - Master of Flavors for...wait for it.....

So I have one question for you before I begin: Are you Team Bach or Team Coward? Bach said: “Without my morning coffee, I’m just like a dried-up piece of a goat.” While Noel Coward asked, “Why do I drink champagne for breakfast? Doesn’t everyone?” So how do you wake up in the morning Sponsored by Tanqueray Gin, I was joined at the final Lush Life Book Club at Oriole bar in London by Pippa Guy, the Brand Ambassador of Tanqueray Gin, and Jason Clark, Brand Ambassador of Talisker whisky...

London is one of the most popular cities to visit - great restaurants, bars, hotels, but it wasn’t always that way. One man’s vision changed everything when he opened a hotel that would become one of the most influential in the world. Our guest today introduces us to that man. For those of you who haven’t guessed already, that hotel is the Savoy in London, and that man is Richard D'Oyly Carte...

James Bond might be famous for drinking the Vodka Martini, shaken, not stirred, but his creator Ian Fleming had him drinking way more than that. What else, you may ask? Our guests today hold the answers. Sponsored by Ketel One, I welcomed Mia Johansson, Bobby Hiddleston and Edmund Weil at the second Lush Life Book Club at Oriole Bar in London to discuss their book, Shaken: Drinking with James Bond and Ian Fleming...

We’re back with the Lush Life podcast, and I am thrilled to be here to tell you that the original London Dry Gin, way back when, was pink! I didn’t believe it either until our guests presented me with a taste. Sponsored by Sipsmith, I welcomed Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown to join me at the launch of the first Lush Life Book Club at Oriole Bar in London to discuss their new book, The Distiller of London...