Did it ever occur to you to ask your friendly bartenders where they like to drink? Because you know they know the best places in town. Well, don’t worry, our guest has. And lucky for us, he’s sharing that info.

Sam Gilani was making Sazeracs when he was at university - that should tell you that he was bound to become The London Boozehound. He is not only a journalist with a massive Instagram following but also the founder of the Bartender’s Edit - that list of every bartender’s favorite hangouts.

You’d be surprised what made the list, but I’m not going to tell you, Sam is.

Before we begin, you can always watch this episode on Youtube, plus all the other Lush Life episodes, as well as a whole lot more; just head to youtube.com/@lushlifemanual that's youtube.com/@lushlifemanual!

The cocktail of the week is the East 8 Holdup:

INGREDIENTS

• 45 ml Vodka
• 15 ml Aperol
• 20 ml Pineapple Juice
• 15 ml Fresh Lime Juice
• 15 ml Simple Syrup
• 5 ml Passionfruit Syrup

METHOD

• Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice
• Shake for 15 seconds
• Fine strain into a rocks glass with ice
• Garnish with half a passionfruit and a mint sprig

You’ll find this recipe and all the cocktails of the week at alushlifemanual.com, plus links to most of the ingredients.

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/the-london-boozehound-with-sam-gilani

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Who doesn’t want to enjoy a tipple or two in a gorgeous setting? Today, I bring you to one of the most historically important homes in London, which held and is still holding some of the best parties the city has ever seen.

On today’s episode, you’ll meet a power player in Georgian society, the Lansdowne House, constructed in the 1760s by the celebrated architect Robert Adam.

Not only did it see the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the American War of Independence, in its Round Room, but also the negotiations for the Entente Cordiale between Britain and France. But let’s not forget: Thanks to some of its famous residents, Lansdowne House was the first stop on the party circuit.

I don’t want to ruin the fun by revealing all here, but let me just say they could throw one great shindig after another!

Currently, it is home to The Lansdowne Club, the first club in London to accept both male and female members, shocking in 1935. Here to tell us all are CEO and Club Secretary David Herbert and then Head Bartender Marco Caglià.

The cocktail of the week is the Pink Duke:

INGREDIENTS

• 35 ml Hendrick's gin
• 25 ml Kwai Feh Lychee Liqueur
• 25 ml fresh lime juice
• 25 ml Raspberry and rose cordial
• Prosecco

METHOD

• Add all ingredients except the prosecco to a shaker with ice
• Shake for 15 seconds
• Fine strain into a coupe
• Top up with the prosecco
• Garnish with an edible rosebud

You’ll find this recipe and all the cocktails of the week at alushlifemanual.com, plus links to most of the ingredients.

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/lansdowne-club-with-david-herbert-and-marco-caglia

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Become a supporter of A Lush Life Manual for as little as $5 - all you have to do is go to https://substack.com/@alushlifemanual.

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Remember a time when asking for a non-alcoholic beverage meant getting a soda or an apple juice? Well, thanks to the brain behind Seedlip, there are now stores filled with No-ABV and Low-ABV spirits. It’s not often one can invent a whole new category of drinking, but our guest did, and now he is coming for bitters, watch out.

My friend and former Lush Lifer Ben Branson was on the program more than 5 years ago and since that time, he is not only the Founder of Seedlip - the first ever non-alcoholic spirit, but also the Pollen Projects, the non-profit The Hidden 20% & the host of The Hidden 20% podcast. He is also the genius behind the new drinks flavoring, seasn.

There are two seasns right now in the UK (and coming soon to the US) LIGHT and DARK - each born to make your drinks even tastier. LIGHT brightens up your lighter drinks and DARK adds a rich spicier note to your darker drinks. But I don’t want to give it all away. But I don't want to give it all away. The story of seasn is Ben’s to tell.

Before we begin, you can always watch this episode on Youtube, plus all the other Lush Life episodes as well as a whole lot more; just head to youtube.com/@lushlifemanual that's youtube.com/@lushlifemanual!

The cocktail of the week is the seasn Margarita:

INGREDIENTS

• 40 ml Blanco Tequila
• 20 ml Fresh Lime juice
• 10 ml Cointreaul
• 3 dashes seasn LIGHT
• 2:1 sugar syrup as needed

METHOD

• Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice
• Shake for 15 seconds
• Fine strain into a coupe or rocks glass with ice
• Garnish with Maldon sea salt rim and a lime wedge.

OR make the non-alcoholic seasn Margarita:

INGREDIENTS

• 40ml Seedlip Garden
• 20ml Fresh Lime juice
• 3 dashes seasn LIGHT
• Agave syrup as needed

METHOD

• Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice
• Shake for 15 seconds
• Fine strain into a coupe or rocks glass with ice
• Garnish with Maldon sea salt rim and a lime wedge.

You’ll find this recipe and all the cocktails of the week at alushlifemanual.com, plus links to most of the ingredients.

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/seasn-with-ben-branson

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This March, I was blown away by the creativity of some of the best bars in the world. Not only were they making cocktails, but they were saving the planet.

On the 17 and 18th of March 2024, the third edition of the Paradiso Sustainability Summit, organized by Giacomo Giannotti and his team, in partnership with Ketel One Vodka through their Garnished with Good program was held.

Giacomo’s bar Paradiso is ranked one of the best Bars in the world, and he established the Summit three years ago as an exchange of ideas and tools with the aim of raising awareness and making the industry more sustainable.

This year, the event took place at Palo Alto - an indoor and outdoor space chosen for its approach to helping local communities. There were two stages for masterclasses, seminars, and workshops, a marketplace where local organizations showcased their sustainable projects and products, and, of course, pop-ups of all the invited international and local bars serving cocktails all day long!

While I was there I caught up with not only Giacomo, but a few of the other speakers who are my guests on the program today.

Riccardo Rossi and Michele Filip from Rome’s Freni e Frizioni, Paul Voza from Oslo’s Himkok, Vasilis Kyritsis and Dimitris Dafopoulos from Line in Athens, Alexandros Tselepis and Konstantinos Theodorakopoulos from The Bar in Front of The Bar also in Athens, Partick Howley from So Let’s Talk, and last but certainly not least Timothy Etherington-Judge of Avallen Calvados and Healthy Hospo who gives us the place to start with sustainability to have the greatest impact.

It was truly an eye-opening event, and they will most definitely inspire you to do more.

But before I begin, make sure you check out a sampling of all the activities from the summit on my YouTube channel! www.Youtube.com/@lushlifemanual

Up first is, of course, Giacomo our host and founder of this important initiative.

The cocktail of the week is Paradiso’s The Voyage:

INGREDIENTS

• 50 ml Ketel One Vodka
• 25 ml Amaro Santoni
• 25 ml Italicus
• Yogurt blueberries
• Yogurt raspberry

METHOD

• Mix the following ingredients together in a container
• Infuse it for 24 hours in the fridge
• Filter it all through a cheesecloth.
• Then pour it into your chilled martini glass
• Garnish with a jam-filled white chocolate if you have one

You’ll find this recipe and all the cocktails of the week at alushlifemanual.com, where you’ll find some of the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/paradiso-sustainability-summit-2024

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The butterfly effect is the idea that small things can have non-linear impacts on a complex system. The concept is imagined with a butterfly flapping its wings and causing a typhoon. Our butterfly, in this case, is one small sip of bourbon.

That specific sip of bourbon started off a chain reaction that would see not only the world of drinks but the world at large change forever and I am not exaggerating!

But I am not going to ruin the story. You will have to hear it from one of the co-Founders of Never Say Die Bourbon. Brian Luftman is here on Lush Life to tell you a story that is pretty incredible. You don’t need to be a marketing genius to know that every brand needs a story, but this one you just couldn’t make up and its at the heart of Never Say Die.

Before we begin, you can always watch this episode on Youtube, plus all the other Lush Life episodes as well as a whole lot more; just head to youtube.com/@lushlifemanual that's youtube.com/@lushlifemanual!

Now feet in stirrups, hands on the reins, the gate is about to open with Brian leading the pack!

The cocktail of the week is the Epsom Derby!

INGREDIENTS

• 40ml Never Say Die Small-Batch Bourbon
• 30ml pink grapefruit juice
• 15ml honey syrup
• Garnish: 8-10 mint leaves

METHOD

• Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice
• Shake for 15 seconds
• Strain into a Nick and Nora glass and garnish

You’ll find this recipe and all the cocktails of the week at alushlifemanual.com, plus links to all the ingredients.

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/never-say-die-bourbon-with-brian-luftman

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Become a supporter of A Lush Life Manual for as little as $5 - all you have to do is go to https://substack.com/@alushlifemanual

Lush Life Merchandise is here - we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers, and more covers for everything! And more!

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New episodes every Tuesday, usually!!

I think relaunch is the word of the moment. It is Spring, after all.

Not only will I be relaunching Season 8 of Lush Life, bringing you exciting episodes about sustainability, horse racing, the Beatles, absinthe, and so much more!

But the big news is I have just re-launched my cocktail tours in London’s Soho- Long story but I first started them in Nov 2019 and well we know what happened then.

Now, I am thrilled to say that they are up and running! So next time you are planning a trip to London, check out londoncocktailtours.com!

So, let’s toast to all this relaunching.

Since this time of year is all about apples - this is one of my favorite autumn cocktails (and one I always start the season with!)

It’s the Avallen Autumn Old-Fashioned:

Ingredients

• 30ml / 1 oz Avallen Calvados
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 dash orange bitters
• Top up with champagne

Method

• Add all of the ingredients (except the champagne) to a cocktail glass
• Give them a quick stir with a teaspoon to dissolve the honey
• Top with champagne
• Add a small orange zest on the side for extra dazzle

You’ll find this recipe, plus all the cocktails of the week, at ALushLifeManual.com.

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Few people would have the courage to leave a very secure future in academia for a very uncertain life behind the bar. Our guest did, and he has never looked back.

Are you crazy for Thomas Shelby and also have a passion for Japanese Whisky? Do you have no clue who Thomas Shelby is but love your Japanese whisky? Or do you not know either about Thomas Shelby or Japanese Whisky but just want to meet one of the greatest guys in the spirit industry? Then this episode is for you!

James Bowker is a proud Brummie; that is someone from Birmingham, England btw, just like Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders, one of my favorite programs.

His early love of Japanese whisky grew into a role as the first House of Suntory Global Advocacy Manager. I met James many years ago when he was one of the ten finalists for the Diageo World Class UK, and have just now finally had him on the program.

It was kismet as I was just about to step on a plane to Japan. He taught me so much, which made the experience a billion times better. Even if you are not headed to Japan, his knowledge is invaluable.

Before we begin, you can always watch this episode on Youtube, plus all the other Lush Life episodes, as well as a whole lot more; just head to youtube.com/@lushlifemanual that's youtube.com/@lushlifemanual!

The cocktail of the week is the Kyoto Club!

INGREDIENTS

• 50ml Suntory ROKU Gin
• 25ml Green Tea (Chilled)
• 25ml Lemon Juice
• 15ml Raspberry Syrup
• (Sugar + Raspberries if not available)
• Garnish: Raspberries

METHOD

• Fill the glass with ice.
• Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
• Shake for 15 seconds.
• Strain into glass and garnish.

You’ll find this recipe, more gin cocktail recipes, and all the cocktails of the week at alushlifemanual.com, where you’ll find some of the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/house-of-suntory-spirits-with-james-bowker

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Become a supporter of A Lush Life Manual for as little as $5 - all you have to do is go to patreon.com/lushlife.

Lush Life Merchandise is here - we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers, and more covers for everything! And more!

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New episodes every Tuesday, usually!!

You asked for it, and you got it - all of you kind people who filled out my survey asked for more interviews with more legends. Our guest is the world's most-awarded bartender & bar owner. If Mr Lyan isn’t a legend, I don’t know who is.

If you call yourself a cocktail connoisseur, then you will have come upon the name Mr Lyan in your travels. Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr Lyan opened White Lyan in London in 2013. It was a moment that will go down in cocktail history as the first cocktail bar in the world to use no perishables, no fruit, and even no ice, an innovative approach to sustainability, with much lower waste and a use of pre-made cocktails and never before seen ingredients.

This focus on a ground-breaking approach remains in the evolution of White Lyan, Super Lyan, Dandelyan, Cub, Lyaness, Silver Lyan, and Seed Library.

Ryan’s with me to discuss his new book, Mr Lyan’s Cocktails at Home: Good Things to Drink with Friends, but we go into so much more -

How his relationship to flavor evolved, how his studying Fine Arts at Central Saint Martins as well as Biology at Edinburgh University spurred him on to get behind the bar, and why the need to write a book at all.

You have no idea how excited I am to finally have Ryan on the show!

Before we begin, you can always watch this episode on Youtube, plus all the other Lush Life episodes as well as a whole lot more; just head to youtube.com/@lushlifemanual

The cocktail of the week is Ryan’s Barlay Champagne!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 shots (100ml/4oz) water
• 6 shots (150ml/6oz) lemon barley water cordial
• 8 shots (200ml/8oz) fino sherry or dry vermouth
• 12 shots (300ml/12oz) London dry gin
• 10 dashes Tabasco
• Rosemary sprigs, to garnish

METHOD

• Add the water, cordial, sherry or vermouth, and gin to a jug, then add the Tabasco
• Stir and then decant into a clean wine bottle and chill well
• To serve, add a shot and a half (40ml/1.5oz) of the chilled mixture to a flute, then top with bubbles.
• Add a sprig of rosemary and serve

The Magic is that “you can make lemon barley cordial at home (it's a very old-fashioned British cordial of pearl barley and lemon), but this recipe works great with any store-bought cordial that brings sweetness and acidity. Elderflower, blackcurrant, or even more regional ones such as redcurrant or gooseberry also work-although there's a richness to the barley addition that works wonderfully. Tabasco adds a background heat, but try adding other accent spices such as gochujang or sriracha - just sieve it after mixing to remove any particulates, as they will interfere with the fizz. Plus, you just want a hint of fruity warmth. else you’ll throw the balance of the drink.”

You’ll find this recipe, more Champagne cocktail recipes, and all the cocktails of the week at alushlifemanual.com, where you’ll find some of the ingredients in our shop.

Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/cocktails-at-home-with-ryan-chetiyawardana

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Lush Life Merchandise is here - we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers, and more covers for everything! And more!

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