I’m not the only one who can’t resist a good hotel bar—London’s are bursting at the seams most nights. Now, thanks to our guest today, Barcelona’s stepping into the spotlight with 25 of its best great hotel bars teaming up for the first-ever Barcelona Hotel Bar Week from September 22nd - 28th!

The brains behind it all is Bianca Grisolia, who decided it was high time Barcelona’s hotel bars got the spotlight they deserve. Not only is she Founder and Organizer of Barcelona Hotel Bar Week, but a communication strategist, international PR expert, and founder of BG PR & Communication, an agency working globally with cocktail bars, chefs, premium brands, and hospitality realities.

With years of experience in strategic communication and mixology events, Bianca is a passionate advocate for the cultural value of hospitality and a driving force in building community and connections within the hospitality industry, plus she is my friend!

We would so appreciate your support by signing up to our newsletter. You can get our advice on anything to do with home bartending, where to drink in every major city, special recipes, and even your very own Lush Life mug! Just head to alushlifemanual.substack.com and sign up!

Our cocktail of the week comes to you directly from the Cotton House Hotel - Batuar Bar & Restaurant, created for Barcelona Hotel Bar Week by their amazing Bartender: Alberto Melis.

INGREDIENTS

• 60 ml Gin - they use 100&NOMORE, which is local to Barcelona
• 200 ml of homemade tonic

METHOD

• Toast 8 grams of fennel seeds in a dry pan until they release their aroma.
• Infuse 1 liter of water, the toasted fennel seeds, 0.8 g white cassia, 20 grapefruit skins, and 5g kaffir lime leaves at 70°C for 20 minutes, then filter through a strainer.
• Heat the 250 ml oat milk to 80°C (no boiling), pour in the infusion and add 50 ml of lemon juice. Leave to cool in the fridge for 60 minutes then filter with a coffee filter or cotton filter.
• Now that you have the two infusions done, combine 1 part of the water with one part of the clarified oat milk
• Mix 200 ml of homemade tonic for every 60 ml of gin and serve on the rocks in a Collins glass, and garnish with a grapefruit zest.
• If you have one, then place the mix in a soda siphon, let the mix cool in the fridge for about 60 minutes and load with two cartridges of CO2. Once gasified, serve on the rock in a Collins glass and garnish with a grapefruit zest.

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/barcelona-hotel-bar-week-with-bianca-grisolia/

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How can it be that this is my 10th Season? Did all that time really go by?

Yes, next Tuesday, I will bring you the first episode of Season 10 of Lush Life. As the year before, this season, we’ll have even more great conversations, enjoy more great cocktails, and visit a few more great places to enjoy a sip or two.

Just a note if you are new to Lush Life - you can find out more information on everyone I’ve interviewed on my blog alushlifemanual.com! And you can also watch most of the interviews on my YouTube channel, which, not to confuse you, is youtube.com/lushlifemanual without the A!

And if you want any more Lush Life, you can sign up to my newsletter at alushlifemanual.substack.com!

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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!

Produced by Simpler Media

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New episodes every other Tuesday, usually!!

Sometimes, you don't realize that all paths have led you to where you end up. Think about it - it could be true for you. It is for our guest - he’s right where he was meant to be all along.

For Tom Chisholm,  all those dead ends and missed starts made sense when Buck & Birch was born. Founded in 2016 by Tom and his partner Rupert Waites when they joined forces to share a deep bond created back in their respective childhoods growing up in nature, surrounded by exhilarating wilderness landscapes.

The duo began hosting pop-up dining events in the 2000's, with a focus on wild and foraged Scottish ingredients. Their wild elderberry liqueur proved insanely popular with all and Buck & Birch was on its way.

Follow along with us on Tom’s path from Norway to Scotland and how he found himself the co-founder of a drinks company!

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.

Also If you love the show, we would so appreciate your support! You can get our advice on anything to do with home bartending, where to drink in every major city, special recipes, plus a Lush Life mug! Just head to alushlifemanual.substack.com and sign up!

The cocktail of the week is the Birch Forest Martini:

INGREDIENTS

• 60ml BIRCH Premium Botanical Vodka
• 15ml white vermouth
• Garnish: lemon twist

METHOD

• Add the ingredients to an icing glass
• Add ice and stir
• Strain into a Martini glass
• Garnish with a lemon twist.

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/buck-and-birch-with-tom-chisholm

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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!

Produced by Simpler Media

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

Get great cocktail ideas on Pinterest

New episodes every Tuesday, usually!!