Earlier this year, Stauning welcomed their new Global Brand Ambassador to the team – and he comes with an impressive roster of accolades from his time behind the bar. Working closely with the team here at Mangrove Global, meet Ali Reynolds…
It all began at the other side of the bar for Ali, becoming a skilled mixologist in his own right at acclaimed bars like Brass Monkey in Nottingham and HAUS BAR in Bristol. A move to London then brought Ali key experiences like launching Pollen Street Social (which gained a Michelin Star in its first year of opening), before he joined Hawksmoor Restaurants to open two sites at Guildhall, and Spitalfields. The latter of these won World’s Best Restaurant Bar at Tales of the Cocktail 2015, under Ali’s leadership. And that was good year, as Ali then went on to be named the world’s #4 best bartender in World Class, after competing in Diageo’s Global Final which took place in South Africa. Many, many accolades.
With ample knowledge of both sides of the bar now gained, Ali honed in on Whisky, becoming Brand Ambassador for Diageo’s Johnnie Walker, opening a number of visitor centres around Scotland, including the spectacular outpost on Edinburgh’s Princes Street. Knowing full well how to engage consumers around the world with premium whisky brands, Edinburgh-based Ali is now driving a dynamic advocacy programme for Stauning. This will include a range of activation events, focused on the on-trade, next year, showing the world’s best bartenders the ethos and philosophy behind this quality, Danish whisky. Ali said of his role:
“At Stauning, we have an education piece to complete; getting people in the on and off trade to engage with what we represent as a brand. Aside from our fantastic flavour – it’s what sets us apart from our competitors in the category.
Stauning is a great whisky for sipping neat but it also lends itself very well to the range of classic whisky cocktails.”
For the coming season, Ali suggests trying your hand at the Stauning Morning Glory Fizz, recipe below. For more information about Stauning, the whisky and the distillery, visit stauningwhisky.com and you can follow Ali’s whisky adventures on Instagram
Stauning Morning Glory Fizz
Ingredients
50ml Stauning KAOS
10ml lime juice
10ml lemon juice
1 dash of Absinthe
20ml egg white
25ml sugar syrup
Topped with soda water
Method
Shake ingredients together, hard, then strain into an empty highball glass and top with cold soda water. Garnish with lemon zest.