Firm closing

[Non-Believer]

On 8/10/2023 at 10:32 AM, Roxanne said:

Someone needs to tell Ben. 

Has anybody....?

 

[Roxanne]

I really do need to get out more...

[John Wright]

51 minutes ago, Non-Believer said:

Has anybody....?

 

The article says Ben invited them to take over. Assume that means he knows

[WTF]

44 minutes ago, Roxanne said:

I really do need to get out more...

when the ankle tag comes off you'll be allowed to.

[jackwhite]

9 hours ago, Kopek said:

You have to wish any new business well and I hope they do well..............

...but why a 'theme', what happened to Fri nite out, beer at 2.20 a pint and vodka 1.75??? or whatever.

Why does it have to be Tiki cocktails and cigars?

Do the majority of customers actually have a Tiki cocktail or a cigar???? Or is a pint and a Chardonnay?

Still, wish them the best.

Most hospitality businesses have a theme. 

What would be the point of opening another standard pub here. Plenty catering for that market. Pigeon, Blind Pig, Rovers. Sports bars are covered by Jaks and 1886. So where do they compete? Price? That's a race to the bottom and a sure fire way to go out of business. Some places still cater for the market you mention, Quids for example or The Nags Head. I'm sure they make plenty money. Good luck to both of them. I'm pretty certain you won't find their clientele at Hops.

Even taking away the fact that they are both big fans of their products, it makes sense to have a niche. They've researched the market, found out there is a demand there for the type of thing they are selling. When Bottle Monkey were open, they were the only place selling craft beer. It was always in their plan to do craft beer, even if BM would have still been around. Then the whisky, again, was part of their plan. It's a category which is very popular and it tends to be those with expendable income who seek it out and drink it. 

Rum was a nice segway for them. No one is doing it properly and they have gone out of their way to thoroughly learn the sector, as they both do with mostly everything they do. The cigars come about accidentally tbh. They were trying to figure out the most economical way to get them for personal use and then stumbled on a market here. So they've opened it up further. Having the courtyard at the back, I guess it was a no brainer.

So they've carved a little gap for themselves and, as you say, good luck to them. 

To be clear, they don't do 'tiki cocktails'. There's actually a stigma around the term in the industry at the moment and most are trying to veer away from using the word tiki. Kikis dropped it from their brand name recently, for example.

The cocktails, when they come, will be either classics or slight riffs on these. Japanese Old Fashioned for example. It's made with Japanese whisky and has a yuzu element. Not a mug, parrot cup or utopia glass in sight.

The majority of customers will have their drink of choice. So for most it will be the beer or a spirit. Or possibly one and end on another. Same in most pubs and it seemed to be following that pattern last week, from what I can remember!

A word of warning for those going. You will deem the beer 'expensive'. The reason for that is that craft beer does cost more to buy than standard beer from the macro brewers. Not me being patronising but people don't understand it. They think it's all the same. It's definitely not. 

Edited August 17, 2023 by jackwhite

[The Phantom]

26 minutes ago, jackwhite said:

Rum was a nice segway for them. No one is doing it properly and they have gone out of their way to thoroughly learn the sector, as they both do with mostly everything they do.

The cigars come about accidentally tbh. They were trying to figure out the most economical way to get them for personal use and then stumbled on a market here. So they've opened it up further. Having the courtyard at the back, I guess it was a no brainer.

To be clear, they don't do 'tiki cocktails'. There's actually a stigma around the term in the industry at the moment and most are trying to veer away from using the word tiki. Kikis dropped it from their brand name recently, for example.

 

I'll be interested in the Rum offerings.  The best Rum I've ever had was bought in plastic bottles at the side of the road (it was clearly some kind of moonshine) in Central America.  I've often without luck tried to find some sort of 'craft rums'. 

I watched the Arnold Sw docu on Netflix recently (worth a watch, even if you're not a Gym-rat).  When he was Gov of California, he set up a big tent in the grounds of his office for cigar smoking.  It became the de-facto office and where all the really important stuff was discussed, whilst puffing on big stogies! 

Many years ago, a Laxey local set up a real Tiki bar in his back garden.  It only opened when the pubs closed, lots of wicker and fairly lights, you had to pay a 'donation', it had a dressing up box and played 80s Kung Fu and Porn Films on the TV.  Those were the days. 

 

[jackwhite]

26 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

I'll be interested in the Rum offerings.  The best Rum I've ever had was bought in plastic bottles at the side of the road (it was clearly some kind of moonshine) in Central America.  I've often without luck tried to find some sort of 'craft rums'. 

I watched the Arnold Sw docu on Netflix recently (worth a watch, even if you're not a Gym-rat).  When he was Gov of California, he set up a big tent in the grounds of his office for cigar smoking.  It became the de-facto office and where all the really important stuff was discussed, whilst puffing on big stogies! 

Many years ago, a Laxey local set up a real Tiki bar in his back garden.  It only opened when the pubs closed, lots of wicker and fairly lights, you had to pay a 'donation', it had a dressing up box and played 80s Kung Fu and Porn Films on the TV.  Those were the days. 

 

Initially they've focused on Caribbean rum. Barbados and Jamaica mainly. 

I actually attended a rum show with them a couple of weeks ago and it was an eye opener to what's available or will be shortly in the UK. Plenty of good stuff out there but still the Caribbean and Central/South America is where most of the quality is, judging from the show.

They have a lot of Foursquare stuff. If you haven't tried it, The ECS (Exceptional Cask Series) is some of the best stuff out there at the moment. It's treated like whisky in terms of the ageing. Generally the older it gets, the better it is. Their two oldest rums, a 16 and 21 year old, for me, are their best. Currently anyway but I know they are always looking for more quality stuff. Their focus is always on quality over quantity and I think they'll continue to add the odd bottle here and there where they have tried and rate it.

Edited August 17, 2023 by jackwhite

[Passing Time]

6 hours ago, Roxanne said:

I really do need to get out more...

you just need to get out...

[Capt_Mainwaring]

5 hours ago, The Phantom said:

Many years ago, a Laxey local set up a real Tiki bar in his back garden.

Ah, John AKA Blue. Good days indeed.

[The Phantom]

4 hours ago, jackwhite said:

Initially they've focused on Caribbean rum. Barbados and Jamaica mainly. 

I actually attended a rum show with them a couple of weeks ago and it was an eye opener to what's available or will be shortly in the UK. Plenty of good stuff out there but still the Caribbean and Central/South America is where most of the quality is, judging from the show.

They have a lot of Foursquare stuff. If you haven't tried it, The ECS (Exceptional Cask Series) is some of the best stuff out there at the moment. It's treated like whisky in terms of the ageing. Generally the older it gets, the better it is. Their two oldest rums, a 16 and 21 year old, for me, are their best. Currently anyway but I know they are always looking for more quality stuff. Their focus is always on quality over quantity and I think they'll continue to add the odd bottle here and there where they have tried and rate it.

Thanks for the Foursquare tip.  I'll look into ordering a bottle.  Looks like it's a Bajan distillery.  I actually went to the Mount Gay distillery when I was there and tried some of their special reserves.  Still weren't a patch on some of the Central American plastic bottle, side of the road specials though.  

I wonder if Tequila (and Mezcal) will have a similar renaissance in the UK?  Lots of interesting little distilleries and options in Mexico, genuine sipping Tequila, more like a whisky, but all we seem to get here is the generic slammer paint stripper.  Funnily enough I found an unopened bottle of Patron XO Coffee Tequila at home recently, which has been discontinued.  I almost took it to a BBQ but Mrs P insisted I check out the value first.  Now goes for about £100 a bottle! 

[Jarndyce]

8 hours ago, WTF said:

9 hours ago, Roxanne said:

I really do need to get out more...

when the ankle tag comes off you'll be allowed to.

I thought that ankle bracelet looked a bit chunky…

Edited August 17, 2023 by Jarndyce
Typo

[jackwhite]

37 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

Thanks for the Foursquare tip.  I'll look into ordering a bottle.  Looks like it's a Bajan distillery.  I actually went to the Mount Gay distillery when I was there and tried some of their special reserves.  Still weren't a patch on some of the Central American plastic bottle, side of the road specials though.  

I wonder if Tequila (and Mezcal) will have a similar renaissance in the UK?  Lots of interesting little distilleries and options in Mexico, genuine sipping Tequila, more like a whisky, but all we seem to get here is the generic slammer paint stripper.  Funnily enough I found an unopened bottle of Patron XO Coffee Tequila at home recently, which has been discontinued.  I almost took it to a BBQ but Mrs P insisted I check out the value first.  Now goes for about £100 a bottle! 

They have a plan to roll out Mezcal and are looking at what's available in the UK currently. 

The Cafe Patron would have been so expensive as they no longer make it. 

[Happier diner]

6 hours ago, jackwhite said:

Initially they've focused on Caribbean rum. Barbados and Jamaica mainly. 

I actually attended a rum show with them a couple of weeks ago and it was an eye opener to what's available or will be shortly in the UK. Plenty of good stuff out there but still the Caribbean and Central/South America is where most of the quality is, judging from the show.

They have a lot of Foursquare stuff. If you haven't tried it, The ECS (Exceptional Cask Series) is some of the best stuff out there at the moment. It's treated like whisky in terms of the ageing. Generally the older it gets, the better it is. Their two oldest rums, a 16 and 21 year old, for me, are their best. Currently anyway but I know they are always looking for more quality stuff. Their focus is always on quality over quantity and I think they'll continue to add the odd bottle here and there where they have tried and rate it.

I think I'll leave them too it. I'm off to the British for an MPA. That's adventurous enough for me.

[Passing Time]

5 hours ago, Capt_Mainwaring said:

Ah, John AKA Blue. Good days indeed.

His Sunday quiz at the LA was something to behold...

[Kopek]

Will the craft beers have a head on them? I always find it odd that the British  don't accept the foam to be part of the pint? A lot of 'foreign' pumps have a foam setting, I'm not a beer drinker but isn't the froth part of the beer???