Whisky barrel-aged beers turned into cocktails

BARTENDER Dillon Barrie has created eight cocktails using four of The Clan Brewing Co’s craft beers that have been aged in single malt whisky casks. Barrie, who set up cocktail events and hospitality consultancy firm Raise The Bar Glasgow in 2018, has posted his recipes for the cocktails on his social media channels and those…

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A red refresher course with Lidl

An evening of red wine tasting gave Peter Ranscombe an appetite for exploring more of the discounter’s core range. LIDL’S “Wine Tour” promotions are an addictive wee gimmick – every eight weeks or so, the supermarket chain releases a couple of dozen wines in limited quantities – so when they’re gone, they’re gone. The set that…

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Six of the best wines for takeaways

All Peter Ranscombe‘s beige dreams came true when he paired wines with takeaways*. SOMETHING really special happens when the right wine is matched to the right food – the two components harmonise and the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. As we’ve seen again and again with the Wine to Dine column…

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Paul and Jacine Rutasikwa breathe fresh ‘Liv’ into rum

A new range of Scottish spirits offers no rum deal as far as Peter Ranscombe is concerned. PAUL Rutasikwa may have just restored my faith in liqueurs. While most of our so-called “gin liqueurs” in Scotland fall flat on their faces because the other flavours mask the juniper – the taste of which is the…

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One Year No Beer: a lockdown lifeline

Looking to change your relationship with alcohol? Peter Ranscombe reports on a Scottish firm’s online programme. FOR so many of us who have been staying safe at home with no exposure to the coronavirus, it’s been a lockdown of memes. Memes about face coverings, memes about zoom quizzes, memes about TikTok challenges. One set of…

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Morningside’s holy corner gets foodie makeover

HOLY corner in Edinburgh’s Morningside district has been transformed into a marketplace for foodies thanks to one of the area’s newest arrivals. Food and drink venue McLarens on the Corner opened in a former bank just weeks before the lockdown began. Now, the site has teamed up with its siblings from pub chain Signature Group…

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Louis Latour looks beyond Burgundy for promising pinot

With the price of making wine in Burgundy continuing to rise, Peter Ranscombe finds out why one producer is turning to other regions. FEW names are as synonymous with Burgundy as Louis Latour – the wine producer traces its roots in the prestigious French region back to 1768, when Jean Latour planted vines at Aloxe, continuing…

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Haud yer Wheesht: listen tae low-alcohol lockdown libations

Wanting to cut down on your alcohol intake during the lockdown and beyond? Peter Ranscombe has some suggestions. I DON’T know if it’s just my imagination or if it’s a guilty conscience, but my blue glass recycling box sounds like it’s been clinking just that wee bit more during lockdown. If the number of memes…

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Scottish Hospitality for Heroes

Crerar Hotels are to gift 2,000 free ‘nights away’ for NHS staff, care workers and their families in an initiative that will give the company and the public an opportunity to express their gratitude to those who have worked tirelessly throughout the Covid-19 crisis. The ‘Scottish Hospitality for Heroes’ campaign will begin with two key…

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