Celebrating the changing of the seasons with cocktails

The Ivy on the Square celebrate the changing of the seasons with a new Harvest Moon cocktail menu. Morag Bootland braves the drizzle to embrace the autumn equinox in style If there’s one sure-fire way to cushion the blow that is the advent of dark nights it’s a trip to The Ivy on the Square.…

Read More

Finding what it means to be Scottish post-Brexit

What does it mean to be Scottish? According to the film Trainspotting (and I’ll paraphrase by removing the expletives)… It’s not great being Scottish. We’re the lowest of the low! The scum of the Earth! The most wretched, miserable, servile, pathetic trash, that was released into civilisation! For others, it means having an enduring sense…

Read More

Moet marks summer with Fairmont St Andrews terraces

Moet & Chandon has unveiled a pair of terraces at the Fairmont St Andrews hotel, complete with afternoon tea and picnics, as Peter Ranscombe discovers. SCOTLAND has long dreamed of a café culture to rival our fellow European capitals. Sitting outside on a terrace in the sun, sipping a cocktail or a beer or a…

Read More

Glenmorangie cocktails toast Edinburgh Zoo giraffes

Glenmorangie has created cocktails to mark its sponsorship of the new giraffes at Edinburgh Zoo, writes Peter Ranscombe. EACH distillery has its very own claim to fame. Edradour is the smallest – or at least was until micro-distilleries came along. Glenturret is the oldest – or at least the oldest working distillery. And Glenmorangie has…

Read More

New rum from Aberdeenshire is making its mark

There could have been easier times than during a global pandemic but that was the beginning of Cabezon Beverage. Founder David Smith reveals the initial idea for the rum brand first came around in the autumn of 2019 and was incorporated in December 2019. Cabezon Beverage’s signature product, the botanical aged rum, Ron Cabezon, launched…

Read More

Katsu brings a taste of Japanese street food to Glasgow

Funky Japanese hotspot Katsu has opened in Glasgow. The super-cool restaurant and curry shop brings the flavours of Far East Asia to Glasgow City Centre and offers an upbeat atmosphere with a Japanese ‘Izikaya’ style of service. The laid-back concept combines high-quality Japanese street food with a beer and a chat with friends over some…

Read More

Albarino: Can Spain’s flagship white wine age?

Can Albarino white wines age – Peter Ranscombe joins an online tasting to find out. ONE of the most attractive elements of albarino is its freshness. Spain’s flagship white wine is the perfect example of “what grows together, goes together”. It’s high acidity and bright citrus flavours are the ideal foil for the seafood harvested…

Read More

Aldi beer festival: which brew are you?

The Aldi beer festival includes a quiz to help drinkers find their perfect tipple – so Peter Ranscombe took the test. ONE of the drawbacks of pandemic-induced table service is the inability to stand at a bar and peruse the pints. Pre-lockdown, few joys matched visiting a pub and squinting at the hand pumps to…

Read More

Wine to Dine – September 2021 – Street Food

Street food produces some exciting drinks pairings from Scottish Field wine columnist Peter Ranscombe. INNOVATION is at the heart of the dishes produced by Scotland’s street-food vendors. They take familiar ingredients and weave their magic – often in a portacabin or a trailer – to produce dishes that make you go “wow”. Winemakers – and…

Read More

Rosé for the bank holiday

Rosé wine will brighten up your bank holiday, even if the weather doesn’t play ball, writes Peter Ranscombe. AFTER this week’s thunder storms brought an end to July’s glorious heatwave, who knows what the weather will do over the bank holiday weekend? Come rain or shine, rosé will still be the order of the day…

Read More