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Class Bar Awards 2025

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Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown on the best of spring's ingredients
Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown gather their favourite springtime ingredients in celebration of the season’s bounty of herbs and fruits
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16 March, 2026

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New Old Skool - GSG's John Ennis, Nick Thomas and Adam Talyor on bringing the fun back to bars
John Ennis and Nick Thomas from Graffiti Spirits Group want to bring back Old Skool bar experiences, blended with Adam Taylor’s New Skool drinks. Hamish Smith is at their new digs MDNT to see how they’re doing it.
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10 March, 2026

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International spotlight: CLASS explores ZLB23 in Bengaluru
Hamish Smith was in Bengaluru, India, to visit one of Asia’s Best Bars – ZLB23.
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06 March, 2026

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Who do you think you are? A modern history of the London bar scene (2000-2010)
In the next instalment of our London bar chronicles, Ben Reed picks up the story at the turn of the Millennium, guiding us through the key events, people and places of a fast-changing cocktail scene.
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06 March, 2026

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How to make and use vinegar in drinks
Liam O’Brien of Tilt in Nottingham explains how everyday waste can be turned into vinegars that transform your drinks.
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06 March, 2026

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Cocktails, an origin story - by historian David Wondrich
David Wondrich just published The Comic Book History of the Cocktail. No better time then to ask our industry’s pre-eminent historian the most simple – and complex – of questions: which country invented the cocktail?
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29 January, 2026

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How to master mouthfeel in cocktails
Stuart Bale of Crucible – London’s laboratory and creative hub for bartenders – explains how to create drinks with viscosity, grip, body and burn.
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16 February, 2026

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The enduring bar: lessons in longevity
Edmund Weil is one of the few operators to have guided an independent bar into old age. He comes with sage advice.
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12 February, 2026

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Competitive socialising - how the bar experience is changing
Drinking always used to be the activity but increasingly bar visitors want more from a night out, says Dan Parkinson of creative agency Love.
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29 January, 2026

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Five brandy experts choose their five not-to-be-missed expressions
Oli Dodd asks five bartenders to look outside the traditional brandy category and nominate their favourite alternatives.
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20 January, 2026

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The Explainer: Nipperkin's Black Mustard & Shiso

Tyler Zielinski gets the full story behind the evolution of one of the most creative cocktails of recent times. 
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14 January, 2026

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Scotch courage - why the on-trade should be whisky's saviour

The world of Scotch whisky is facing one of its biggest challenges in a century. Now is not the time to abandon the on-trade, warns Millie Milliken, but to finally take it seriously.
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13 January, 2026

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Stick together - Bar Glue on community and a more cohesive industry

The trio behind the Class Bar Awards New Bar of the Year chart Bar Glue’s rapid ascent. Hamish Smith took notes.
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16 December, 2025

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Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown on the best of winter's ingredients
Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown share their pick of the leanest season’s finest.
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17 December, 2025

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Winter Warmers - Camille Vidal's favourite non-alc drinks

Low-no guru Camille Vidal is back with five mindful winter wonders.
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17 December, 2025

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Batching: How to control dilution and abv
Dark Bar's Patrick Fogarty is back with his third instalment on controlling the variables when batching cocktails, with his attention this time switching to dilution and abv.
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11 December, 2025

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A bartender's guide to fermentation
Guest writer Dr Johnny Drain, author of new book Adventures in Fermentation, explains what fermentation is and why it matters in drinks creation.
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27 November, 2025

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Why knowing your solvents is critical to infusion
Stuart Bale explains the intricacies of using solvents to enhance flavour, aroma and texture.
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19 November, 2025

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How to add value to your cocktails? Source locally

Ellen Manning on why you might find spirits that best add value right under your nose.
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18 November, 2025

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Signature, served - why spirits brands are looking to RTDs
RTDs are nothing new, but spirits brands are realising the value in making it easier for consumers to buy into their product. Can bartenders benefit too, asks Millie Milliken.
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11 November, 2025

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Monin launches Spring/Summer 2026 Drink Trends Report
The UK’s best-selling syrup brand predicts the drink trends poised to heat up hospitality.
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13 November, 2025

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Pernod Ricard UK gets festive with premium serves and a Kahlúa x Tony’s Chocolonely collab
With just six weeks to Christmas, Pernod Ricard UK is turning up the heat behind the bar, unveiling its festive cocktail line-up and an indulgent new collaboration with ethical chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely.
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13 November, 2025

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Five bang-for-buck brands chosen by five thrifty bartenders
The emphasis is no longer so firmly on premium for many, thanks to the current economic climate. Oli Dodd rounds up some bartender favourites that bring flavour as well as margin.
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05 November, 2025

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Who do you think you are? A modern history of the London bar scene
London didn’t just suddenly become the world-famous bar scene it is today, it evolved from a ragtag of starry-eyed bartenders in the 1990s. Ben Reed was one of them and tells the story of our humble beginnings.
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04 November, 2025

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How do you create a cocktail culture in a city that has never had one?
Stoke-on-Trent isn't known for its cocktail bars, but that didn't deter Desire founder Dereece Gardner
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12 September, 2025

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Jack Wakelin on his new Sheffield venue
Hamish Smith is in Sheffield to find out more about Jack Wakelin’s fast-expanding hospitality group.
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02 October, 2025

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Inside dive bar All My Gods - the venue that goes down not up market
All My Gods is the latest bar from Dram operators Simo Simpson, Jack Wallis and Chris Tanner, this time with tattoo artist Roxy Velvet. It's a dive bar for bikers – and bartenders. Hamish Smith reports.
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23 September, 2025

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Work-life balance - how to switch off 'always on' culture
With the plethora of communication channels at our disposal, it’s becoming increasingly tougher to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Merly Kammerling has some suggestions that may help restore the equilibrium.
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05 September, 2025

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International spotlight: CLASS visits Tres Monos, the Buenos Aires bar with a social conscious

Hamish Smith visits a bar with a vision to expand the horizons of hospitality across Buenos Aires, opening up opportunities for young people from disadvantaged communities.
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03 September, 2025

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Vocal about local - how bars are becoming connected to their environment
Hyper-localism isn't anything new, it's a return to how things always used to be. Ellen Manning fixes her compass to bars in all corners of Britain to see how they are finding delicious produce closer to home.
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01 September, 2025