1 March

International Barista Day

Vodka Espresso

So we are drinking a...

Vodka Espresso

Happy Barista Day, folks! It's a day to celebrate the coffee experts who make your caffeine dreams come true. They're the ones who know just how to grind those beans, steam that milk, and create latte art that makes you want to Instagram your drink before you take a sip.

In honour of Barista Day, let's take a moment to appreciate these coffee wizards and all they do to bring us our daily dose of caffeine. They are the unsung heroes of the coffee world, working tirelessly to ensure that every cup is brewed to perfection.

But Barista Day isn't just about the professionals. It's also about celebrating the joy of coffee and the community that comes with it. Whether you're a coffee shop regular or just enjoy a good cup at home, take a moment to savour your brew and appreciate all the hard work that goes into making it.

Sometimes, you need something a little stronger than a cup of coffee. Enter the Vodka Espresso, Dick Bradsell's buzz-worthy vodka and coffee creation that later became the Espresso Martini. Back in the early 1980s, Dick worked at Old Compton Street's Soho Brasserie. With grounds from the coffee machine surrounding his station, coffee was very much on Dick's mind and with vodka the 'in' spirit of the time, the Vodka Espresso was born.

So, let's raise a glass (or cup) to all the hardworking baristas out there. And if you happen to be celebrating with a Vodka Espresso, don't forget to tip your server (and raise a toast to the bartending legend that was Dick Bradsell). Cheers!

It's also Beer Day in Iceland

Today is Beer Day if you're Icelandic, and a day worth celebrating even if you're not. On this day in 1989, Icelanders were finally allowed to drink beer, after almost 75 years of Prohibition, probably the longest-standing ban on alcoholic drinks outside the Muslim world.

Amazingly for anyone who has ever visited Reykjavik on a Saturday night, this tiny island nation voted for a ban on all alcoholic drinks way back in 1908, which took effect in 1915.

Iceland had partially repealed Prohibition in 1933 (as had the USA), primarily because Spain refused to buy Icelandic fish unless Icelanders bought their wines. But beer remained banned for almost three generations after that, and even today Icelanders who want to drink at home have to buy their booze from one of the country's state-owned liquor stores. If you love beer, we're sure you'll adore the Reality Check.

Today is also St David's Day

Saint David's Day commemorates the death of the Patron Saint of Wales, which was thought to have been around 1st March in 588AD. Saint David founded a Celtic monastic community at Glyn Rhosin (The Vale of Roses) which is now the site of St David's Cathedral - right on the beautiful west coast of Wales.

All this Welsh patriotism made us realise that there really weren't many Welsh-themed cocktails out there but we suggest a Prince of Wales Cocktail or perhaps a Rose-Hyp Martini dedicated to the patron saint and the work he did at The Vale of Roses.

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