LAUNCHING LONDON, 1650 AT HEDONISM WINES

Earlier this month we celebrated the launch of London, 1650 at Hedonism Wines during London Craft Week. The collection truly embodies Richard’s passion for craftsmanship, and therefore this seemed the perfect time to bring together an audience to see and experience the products for a special preview.

 

 

We welcomed guests with a crisp glass of Rathfinny sparkling wine, served, of course, in our Jancis Robinson Wine Glasses. From the estate we were joined by Rob Buckhaven, who welcomed us, metaphorically, to the South Downs and the home of Rathfinny. Talk of sparkling wine led us smoothly into the roots and story behind the London, 1650 Collection… 

 

 

The unique dark green glass first formed by British glassmakers in 17th Century London, and the inspiration for our latest collection, was essential to the fermentation process of sparkling wine. Whilst the French perfected Champagne, it was British glassblowers that pioneered the bottles needed to house the wine.

 

We were also joined by London-based Master Glassblower, Simon Moore, who hand blew the whole collection and could answer all the detailed questions around our capital’s rich glassmaking history, as well as the challenges it faces today and the importance of supporting true British craftsmanship. 

To truly appreciate the collection, we served guests a flight of gin cocktails from the London, 1650 bottles and tumblers. Crafted by Oskar Kinberg from HIDE Restaurant, the serves showcased a selection of craft gins including Smeaton’s, Duck & Crutch and 58Gin. Michael Palij from Smeaton’s presented their cocktail, and introduced the group to the history of British gin making and the work that Smeaton’s is doing to celebrate traditional gin production today. Coincidentally, the group’s favourite cocktail was the Smeaton’s Tea Punch; a delicious earl grey infused concoction. 

 

Luckily, for those that couldn’t join us, you can recreate the cocktail at home with the below recipe. We recommend our London, 1650 tumblers and bottles to fully replicate the experience, of course! 

Tea Punch by Oskar Kinberg, Hide Restaurant

Serves 1

 

 

Ingredients:

50ml Smeaton’s Gin

20ml Citrus Juice

15ml Sugar Syrup

75ml Earl Grey Tea, Chilled

 

Method:

1.     Combine all of the ingredients into your London, 1650 bottle, and give the bottle a loose swirl to mix.
2.     For larger serves, just multiply the quantities by the number of guests.
3.     Serve in your matching tumbler over ice and enjoy!

 It was a delight to see so many people passionate and engaged about the future of glassmaking and craftsmanship in Britain. To find out more about London, 1650 and our hometown’s rich glassmaking history, explore the full collection here. 

 

 

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