How to Make a Spy Happy with Benoit Provost, American Bar at the Stafford Hotel, London

The mix of Alfonso Califano’s over-the-top enthusiasm and his inherent Italian hospitality is drawing them south of the river, before you can even say Alice in Wonderland. ----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----With his partner-in-cocktails, Simone de Luca, Bombay Sapphire World’s Most Imaginative Bartender UK semi-finalist, The Walrus Room (closed now), the Lewis Carroll inspired spot on Battersea Rise, is quickly becoming a player in London bar scene. Alfonso grew up in tiny Pagani, Italy where community is everything, today he reveals how he made a city as big as London feel as small as his hometown. In the six months that he has been at The Walrus Room, the bar has gone from success to success. Of course, he loves when he pulls in the punters from trendier parts of town, but he is just as thrilled when the residents of Clapham keep coming back.Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

25 Huhti 201724min

Brought together by Woodford Reserve for Cocktails in the City, Gobo Hansen of Ruby in Copenhagen, Adam Ghellab of Himkok in Oslo, and Ludvig Grenmo & Andreas Bergman of Linje Tio in Stockholm made it to London to wow the crowds at Cocktails in the City. ----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----Ruby’s is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year by embracing the speakeasy style and making perfect Manhattans. Himkok, whose literal meaning Moonshine, not only serves drinks, but produces micro-distilled vodka, gin, and of course Norwegian speciality, aquavit on site. It gained them a spot on Drink International’s World’s 50 Best Bars 2016. Joining them on that list is Linje Tio, whose very presence made their slightly dodgy area into one of the hippest in town.Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

18 Huhti 201721min

A true family venture, Champagne Gremillet, was born when Grandmother Lulu planted those first vines in 1978. In the past, the Aube region where Gremillet sits, was considered second class to their northern friends near Marne and Épernay. ----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----They were the farmers, not the blenders. It took a riot in 1911, when the big houses in the north, tried to exclude the Aube from Champagne appellation. Only later in 1927 was the region fully included. Silly as the best Pinot Noir grapes are found there. I leave it to Jean-Christophe to tell you the rest of the family history!Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

11 Huhti 201715min

Leon’s father might have tried to steer him away from a life of teaching, but it’s a role he found he couldn’t avoid. The Gin Journey combines his passion for storytelling and his favorite tipple. While winding through the streets of London, stopping at gin joints to sip Southsides, Leon amuses us with gin-related historical sound bites.----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----Since the 18th C, when King William of Orange made it legal for anyone to own a still, the Brits have always had a love/hate relationship with gin. After the Gin Journey, we all definitely had love in our hearts for the drink formerly known as Mother’s Ruin!Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

4 Huhti 201716min

Ali Reynolds' first love may have been sports, but after graduating from university, his job as bartender kept him inside many a basement establishment. His competitive spirit never wavered and led him to win the Oscar of the drinking world: Diageo World Class UK Bartender in 2015. ----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----Now as brand ambassador for Diageo Reserve, he is more likely to be found upstairs rather than downstairs. Although he might be slinging fewer Blue Blazers behind a bar, Ali’s innate nature as a competitor and creator will show him to be a leader in whatever position he’s playing.Click here to see Ali making his Morning Glory Fizz on Mixology in a Minute on our YouTube channel.Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

28 Maalis 201727min

Vittorio hails from Southern Italy with a degree in Economics, but he was quickly seduced by hospitality world. Upon moving to London, he worked his way up to Head Sommelier for Theo Randall at the InterContinental in just three years.----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----One of his job requirements was over seeing not just the wines, but the entire beverage menu for the restaurant. That’s where his inherent creativity with spirits kicked in and now he is pairing food with cocktails as well as wine.Click here to see Vittorio makes us the Martini D'Amalfi on Mixology in a Minute on Youtube.Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

21 Maalis 201723min

The Veuve in Veuve Clicquot is Madame Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot. Married at 21 to François Clicquot, she was widowed only six years later. Left in control of his company, she stuck in and truly created the brand as we know today.----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----Her innovations, including riddling (shaking the bottles to loosen the sediment, giving the champagne its flavor), and business acumen are lauded today. In the shadow of International Women’s Day last week, Best Sips is proud to have the Historian of Veuve Clicquot here today. FYI: Veuve Clicquot arranges the annual Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award which “champions the success of business women worldwide who share the same qualities as Madame Clicquot!”Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

14 Maalis 201710min

It all did end badly for Max, but in his heyday, he was one of the richest gangsters in town and his legacy is The Franklin Mortgage and Investment Company. Thank goodness, alcohol is legal in this day and age, so Jason and Jon, General Manager & Head Bartender respectively, can do their job without fear of the cops rushing in at any moment..unless it’s to enjoy one of their very legal beverages.----Hello everyone - Don't get confused! Before there was Lush Life, there was Best Sips Worldwide, I rebranded after the first season. Although I reference Best Sips – it’s Lush Life through and through – the same great guests, the same music, and the same me! -----Snuck in between two unprepossessing buildings on 18th street, near lovely Rittenhouse Square, The Franklin Mortgage and Investment Company knocks the socks out of anyone who ventures inside. On the cutting-edge of cocktail creation, their drinks program is constantly changing and developing. Leading the way are Jason & Jon who came to hospitality in totally different, but equally exciting, ways!Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸 Download the audioClick here to see Brain makes us Lost Dutchman on Mixology in a Minute

7 Maalis 201721min