At the pioneering trade tasting he hosted at The Belvedere in Holland Park, the producers were conspicuous by their absence. Charles Davies had invited the trade to taste drinks from 42 of them, then deliberately kept every founder away from the tables.
The omission was not hostility. It was control. Davies wanted sommeliers, restaurateurs, bartenders and hoteliers to encounter each liquid without somebody hovering behind it, selling a dream or awaiting praise. Downstairs were wine alternatives and The Liquid Edit®, his lavish 12-drink answer to the moribund hotel minibar. Upstairs, Andre Falcao built cocktails from spirit alternatives and elixirs while a classical guitarist played. Italian canapés circulated. Guests could be guided, questioned or left in peace.
