Sebastian Hamilton-Mudge

Beefeater, possibly the archetypal London Dry Gin with its history dating back to 1863 and still standing strong today, exported to over 100 countries across the globe, with annual sales well over 2 million nine-litre cases. We caught-up with the Global Brand Ambassador Sebastian Hamilton-Mudge, one of the team members working to keep Beefeater at the top of its game. Sound easy? Think again, this is no easy feat when you have to spin so many plates in so many cities, all over the world…

Gin Foundry: Hi Sebastian, thanks for agreeing to talk with us! Being a Global Brand Ambassador sounds like the world’s best job, especially for a brand like Beefeater that is truly established the world over. Not many gin brands are so widely represented with exports to 100 countries and growing – could you describe your role and what you do?

Sebastian Hamilton-Mudge: You are right, being a Global Brand Ambassador is a great job! I am very proud to represent such iconic gin brands as Beefeater and Plymouth Gin around the world. The job is so completely immersive, you have to believe in the brands that you work with because you live and breathe the brand.

The role that Tim Stone (fellow Global Brand Ambassador for Beefeater) and I have is very varied. We work with markets around the world to share Beefeater’s story; the history of gin, how gins are produced and we also introduce people to new trends and ways of consuming gin. As Global Brand Ambassadors, we talk to journalists and key members of the drinks industry, as well as customers in whatever part of the world we find ourselves in.

We also work alongside the global marketing team on all projects - from new product development, new point of sale materials, and of course developing the ever growing and successful Beefeater Global Bartender competition. Tim and I visited 26 countries last year for this project alone, judging national finals.

GF: Wow! That’s quite a few air miles… There’s an amazing video of your travels too - scroll down to bottom of the page or click here. Didn’t realise you were shared across two brands either. Double as busy! Aside from the jet lag, is there any down side to being an ambassador? What’s the hardest part of what you do?

SHM: It’s definitely not a job for everyone. You have to be comfortable with flying around the world on your own, being self-sufficient, organised, and missing out on events at home. There can also be a bit of pressure too. When you turn up in a country and see the hundreds of seats organised, the stage and all the people running around to get everything ready for you, you realise that you can’t have an ‘off’ day and need to deliver an interesting interactive session. However, I enjoy the pressure and I enjoy travelling on my own- for me it’s the perfect remedy to all the talking, meeting and hosting that we do.

GF: Quite a few bartenders look to move into more ambassadorial positions after a while. Any advice to them?

SHM: If anyone is thinking of getting into the ambassadorial side of the industry I would simply say; be honest to yourself- because for me, I know that I could not do this job for brands that I did not love and respect. It can be a 24/7 role, and I certainly couldn’t spend that much of my life pretending. I’d also say, get enough experience in the industry first. Hospitality is a huge world, and as an ambassador these experiences are vital to your success.

GF: Agreed, you have to love what you are working on as you’ve got to talk about it all the time as well as inspire others with what it’s all about and that’s impossible unless it’s coming from a real place. What’s your favourite part of your job?

SHM: The travel, the people, and the variety of work.

GF: You must go into bars all the time, all over the world – are there any particular practices that you are noticing that are specific to certain markets? Are things really that different US to UK or is the gap much smaller given the larger brands are all international and export styles of bar-tending and knowledge as well as their products?

SHM: Every market has its individual quirks, so it is always important that Tim and I are flexible enough to work within these different markets. Latin America for example, does not have access to the huge selection of spirits and liqueurs that Europe or America does; however, it has amazing strength in its natural ingredients. In these markets we work hard to show people techniques that make the most of these ingredients in order to develop their own style, and not just simply follow European or US styles. There is no point doing a seminar about drinks that use ingredients not available in a certain region. With regards to London and New York, and other major UK/US cities, I think that there is a two-way learning relationship. Both have their own identity. However, the influences across the Atlantic can certainly be felt. This is not just limited to the US and UK either. The role Tim and I play, as well as the Internet allows countries to learn from each other like no other time in history.

GF: We like the way that for the most part, you just forget countries and mention whole continents, you’ve become a global citizen… Given you can pick form anywhere in the world, this may be quite hard but…where is your favourite place to have a cocktail?

SHM: Yeah- this isn’t really fair to ask. We are so well looked after all over the world and get to meet and work with amazing people, that it would be impossible to choose. What I would say though, is that Latin America has been a real surprise for me. I didn’t expect such a vibrant and in many cases, sophisticated cocktail scene in this part of the world, this is also coupled with fantastic service standards. I was out in Colombia and Mexico twice last year and also made a trip to Buenos Aires too. Great gin cocktails are being made in quite literally every corner of the world these days!

GF: A gin joint in every town - just what we like to hear! Talking about cocktails in every corner of the world, how about your corner… Beefeater recently released news about a growing trend for pre-mixed, handcrafted, bottled cocktails. Can you tell us about this?

SHM: I started with pre-bottled cocktails about four or five years ago, when I developed cocktails to pair very specifically with food. I decided that complementing cocktails and food needed to be looked at in the same manner in which wine is paired with food- I used this as my inspiration. The ABV, texture and also ease of serve make wine such a great partner with food, before you even consider flavour profiles- this pointed me towards filtered and pre-batched drinks. The trend for bottle matured and pre-batched drinks is now really moving forward all around the world. Whilst there will never be a replacement for watching a skilled bartender at work and having that flexibility of being able to make a recipe off menu to perfectly suit a guest, there are many circumstances where pre-bottling can be highly advantageous. For example, where bars are heavily seated only, the guests see the end result at their table and not the production, so fast efficient service here is key.

A mixture of drinks that are made to order and pre-bottled means that bartenders also have more time to spend with their guests at the bar or to deal with special requests. Pre-bottled drinks allow a different level of creativity in terms of presentation and packaging. You can be assured that drinks batched with professionalism and care, are of exceptional consistency.

GF: There’s a lot of creativity going into the serves too. The White Lyan bar is is great example of the combination of bartenders at work and pre-batching as much as possible. Any other reasons for doing this?

There is also an additional upside that we are only just starting to understand. Flavours integrate, mature and become more rounded when combined together - in the same way that we know a slow cooked stew or curry is better a day or two after cooking. I have written a number of recipes for pre-bottling, but without the inclusion of gin. This means that you can present a cocktail in a Gin & Tonic style, with the gin served in the glass and the garnish and the non-alcoholic element of the cocktail served on the side. This allows the guest to decide the strength of their drink or share their drink and also provides a non-alcoholic option for those not drinking alcohol.

GF: Could you let our discerning drinkers in on a few tips in bar prep and on how they can prepare their own premixed drinks at home? A Negroni seems like a sensible cocktail as it’ll keep in the fridge for a while, but what’s the best way to prep certain elements if you are looking at pre-mixing fruits etc.?

SHM: Sure, I think that these drinks are not just for bars, but very consumer friendly-and great for when you have friends coming over. Here’s all you need to know…

Bottled Cocktails

This recipe proves you that you do not need specific cocktail equipment to make great drinks at home, and that you can serve great cocktails at a party whilst still being able to be the consummate host.

In fact, all you need is what is already in most kitchens; a bowl, a blender, a sieve and a tea strainer, that’s it! You won’t create a large amount of mess and you will have time to spend with your guests or maybe take care of the food, as these drinks can be prepared days in advance.

All the ingredients for the recipe are added together in a blender, bar the garnish and the Beefeater Gin. The ice in the blender is there for a little dilution, essential in all cocktails to bring out the flavours in the drink - especially those locked in the alcohol. The ice also stops friction from the blades heating up the natural ingredients and damaging them.

Start blending on a low speed until the ingredients begin to come together and move as one, and then increase the speed to maximum. The contents of the blender should be smooth, freely spinning in the blender cup and be one consistency before the blender is stopped. Listen for the tell-tale sound of ‘knocking’; if you have lumps of ice in the blender that have not been broken down they will knock into the side of the blender. Stop the blender, then restart at full speed, this should do the trick!

Once smooth, pour the contents through a sieve and into a bowl and use the back of a spoon to push through all the liquid, leaving only the solid residue of the recipe in the sieve. Rinse out the sieve thoroughly and repeat the process, this time, do not force the liquid through, instead lightly tap the side of the sieve to encourage the liquid to pass through. Use a teaspoon and have a taste of the mix. Is it too sweet? Too sour? Too intense? If so, add a little more citrus or sugar or water to adjust to the perfect point.

At this point, you have two choices. If you want to serve your drink soon or you have limited space, simply tilt the bowl and use a tea strainer to skim the drink, removing the air foam caused by blending and any other debris from the liquid so that it is all one consistency. However, if you are planning ahead you can now filter the drink even more finely by passing through a muslin or coffee filter paper. The flavour will not change; however, the liquid will be almost clear and therefore that little more refined, if that’s what you like. If using coffee filter paper, you may have to change the paper a number of times, and both methods should be done in the fridge to keep the mix fresh.

Whichever method you decide on for filtration, pour the final mix into clean and sterilised bottles, seal and store in the fridge until it’s time to party.

GF: Okay - so that’s the basics (if you can call them that!) for most types of drink. Let’s move to a recipe. What are you suggesting?

The recipe here gives an amount per person for a good long drink, or enough for two people having shorter drink. Simply multiply up the recipe depending how many serves you require. The nice thing here is that your guest gets to decide the ratio of Beefeater to the rest of the cocktail, and those who are driving still get to have a drink and join in the fun. It’s like Gin and Tonic, but better!

The Green Goddess

1/7th cucumber
20ml lime juice
2 large basil leaves
15 ml sugar syrup (3 tsp of caster sugar dissolved in water)
4-6 ice cubes
Sea salt, black pepper and basil leaf to garnish
Serve with Beefeater Dry

Crumble sea salt and ground black pepper onto a side plate, then use a slice of cucumber to moisten the top and outer rim of all your punch cups. Gently press and roll the rim and outer edge of each cup in the salt and pepper mix, then, whilst still holding the cup upside-down, lightly tap it to remove any salt and pepper not well stuck to the rim to stop it from falling down into the cup.

When serving, carefully fill glass with cubed or chipped ice so as not to knock off salt and pepper, then add Beefeater and mix to desired ratio and finish with a fresh basil leaf for aroma.

GF: Nice drink. It’s nice to have a good idea that the gin is separate to the mix as you say - guests get to choose how much they want and it still takes the hassle out of making a whole cocktail each time. Talking about guests coming around… Yes tenuous links and all… There’s been a lot of talk about the visitor center at the distillery. Is there a “D” day set for the opening yet? When can everyone flood the distillery and see it all first hand?

SHM: Soon!

GF: Tease. Let’s hope it is very soon! Visitor center aside - what’s the goal for Beefeater in the next couple years?

SHM: Business as usual really.  Beefeater is the most awarded gin in the world, has the most experienced Master Distiller of gin in the world and is made using traditional, hands-on and artisanal methods, and this is an important message that we need to continue to bring to the world. We are also spreading the word of gin far and wide around the world. This second great cocktail era is truly global and we will be at the forefront of it wherever that is!

GF: Indeed, let’s hope the cocktail era lives long and true! Thanks for talking to us and for sharing some insight into what you do.