THREE bars in Leith were among venues across the UK to partner with bourbon brand Maker’s Mark last month as part of the famous whisky brand’s Remarkable Neighbourhood campaign.
The initiative saw bars in Edinburgh, Manchester and Bristol offer their customers a unique spin on the brand’s signature ‘Gold Rush’ cocktail.
There were also a number of bar takeovers and events around the country.
Each of the participating venues included local honey in their cocktails – with the Scottish honey supplied by The Scottish Bee Company in Edinburgh.
Leith venues Nauticus, Mother Superior and the Innis & Gunn Taproom were all involved in the initiative.
Each of the venues and honey suppliers were selected because of their sustainable business practices – a nod to Maker’s Mark’s recent B-Corp certification.
The B-Corp scheme recognises companies for their social and environmental performance. In order to be accredited, businesses must meet a rigid set of criteria on transparency and responsibility.
“The Remarkable Neighbourhood programme has been fantastic in helping to drive recruitment for the bourbon category as many individuals try bourbon for the first time,” said Sarah Isaac, head of Beam Suntory brands in the UK.
“This year, we are excited to continue this journey, bringing the programme to two new UK cities and introducing our Gold Rush serve to new consumers.”
The standard version of the Gold Rush serve pairs 50ml of Maker’s Mark with 20ml of honey water (two parts honey to one part hot water) and 20ml of fresh lemon juice.
A lemon wedge is used to garnish.
Beam Suntory has said that the serve is designed to be smooth and well balanced as well as easily accessible for those new to bourbon.
In addition to the Scottish venues the brand partnered with seven bars in Bristol and seven in Manchester.
