Bristol’s Circumstance Distillery has crowned the winner of its first-ever cocktail competition dedicated exclusively to bartenders from Bristol, celebrating the creativity and talent within the city’s thriving hospitality community. The competition was held at Southville’s Spirited, the cocktail bar and bottle shop.
The competition invited bartenders working across Bristol’s bars and restaurants to create an original cocktail using spirits from the Circumstance portfolio, highlighting both the distillery’s experimental approach to flavour and the city’s independent bar culture.
Following a live final held at the distillery, Ben Wilson of The Milk Thistle was crowned the inaugural Circumstance Cocktail Champion. Wilson’s cocktail drew inspiration from Bristol’s independent food and drink heritage while showcasing the whisky’s complex flavour. “In essence, I wanted the drink to capture the essence of Circumstance and Bristol. It embodied the typical ethos of both city and distillery, being ‘go against the status quo, and own it’. Using iconic Bristol brands such as Ribena, Fry’s chocolate and Harvey’s Wine Merchants – the honey, coffee, floral, biscuity notes of the Circumstance Rye shine through a flurry of blackcurrant and chocolate, obviously. Circumstance whisky is awesome and my drink is really tasty.”
Founded by distiller Liam Hirt, Circumstance Distillery has built a reputation for pushing the boundaries of English whisky through experimental fermentation, organic grains and flavour-led production. Speaking about the competition, Hirt said the goal was to highlight the creativity of Bristol’s bartending community. “Bristol has an incredible hospitality scene full of passionate and creative bartenders. This competition was about celebrating the people who bring our spirits to life behind the bar and showcasing the talent that makes this city’s bar culture so special.”
By focusing exclusively on local bartenders, the competition underscores Circumstance Distillery’s commitment to supporting Bristol’s independent hospitality community and strengthening the city’s reputation as a hub for craft drinks and innovative cocktail culture.
SHIP SHAPE, BY BEN WILSON, THE MILK THISTLE
45ml Circumstance Rye
25ml Ribena Gastrique
15ml Double Cream Sherry
Garnish: Rye cracker with blackcurrant conserve
Ribena Gastrique:
· 200g Ribena Concentrate
· 80g Red Wine Vinegar
· 100g Caster Sugar
· Pinch of salt
Combine all in a saucepan and reduce gently until homogenous and thickened slightly.
Double Cream Sherry:
· 2 bars of Fry’s Chocolate Cream
· Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry (Solera)
· Optional: Full fat milk
Melt the chocolate in a Bain Marie, adding a splash of milk if the consistency is a little too thick and gooey.
Once melted and homogenous, weigh the amount of chocolate and add 4 x that amount in sherry (i.e. 75g chocolate = 300g sherry)
Mix well and refrigerate overnight.
Once chocolate is solid, filter mixture through coffee filters.
For more information on Circumstance Distillery visit the website at www.circumstancedistillery.com and follow them on Instagram.
Photography credit: @rft_photography
