TABLE TALK #86
I've spent the last week dwelling on two accidents.
The first happened to three brothers, Carlos, Luis, and Alfredo, in 1870, in Angostura, Venezuela.
The second happened to me Luke, last week, at our bottlers, in England.
Today's Table Talk muses on leaning into the accidental.
🍡 AMUSE-BOUCHES 🍡
Embrace: getting in a pickle when the time calls for it
Listen: to Accidental Win for crooning vocals and a dance pop fix
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When I mentioned that Carlos, Luis and Alfredo's story took place in Angostura, Venezuela - some of you might have twigged which glorious accident I was referring to.
Their story is one of a bitter triumph, quite literally.
At the passing of their father in 1870, these three brothers found themselves heirs to a small bitters company. With shoes to fill and bottles to shift, they decided to enter a competition.
In a dash to get ready, the brothers chose to divide and conquer. One would organise the label printing, another the bottle sourcing.
Accidentally however they ended up with labels too big for their bottles, or vice versa. The result, a clunky finish and too little time to sort.
So, enter they did and although they lost, one of the more enterprising judges (or perhaps it was sympathetic) suggested they make this their signature and wear their mistake proudly.
The rest is, big labels.
A bitter triumph
And now to my part of the story...
A couple of weeks ago, I was at our bottlers, supervising the bottling of our latest batch, when innovation struck.
It struck in the sense that a range extension I'd planned for next summer - and many have asked for - was conjured to life in front of me.
I'd told them to wait, that abstinence paid, but our piquant and sanguine had clearly been making eyes and marry they did.
What a beautiful blush tone their offspring have however. How did I think I could deprive you all of this until next summer?
Sometimes life sets the pace and we, the punters, need to run with it.
At the bottlers that day life put its foot on our accelerator, but the result...?
A glorious accident.
The scene of the elopement
🍮 SWEET ENDINGS 🍮
While Angostura Bitters are most typically famed for their role in an Old Fashioned cocktail. A few heavy handed shakes of a bottle in some Merchant's Heart Pink Peppercorn Tonic Water, with ice, makes a pretty refreshing pink (almost alcohol free) spritz.
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FROM
WEDNESDAY'S DOMAINE? 🍷
This week I've been loving fate and masterminding the development of our one-off limited edition. More on this soon....
Until next Wednesday,
Luke x
