Over here, Negroni Week is a thing. It is sponsored by the brand that has come to define the cocktail (C_____I) & preaches for creativity and fun takes on the classic (as long as you always use C_____I).

2022 marked 10 years of Behind This Wall. The bar only came into being in 2016, prior to that we shape-shifted through London’s outer-rings of music, drink and design. Knitting the story together as we went was the iconic workings of Shutupandance, helmed by David Matos. This collaboration between David and Alex is the cornerstone of what’s been built (and taken apart) over the past decade. To toast this landmark the two of them sat down for a chat to piece together this legacy in conversation and images.

Here’s one for Earth Day.

With the pandemic raging last Spring and so much uncertainty in the water, it woulda took some real chutzpah to see it as a chance to start up a business from zilch. Better yet, one that focused on helping and pooling struggling local businesses and serving the community. Max Fishman started The Quarter Store in May 2020 as a ‘dark store’ on Bohemia Place (the sunset strip of arches down by Hackney Central station). What began as a pitch to provide much needed aid to shuttered businesses (including - lately - yours truly) quickly evolved into a bricks & mortar, mom & pop neighbourhood convenience store on the Narrow Way.

Max chatted with Alex last week about the genesis of the store, the perks of becoming an overnight household shop-keep and how Saturday jobs should never be sniffed at.

We’ve gone bonkers for bubbles of late, with our new carbonation rig purring away behind the scenes and range of Hard Seltzers flying out the door. Here’s a little Bubble 101 laying down the science to the the zing in your drink!

#HardSeltzerSummer is here, an empirical ‘White Claw’ shaped tidal wave is rolling across the Atlantic; we’ve got a toe in the water, so here’s a little pocket guide to your new go to RTD.

Back in 2015 I was caught between trying to move out of teaching and back into hospitality. Frustrated in London, I took a work placement in Los Angeles for 5 months at the start of the year with a half-a-mind to extend it further. Behind This Wall had run its course as a club residency in London with the closure of Plastic People, but we’d always dallied a little in making up drinks and running peripatetic bars & sound-systems in unloved spaces.

One of our most beloved residencies at the bar happens every first Thursday of the month when Richard Greenan of Kit Records takes control of the hifi for the evening. To those familiar with the label and longstanding NTS show, you will know the cosmic polymath pulling the strings. We sat down with the man himself for a candid chat about his projects, beginnings and inspirations.

Our most popular serve so far this season has undoubtably been the Suzaku Maru, our storied seasonal CBD sour. A total collaborative effort from the whole management team, last week Alex spoke to the ES Magazine about the process behind creating it and the importance of story-telling! Here’s the full unedited transcript.

Useful notes on something that applies to putting together any cocktail or drink to dazzle (could equally apply to making wine or beer-making for instance, although that isn’t done in a ‘live’ environment as of a bartender mixing a drink on the spot at the bar). Think of any such drink to draw delight from as needing three parts: the base, the body and the perfume…

Entering party season presents a plethora of choices for eager hosts. Once you’ve pegged your canapé menu (or opted for this writers safe bet: a big bowl of chilli, guac and steamed rice) and scored your mates to DJ, your attention should turn to the drinks offering. Beyond bottled beers in a bucket and everything you have left over on the dusty spirits shelf, why not think about a modern spin on a punch?

…

A lot of you ask about the sound-system and the story behind it. Whilst perpetuating myth by keeping mum can be fun, we’ve sought to debunk the riddles from facts with a handy cut out and keep guide…

Witching season is well and truly here. Tomorrow: Borne Fruits are in situ with their spooktacular Boogie Against Brexit which was, akin to Frankensteins’ monster, plastered together and given the kiss of life before Count McDoncula and the PLP decided they were up for a trip to the polls after all so the whole thing’s off (for now) & we can breathe & jus dress up & dance a bit…

It’s kinda rare that we go out of our way to book DJs for our end of month parties. Mostly pitches come to us or we work with repeat partners. John Fitzgerald aka. DJ Fitz is an exception: we have actively hunted this one out for a late, esoteric session. Tonight we are very excited to present his collective <Doodcast> taking over the turntables from 9pm – 3 or 4am.

…

If you’ve been in recently it’s hard not to notice Jonathan’s vibrant prints adorning the walls. As per, the exhibit was curated by Des & to to toast the fact that we’ve added the prints to our store today, she pinned down JT for a words about the exhibit.

…

Under the deluge of news you may have missed that this is National Negroni Week.

Count Camilo’s beefed up Americano concoction (add the gin) has become so popular we-in-hospitality now roll out the bunting each year to celebrate it’s subtle, bitter charms. Regular readers of this parish will know we’re no champions of Campari so, our twist has often involved looking back at original recipes to find producers currently doing it closest to the old formulas. But now, in this week of all weeks, comes the un-holy twist. Sub-off on the gin, enter genever.

…

Tonight sees us team up with Pensador mezcal and LemLem kitchen for a special night of strong drinks, esoteric music and Eritrean-Mexican street-food!

…

From maligned and near-extinct, rye whiskey has undergone a serious renaissance over the past decade. A lot of that is down to one man’s passion: the late, great Dave Pickerell. Dave passed away at the end of last year but his imprint on whiskey is huge. Master distiller at Maker’s Mark up to 2008, Dave went on to start up WhistlePig Rye in Vermont and breathe new life into a sleeping American classic. Here, in our first Grain Focus interview; Alex spoke with Daniel Khan - the senior steward of the brand - to debunk a few myths, chat American history and knit through the fabric of the Whistle Pig story.