Last night the periphery of Hurricane Nigel swept through London. I was caught in it cycling back from a dinner in Stoke Newington, down the Kingsland Road to Bethnal Green. Around Dalston I was grimacing at how soggy my trousers were, by the time I reached Haggerston I’d come to deliriously embrace how drenched I was, which given that wet trousers sits just above Mosquito bites as a personal irritant, was a thing of great marvel.

We talk a lot about the weather in the UK, but don’t really bare the brunt of it that much. I recall Justin Webb talking about his time spent in the US and remarking (sic.) “when they say ‘Have a nice day!’ they really mean it. You never know what natural occurunce could sweep through at any given time and turn your life upside down.”

Maybe Americans are cut from a hardier cloth? Last year I read William Finnegan’s fantastic memoir ‘Barbarian Days: a Surfing Life’. Whether you like surfing or not, his account of heading out repeatedly into the Pacific’s wild winter waters off San Francisco’s Ocean Beach, facing 12 foot waves that hit like icy concrete, and currents to sweep you to Alcatraz, is some of the most visceral writing I’ve ever indulged in. Maybe that put my 2 mile cycle down Kingsland into context.

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).

We don’t stock that (as has been visited previously), so in the eye of the encroaching storm & against the grain of myopic marketing, we wanted to push something with a focus on sustainability at core. Essentially, a Negroni is a simple 3 part drink stirred in equal measure, we thought to make one that champions three independent brands really doing their bit for the future.

GIN: East London Liquor Company London Dry Gin

BITTER: Vault Aperitivo Bitter

VERMOUTH: Regal Rogue Wild Rosé

The twist is in the slight switch up from rosso to rosé vermouth, but as the bitter/amaro is made from a red, it balances to something more delicate, circling the square if you will.

The real message is that all these independents sell to us (the trade) in 10 or 5L refill containers, reducing weight on hefty glass transportation and excess packaging. In light of the UK government’s decision to push back on centralised green initiatives and put them into the hands of businesses and consumers, it’s remarkable to see that it is often the smallest companies who make the biggest efforts in practise, whilst the big boys hide behind hollow hashtags and cheap slogans.