Born from passion and nurtured with love, this delicious spirit is the brainchild of two visionary co-founders, Stephanie Jordan being one of them. As she sat in a charming café in Amsterdam chatting with me via Google Meet, her eyes sparkled with pride and excitement as she delved into the story of her beloved "baby," Avallen.

Enter Salut Salut, an intimate hole-in-the-wall Spanish wine bar. Despite its cosiness, Salut Salut has an impressive range of wines as well as a handful of spirits and predominantly NZ beers.

Cal Ross is the friendly face that greets you the second you walk into Parasol and Swing, or the wine pop-up downstairs, Brolly. His cheeky British banter and contagious laugh has gained him a reputation for impeccable customer service, which ended up winning him the Lewisham Award for Outstanding FOH for 2023. I sat down with him with a cocktail in my hand, as we often do, to ask about his past, present, and future in our thriving industry.

A clarified milk punch is a way of having a drink that has that silky smoothness of a milky drink without the heaviness. I’ve seen a heap of cream or milk punches, but not that many utilising flavoured milks. So of course, I went in with strawberry milk.

PJ’s “Show Us Your Roots” Auckland Finals Winner.

In the vast realm of libations, there's a category that stands out for its distinctiveness and rich heritage – Fernet. So who is the current force behind the Fernet Hunter brand? Allow me to introduce Sebastian, affectionately known as "Baz."