The end of the summer days are upon us, where cocktails have been happily welcome on long hot days, cold drinks that are refreshing and hit the spot. We feel specifically inspired this year with drink concoctions, and pretty thrilled to be serving some up over London Fashion Week. Cocktails are no longer just your typical vodka or gin and tonic, or drinks that are sickly pumped with excess sugar and colouring- drinks have taken on a whole new creative revival- especially spirits. So many independent, bespoke and artisan spirit companies are popping up that are unique and very special, all with their own story and philosophy behind them. We are big fans of Duppy Share, a rum company started by our good friend George Frost, for us he has put rum on the menu, no longer associated with sweet Malibu or a flat Bacardi and coke- duppy is sophisticated, it has depth and is perfectly balanced in flavour. A blend of three-year old Jamaican rum and five year old Bajan run, which is aged in ex-bourbon barrels. These high quality spirits of today deserve the respect or their craftsmanship, drinks that enhance and celebrate their flavours. Inventing new and diverse cocktails is having quite the boom- exciting mixtures of garden herbs; adding bay, rosemary or thyme, or juiced seasonal fruits and berries or giving it a kick with spices or even smoked jalapeño. We have both said in the past we would love to be mixologists, so cool coming up with different mixtures- although maybe would end up being slightly detrimental to us Tarts sitting in the office tinkering and hiccupping away all week. We have had great insider’s tips from some of the best, having worked alongside many different drink companies, one that comes to mind was our pop up we did at The Richmond in Dalston- where we were taught Argentinian style drinks- one was a drink made from milking fennel! Or many times working with Rum Runner who create such elegant drinks, all very seasonally focused and always a promise of a twist. The two drinks we have featured are ones we have been enjoying this summer, ones that would be perfect to get your LFW confidently onto the tiles. We have gone with a tequila, our favourite party spirit, and a rum. Naming them- a Passion for Fashion (rum), delicious infusing of passion fruit, lavender and lime and The Spirit of Carnival, off the back of carnival we feel its important to keep the Caribbean spirit alive in London.