George Clooney, Rande Gerber And Mike Meldman Host Launch Of Casamigos Tequila Spain

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Corinne Tuddenham-Finn

On Sunday 23rd August 2015, Casamigos Tequila Founders Rande Gerber, George Clooney and Mike Meldman, along with their wives Cindy Crawford and Amal Clooney, attended the official launch of Casamigos Tequila in Spain at UP!, Ibiza Sky Society, the rooftop bar at Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel.

“Brought To You By Those Who Drink It”, the best-tasting, smoothest tequila was shared and enjoyed with friends of the Founders and movers and shakers of Ibiza at UP!, Ibiza Sky Society magnificent rooftop at Ushuaia Ibiza Beach Hotel, flagship hotel of the Palladium Hotel Group.

The private event for 120 people saw guests enjoy Ushuaïa’s signature cocktails, the ‘Unexpected Casamigos’ and the ‘Espresso Casamigos’ as well as the founders favourite Casamigos Reposado on the rocks.

In true Ibiza style the founders kept it casual with linen shirts and jeans whilst the leading ladies dazzled, Amal Clooney in a magnificent gold metallic Vionnet dress and shoes by Dior, and Cindy Crawford in a Botegga Venetta black dress paired with Alaïa heels.

As the sun began to dip and the night began to cool, guests feasted on sumptuous canapés created by the hotel’s Head Chef as they watched the sun set over the mountains from the rooftop while listening to Balearic beats. Fire-breathers, acrobats and dancers wowed the founders and other guests, circling around the tables and providing mesmerizing entertainment for the night providing the perfect intro to the nights later festivities. Old friends Rande Gerber and James Blunt – a local Ibiza resident, caught up over a few tequilas whilst Cindy was ensconced in a fashion royalty conversation with Sam Knight and Mario Testino. Amal caught up with friend, another Ibiza resident, Charlotte Tilbury as they reunited after Charlotte did the make-up for Amal on her wedding day. Surround by their Ibiza House of Friends, at 10pm the party drew to a close and the group moved down to the VIP table to watch superstar DJ AVICII play his resident Sunday night set. Surrounded by Casmigos Tequila, the owners decided to open up their ‘House of Friends’ by sending all other VIP tables a bottle of the award winning Casamigos Tequila to enjoy the show.

The VIP attendees included:

George Clooney, Rande Gerber, Mike Meldman, Cindy Crawford, Amal Clooney,

James Blunt & Sophia Wellesley, Charlotte Tilbury, Mario Testino, Sam McKnight, Taio Cruz, Karmen Pedaru, Marpessa Hennik

The guests enjoyed cocktails

featuring the Casamigos brand:

‘Casamigos Espresso’

‘Unexpected Casamigos’

Casamigos Reposado on the Rocks

Chefs prepared accompaniments, showing their culinary skills using the elegant tequila…

* Grill loin rib marinated with tequila Casamigos Añejo

* Foie Mid-cuit over brioche and jelly tequila Casamigos Reposado

* Cube Lamb confit with tequila Casamigos Añejo, cinnamon and yuzu sauce

* Hamachi ceviche with lemongrass and white Tequila Casamigos · Passion fruit gazpacho with white tequila Casamigos foam

* Osmosis cherry rested white tequila Casamigos style, covered with sanguine orange snow

About Casamigos Tequila…

Brought To You By Those Who Drink It. Privately owned by George Clooney and longtime friend, bar and restaurant mogul Rande Gerber, and Discovery Land Company CEO & founder Michael Meldman, tequila-filled nights with friends is how Casamigos was born. Launched in the UK in March 2015, these small batch, ultra-premium tequilas are made from the finest hand-selected 100% Blue Weber agaves grown in the rich red clay soil and cool climate of Mexico’s Jalisco Highlands for a minimum of seven years. Casamigos Blanco is crisp and clear, with subtle hints of vanilla and a smooth finish, Casamigos Reposado is smooth and clean with hints of caramel. Casamigos Añejo is aged 14 months and has a beautifully pure and refined complex aroma, with soft caramel and vanilla notes.

Casamigos is available in the United States, Bahamas, Canada, Hong Kong, and the UK, and has garnered the highest accolades from the spirit industry’s most well respected authority figures. Awards and ratings include the highest rated gold medals from Los Angeles International Spirits Competition, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, The Beverage Testing Institute, The New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, The Spirits of Mexico Tasting Competition and many more. Additionally, Casamigos was rated “Excellent, Highly Recommend” by The Ultimate Spirits Challenge, received the coveted 5 star rating from BevX Magazine, “A perfect tequila,” A rating, from Good Spirit News, named “Best Tequila in the World” by Men’s Journal magazine and Oprah Winfrey lists Casamigos as “The Smoothest, The Best.”

In the UK the brand can be found at top establishments like Nobu, Zuma, Groucho Club, Soho House, 5 Hertford St, Chiltern Firehouse and the Maybourne Group, to name but a few.

Casamigos Tequila is available to purchase at Selfridges and online at www.selfridges.com from £62.99

About Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel…

Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel is a luxurious 417-room hotel comprised of two buildings: The Ushuaïa Club, featuring an amazing poolside stage, and The Ushuaïa Tower, offering breathtaking views of the Mediterranean. Ushuaïa is dedicated to providing the best outdoor entertainment venue coupled with a modern, cutting-edge hotel experience, designed for the discerning traveller seeking the fun and entertainment associated with Ibiza.

For more information, visit www.ushuaiabeachhotel.com.

About Bedrinks…

Bedrinks is a new brand of Zumos Naturales S.A., a company with over 45 years of history on the island of Ibiza that began by producing shakes, juices and soft drinks, and currently distributes some of the most important national and international beverage brands.

Casamigos is distributed exclusively in Spain by Bedrinks.

corinne@frostmagazine.com

@ladycdtt

www.corinne-modelling.co.uk

A Day In The Life / Hester Young

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Today finds me far from the New Jersey suburb that I call home, in the midst of a research trip for my second novel. My husband and I have left our kids with my mother and journeyed to Arizona. The timing isn’t perfect–my first book, THE GATES OF EVANGELINE, has a lot going on publicity-wise as we prepare for our U.S. release. But the sequel needs some love, too, so here I am!

Today, we begin the morning at a B&B on the edge of Tucson, a city I used to live in. I take a 5 AM stroll on the trail out back and watch the sun come up. Lizards, birds, and rabbits scuttle and hop about, and I even spot an antelope jackrabbit. I make notes on the different types of cactus and desert plants I see so that I can accurately describe them in the book later.

My husband and I enjoy a breakfast of tortilla chips, black beans, and nopalitos (a type of cactus)at a place called Coyote Pause. I scan through publicity and marketing emails regarding THE GATES OF EVANGELINE while he frets over the weather reports. Looks like we will be braving temperatures of up to 46 degrees Celsius! My first novel required research trips to Louisiana during Mardi Gras–this is not quite as cushy. We chat and review our plans for the day, and then I sneak in some writing time with a notebook in the courtyard before it gets too hot.

Next, we head an hour south to Nogales, an Arizona town that borders a Mexican city by the same name. I’ve arranged a tour tomorrow with an officer at U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to get info for the book. Today, we are meeting Scott Nicholson, an American charity worker who has offered to guide us through the Mexican side of Nogales and show us one of the city’s poorest communities.

Scott brings us to Tirabichi, a garbage dump once home to thirty families who made their living recycling found materials. The dump has recently been shut down by the government and its dwellings destroyed by a pair of suspicious fires that killed one resident. Few families remain. My work-in-progress has a scene set here, so I get a good look around and speak a bit with the caretaker in my stilted Spanish.

Over lunch, we chat with Scott about his life and work. Though American, he lives and works at a Mexican community center called HEPAC, which offers free lunches for local children, adult education courses, and a new affordable child care center. In his free time, Scott hikes seven miles through the desert to leave water for desperate migrants who might otherwise die as they seek to cross the border. I am amazed by his big heart. Meeting interesting individuals with powerful stories is one of my favorite parts of being a writer.

My husband and I return to the U.S. mid-afternoon and check into a local hotel. I spend a couple hours writing while he naps. When he wakes, we do a Facetime call with our children, who breathlessly relate their day’s adventures.

Although we aren’t expecting high cuisine from this dusty border town, we find a surprisingly delicious Italian restaurant in a neighboring town. It’s strange to go from the poverty of Mexico to sipping wine and nibbling an eggplant appetizer, but I suppose this is what writers do: move in and out of worlds. Tonight I am particularly grateful for all that we have. I can’t wait to integrate the things I’ve seen into my latest novel.

CORPORATE KINDNESS: Jane Cable shares the second in a series of blogs about organising a charity litfest

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Jane Cable

Author and Frost contributor Jane Cable shares the second in a series of blogs about organising a charity litfest in aid of Words for the Wounded. Last month the all-important dates and speakers were organised (17-18^th October, Elizabeth Buchan and Margaret Graham) but what about venues… and sponsors… and publicity…

Christopher Joyce, chief Chindi and my co-conspirator in this crazy venture, has gone into overdrive with his contact book. Not a native of Chichester by any means, in the relatively short time he’s lived in the area I think he must have met – and charmed – everyone. And as a result he has three venues for three events sorted.

The one that I was supposed to organise fell flat on its face. Chichester Library, normally our best venue for anything and biggest supporter all around, was unable to host the planned bookish treasure hunt because it’s in aid of charity. West Sussex County Council policy. So we’ve quietly let that one drop.

In the meantime Chris has persuaded Woodies Brasserie in the city centre to close its restaurant to the paying public on a Saturday lunchtime, no less, and put on a special buffet at a cost which allows a generous £7 donation out of each £25 ticket sold. Luckily I have been able to contribute something as their wine merchants, Mason & Mason, are good friends of mine and they are donating a glass of something deliciously organic for every guest.

Chris has also been twisting arms at his local, The Park Tavern, and they’ve given us the run of the place on Saturday evening to shake buckets and sell raffle tickets. And the raffle prizes… so far our top catches are a £60 voucher for a tasting from Hampshire Wine School, a £150 voucher from author Claire Dyer for her Fresh Eyes manuscript review service and a hair cut from Benjamin James Hair Vision. Recovery on Sunday morning is being hosted by Carluccios who again are giving us a fixed price package for our bookswap breakfast which allows a £5 donation from each £15 ticket.

Last but not least Chris has twisted arms at Chichester Design to put together a wonderful leaflet. I’ve been able to get a decent price for the printing but we still need a sponsor so if anyone has a spare £90…? Please…?

But at the end of the day it isn’t entirely down to Chris’s charm and advanced persuasion techniques that businesses have been so generous – it’s a great deal to do with the charity. People simply want to help those who’ve suffered through putting their lives on the line in the name of duty. I had a sharp reminder of some of the issues recently when, as part of my research for the novel I’m currently writing, I met an ex-serviceman who’d served in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. I wanted to know what combat was really like from someone who’d been there. I wish I hadn’t had to ask. We don’t know what those brave men and women have gone through; we can’t even begin to imagine it. All we can hope to do is help.

Learn more about…
Words for the Wounded: www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk
Chindi Authors: www.chindi-authors.co.uk
Woodies Brasserie: www.woodiesbrasserie.com
The Park Tavern: www.parktavernchichester.co.uk
Carluccios Chichester: www.carluccios.com/restaurants/chichester
Chichester Design: www.chichesterdesign.co.uk
Christopher Joyce: www.creaturesofchichester.com
Jane Cable: www.janecable.com

The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Margaret Graham

When The Gates of Evangeline arrived – kerplunk – on my desk and I read the blurb, ‘Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Cates, a New York journalist and single mother mourning the recent, unexpected death of her young son … my first thought was – not for me. I don’t do grieving mothers. They tear me to shreds.

Thankfully, I flicked through the first page, and was hooked.

Hester Young handles her material with aplomb, and though we are aware of Charlie Cates’ loss we are not manipulated by it. Instead, Young, who writes in the first person present, with spare and finely edged language, takes us on Charlie’s journey -from the urban New York to small town Louisiana.

It is here, in the sultry state with its swamps, and evocative history, that she takes a commission to write a true-crime book based on the case of Gabriel Deveau. Gabriel is the young heir to a wealthy and infamous Southern family who was kidnapped thirty years ago and it is a crime that has never been solved.

Charlie ‘witnesses’ events through hallucinations, which drive her onwards. She uncovers long-buried secrets of love, money, betrayal and murder. The facts appear to implicate those she most wants to trust.

The Gates of Evangeline is gripping, with a tremendous sense of place, (I need to put Louisiana on my list of places to go). It is a sense of place that I found reminiscent of James Lee Burke, one of the most atmospheric authors I have read, and whose work I love.

Young has created a Gothic epic, a great whodunit with a slightly but ‘in context’ supernatural bent. I couldn’t put it down, and found myself trying to work out who indeed ‘dunit’. I was half right, but that’s the thing with Young, there’s always another twist, an unpredictability that is in keeping, but surprising.

In The Gates of Evangeline, Hester Young, who lives with her husband and two children in New Jersey, has created a carefully crafted and fantastic literary debut.

Read it, but don’t expect to be able to put it down. This is a new crime series, which is great news. Can’t wait for the second to hit the bookstands.

Frost is publishing Hester Young’s A Day in the Life in a week.

Hardback by Century at £16.99

Holi One 2015

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Sarah Bacchus

As you all may know I’m a Professional Photographer and work with my husband at 2 Boxes Photography. Well we went to Holi One 2015 recently and here are a selection of our favourite shots from the day. We partied and painted Wembley arena all shades of the rainbow.

Holy One is a festival of colour that celebrates each and every one of us as equals. By the time you leave this amazing festival you will be the same skin colour as everyone else. Its quite frankly one if the best days out you could possibly imagine. Messy but serious fun.

If you are a fellow partier please remember that your camera could be a little stressed out by the end of the day. We took our Canon 1D bad boy with us. He’s a tough cookie and water, dust, bomb and Holi One proof!! If you do decide to take some snaps make sure you wrap your camera securely in a clear plastic bag before you enter.

Here is an idea of what a day at Holi One is like in pictures. We feel that sometimes (nearly all the time) images speak louder than words!

For more information regarding our photography services from Weddings, portraits or events please visit www.2boxes.co.uk, email contact@2boxes.co.uk or call 07792852233.

The How Not to be a Dick Guide

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Frostie

Know someone who loves being a jerk? Is there someone making your life difficult? Don’t worry, help is at hand with this great How Not to be a Dick Book. Bulk buy and hand out liberally.

Do you know someone who just loves to be a jerk? Then we’ve got something that will work – the How Not to be a Dick Book.

We all know a queue skipper, a food hogger, a boy racer and general two-facers. These individuals do the duty not all of us can do – Be a Dick.

Love them or hate them, there here for good, but if you give them a gift this year – make it one that might tone them down just a little.

A humorous hard back to pack with them wherever they go, its helpful tips and funny illustrations will have them in stitches but will also advise on everyday etiquette.

Fight the impossible and diminish dickish behaviour everywhere.

Dicks expect a gift – so give them one that they royally deserve. The How Not to be a Dick Guide, only £11.95 from www.prezzybox.com.

Beneath The Bonfire By Nickolas Butler Book Review

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

Beneath The Bonfire is a collection of ten short stories, all set in small town America. Each story shows one thing absolutely: the talent of Nickolas Butler. He is a voice of America and a master of human emotion. He may well become one of the great American writers, if he is not there already. I found it hard to put this book down, the stories drew me in and stayed in my mind. Some were happy and others sad, but all came with a slice of Americana and characters it is hard to forget. It is hard to pick a favourite so I won’t, but I will pass this book along to a friend, such is its power to entrance.

Nickolas Butler’s debut novel, Shotgun Lovesongs, has become an international bestseller and won numerous accolades, including France’s Prix Page/America, previously won by Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding. Now, in Beneath the Bonfire, he demonstrates his talent for portraying “a place and its people with such love that you’ll find yourself falling for them, too” (Josh Weil, author of The Great Glass Sea).

Young couples gather to participate in an annual “chainsaw party,” cutting down trees for firewood in anticipation of the winter. A group of men spend a weekend hunting for mushrooms in the wilderness where they grew up and where some still find themselves trapped. An aging environmentalist takes out his frustration and anger on a singular, unsuspecting target. One woman helps another get revenge against a man whose crime extends far beyond him to an entire community. Together, the ten stories in this dazzling, surprising collection evoke a landscape that will be instantly recognisable to anyone who has traveled the back roads and blue highways of America, and they completely capture the memorable characters who call it home.

Beneath the Bonfire is available here.

The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition… Closing Soon

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Corinne Tuddenham-Finn

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

8 June-16 August 2015

The largest open submission exhibition in the world

Held without interruption since 1769, the Summer Exhibition displays works in a variety of mediums and genres by emerging and established contemporary artists.

The works are selected and hung by Royal Academicians, and entry is open to all artists.

In 2013, nearly 70% of the exhibits were by non-Academicians, £70,000 worth of prizes was awarded and over 5,000 works were sold.

An unusual mix of celebrities – Una Stubbs by Grayson and Measles, Harry Hill by Damien Hirst and Simon Cowell by Jenny Samtula

The staircase and the Central Hall are alive with colour, enticing the visitor in.

Dominating the Central Hall is Matthew Darbyshire’s Captcha No.11 (Doryphoros) with Liam Gillick’s Applied Projection Ring.

Grayson Perry’s amazing supersized tapestry, Julia and Rob.

Jim Lambie’s kaleidoscopic stairs lead you up to the Main Galleries

At one time the show was known simply as ‘The Exhibition’, where the likes of Gainsborough and Reynolds, Turner and Constable sharpened their skills against each other.

Nowadays, although there’s a plethora of art fairs, commercial galleries and contemporary exhibitions to choose from, the galleries at Burlington House make an unrivalled setting for artists to display and sell their artworks.

For all of the works displayed, the artist is the seller of the work and the Academy takes a 30% commission on all ‘Offers to Purchase’, the proceeds going towards the RA Schools and their diverse programme of exhibitions.

The array of works and the celebratory atmosphere of the exhibition make for an unique experience where visitors can browse, buy and discuss the works on show.

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

Burlington House
Piccadilly
London
W1J 0BD

00 44 (0)20 7300 8000

royalacademy.org.uk

£13.50 (without donation £12). Concessions available. Friends of the RA and under 16s go free.

For ticket availability:

https://tickets.royalacademy.org.uk/performancelist.asp?ShoID=2449

corinne@frostmagazine.com

@ladycdtt

www.corinne-modelling.co.uk

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