Community days & EVENTS
Equal Measures Community Days are a series of events created with the intent of creating a social hub for Equal Measures, and of fostering collaboration and unity within the drinks industry. Owned by Equal Measures founder Deano Moncrieffe, agave bar Hacha will be the regular home of Community Day, sited in the heart of Brixton market, one London’s historic Black communities.
With the rolling support of some fantastic industry sponsors, Community Day will feature a program of events that advances the skills and resources for those who are underrepresented or marginalised by the cocktail and spirits industry due to reasons of ethnicity, sexuality, gender, or neurodivergence, enabling them to overcome structural barriers to career progression through professional growth.
With an ongoing series of events we hope to build a community that will uplift one another, celebrating the diversity of the drinks industry, and ensuring visibility that signals the cocktail industry welcomes all.
JOHNNIE WALKER COCKTAIL COMPETITION
The first event took place on 21st March 2022.
Kick-starting with a masterclass on Highballs by Johnnie Walker’s Global Brand Ambassador, Tim Philips-Johansson, participants engaged in a friendly competition to make their own unique Johnnie Walker highball.
Crafted with the local community in mind, and inspired by Brixton, students received a small budget to source cocktail ingredients from nearby markets and vendors with the aim of drawing inspiration from Brixton and its surrounding areas but also, to give a little back into the community. Winners received £150 vouchers to spend in five local restaurants and bars.
FIRE & WHISKY: DINNER & COCKTAILS
On 17th October 2022, Equal Measures participants (EMbers) and mentors were invited to a special event at Stepney City Farm pairing Fire-Cooked fare by Shropshire Lad with creative Johnnie Walker cocktails by EMber Michael Yishak.
Adam Purnell (a.k.a. Shropshire Lad) – a celebrated chef well known for his incredible fire-cooking – came together with Equal Measures participant, Michael Yishak, to create a feast with cocktails celebrating the flavours of Johnnie Walker.
Menu highlights included: slow-cooked smoked “Last of the Summer Tomatoes” on crostini; Wild Venison flatbreads with Miso Buttered Hispi; a welcome EMbers Aperitif (Johnnie Walker Black Label, Campari, Velvet Falernum, coconut wash); and the decadent Truffle Butter (Johnnie Walker Black Label, Cabernet Sauvignon, sumac syrup, truffle wash), to name but a few.
EQUAL MEASURES’ FESTIVE SOCIAL 2022
Our first Festive Social took place on 28th November 2022 at Nine Lives Bar in London Bridge.
We’re always up for a party, but this year we had so much to celebrate and we wanted to do it with our whole community of EMbers, mentors, sponsors, and friends.
Drinks were curated by the amazing team at Nine Lives featuring signature serves such as Punchline and Habanero Highball alongside some classics, and delicious mocktails from our sponsors Everleaf. The evening started off with a presentation looking at where we’d started and what we’ve achieved this year thanks to the support of our amazing sponsors, the time and attention given by our generous mentors, and the hard work of our EMbers. This was followed by an exciting sneak peek at our plans for next year, including the launch of the Equal Measures ‘Building Foundations’ program, and The Mixing Class’ ‘Leading the Bar’ Bar Management course.
The rest of the night was a party filled with silly games, music from the resident DJ, and food from our friends at Juici Jerk.
“Since I founded Equal Measures, I always wanted it to progress and grow to be a support network for anyone who reaches out in need of help or guidance. ”
