Painstaking attention to detail and refinement has gone into the choice of ingredients. The cocktail itself has been crafted to reflect both Cunard’s 175-year ocean-going heritage and the decades of history and patronage associated with The Savoy’s famous cocktail bars. Its home for the voyage, a Jack Daniel’s first fill American oak barrel, was carefully chosen by The Savoy’s Assistant Food and Beverage Director, Daniel Baernreuther.
Daniel travelled to the Jack Daniel distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee and personally chose the Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel to be used in Age of Discovery. Daniel then had the barrel itself transported whole to The Savoy in London. This is the very same barrel that will play host to Age of Discovery for its global journey.
Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 passes under fireworks as she departs Southampton on her world voyage Sunday. Photograph: Christopher Ison.
During her four month circumnavigation, Queen Mary 2 will visit 39 ports of call in 27 countries. The barrel will be secured in open deck space for the duration of the voyage to expose it to the varied elements and climates that will influence the final result. Prevailing temperatures, humidity and sunlight – as well as more inclement conditions – will combine to produce this truly unique barrel-aged cocktail.
The progress of Age of Discovery will be charted via social media throughout the passage, across the oceans, and will appear in the world’s most iconic ports and cities. The barrel will also have its own unique Log Book.
When Queen Mary 2 returns to Southampton on May 10, 2016, the barrel will be ceremoniously unloaded and will travel to the specially-commissioned Houston Bottling & Co Pack plant in West Dunbartonshire.
It is estimated that the unique barrel will yield a minimum of 250 litres of Age of Discovery, which will become the latest in The Savoy Collection; one of the world’s most prestigious and unique collections of one-of-a-kind spirits and liquids. Launched in 2013, The Savoy Collection was created with the support of esteemed cocktail experts, Speciality Drinks, to celebrate the rare and the beautiful from the world of drinks.
Created by the talented team at The Savoy’s Beaufort Bar, the Age Of Discovery cocktail has been designed to represent the diverse areas through which it will travel on board the Queen Mary 2 and takes its inspiration from the thrilling era of naval exploration between the 15th and 18th centuries. The un-aged cocktail will be available at the Beaufort Bar from Sunday, January 10, 2016.
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