Two Manx businesses head to London Cocktail bar for an Isle of Man takeover
Isle of Man based companies Kiki Lounge and Outlier Distilling Company team up for a bar takeover at Laki Kane Bar in London, Islington.
You may recognise Ian and his wife who featured in our ‘It all starts with a visit’ Locate marketing campaign over the summer, however day to day Ian is the co-founder of the Isle of Man based Outlier Distilling Company, alongside business partner Rick Dacey.
Last week, an exciting evening awaited the craft rum producers as they teamed up with popular tropical cocktail bar Kiki Lounge, led by Jamie Lewis and Drew Fleming, for a bar takeover at Laki Kane Bar in London, Islington. Using Outlier Distilling’s award-winning rums and Kiki’s warm hospitality, the Isle of Man’s home-grown businesses served a myriad of drinks and cocktails with a local twist, including the iconic Manx Daiquiri, Pina Colada Old Fashioned, Extra Fancy Highball and La Tormenta.
The night was certainly a huge success, selling out of rum by 8:30pm, with extra bottles required at the 11th hour.
“There was a palpable sense of national pride that truly set the evening apart and the sense of community among the 50 or more Isle of Man expats coming together, was unparalleled” explained Drew Fleming.
”Being invited to do a takeover at Laki Kane was a real privilege and we're lucky to have Jamie and Drew from the Kiki Lounge in Douglas on speed dial," said Rick Dacey, Co-Founder of Outlier.
"The capacity crowd loved the takeover menu of the Manx Daiquiri, Pina Colada Old Fashioned and Extra Fancy Highball."
Drew added “This event is just the beginning; we have plans for future takeovers in London and other UK cities, so there's much more to look forward to”.
Following the event, the bar confirmed that Outlier rums Hoolie and Hurricane are set to continue on Laki Kane’s specials menu during London Cocktail Week and UK Rum Festival weekend this October.
"We're gearing up to do RumFest in a couple of weeks so knocking it out the park at Laki Kane is a real confidence booster," said Ian Warborn-Jones, Co-Founder of Outlier.
"The rum community is really welcoming and I'm sure word will spread how well our Hoolie and Hurricane cocktails went down. We're looking forward to introducing more people to our rums there”.
Supported by Visit Isle of Man, it is fantastic to see local businesses being able to showcase their talent as well as raise the profile of the Isle of Man’s hospitality and profile offering.