At The Bar | Dream Drinks and Great Company 🍸 – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Restaurant critic, broadcaster, and jazz pianist Jay Rayner joins us At The Bar - and he’s not afraid to speak his mind! Known for his sharp wit on MasterChef and The Kitchen Cabinet, Jay brings the same no-nonsense energy to our drinking games.

From his disdain for Negronis and Espresso Martinis to the family favourite cocktail known as Blood and Pus, Jay shares his sharp opinions, funniest stories, and a few unexpected insights into food, wine and bar culture. Jack even takes on the challenge of reimagining Blood and Pus for the modern palate - with excellent results.

Highlights include:

• Why Negronis and Espresso Martinis are on his blacklist

• The Daiquiri as his ultimate bartender test

• The story of Blood and Pus – and its 2025 revival

• What restaurants get wrong with wine lists

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Luxury hospitality consultant and former Savoy and Artesian bar manager Anna Sebastian joins us At The Bar to talk champagne rituals, women in hospitality and the drinks that shaped her career.

Anna shares her journey from running some of London’s most iconic hotel bars to founding Celebrate Her, a global platform championing women in the drinks industry. She reflects on the “Negroni era” and the hangovers that came with it, why she still loves a Vodka Martini, and how the Picante has become a modern-day classic.

Finally, Jack creates her Dream Drink - a whimsical Unicorn Picante with champagne, tequila, glitter and marshmallow garnish - inspired by Anna’s love of unicorns and a tattoo shared with close friends.

Highlights include:

• Changing perceptions of hospitality careers

• Her views on what makes a great modern classic cocktail

• Why English sparkling wine deserves a place alongside champagne

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TV chef, restaurateur and Sunday Brunch co-host Simon Rimmer joins us At The Bar to talk local beers, dive bars and why he’ll never order an Espresso Martini.

In our Mailbox segment, Simon samples a Margarita twist made with Japanese La Tomato liqueur, before setting Jack the task of creating a cocktail with his chosen ingredient: chicken skin. The result? A smoky Tequila Old Fashioned with hot honey and a chicken skin wafer garnish.

Finally, Simon describes his happy place - Del Mar, California - and Jack builds his Dream Drink: a lemongrass and basil Piña Colada, served with full holiday vibes.

Highlights include:

• Calling the Espresso Martini “a fantastic bit of marketing but a crap drink”

• Why he’d rather be in a dive bar than a posh cocktail spot

• Championing local Manchester breweries like Cloudwater and Track

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BAFTA award-winning presenter, DJ and live-fire cooking legend DJ BBQ joins us At The Bar for a riot of stories, drinks and barbecue wisdom. From natural wines and dive bars to Jamie Oliver’s birthday parties and snowboarding with Jamiroquai, nothing is off-limits.

In our Mailbox segment, the team take on a smoky Chipotle liqueur - with DJ BBQ bringing his trademark party energy to the tasting. And for his Dream Drink, Jack goes big: the Smoky Cokey Cherry Floatie - peaty Islay whisky, cherry syrup, Old Bay seasoning, Coca-Cola and smoked ice cream. A barbecue-inspired cocktail that’s as playful as it is delicious.

Highlights include:

• The art of “Catertainment” – mixing food, fire and music

• Snowboarding with Jamiroquai and partying with Jamie Oliver

• His love of lagers and natural wine - and why IPAs aren’t his thing

• The ultimate BBQ-inspired Dream Drink – the Smoky Cokey Cherry Floatie

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Broadcaster, author and DJ, Nihal Arthanayake joins us At The Bar - and he’s full of stories. From being teetotal until 1997 to Sambuca disasters, from White Russians to London’s legendary Momo Bar, Nihal reflects on the highs and lows of nightlife and the role it’s played in his career and creativity.

He also takes on our games, choosing Pornstar Martinis over Negronis (“they just taste disgusting”), defending the Piña Colada as a marker of confidence, and telling the unforgettable story of a stag-do Daiquiri laced with Viagra.

Finally, Jack builds his Dream Drink - a coconut-and-mango creation inspired by Nihal’s Sri Lankan heritage, mixed with cinnamon, lychee and arrack, served in a coconut shell.

Highlights include:

• London’s lost nightlife and the Momo Bar

• Using bars as urinals

• Sri Lankan bar snacks

📸 Follow us on Instagram:

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Journalist and presenter Kate Quilton (Food Unwrapped, Channel 4) joins us At The Bar to talk craft beer, Oyster Martinis and childhood memories of growing up in pubs. Known for investigating what really goes into the food we eat, Kate brings that same curiosity to the drinks world - from her scepticism of Big Beer to her love of provenance, fermentation and flavour.

Highlights include:

• Lager nostalgia, craft vs mass production, and her early memories of pubs

• Oyster Martinis at The Suffolk - and why she calls oysters a “super food”

• Tasting Mahura, a resurrected Indian spirit, and Jack’s jasmine-inspired cocktail twist

• Kate’s Dream Drink, built from foraged and homemade ingredients - her favourite cocktail ever

📸 Follow us on Instagram:

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At The Bar is a new video series that brings together well-known names from food, drink, and broadcasting to share stories, swap opinions and celebrate cocktail culture.

Hosted by presenter Matty White, bartender Jack Sotti, and series producer Jon Almond, At The Bar blends unscripted conversation with imaginative cocktail creations.

Each episode invites a guest to share their personal drinking preferences and memorable experiences, while also exploring new and unusual drinks that challenge expectations and celebrate the creativity of modern cocktail culture.

It’s our Festive Fizz Christmas Special - and we’re popping the good stuff! 🥂

Luxury hospitality consultant Anna Sebastian returns to At The Bar to share a whopping EIGHT premium sparkling wines, from English Blanc de Blancs to legendary Champagne houses - all chosen for celebration, indulgence and those once-a-year moments worth splurging on. 🍾

This episode is less about price and more about pleasure: which bottles feel special, which deliver on the hype, and which deserve a place at your Christmas table?

Hosted by Matty White, Jon Almond & Jack Sotti.

Tasting order:

Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2019 • Fiol Rosé • Telmont Blanc de Noirs • Ruinart Blanc de Blancs • Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs • Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé • Veuve Clicquot Brut • Dom Pérignon Rosé 2009

And from all of us At The Bar, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas! 🎄

We’re kicking off Series Two of At The Bar with the brilliant GEORGE EGG - AKA The Snack Hacker! 

And when the comedian, creator, and author joined our hosts Matty White, Jack Sotti, and Jon Almond, things escalated quickly…

In this episode:

• Guinness, Irish whiskey, a vanilla milkshake and McDonald’s fries given a cinnamon sugar makeover, then dipped straight in. Our take on the famous Shamrock Shake. 🍀

• A brand new Challenge Jack, with George throwing down the gauntlet using BOVRIL. Will it cocktail?

• George’s Dream Drink - a multi-sensory experience with smoking bubbles, sweet doughnut aromas, and clarified cereal milk.

Along the way, we get into snack hacking, food snobbery, guilty pleasures, and why curiosity usually beats convention.

Subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode!

What happens when Sorted Food step behind the bar?

Gochujang, steak as a cocktail garnish, and a level of chaos we probably should’ve anticipated.

In this episode of At The Bar, we’re joined by Jamie Spafford and Barry Taylor from global cooking community Sorted Food for a no-rules session around drinks, food, and strong opinions.

With drinks in hand, things escalate quickly.

Along the way:

• Discovering one of the world’s oldest lagers
• Cocktails built around bold flavours, including gochujang
• Taste tasting of some of the best canned cocktails on the market
• Big opinions on what does - and definitely doesn’t - belong near a drink

As ever, Jack Sotti is behind the bar doing the damage, while Matty White and Jon Almond keep things moving.

This episode is about curiosity over convention, flavour over fear, and what happens when food people wander into cocktail territory.

If you like your drinks conversations loose, opinionated, and a little unpredictable, this one’s for you!

Follow At The Bar for new episodes every week, and let us know:

Would you order a cocktail with a side of steak?