One for the road?
On May 10th, Wayne Collins launched a jaw dropping Mixxit London session in front of a packed house. Held at Sydney’s iconic Marble bar, a new attendance record was set with 75 bartenders on the day.
It was a rare opportunity to hear a cockney industry legend speak about his foggy home town. Wayne shared stories from the old Roman city and took us on a compelling journey. From Ale houses to a dark gin crazed London and to the great hotels bars which established the city as the drinking epicentre of Europe.
A favourite snippet included a story about ‘One for the Road’. We learnt it was a London expression, when men on death row walked the long road to the hangman (where Marble Arch now stands) people would come out of the tavern and offer the condemned a drink – ‘one for the road mate’...
Attendees also learned how pubs were first named. With a mostly illiterate population the pub’s name was depicted in a picture on a hanging sign; Elephant & Castle, Manor House, Angel and Swiss Cottage to name a few.
Crawley said, “I stood at the back wearing a Harry Johnson Mask with Plummer batching punch and the session drinks. To see 75 bartenders in utter silence for three hours (apart from the laughing) was incredible."
We would like to say a massive thank you to Wayne for making the long trip and making our week a magnificent one!
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