A Fairtrade liqueur

I'd been vaguely thinking I should write something about a Fairtrade product this Fairtrade fortnight when an opportunity presented itself in the unexpected form of a Goji-based liqueur called Fair. It's produced in the Cognac region - along with a quinoa-based Fairtrade vodka - by a couple of young Frenchmen who have formed The Fair Trade Spirits Company.

All sorts of health claims are made for Goji - including on the company brochure which claims it is considered to be "one of the most nutritious fruits on earth . . . worshipped by the locals [in the Himalayas, where it's grown] as a source of eternal happiness"

I can't really believe that a shot of Goji is going to transform your life but it's good to see another Fairtrade product and such a glamourously packaged one. I suspect it tastes rather better in cocktails than it did neat and warm when it bore an uncanny resemblance to cough mixture (albeit a pleasant one). The brochure suggests Goji-based versions of modern cocktail classics such as the Cosmopolitan and the Mojito but I suspect it would make rather a good Singapore Sling.

You can buy it in Harvey Nichols for £23 a bottle - and the vodka for a pricey £37. Think I'd rather have a whole lot of Fairtrade coffee for that . . .

London's best barmen

It's funny that barmen don't have the same reputation as chefs. A great cocktail is just as creative as a dish - often cleverer as they rely on fewer ingredients. The cocktails I've had made for me by three of London's best barmen, two of whom appear in the Independent's feature on New Year cocktails today - have just blown me away.

Salvatore Calabrese who works at the London private members club Fifty, is the ultimate suave Hollywood bartender - the sort of guy you'd want to make you a Martini. He taught me how to make the perfect G & T (crucial tips - fill your glass full of ice and use a freshly opened can of tonic)

Nick Strangeway (above, on right) used to work at my son's steakhouse Hawksmoor and now works at the new basement bar at Hix. He's an absolute genius at reinterpreting cocktail classics. He used to do fabulously kitsch punches in vintage punchbowls at Hawksmoor but I love the sound of his new cocktail Sbagliato, a mixture of Campari, sweet vermouth and Prosecco - easy enough to rustle up for a crowd for New Year's Eve.

And my third is Dick Bradsell, creator of some of the best modern classics - cocktails such as The Cowboy and The Bramble (you can find the recipes and some of his other creations here). I once went on a bizarre bourbon trip to Kentucky with him and Carol Thatcher. I've no idea where he's working now - like most barmen he tends to move around.

Incidentally Salvatore's website has a useful page on hangover cures if you overdo it tonight ;-) A very happy new year to you all.

Do you agree these are London's three best barmen or do you have a favourite of your own?