News
Archive : February 2010
Horatio Todd's Bar and Restaurant comes to East Belfast
26 February 2010
The award winning Botanic Inns Group which purchased its first bar in Ballyhackamore, East Belfast last month has announced that the new venue will be opening on February 26th after a refurbishment and will be called ‘Horatio Todd’s Bar and Restaurant’ after the local legendary businessman.
Stephen Magorrian, Managing Director, Botanic Inns explained that the name Horatio Todd immediately struck a chord with his team, “Along with our planned refurbishment we wanted to give the venue a new identity and for it to be an integral part of the community,” he said, “After finding an advert for Horatio Todd’s pharmacy in an old Belfast Street Directory we conducted some research and we were surprised and delighted to find out that he was an extraordinary businessman for his time.
“We wanted a bar and restaurant that would mean something to the local community so naming it after such an esteemed local personality gave us the perfect fit we were looking for,” continued Stephen, “Horatio was the first president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland, he received an OBE and was also assigned a Justice of Peace accolade. Within his Holywood Road pharmacy he prepared and dispensed many of his own products and he was an expert perfume maker. We were also able to get in touch with one of Horatio’s old colleagues, Harold Porter who has kindly supplied us with a range of original fliers and bottles from the pharmacy which will all be on display in our new bar.
“We are really looking forward to the opening of the bar and restaurant on Friday 26th February and we hope that the local community will come and visit us and enjoy our hospitality. Our ethos is to provide our customers with quality food and drinks as well as great service and entertainment and we believe that Horatio Todd’s Bar and Restaurant will provide this and more to the people of East Belfast and beyond.”
The East Belfast venue is the fourth acquisition that Botanic Inns has made in the last few years, following the company’s purchase of The Kitchen Bar in 2007 and the purchase of Denvir’s of Downpatrick and Molly Browns in Newtownards in 2008.
t. 028 90 653 090 e. info@horatiotodds.com
406 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast
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Apartment mixologist is only Ireland finalist in cocktail comp
04 February 2010
John O’Reilly from Apartment has been selected as the only finalist from Northern Ireland or the Republic to be shortlisted for this year’s UK and Ireland Bacardi Superior rum Legacy Cocktail Competition.
John who will attend the final in London on 4th February 2010 has battled through a number of regional heats to reach this stage with his creation, ‘Origins’. He is now in the running to win 12 months of marketing support to make his drink the next modern classic Bacardi cocktail, as well as a VIP trip to the Bacardi rum distillery in Puerto Rico.
Speaking ahead of the final, John explained the inspiration behind his cocktail creation, “What inspires me about Bacardi is the distance that the family has travelled, from Don Facundo’s original home in Sitges, Spain, to their position today as the world’s favourite rum brand. Despite the length of this journey they have remained true to their roots and proud of their origins.
“I have taken the most famous cocktail of the Bacardi legacy, the Daiquiri and developed it to reflect the road that the family has travelled. Rioja represents Don Facundo’s Spanish homeland, the pomegranate was taken by the Spanish to the New World and so stands for the journey itself and ginger brings the heat and spice of the Caribbean to the drink. Together with Bacardi Superior rum they make a great drink and tell a great story”.
At the National Final all finalists will be required to talk the judging panel through the inspiration behind their cocktail creation and submit and talk through a plan outlining how they would intend to promote their cocktail over a 12-month period. They will also make their new BACARDI Superior rum cocktail.