Mark Murphy

A sushi chain doesn’t scream great cocktails but Sticks ‘n‘ Sushi has a basement bar with a ‘nanajuni’, Japan’s 72 micro seasons, theme, so ingredients can change every five days. This means a cocktail at the start of the conventional season is different by the end – but when exactly is carbonated lapsang souchong coconut water in season? Drink names are more poetic than Negroni or Manhattan but the Salmon Swim Upstream is the bar’s concession to a Dirty Martini.

Maribel Lieberman, the Honduras-born entrepreneur, chocolatier and owner of renowned chocolate boutiques MarieBelle, in New York and Japan, has released her first entertaining/cookbook calledMarieBelle Entertains: Savory and Sweet Recipes for Every Occasion from the Master Chocolatier With 240 pages filled with recipes, photos and personal stories, this showpiece is the perfect gift for those looking for menu ideas featuring multi-cultural flavors and entertaining tips.

Luxury vodka brand Aspen Vodka has announced that its distillery has become the first U.S. distillery to be awarded the LEEDv4 BD+C Platinum certification – the highest standard for building energy efficiency designated by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). “We are incredibly proud to lead the industry with our ambitious and innovative environmental practices,” said Matthew Patel, Founder of Aspen Vodka.