LIQUOR-ISH ALLSORTS
TWO friends are behind the first edible alcohol company, which has seen their products stocked in the likes of Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges. Cardiff University graduates Emile Bernard and Melanie Goldsmith set up their cocktail confectionary company Smith and Sinclair a few years ago.
Their main product is their cocktail pastilles, which are described as somewhere between an American hard gum and a French pâte de fruit, with an “adult” kick at the end.
And with flavours such as whisky sour, mixed berry daiquiri and violet-infused G and T, each pastille contains around 7% alcohol – the equivalent of half a shotglass of spirits.
Emile, from Mynachdy in Cardiff, and Melanie say their brand goes much further than the liqueur chocolates people normally eat at Christmas, and aims to bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood.
The friends also make actual cocktails, and are looking to expand their flavours, as well as experimenting with new sweets, which saw them recently make a range of sherberts tasting like Thai curry and Hawaiian pizza, in collaboration with takeaway firm Just Eat.
Emile, 27, said: “We have gone from strength to strength.”
He began his career in the food industry after leaving school to work in restaurants when he was 17. His CV includes working as a chef at steak and seafood joint Greenwood and Brown in Cardiff and the Hardwick in Abergavenny, before moving to London.
Emile said: “I was flirting with the idea of the crossover between the food and the alcohol industry.”
He began working with his friend Melanie, who he met at Cardiff University, on a series of dating nights in London which were focused on the concept of “adult play”, including “playscapism” board games.
For the evenings, they created a sensual sweet with a high alcohol content to cause a stir.
He said the sweets were so popular they became the focal point of every evening.
Emile began producing them full time before establishing Smith and Sinclair two years ago. Since then, they have collaborated with drink brands including Beluga Vodka and Hayman’s Gin. They have also run numerous pop-ups at seasonal events and around department stores in London.
They won start-up competition Uprise Festival in Dublin last month. The pair also have a patent pending on the solidification of alcohol.
Emile said: “We both came out of working jobs with crazy hours to do what we do now, and we absolutely love it.”