Merry Christmas from Martini Mandate!
My Christmas story begins in a small town in Pennsylvania. A group of men gather at the local playhouse late on Christm ...
The Most Beautiful City in the World
Barely ten minutes after landing at Marco Polo airport in Venice, I was swinging my bag onto a wooden hulled speedboat p ...
A Night in Colombo
It’s my first visit to Colombo since the terrible Easter Sunday bombings. The nation has been here before - for 26 year ...
I Just Want Stuff to Work!
British Airways flight 183 was taxiing for takeoff from London’s Heathrow Airport. It was 8pm and I was bound for John F ...
The Chelsea Flower Show, Brexit, and Women Leaders
My nostrils twitched as I entered the Chelsea Flower Show. The pollen count was overwhelming. The old chap next to me s ...
Martini Mandate in Cape Town
Click on the map for a list of our favourite haunts in Cape Town ...
In Memorium
A Hymn for Ceylon 🇱🇰 Jehovah, Thou hast promised The isles shall wait for Thee; The joyous isles of Ocea ...
My Fok Maralize: cycling and tales from the Cape
If you are a keen cyclist then the Cape Town Cycle Tour (aka Cape Argus) is likely on your bucket list. Boldly conceived ...
Saz Arrack!
Saz Arrack is my arrack inspired take on the the classic sazerac cocktail. Arrack, a coconut based spirit from Sri Lanka ...
How to Organise a Successful Cocktail Party
The trick to throwing a good cocktail party is to have a short list of interesting cocktails that can be prepped ahead o ...
Carlos Ghosn and the Martini
Carlos Ghosn stopped by to chat with a group of us gathered in Paris last month for a business school reunion. He was ch ...
Viva Italiano!
Nothing quite defines a culture as its approach to children. Some years ago Cost Centre #1, then an infant, developed a ...