Dive Bar Jukebox with Simon Ford
Dive Bar Jukebox with Simon Ford
"But please don't put your life in the hands of a rock and roll band."
In honor of LAST CALL’s 1-Year Anniversary this week, today’s dispatch is free to all readers and subscribers.
Welcome back to Dive Bar Jukebox, where bartenders, writers, chefs, musicians, and a cast of cool characters answer the question: If we were hanging out together at a bar and I put ten credits on the jukebox, what songs would you punch in and why? The answers reveal thoughts on their favorite dive bars along with a hand-picked, annotated playlist for your weekend listening pleasure.
To kick off Season 2 of Dive Bar Jukebox, please welcome today’s special guest…
Simon Ford
Having pioneered the vital role in the spirits world of the brand ambassador, Simon Ford has been a leading voice in the bar and cocktail world for more than 20 years. The British-born, globetrotting Ford has worked with some of the world’s top brands and bars, leading educational spirit programs, judging international cocktail competitions, and presenting seminars at Tales of the Cocktail, London Cocktail Week, and the Sydney Bar Show among other events.
He has been featured in countless publications and, after winning the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best International Brand Ambassador (2007) and Best. U.S. Brand Ambassador (2009, for Plymouth Gin), he went on to become Tales of the Cocktail’s chairman and co-host for their annual Spirited Awards ceremony held in New Orleans.
Aiming to curate and develop “a true bartenders’ portfolio of brands,” Ford created The 86 Co. in 2012, including Fords Gin, Caña Brava Rum, Tequila Cabeza, and Aylesbury Duck Vodka. By 2019, Fords Gin, which was known for its dynamic versatility in cocktails among bartenders, became the sole focus of the portfolio and Ford became CEO/Founder. A year later Fords Gin was acquired by Brown-Forman, where Ford serves as Fords Gin’s Global Marketing Director.
Fords Gin has long been my go-to house gin and I was thrilled to partner with them as the official sponsor of my 2019 book tour for Last Call. Each event on the tour had a Fords Gin ambassador on hand to help collaborate with local bartenders on the many Negronis, Martinis, and Gimlets we served up for guests. And most authors can’t say that they toured with a Negroni Fountain.
This past spring, Simon Ford married his passion for Martinis and music with the limited-edition release of the vinyl album, Music to Drink Martinis To. Fords Gin teamed up with the legendary music producers behind the conceptional hip-hop duo Handsome Boy Modeling School—Nathaniel Merriweather (AKA Dan The Automator) and Paul Edward Huston (AKA DJ Prince Paul)—for the spirited collaboration. The seven-track LP also comes with a booklet with a Martini recipe to accompany each composition from some of the world’s top bartenders.
Simon has been on my Dive Bar Jukebox wishlist since I launched LAST CALL a year ago, and it’s great to finally have him here. He was definitely worth the wait! Read on for some tales of favorite dive bars from his many travels and an equal-parts soulful and foot-stomping, plus-sized playlist that’s perfect for any mood or occasion.
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