Skywalker: London bartenders launch cocktail kit in aid of London's homeless

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As the hospitality industry continues to feel the sting of Coronavirus – which has left many former staff homeless – two of London’s furloughed bar managers have launched a premixed cocktail set to support the city’s rough sleepers.

Anna Sebastian, who looks after the Langham hotel’s renowned Artesian bar, and Sam Ayling, who took over Hammersmith’s Havelock Tavern just a week before lockdown, met while volunteering for Under One Sky, a not-for-profit enterprise feeding those out on the streets.

Having teamed up with No.3 London Dry Gin and Seedlip, the pair have created Skywalker, a pair of cocktails which they hope will bring awareness of and raise money for London’s homeless. The two cocktails are named for the founding principles of Under One Sky, love and compassion.

Love is a blend of the gin with Lustau Blanco Vermut, Monin pineapple and mint syrup, Suze and citric acid – “We like a proper drink,” says Sebastian, “It does a similar sort of thing to a Negroni” – while Compassion, the non-alcoholic take, mixes Seedlip Spice with Seedlip’s Æcorn Dry, a herby aperitif. This, they say, is fruitier, more floral. Both belong over ice; they’re delivered in 110ml pouches, enough for two hefty drinks or four rather gentle ones. Fans of longer serves should splash in a little soda. One pouch costs £10 and can be ordered from skywalkercocktail.co.uk, with all of the proceeds going to Under One Sky.

All for a good cause: Anna Sebastian and Sam Ayling met while volunteering for homeless charity Under One Sky
Lateef photography

The donation is appropriate for the pair, who came up with the idea while with the organisation. Both have been out near daily with food, drink and clothing for those needing it and, most significantly they say, conversation and a sense of connection. They soon realised that many of those they were speaking to had not long ago been in their industry – where a single missed pay cheque can have daunting ramifications.

“Over the last couple of months, we noticed more and more new faces on our walks each day. Many of those we met were hospitality workers who had lost their jobs via redundancy, not been put onto furlough and subsequently unable to afford rent. With no real support network, many found themselves on the streets,” says Sebastian, “We wanted to use our platform and experience in hospitality to help our homeless friends and shine a light on the under-reported current situation – showing that this is a close reality for us all.”

Mikkel Juel Iversen founded Under One Sky in 2012, and began an emergency food initiative soon after lockdown was announced. Each day, its volunteers deliver food to London’s homeless; teams tour various parts of London, from Soho to Waterloo, Victoria to Embankment and King’s Cross, and drop off supplies to those who need it, one by one, person to person. Sebastian and Ayling are hoping their drink will help supplement the donations, and help fund the food.

Drink to good health: the Skywalker cocktail can be had neat, over ice or with soda
Lateef photography

Lately, much of that food has been prepared in Punjab restaurant on Covent Garden’s Neal St, where owner Amrit Maan offered up his site at the start of April. “This place was started by my great grandfather, we’ve been here forever,” he says, “When this started, I had the choice of closing or not. The streets were deserted, and they were saying the homeless were housed – but it wasn’t true. Their usual support network just wasn’t there, there was no-one about to help.”

Maan and his team have helped other volunteers prepare, he thinks, somewhere around 25,000 meals. Besides the hot wraps and sandwiches, they deliver water, hot teas and coffees, crisps. Everyone likes sweet bits, biscuits and chocolate bars, while Kellogg’s Squares in particular are a favourite for many.

Besides the food are sleeping bags and other supplies. Socks are popular, jeans too. Tracksuits and trainers top the list. Charmaine Crouch and Sam Allan look after this: they take requests, jot down sizes, do what they can and deliver daily, 11am until midnight, despite somehow holding down day jobs. Just like the food deliveries, they rely on donations – there’s a Fred from Lewisham who’s sorted 270 pairs of shoes. Other things are delivered too; teams have sourced books, art supplies, even an atlas. There's been a guitar go out. Boredom is a big problem for those without anywhere to stay and nowhere to go.

Lockdown easing is likely to mean little, if anything, to those sleeping rough. Social distancing presents its own challenges, too – job interviews moving online, for instance, are impossible for those without access to the internet. For the meantime, Under One Sky is continuing to fundraise – its GoFundMe page is here – and Sebastian and Ayling are hoping their cocktails will play a part. Drinking for a good cause? Now that's something to raise a glass to.

For more information on the Skywalker cocktail, visit skywalkercocktail.co.uk. For more on Under One Sky, visit underonesky.cc

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