ÆCORN Presents SPRITZING HOUR

There's nothing more social than sharing a spritz with friends. Yet the way we eat, drink and socialise is changing rapidly. Co-Founder of Æcorn, Claire Warner, gets to the bitter truth and hears from the rule-beakers and game-changers who are leading the charge, turning the table on traditional food and drink culture and re-shaping our social lives for the better.

Naren YoungDrinks That Connect Us – Aperitifs & Aperitivo CultureAre some drinks more social than others? Why do we like whetting the appetite before food, and are some drinks better at doing this than others? What’s an aperitif and when should I drink them? Food and drink expert, and the creative talent behind one of the world’s best bars, Naren Young, answers all these questions and more, as we explore the wonderful world of Aperitifs, Aperitivo culture and the drinks that bring us closer together. 

Claire RatinonFood, Love & Double RainbowsWhat we eat is one of the most important decisions we make every day. It connects us to each other, our culture, and ultimately to nature, shaping the world we live in. We depend on food to survive, but it goes deeper than that; It gives us pleasure, stirring memories and feeding emotions. Organic urban grower and writer, Claire Ratinon explains why growing food is not only a way to feed ourselves, but also a way to connect more deeply with those around us and the world we live in.

Doug McMasterCooking, Connection & Being Bin-lessHow do you build a world-class restaurant without a bin? And why would you? Doug McMaster, world-renowned chef and zero waste champion shares his story; how an abstract conversation with an artist transformed the way he thought about food, flavour and creativity. Why history has much to teach us about flavour, and how we can all rethink how we eat as a way to bring us closer to each other, and what we can do to work towards becoming zero-waste at home.

Jane ParkinsonWine, Humility & Keeping Kindness CoolThe world of wine is vast and intimidating, yet Jane Parkinson has made it her mission to make it accessible and approachable to all. Jane shares her accidental discovery of the wine world, and how her humble approach to learning about it unlocked an ability to help others better understand it. More recently, her curiosity for ways to gift positively has led her to create a new online magazine devoted to brands that put kindness at the heart of all they do. We explore whether kindness is a new super power, and how we can all be philanthropic, even if we’re not yet billionaires.

Claire chats with Tristan Stephenson, a bartender, author and a businessman, and Jeffrey Kluger, a senior writer at Time magazine an author of nine books about the science behind socialising. They discuss how bars, restaurants and hotels play a role in helping bring us all together and socialise and how it can save lives specially in our time of increasingly disconnected world.Learn more details about this episode:Connect with Tristan by visiting his website here and Youtube channel here.Connect with Jeffrey via his Twitter here and Facebook here.

Claire chats to broadcaster and author, Julia Bainbridge about how changing attitudes to drinking inspired her latest book Good Drinks. They also discuss the human connection, loneliness and how Julia’s acclaimed podcast, The Lonely Hour, looks to tackle the taboo nature of something we’ve all likely experienced.Learn more details about this episode:Julia Bainbridge Website here.Listen to the Lonely Hour podcast here.

Claire sits down with Seb Cox to learn more about the symbol of the table; as a place of connection, eating, drinking and sharing. But also, about how the table can take us back into the forest, back to the trees and land we share with other species, to encourage us to give back what we’ve been increasingly consuming, without any signs of slowing down.Learn more about things discussed in this episode:Book Recommendation: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

Claire chats to Lucy Jones, author of Losing Eden, Why I Minds Need the Wild. They explore our deep, primal connection to Nature, how it has transformed Lucy's life, and how it can transform yours too.Learn more about the details discussed in this episode:Book Recommendation: Losing Eden: Why Our Midns Need the Wild by Lucy JonesVisit Lucy Jones website.