celebrating aidy as the top 100 most influential people in drinks are revealed the three drinkers

As the UK’s number one magazine for everything off-trade drinks, Drinks Retailing is always worth keeping an eye on. Their annual list of the 100 Most Influential People has returned this year, with more industry voters than ever before looking across the entire drinks industry and putting names forward.

Be it through innovation, pushing the industry forward, combating injustices, raising issues, or generally using their voice to positively shape drinks retailing communities, voters were asked to pick the people they thought deserved a spot on the list.

All of this is why we’re so delighted and proud to reveal that our very own Aidy Smith came in 5th place in this year’s list! Woohoo! As the UK’s only television presenter with Tourette Syndrome and one of the few LGBTQIA+ personalities, championing fair representation and using his influence to break down barriers is close to his heart.

Not only has he raised these issues on television, radio, and social media, but he’s also launched DRINKLUSIVE, the results of which you can find all across our website and socials. The first of its kind, it’s an inclusivity mentorship and incubator programme that gives aspiring content creators the chance to shine in the drinks space. Alongside this, he’s also been busy exploring Cognac in a new Amazon series of The Three Drinkers and regularly entertaining us on Instagram. Whether they are from LGBTQIA+, ethnic-minority or disability groups, Aidy is at the forefront of diversifying the people writing and creating in our industry, and it’s amazing to see him recognised for this work in this list.

We'd like to send big congratulations to Helena, too, who also featured in this years list! To find out more about her new and exciting adventures, head over to Flock and Hive!

The full list and magazine are well worth a look to see the exciting work going on across the whole industry. You can find Drinks Retailing here, where it’s free to sign up and read the beautifully designed magazine.

Congratulations to Aidy, Helena and everyone building a better drinks industry for all - onwards and upwards!

The Three Drinkers Drinklusive Mentees thethreedrinkers.com.jpg

We are absolutely delighted to introduce you to our first ever DRINKLUSIVE mentees. Over the next six months, they will embark on the first Inclusivity Mentorship of its kind in the drinks space, with the aim of giving people from all walks of life the chance to make the drinks industry their home.

Our fabulous mentees below will be learning from our industry leading DRINKLUSIVE mentors, working towards their WSET qualifications, building their personal brand and network, getting access to work experience, and creating written and social content not only here at The Three Drinkers, but also for The Independent and JancisRobinson.com.

We can’t wait for you to see more from DRINKLUSIVE and the mentees soon, but for now, here they are!

Find out more about DRINKLUSIVE herE

fowwaz ansari drinklusive meet our mentees the three drinkers — **Fowwaz Ansari**

DRINKLUSIVE MENTEE

Fowwaz was born in the UK but grew up in Pakistan before returning to attend university when he was 18. It was during his studies that he grew an affinity for bartending whilst working in various pubs and bars part-time. Upon graduation, rather than going down the graduate jobs route, he opted for a career behind the stick. Since doing so, his passion for food and drinks has only increased in breadth and depth. Having sharpened his senses for the past 8 years in the industry, he is currently taking on the challenge of being head bartender at one of Edinburgh's most exciting up-and-coming independent bars; Bittersweet Leith. When coming up with signature drinks for the bar, Fowwaz very often turns his head to his heritage and the culinary culture that surrounds it for inspiration and you can often find him nose-deep in a book looking to expand his knowledge.

latoya austin drinklusive meet our mentees the three drinkers — **Latoya Austin**

DRINKLUSIVE MENTEE

Latoya grew up as a cocktail lover due to her upbringing where Caribbean cocktails such as rum punch, sorrel and rum were produced for special occasions. She was introduced to the world of wine through her studies of French at school and university and her interest grew further through her travels leading her to become a travel writer alongside her regular day job. When journeying around the world, she can often be found sampling local traditional drinks such as soju in South Korea. Latoya is particularly interested in aspects of wine tourism and during the lockdowns she took the opportunity to discover more of the local English vineyards within the burgeoning English wine scene. She’d love to learn more about the lesser-known wine regions, such as Uruguay, Bulgaria and more.

Miley Kendrick drinklusive meet our mentees the three drinkers — **Miley Kendrick**

DRINKLUSIVE MENTEE

Miley fell head over heels for bartending the second she stepped behind a bar at the young age of eighteen, where she underwent about the most intense training possible from old school cocktail bar, Be at One. Slinging drinks is a natural fit for a musician and frontwoman, providing a stage to be herself, create, and be playful. Since making the move to independent bars in 2021, Miley has won two UK cocktail competitions and competed on a global scale in Sweden and Mexico. Everything Miley does is a means to creating the most whimsical life possible for herself; her drive to fill her world with art fuels her passion for writing, crafting cocktails, or playing guitar.

Robbie’s love for botanicals and mixology was inherited from the female drink-makers in her family, her Mum and Nans. She began her journey in drinks working behind the bar in local Hampshire pubs, before moving on to moonlighting as a bartender at a London hotel during her student years. Her passion for gin truly blossomed in her 20s, when she landed her dream job as a flight attendant serving G&Ts to British holidaymakers at 30,000 feet. Now in her 50s, her love for gin and botanicals has remained constant and she enjoys nothing more than sharing her knowledge and gin cocktails with her gin pals, family and friends. You can find Robbie on social media @thefairyginmother and very soon on her Gin App which will be launching in March 2024 @ginpodapp.

Previously a management consultant and theatre director, Will is now a professional photographer who began shooting wine and glassware seriously during the Covid lockdowns. If wine is liquid geography or poetry, the ultimate litmus tests for him are whether the beverage takes you down memory lane, or better still, transports you to a time and place you have never been. His goal is to tell compelling stories about the people and places behind the labels. Being a certified Climate Aware Photographer, he enjoys researching how vines and winemaking are adapting to and evolving with our changing climate. When he’s not enjoying press tastings, print magazines or Formula One, you will find Will sharing his experiences of food & wine/spirits pairings on his Instagram account @fino_vino_malts.

Zach Sapato is a bartender and intentional experience designer from the US, who now calls Scotland home. He is a US & UK National Swizzle Cocktail Champion - as well as holding four other US & UK national cocktail titles. In recognition of his efforts founding HospoHang - a hospitality community collective based in Glasgow - Zach was given the Hospitality Hero award from the Scottish Licensed Trade. He has done educational seminars at international conferences on Intentional Experience Design and Hospitality Community Building. He really likes cool pals, genuine hospitality, charity shops, tater tots, and blue drinks. You'll probably like him.

If you are interested in becoming a DRINKLUSIVE mentor then click here to find out more.