GERRY´S WINES AND SPIRITS IN SOHO LONDON
- Adress: 74 Old Compton St, Soho, London W1D 4UW, UK
- Phone: +44 20 7734 4215 / +44 20 7734 2053
- Information: At Gerry's, you can buy almost any drink under the Sun.
- Public Transportation: Leicester Square Or Picadilly Circus Tube Stations.
- Opening Hours: Mon/Thur 9.00-6.30; Fri/Sat 9.00-7.30; Sun 12.00-6.00
- Email: @GerrysWinesSpirits / info@gerrys.uk.com
- Web: www.gerrys.uk.com
They pride themselves in stocking the UK's largest selection of spirits and liqueursfrom all around the world. Over the years, their store in the centre of London's vibrant Soho has become famous for being something of an Aladdin's Cave of rare, weird and wonderful examples of the distiller's art. Gerry's also has the ability to predict the Next big Thing in the spirit world. They were the first supplier to bring Britain: Absinthe from the Czech Republic, Cachacha from Brazil, and Pisco from Peru. And now their unique service is available online, with a wide range of spirits and liqueurs, including over 150 vodkas 100 rums 60 tequilas and lots more.
THE TEAM AT GERRY´S WINES AND SPIRITS
- Michael Kyprianou: Gerry's founder. Michael opened the shop in 1985 and hasn't looked back since. He is an encyclopaedia of knowledge on Wines and Spirits and an absolute West End Legend.
- Allen Daly: Allen is Head Honcho and has been with the shop for nearly 30 years. He’s seen more booze brands come and go than most of us have had hot dinners and is responsible for all things Gerry’s. Being Michael’s original apprentice and manager of Gerry’s there really isn’t much he doesn’t know about booze. His favoured flavours are rum and tequila and his specialities are wines and spirits, roast dinners, disco, doing deals and bad jokes.
- Vince Hopwood: Is Allen’s partner-in-crime and has been at Gerry’s for around about the same sort of time. He’s responsible for all things aesthetic and internet-orientated and works closely with Allen on selecting new, weird and wonderful products for the shop. His love of red wine is relentless as is his passion for collecting spirits from around the globe with reptiles inside them. Favoured flavours Red wine, rum and roast parsnips. Specialities wines and spirits, travelling, bass and banjo, riding motorbikes and long involved stories.
- Markus: Resident rocker and bourbon enthusiast Markus comes from a strong Oddbins background and has been with the shop for four years. When not performing with his band Bear Vs Rhino he assists Allen and Vince with ordering new products and specialist sales. Favoured flavours Bourbon and beer. Specialities wines and spirits, guitars, singing and dancing, reading and politics.
- Andy: Founder of Back Bar Brands, Andy has been with the shop for ten years. He specialises in new, up and coming brands and comes from a strong sales and marketing background. If there’s an exciting product on the horizon its Andy’s job to find it before anyone else does. Favoured flavours rum, tequila and vodka. Specialities wines and spirits, supporting Arsenal, drinking and psychology.
- Matthew: Is their resident writer and contributes to several respected publications on all things boozy. He has a strong cocktail background and is founder of thebespokebar.com. When not setting up home bars he works in specialist sales at Gerry’s. Favoured flavours champagne, liqueurs and cognac. Specialities wines and spirits, Nike Air Jordans, reading and writing.
- Marcus: Is their in house gin and wine aficionado. He has eons of experience in the wine and spirits trade and has been working at Gerry’s for three years. He is a leading authority on Dub Reggae and gin and is responsible for specialist sales and customer account management. Favoured flavours gin, rum and wine. Specialities wines and spirits, dog walking, collecting vinyl and working the wheels of steel. Being tall.
- Glen: Is part of the Gerry’s family and works with us here and there when he’s not travelling the world in search of new spirits or doing drinks styling for booze brand’s photography shoots. He’s a connoisseur of spirits and cocktails, with a sterling background in the bar world and assists with specialist sales. Favoured flavours tequila, pisco and cold beer. Specialities wines and spirits, running bars, reading, cocktails and walking.
- The Twins: Allen's twin daughters Kerrie and Sinead, when not attending England's finest universities and after spending all their money in cocktail bars, help dad out at the shop during the holidays. Having both been raised around the trade it's only natural that they'd end up picking up the knowledge from pops and are responsible for sales assistance and customers accounts. Favoured Flavours cocktails, rum, gin, chocolate, coffee and tea. Specialities reading, writing, events management, Italian and French, cocktail drinking and driving Dad up the Wall!
SOHO LONDON AREA
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. Soho's reputation as a major entertainment district of London stems from theatres such as the Windmill Theatre on Great Windmill Street and the Raymond Revuebar owned by entrepreneur Paul Raymond, and music clubs such as the 2i's Coffee Bar and the Marquee Club.
Trident Studios was based in Soho, and the nearby Denmark Street has hosted numerous music publishing houses and instrument shops from the 20th century onwards. The independent British film industry is centred around Soho, including the British headquarters of Twentieth Century Fox and the British Board of Film Classification offices. The area has been popular for restaurants since the 19th century, including the long-standing Kettner's which was visited by numerous celebrities. Near to Soho is London's Chinatown, centred on Gerrard Street and containing several restaurants.
Soho is about 1 square mile (2.6 km2) in area, bounded by Oxford Street to the north, Regent Street to the west, Leicester Square to the south and Charing Cross Road to the east. However, apart from Oxford Street, all of these roads are 19th-century metropolitan improvements, and Soho has never been an administrative unit, with formally defined boundaries. The area to the west is known as Mayfair, to the north Fitzrovia, to the east St Giles and Covent Garden, and to the south St James's.
According to the Soho Society, Chinatown, the area between Leicester Square to the south and Shaftesbury Avenue to the north, is part of the area. Soho is part of the West End electoral ward which elects three councillors to Westminster City Council. The nearest London Underground stations are Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Leicester Square and Covent Garden.
Since the decline of the sex industry in Soho in the 1980s, the area has returned to being more residential. The Soho Housing Association was established in 1976 to provide reasonable rented accommodation. By the 21st century, it had acquired around 400 flats. St Anne's Church in Dean Street was refurbished after decades of neglect, and a Museum of Soho was established.
Many small and easily affordable restaurants and cafes were established in Soho during the 19th century, particularly as a result of Greek and Italian immigration. The restaurants were not looked upon favourably at first, but their reputation changed at the start of the 20th century. In 1924, a guide reported "of late years, the inexpensive restaurants of Soho have enjoyed an extraordinary vogue." Arthur Ransome's Bohemia in London (1907) mentions Old and New Soho, including details about Soho coffee-houses including The Moorish Café and The Algerian.