MERLIN GRIFFITHS
GLOBAL BRAND AMBASSADOR

Award-winning UK mixologist, Merlin Griffiths has the enviable role of global brand ambassador for Bombay Sapphire® gin travelling the world demonstrating the art of mixology and the many ways in which Bombay Sapphire can be used to create incredible cocktails.

Merlin is representative of a new wave of exceptionally talented UK-based bartenders who are pushing the boundaries of cocktail making and have helped establish London as the cocktail capital of the world. Merlin makes no excuses for the precision of his cocktail making, his attention to detail and his religious use of the finest fresh, seasonal ingredients wherever possible. "For me, it's the difference between a good cocktail and a great cocktail," says Merlin.

Merlin is respected by his peers for his endless creativity; his passion for his craft and his desire to challenge pre-conceived ideas of what can and can't be done to make a great cocktail. It is this attitude combined with his exceptional cocktail making skills that have won Merlin numerous awards including a number of trophies in the prestigious Drinks International Cocktail Challenge.

Merlin has spent his entire adult working life perfecting his craft in some of the world’s best bars including several in London’s West End bars and in Notting Hill. Like Bombay Sapphire gin itself, there’s also a touch of the exotic to Merlin having recently spent a year in India working as a bar consultant for one of the country’s leading luxury hotel groups.

As the global ambassador for Bombay Sapphire, Merlin can fully express his adventurous spirit and his refreshing approach to mixology. "I love sharing my passion for Bombay Sapphire gin cocktails and perhaps surprising a few people who think they know gin cocktails but don’t know how Bombay Sapphire adds a new dimension to the classics and has a mixability beyond many other gins."

With these strong foundations in place, Merlin has gone on to achieve great things. In the UK, he is already no stranger to the spotlight having appeared as the resident mixologist on the No.1 BBC TV food and drink programme, Saturday Kitchen.

When Merlin is not travelling he can be found at the Bombay Sapphire Experience in London where he has the opportunity to experiment with the freshest seasonal ingredients sourced from the neighbouring Borough Market, the most acclaimed food market in the UK.

ROB RAINFORD
CHEF AND TELEVISION HOST

Who knows where talent comes from? Is it nature or nurture, innate or learned? For Rob Rainford it just feels as though he was Born to Grill™. He has always loved cooking and the mysteries that unravel when working with various foods and cultural themes; his one consistent theme has always been his love for the grill.

Rob Rainford is a Canadian chef with a world renowned reputation. Born in Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica November 30, 1966, he moved to Canada with his family when he was three. Rainford enrolled in culinary school at George Brown College in 1994 and after completing his formal training, began his professional career.

After hosting Licence to Grill seen on Food Network Canada, Discovery Home in the U.S., Asian Food Channel across Asia and now in syndication Rainford has spent the last two years quietly perfecting his signature style "The Rainford Method" and is now preparing to unveil his new brand to the world.

With two new television shows in the works and having just signed a book deal with the Toronto based publishing house Key Porter Books the future looks bright for this talented Chef. "I have just signed on with new management and we seem to be moving pretty fast out of the gate... next will be a new line of sauces which I am working on right now... it's all moving along very well," says Rainford.

Don't be mistaken by Rainford's success. Even though he's seen on television around the world on Licence to Grill and has cooked in some of the finest establishments, he feels that as a chef he's "always on a perpetual learning curve", and is humbled by the talent around him. Now an instructor at his Alma Mater George Brown College, he is sharing his knowledge as a world class Chef with the chefs of tomorrow, Rainford is beginning to hit his stride and is very thankful for the opportunity to continually uncover the mystery that is food.