chandon garden spritz | summer in a glass

Halfway between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh lies Da Nang, an energetic city and tourist mecca with miles of beautiful beaches. On 29^th June, however, something other than sun, sea and sand was drawing in the crowds: something big, loud and very, very green…

Enter Sprite Beach Fest. As part of its summer 2025 campaign ‘Turn Up Refreshment’, Sprite has launched a series of free music festivals on shorelines around the globe. First up was The Philippines, then Vietnam, with further events in Brazil and Mexico potentially in the pipeline.

The idea behind the campaign is that an ice-cold sprite can save your summer, coming to the rescue in the stickiest and most sweltering of situations. “This year, Sprite’s refreshment is not just about the drink,” Global VP Oana Vlad elaborates, “but also experiences that provide ultimate refreshment, celebrating the fusion of music, artists and festivals to help everyone make the most of the summer heat and enjoy every moment.”

In Da Nang, this message was supersized with a towering thermometer, enormous inflatable water slide and giant jets spraying the 90,000-strong audience at surprise intervals. No doubt much of the crowd, which spread from the stage onto the streets, was also there for the acts, which ranged from rising stars from the Vietnamese Rap, Hip Hop and DJ scene, such as HURRYKNG, Low G, JSOL and RHYDER to established headliner Du’o’ng Domic.

“What you see here is very localised,” explains Vlad. “How the festival came to life and the experiences we’ve created were done through local teams that really understand the culture here. Four of the artists are up-and-coming, which is really important to Sprite as a platform for rising subcultures and genres, and then, at the end, a headliner that’s more mass in the pop space. The balance that we always want to strike is being that consistent, iconic, global brand but, at the same time, having those deep roots in the community.”

Mercury rising isn’t the only form of heat the soft drink brand is taking on this summer. “If you look at culture specifically through how it’s evolved on social media, you see spicy food and street food becoming huge in the last few years, through spice challenges and the popularity of spicy noodles, like what we’re having here, but also around the world,” says Vlad. “Almost 50% of Gen Z have at least one spicy meal a week. It’s about the thrill and discovery of new experiences. When you pair the lemon-lime taste and carbonation of Sprite with spicy food, it’s the perfect combination. It’s the perfect complement from a scientific point of view as well,” Vlad continues. “It’s that rising part in culture that our fans – the people we engage with – already love, and it’s the perfect role for our product.”

Cue the ‘Hurts Real Good with Sprite’ campaign, which includes late-night pop-up events (from 1 to 3 am), partnerships with brands like Takis and Buldak Fried Noodles, and the ‘Hot to K-Pop’ content with South Korean artist and brand ambassador Karina of K-POP group aespa. 

And, finally, Sprite has teamed up once again with streetwear brand SNIPES, today launching a fresh collaboration with an early 2000s aesthetic. The 14-piece capsule collection features graphic t-shirts, colour-blocked tracksuits, jerseys and denim. Of course, bright green features prominently, but there are also pieces in baby blue, dark purple and a Brazilian-inspired green and yellow colourway. 

Find the capsule collection at select SNIPES stores across Europe and online here. 

Read more about Sprite here.

words. Huma Humayun

images. courtesy of Sprite

Founded on a creed of elevated simplicity, Toklas’ exquisite menus, wines and events have distinguished the Mediterranean restaurant as a London hot spot. From launching its first edition of cuvées last year to hosting monthly wine tastings and decadent gatherings, Toklas has cultivated a steadfast community of art and food aficionados since it opened in 2021. Established by Frieze Art Fair cofounders Matthew Slotover OBE and Amanda Sharp, hints of the pair’s artistic leanings are reflected in Toklas’ decor and scrumptious treats by head chef Chris Shaw. In recognition of the restaurant’s ingenuity, we spoke to Slotover and Toklas’ head of beverages Agustina Basilico about their extensive wine list, forays into the art world and collaboration with Turner Prize-winning artist and friend Lubaina Himid CBE. 

“Amanda and I met when we were 18 and discussed opening a restaurant before we talked about doing Frieze,” begins Slotover. “It’s a fascinating industry that I wanted to learn about and hopefully contribute to.” Today, his restaurant neighbours prestigious art and culture institutions like Somerset House and The Courtauld Gallery, while simultaneously holding its own unique ties to the art world. The first clue is in the establishment’s name — a nod to writer and primo bohemian Alice B. Toklas. Together with her partner, the celebrated novelist Gertrude Stein, Alice threw intricate dinner parties in Paris for some of the greatest artists of the early 20th century. 

Toklas’ art connections deepen as you enter the restaurant and spy works by acclaimed photographer Wolfgang Tillmans and painter Ragna Bley. “The restaurant’s interior design is quite purposeful,” says Basilico, pointing to a bar wall decorated with a patchwork of art posters from the last 40 years. “From artworks to posters of exhibitions, artists and curators who are our friends, the restaurant’s design has kind of become a creative outlet for us, as much as the food itself,” says Slotover. Art and wine have long conspired with one another to enhance the human experience. 

Constantly valued for their provenance, age and quality, rare wines and art are regular headliners for auctions at renowned  houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s. “I think both wine and art can be very obsessive areas,” says Slotover, who has often found that buying wine is like buying art from a gallery. “You’ve got the winemakers or artists, the buyers or collectors and then the distributors who guide you like galleries do with artists.” Wine also often accompanies life drawing, exhibition receptions, and other such events, punctuating the art market calendar. With this in mind, Toklas’ artistic flair feels like a welcome and natural pairing; much like a glass of Pinot Noir with an earthy mushroom risotto.  

Cradled within the circumference of the Strand, Toklas is a jewel in London’s coronet of dynamic food establishments. A pared-back, spacious bar, open kitchen and downstairs bakery greets guests. The ‘brasserie’ tone continues with a vintage parquet floor, Børge Mogensen chairs, emerald leather banquettes, open grill and menus designed by contemporary artist Allison Katz. Perhaps the star of the show is the restaurant’s own edition of cuvées — red, white and rosé — a trio collaboratively made by Toklas and Provence winemaker Valérie Courrèges. “Valérie is an incredible human,” says Basilico. “She was here two weeks ago for an annual wine tasting wearing fake fur and smoking cigars. She’s an icon.” 

For this first edition of cuvées, Toklas commissioned Turner Prize-winning artist Lubaina Himid CBE to paint colourful limited edition labels. “There’s a good history of artists designing wine bottles and menus,” says Slotover. He notes artists like David Hockney, who once designed the Neal Street restaurant menu, as well as a label for Château Mouton Rothschild. (The label has also been designed by artists Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Dorothea Tanning and Francis Bacon over the years). For her part, Himid used her signature palette of vibrant hues to paint rows of elegantly simplistic bottles in shades of crimson, blushing pink and citrus. “Lubaina Himid has got an incredible career,” says Basilico of the painter known for being one of the UK’s most important contributors to the British Black arts movements, and the first Black woman to win the Turner Prize. “For a female artist and female winemaker to unite like this is quite powerful in this day and age.” 

Grown from the clay and limestone soils of Cotignac, each cuvée comes with its own taste profiles and pairings. The ‘Toklas White Edition’, for instance, is reportedly fresh and supple with notes of mandarin and lemon. Each wine’s rounded character speaks of the precision and care behind its production. “We strongly believe that chemical additives are wrong, whether they’re included in the growing or making process,” says Slotova. “So, we wanted to partner with winemakers who care about sustainability, from the grapes to the long-term quality of the soil.” The cuvées sit nicely alongside Toklas’ expansive collection of largely sustainably produced natural wines. “The term natural wine is quite broad, and there are a million books by a million wine writers trying to describe what natural wine is,” says Basilico. “For me, it’s wine that is alive and clean. If you have sensitive taste buds, you can taste the minerality of the grapes’ birthplace.” Crafted using sustainable, organic, biodynamic or regenerative methods, these natural wines are marked by a • symbol on the menu. 

Together with Finnish sommelier Heidi Mäkinen, Basilico has almost tripled the wine list since she first arrived at Toklas. “Heidi has a traditional palette, and I try to push the boundaries to keep us on trend with London’s wine landscape,” she says. The result is an emporium of contemporary and traditional wines that can sometimes be served from kegs, reducing the wine’s carbon footprint by 75%. Originally from Argentina, Basilico has resisted the urge to place more than one Malbec on the menu (a traditionally full-bodied, dark-coloured red wine made from Argentina’s signature grape variety). “I’ve only added one edition,” says Basilico. “Our menu doesn’t include red meat, so there’s no need for a heavy wine.” 

While Toklas’ bakery has been noted by Timeout magazine for its breakfast viennoiserie of flaky croissants, pain au chocolat and cardamom buns, the restaurant’s Mediterranean-infused cuisine deserves its own ovation. “Simple food expertly cooked at Toklas will put you on a high – and that’s before you even get to the chips,” wrote renowned food critic Jay Rayner in 2022. Most recently, the restaurant hosted a series of citrus-inspired dinner parties showcasing the literal fruits of their partnership with Todolí Citrus Fundació, a foundation created for the research and conservation of citrus biodiversity. It grows over 500 varieties of citrus and was founded by none other than Spanish art curator and former Tate director Vicent Todolí. “Vicent met our founders Matthew and Amanda on the art circuit,” says Basilico. “When the partnership began, we formed a group of restaurants and split the fruits between all of us. This grew exponentially over three years, and now there are over 150 restaurants in London benefitting from Todolí citrus.” 

For its recent citrus-inspired dinner, Toklas paired segments of Todolí’s citrus fruits with dishes like wild sea bass crudo, radicchio and ricotta salata. The Spanish countryside also permeates through the bakery’s seasonal citrus salad; a festival of beetroots roasted and bathed in a dressing of their own juices, red wine vinegar and segments of Todolí’s blood oranges and grapefruits. Striking a balance between the dish’s aromatic sweetness and acidity is an art form in itself. “I often think chefs and artists have a lot in common,” says Slotova. “They take elements that have no value and create something fantastic. It’s partly about execution and partly intellectual.” 

Toklas’ holistic approach to its wine and artistic values will continue with a wine tasting on June 19th. The event is a meet-and-greet between Olly of Emile Wines: a London-based, female-founded wine importer and retailer offering authentic, largely biodynamic wines from Burgundy and the classic regions of France.

Subscribe to Toklas’ newsletter and social media for more details and news updates.

words. Raegan Rubin

Veuve Clicquot’s latest release, La Grande Dame 2018, reminds us that good things — and good Champagne — take their time. Created as a tribute to the house’s legendary founder, Madame Clicquot, the 25th vintage of the prestige cuvée leans heavily into what she loved most: Pinot Noir. 

The blend is bold but balanced: 90% Pinot Noir, lifted by a touch of Chardonnay to sharpen the edges. Thanks to a growing season that swung from heavy rains to a long, hot summer, the 2018 harvest delivered grapes at near-perfect maturity. In the glass, it shows a luminous, almost solar character — bright citrus, white fruits, a hint of florals, and a saline finish that keeps everything taut and precise.

“A deep and precise vintage, La Grande Dame 2018 expresses a new facet of L’ Art du Pinot Noir,” says Cellar Master Didier Mariotti.

This release also comes with a fresh look. For the first time, La Grande Dame is housed in a reimagined yellow box made partly from hemp — a material choice that nods to Veuve Clicquot’s ongoing efforts towards more sustainable luxury. Customisable ribbons turn each box into a personal keepsake, tying the wine back to the idea of gifting and shared moments.

But it’s not just about the wine. La Grande Dame ties into Veuve Clicquot’s Garden Gastronomy project too, linking its wines to seasonal, vegetable-forward cooking. Developed with a community of Michelin-starred chefs, the programme spotlights the same themes found in the vineyards: care for the land, the rhythm of the seasons, and a commitment to craftsmanship at every stage.

“La Grande Dame and Garden Gastronomy are closely linked. Both come from the land and the work of humans; they remind us of the cycles of seasons, the handling of harvests, the uniqueness of a soil, and a vintage,” Mariotti adds. 

The result is a Champagne that feels firmly rooted yet quietly daring — a modern tribute to Madame Clicquot’s vision of excellence, still unfolding more than two centuries later.

Discover more here.

photography. Veuve Clicquot
words. Gennaro Costanzo