Julia Charles

I am a London-based editor and writer working in lifestyle publishing and specializing in food and drink. My passion for bar culture started indecently early on in life, no doubt as a direct result of discovering Crème de Menthe Frappés and Advocaat Snowballs in Marbella piano clubs with my parents on family holidays in the early 80s... since then I have sampled many good (and bad) drinks on my worldwide escapades including negronis in Naples, brandy in Barcelona, pisco in Macchu Picchu, mescal in Mexico City, beer in Beijing and even Desi Daru in Delhi (though the gin I drank with Mirinda Orange at a tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan remains the most treasured memory from that trip).

Having fun with food at home and planning memorable parties are sources of huge enjoyment for me, whether it's turning my flat into a Gin Palace (complete with a prohibition-style bathtub full of booze) for a birthday, hosting a multi-course 'miniature supper' made entirely from Christmas leftovers or even just spontaneously declaring it 'Margarita Monday' and whipping up a Mexican feast to a mariachi soundtrack.

I live and work in London but am a frequent visitor to both Spain (where I have close family) and the Greek Island of Antiparos (where I have delicious cocktails...). Currently my happy place is the Bar Americain at Brasserie Zedel, where I can often be found sipping a Martinez and looking forward to a really good dinner.

And the small print... I began my publishing career at Penguin Books, subsequently working on the features desk of the Sunday Express 'S' magazine, at BBC Worldwide and then Time Warner Books (Little Brown) among other places. I have worked with a whole host of high-profile authors over the years, most notably Linda McCartney (as editor of her ground-breaking vegetarian cookbooks), and also with leading wine broadcaster Oz Clarke. In recent years I have had the honour of working with the extraordinary Tristan Stephenson on all the books in his ‘Curious Bartender’ series, including the bestselling debut The Curious Bartender: The Artistry and Alchemy of Creating the Perfect Cocktail. Other Cocktail books I have had a hand in coaxing into life include Gin Tonica by David T. Smith, Parisian Cocktails and Prosecco Cocktails by Laura Gladwin and Tequila Beyond Sunrise and From Dram to Manhattan by Jesse Estes.