Rappers, gin slingers and pan handler get together

What brings Gordon Ramsay, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg together?

Apparently it is a new cocktail shaker.

In perhaps a new high (or low) for celebrity endorsement, the old spruikers are being promoted as "backing" the HexClad Cocktail Shaker.

Yep, the Michelin-starred chef and shouters, and the rappers behind Still G.I.N. By Dre and Snoop, have unveiled their first joint product.

This earth-shattering collaboration marks a first for both brands and the first time Ramsay, Dre, and Snoop have come together.

They are, we are breathlessly told, mixing HexClad’s design-driven innovation with Still G.I.N.’s modern, premium approach to spirits.

Here's the blurb: "The shaker captures what defines each brand: precision, quality, and a belief that everyday experiences deserve to feel elevated. It’s more than a shaker; it’s a refined expression of the craftsmanship both brands stand for."

But it's still a shaker.

It has, apparently, been designed by "celebrated industrial designer Ini Archibong" as the kind of piece that demands attention the moment it hits the bar.

I actually wouldn't want it hitting the bar. I'd prefer it shaking up my drink. But that's just me.

 
It is "a shaker that's modern, sculptural, and unapologetically smooth". The double-wall, vacuum-insulated stainless-steel body keeps cocktails ice-cold without watering them down.

“This collaboration bridges innovation, culture, and craftsmanship in a way that feels like a true expression of both brands. Gordon, Dre, and Snoop each set their own bar for excellence, and bringing their worlds together through this product is something we’re incredibly proud of,” said Danny Winer, the very excited HexClad CEO and co-founder.

“The shaker is engineered to perform, but it also carries the energy of the icons behind it.”

Danny likes a bit of  celebrity endorsement. Halle Berry, Oprah Winfrey and Cameron Diaz have all praised his cookware.

But that's enough.

Should you be tempted by this engineering miracle, it is available exclusively at HexClad.com.au in gold and chrome for $149. To be honest, it does look like a nice piece of kit.

Tasmania's charms grabbing global attention

Tasmanian tourism is having a moment in the sun, with increased visitation and global recognition.

Tourism Tasmania's latest Visitor Data Snapshot shows Australia's smallest state welcomed 1.35 million visitors for the year ending June 2025, with those travellers spending more than $3.6 billion during their stay.

This was a 3.5% increase in visitor numbers and a 3.6% growth in spending compared with the year ending June 2024. 

Visitors stayed 12.79 million nights and spent on average $2,671 each, both equal with the previous year.

International visitors spent a record $648.6 million, representing a 23% increase from last year despite a slight reduction in visitor numbers. 

This was above the national spend increase of 18%. The USA and UK led international visitor numbers and spend, surpassing pre-Covid levels.

Interstate visitor numbers, spend and nights were all up on June 2024, with visitors from Victoria, NSW and Queensland leading all three categories.

Tasmania was also recently named the world's second-best island in Condé Nast's 2025 Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards. 

It comes as renowned chef Gordon Ramsay also praised the state's produce in an interview with Condé Nast.

The Readers’ Choice Awards, voted on by over 500,000 global travellers, celebrate the best destinations, hotels, and experiences across the globe.

Tasmania came second in the World's Best Islands - Australasia and South Pacific just behind Bora Bora. 

Saffire Freycinet and Kittawa Lodge on King Island were also named in the World’s Best Resorts for the same region, coming in at fifth and 16th, respectively.

Adding to the recognition, chef Ramsay told Condé Nast he was impressed by the standard of Tasmania's produce during his visit to film the National Geographic TV series Uncharted. 

The praise was part of a video interview where he recounted his favourite food destinations around the world.

Image: Hobart waterfront 

Snoop Dogg to link with Gordon Ramsay

Collaborations are a dime a dozen in the food, booze and music industries, but one announced today defies belief.

Think celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and rapper Snoop Dogg.

The Scottish newspaper The Daily Record reported today that Snoop Dogg plans to open a Glasgow restaurant with shouty chef Ramsay.

I checked and the date is not April 1. But I remain sceptical. 

Apparently Snoop Dogg, 50, has known failed goalkeeper Ramsay for several years. 

Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus Jnr, released his first cook book From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from That Boss Dogg’s Kitchen in 2018 and has sought advice from the grumpy one. 

Ramsay, 55, has interests in 35 restaurants around the world. He closed his Glasgow eaterie, the Amaryllis, in 2004 after only three years because of the death of head chef David Dempsey. 

The newspaper quoted the rapper as saying: “I have been speaking with my boy Gordon for a while about opening a restaurant together - but the pandemic slowed things right down.

“Gordon has got a few places in Vegas and Vegas is Snoop’s city - so I kind of figured that we would open a place there - but I know Gordon is from Scotland and people know my love for Scotland and for Glasgow as a city so - why not there?” 

Mr Dogg said he hoped the restaurant would offer personal favourites like fried chicken as well as traditional Scottish dishes like haggis. [This is getting silly now, isn't it?]

 
Snoop does have some culinary cred. 

He teamed up with American celebrity chef Martha Stewart for three series of Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party which saw them cooking for celebrities.

Snoop was also in the news this week with the release of his first sparkling wine collab with Treasury Wine Estates-owned wine label 19 Crimes in the US (top image). 

Following Snoop Cali Rosé and Snoop Cali Red comes Snoop Cali Gold, the first 19 Crimes bubbly. 

The theme of the launch centred around partying and celebrations, or as Snoop Dogg himself put it, an “OG party vibe”. 

OG apparently means Original Gangster, my rap correspondent tells me. 

I don't think it is a wine I will be rushing out to buy.