Category: Drinks
Drinks Friday – Cider!

Drinks Friday – Cider!

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In a poorly judged and frankly completely failed attempt to lose some weight, I decided to stop drinking beer (as much) this month.  As you might imagine, my entirely lukewarm approach to dieting was in part responsible for the failure.  The other contributing factor was that I replaced beer with cider.  There was some logic to this: I tend to drink cider more slowly. I think. Bottom line is I didn’t lose any weight but I did drink some interesting apple based beverages that I hadn’t tried before, so it wasn’t a complete loss.

Here is a run-down of three of the more interesting drinks I drank. Drunk? Drinked? Yay for cider!

 

  1. – Thatchers Leaf Twister

This is a sparkling cider with a clean taste similar to eating a fresh apple, a little sweeter than I was expecting but with enough sharpness to balance it.  The overall effect is very refreshing and deceptively easy to drink.  At 5% it is stronger than it tastes but the cans are small so you can go crazy (drink responsibly).  On the subject of the cans – when did cider makers decide to adopt the weird, matt feel cans that so many craft beers come in? It’s not that I don’t like them, but it’s a really strange, pointless trend.

The name of this drink is a point against it too.  If it was simply named ‘Leaf Twister’, I wouldn’t have an issue, but its full name is: ‘Original cider crafter Stan’s Thatchers leaf twister full-bodied sparkling cider’. I would drink this again, but probably out of a glass so other people couldn’t see what I was drinking and mistake me for a hipster.

 

  1. – Elk Warning – Blackberry

This Swedish cider is similar to Kopparberg and Rekordalig in style using a fairly neutral apple base and allowing the fruit flavours to shine.  I am not normally a fan of this style of cider but actually quite enjoyed this one; the blackberry flavour tastes natural (I find many fruit ciders taste very synthetic) and is allowed to shine.  It is a bit too sweet for my tastes, but has proven to me that I can enjoy this style of cider.  The hipster can makes another appearance here, and this cider is also available in strawberry flavour, but the less said about that the better.

 

  1. – Orchard Pig Hog Father

This is the kind of cider that would get me into trouble. It is dry and crisp, with just enough sweetness to keep it going down easily. It is lightly sparkling – effervescent without leaving you feeling bloated, and it packs a punch.  A very respectable 7.4% ensures that it tastes strong and grown-up.  While I enjoyed the previous two drinks, this is the one that I will keep buying. Of these three ciders,  Hog Father is definitely my top pick: It tastes great, has a sneaky Discworld reference in its name and perhaps most importantly, given that I have apparently got a bee in my bonnet about  little cans, It is sold in big, brown, glass bottles.

 

Have you got a favourite cider to recommend?  Share your thoughts in the comments below.  Next month’s drinks Friday will be a good one – I will be selflessly working my way through a beer advent calendar over the next few weeks ready to review it before December starts.  I know, I’m all heart (conditions).
Drinks Friday: Negroni

Drinks Friday: Negroni

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So for tonight’s ‘Drinks Friday’ I am keeping things simple:  the negroni.  This is a cocktail that is fairly ubiquitous right now, appearing on every hipster cocktail menu up and down the country (for the record, I was drinking it long before it was popular).  But here is the secret – it is really easy to make.

To be fair it is not to everyone’s taste; it is bitter and strong, so if your idea of a great cocktail is something made with a ton of fruit juice then a negroni is probably not for you.  But if you do like it then you will probably find yourself making these at home fairly regularly – I know I do.  I have one rule: when I can no longer remember how to make it, it is time for bed!

Tips

  • You can premix the ingredients in bulk – great if you want to serve these as an aperitif for a dinner party. Simply mix in equal parts and store in a clean, sterilised bottle. When you are ready to serve, simply pour over ice and garnish.
  • Try using different gins (and gin-based liqueurs) to change the flavour.  Sloe gin works brilliantly, as does blackberry gin. Just remember that the prominent flavour of Campari is bitter orange – choose something that complements that and you won’t go too far wrong.

The Negroni

Ingredients

35ml Gin
35ml Campari
35ml Sweet vermouth
Orange peel to garnish
Ice cubes

 

Method

  1.  Fill a glass with ice.  Pour the gin, Campari and vermouth into the glass. Stir for a few seconds. Garnish with a piece of orange peel.

 

I told you it was easy.

 

That is it from me – I’ve got a cocktail to drink! Happy Friday everybody – please drink responsibly(ish) and let me know what your favourite variations on the classic negroni are in the comments. Cheers!
Drinks Friday – G&T Time!

Drinks Friday – G&T Time!

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So from now on, the last Friday of each month will be ‘Drinks Friday’  where I will focus on the wonderful world of alcohol and the  multitude of magnificent drinks that it makes possible.  I am going to start with one of life’s simplest and greatest pleasures – Gin and Tonic.  If you haven’t already caught wind of the extraordinary boom in craft gins that has taken place over the past few years then you have probably been living under a very dry rock.  It seems like only yesterday that I was working in the bars and restaurants of Edinburgh and a handful of people in the know would ask for Hendricks and then sneer when I explained that I didn’t have any cucumber to garnish it (I didn’t say I worked anywhere classy).  Now there are bars focussed entirely on gin, like the excellent Crocketts on Gandi Street in Exeter, and enough different varieties of the stuff to suit literally any taste.  Unless you don’t drink at all, in which case, why are you reading this?  Go on – move along.  Nothing to see here…

One gin that has recently caught my attention is Black Dog Gin from the Dartmoor Distillery.  It claims to use 22 botanicals – juniper berries, orange and lemon peel, and ‘Dartmoor botanicals’.  Clearly the good people at Dartmoor Distillery aren’t about to give up their secrets, but the idea that the botanicals used are from the area surrounding the distillery is certainly an appealing one, and it tastes great too.  There are strong notes of citrus, and a heady, floral aroma, but what makes it particularly enjoyable is the finish.  It seems to dance between pine and liquorice, changing from one sip to the next.  I have been drinking this with plain tonic water and garnished with lemon which seems to work very nicely with the citrus flavour of the gin.

So, it’s Friday, the weekend is just beginning – here are my top 5 tips for a perfect G&T

  1. Find a gin you like.  If you are not sure – and there are so many choices out there, it is hard to keep track of and harder still to choose – head to a bar that specialises in gin. Talk to the staff, and try some out.  You will quickly find something you like, and there are worse ways to spend an evening.
  2. Find a nice glass.  Sure, you could drink out of a jam jar or that old ‘world’s greatest [insert relation here]’ mug, but this is about enjoying what you are drinking, and that starts with how it looks and how it feels in your hand.  There is probably some scientific study about what shape of glass best suits gin, but for me this is about ceremony. I like a heavy bottomed high-ball glass. I like the weight and feel of it in my hand and I like being able to watch the bubbles rise gradually and haphazardly through the ice. But if you like to drink your gin in a wine glass or a tumbler or stein then do it.  What’s more, enjoy the fact that others might disapprove.  This is all about taking some time for yourself. And it is always good to stick two fingers up at booze snobbery.
  3. Use lots of ice.  One or two cubes will do little more than dilute your drink.  The ice will melt very quickly once exposed to alcohol, and will likely have little effect on the temperature of the drink.  If you fill your glass with ice the whole drink becomes colder faster and the ice will remain solid for longer.  This has two benefits: your drink stays cold and it doesn’t immediately become diluted.  Which brings me to my next point:
  4. Make it strong.  This is not about getting pissed quickly. If you are drinking a nice bottle of gin, there is no sense in drowning it in tonic water (unless you want to – see Booze Snobbery).  You have spent your hard earned money on something a bit special, make sure you can taste it. I generally pour roughly 1 part Gin (50ml) to 3 parts tonic (150ml).  I find this allows the tonic to complement the gin rather than hide it, while still providing a long enough drink for me to enjoy.
  5. Experiment.  The tips above will provide a good basis for creating a drink that you can take some pleasure in, but there are so many products out there right now, that there is a lot of fun to be had trying new things. Lemon is a good garnish for a G&T but changing the garnish can totally change the drink – try to find out what botanicals have been used and try matching the garnish to one of them to accentuate that flavour.  Try savoury garnishes like cucumber or herbs.  Consider different tonic water or even try other mixers. And of course try other gins!

Do you have your own ‘perfect G&T’? Or suggestions for other gins worth trying? Let me know in the comments below.

Cheers!