Forget the Caribbean: Why the hottest tipple is… Welsh rum August 18, 2021 An Englishman, a Scotsman and a Welshman were sitting in London’s Leman Street Tavern moaning about their boring, grey, routine-bound lives. They decided to do something different, starting by ordering rum instead of their customary gin. This became the origin story for their own commercially produced rum made in Carmarthen using Welsh fruit loaf and [...]
Why whisky and walking makes for a wonderful weekend July 29, 2021 Whisky conjures images of smouldering log fires or grand old houses in the Scottish highlands. But two London-based whisky enthusiasts hope to make new associations, including leafy green parks and trendy shopping neighbourhoods. Karen Taylor and Matt Chambers, the founders of the Whisky For Everyone blog, have launched North London Whisky Club walking tours, with three events [...]
How to celebrate ‘Black Tot Day’ with a special rum July 29, 2021 You can either celebrate or mourn 31 July, see it as a day of thanksgiving or a day of grieving. This Saturday marks the 51st anniversary of what some have called “a barbaric act by government”: it is the anniversary of the last rum ration given to Royal Navy sailors serving on British ships. However [...]
Wine and cheese pairing is an art: Here’s what the experts say July 27, 2021 There are so many National Something-Or-Other days that you could be forgiven for having overlooked Sunday’s celebration of Wine and Cheese Day. Walthamstow’s new online drinks marketplace Hometipple marked the occasion by coming up with a series of exciting cheese and wine pairings, including Hungarian Etyeki Kuria Pinot Noir with aged Berkswell from Warwickshire. “Hometipple [...]
The world’s most refreshing summer drinks, from Ribena to Rooh Afza July 22, 2021 What do you drink in heatwaves? A lightly chilled Bardolino or an easy-drinking Beaujolais? Cider? Coconut water? Homemade elderflower cordial? Iced mint tea? Robinson’s Barley Water? Sachets of healthy, re-hydrating Dioralyte? For me it has to be Ribena. Dr Vernon Charley, a scientist at Long Ashton Agriculture and Horticulture Research Station near Bristol, invented “Ribena” [...]
Three new gins that prove small-batch distilling is alive and well July 22, 2021 You may have thought that the hand-crafted gin market had run out of USPs but three new small-batch gins show there is no drought of new ideas. New Zealand’s Scapegrace Gin, just launched in the UK, is the first black-ish gin. Because of botanicals including aronia berry, butterfly pea, saffron, pineapple and sweet potato, it [...]
Meet the modern drinks-makers taking low-alc to the next level July 21, 2021 If you fancy a gin and tonic but don’t want the baggage of calories or a hangover, we may have the drink for you. Low-alc spirit-alternative Mooze is described by its makers as an “almost gin” – at just 12% ABV it’s not allowed to be sold as a gin but, according to Mel Sims, [...]
Discover the wonders of the Wiltshire Wine Trail July 20, 2021 Stonehenge has a rival tourist attraction. The newly-opened Wiltshire Wine Trail takes you to three vineyards in the ancient county – Bluestone, a’Beckett’s and Whitehall. All offer tastings, tours and some wonderful names for wines. Paul Langham headed the national English and Welsh wine trade body for many years and now his a’Beckett’s vineyard in [...]
Visit one Scottish distillery where you can sleep, and one where you can eat July 15, 2021 Just when you thought Scotland had run out of islands to make whisky on, the Isle of the Roe Deer has released its inaugural whisky. Isle of Raasay Distillery also became the first distillery to offer accommodation, located within sniffing distance of the mash tuns of this state of art distillery, housed inside an old [...]
Could coffee-infused wine be the ideal post-Covid date fuel? July 14, 2021 If you were asked in a pub quiz what the UK’s favourite supermarket wine is, you might guess Hardy’s, Blossom Hill, Yellowtail, Barefoot or Casillero del Diablo. You probably wouldn’t think of an Australian red that commemorates people who committed serious crimes such as impersonating an Egyptian, stealing a shroud from a grave, counterfeiting copper [...]
