7 minute read
CHRISTMAS CHEERS Cocktail
That’s THE SPIRIT
WE ROUND UP A FESTIVE SELECTION OF THE BEST COCKTAILS IN THE CAPITAL AND SPECIAL BOTTLES PICKED BY THE EXPERTS
SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED
THE CLARIDGE COCKTAIL IS A DELICIOUS COMBINATION OF STRONG, SWEET AND DRY
CLARIDGE COCKTAIL
This recipe is from the new book Cocktail Time (£22, out 24 November), by Paul Feig, the cocktail aficionado and Hollywood director of films including Bridesmaids. This recipe is dedicated to Feig’s “favourite hotel in the world”, Claridge’s, although the original recipe is said to have come from Harry’s Bar in New York back in 1927. (Recipe © 2022 by Paul Feig. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
INGREDIENTS ice 1½oz/30ml gin 1½oz/30ml dry vermouth ½oz/15ml Cointreau ½oz/15ml apricot brandy lemon twist
• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, then add the gin, vermouth, Cointreau and apricot brandy. • Strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass. • Squeeze the lemon twist over the drink, and drop it into the glass to serve.
STAR POWER
THIS CINEMA-INSPIRED SIP WOULD MAKE A GREAT DINNER-PARTY WELCOME DRINK
THE HOLIDAY
This delightful combination is named after the Christmas house-swap movie starring Kate Winslet and Jude Law. Created by Little Door and Co, bars manager @ The Little Scarlet Door, Diana Blazewicz, Greek Street, Soho (thelittlescarletdoor.co.uk)
INGREDIENTS 25ml Solovey vodka 10ml Cointreau 35ml cranberry and sloe purée 15ml lime juice 25ml aquafaba or egg white 25ml prosecco 1 candy cane
• To make the purée, blend cranberry sauce, sloe ginand a little caster sugar or a teaspoon of honey. • Excluding the prosecco, add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake as hard as you can. • Add ice to the shaker and shake for a final time. • Strain into a Champagne flute, top with your prosecco and garnish with a candy cane to serve.
Gi A WHISKY CASK
For the whisky lover in your life, why not this year buy a cask of fine scotch as an exceptional Christmas present. Whisky has been one of the best performing collectables of the past decade, making this a special investment for a family member. Purchased young, once matured whisky can be bottled and labelled as you wish, traded or auctioned. Vintage Acquisitions has experts at buying, managing and trading, and are best placed to advise you on your purchase and look after you and your whisky cask on your journey. Its experts can introduce you to the whiskies of the Scottish Islands, Speyside, the Highlands and more, and have close links with awardwinning distilleries. What’s more, whisky casks are capital gains tax free, and can be classed as a ‘gift’, so they can count as an inheritance tax-free part of an estate. For more information, go to vintageacquisitions.com/whisky-cask-ownership/ Call +44 (0) 208 057 2001 or email info@vintageacquisitions.com
MERRY MIX
THIS REFRESHING TIPPLE IS SURE TO BE A CHRISTMAS CROWD-PLEASER
SILENT POOL’S SURREY 75
A lovely cocktail perfect for making the Christmas serving a little more exciting when you’re hosting festivities. It can be easily made in a large jug for larger family-and-friend get-togethers. silentpooldistillers.com
INGREDIENTS 30ml Silent Pool Gin 20ml lemon juice 20ml honey water sparkling wine ice
• Shake together the Silent Pool gin, lemon juice and honey water with ice in a cocktail shaker. • Double-strain into a coupe glass and top with sparkling wine, pouring to your taste. • Garnish with a lemon.
GOD JUL! RECIPE
Meaning ‘Merry Christmas’ in Norwegian, the God Jul! limited-edition cocktail will leave your guests feeling merry and bright. Mariella Franciosi, bar manager at Aquavit London (aquavit.co.uk)
INGREDIENTS 50ml Kinahan’s Kasc Project whisky 20ml passion fruit and cinnamon syrup 15ml lemon juice 3 dashes Miraculous Foam 4 drops Whisky Barrel bitters
• Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake • Strain into a coupette, and garnish with passion fruit.
Christmas spirits
Christmas Whisky, £84.95
This year’s Christmas Whisky 2022 brings rich sherry-matured whisky from Blair Atholl together with elegant old grain from Strathclyde and Cameronbridge, classic Speyside malt from Glen Elgin and spicy new-oak-matured Linkwood. Imagine flavours of plum pudding and sticky toffee with apples, oranges and shortbread on the side: glad tidings in a glass! Engraving options are available for an additional £10.
Foursquare Elysium 12-Year-Old Rum, £86.95
This rich, intense blend of pot- and column-distilled rums was matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon barrels and sherry casks for 12 years in the tropical heat of the Caribbean. Expect lots of caramelised brown sugar, and baked apple that give way to deeper notes of polished oak, black tea and leather. Strictly limited edition and exclusive to The Whisky Exchange, this is not only an excellent gift option, it's also an essential bottle for any rum lover.
Black Lion Rare Sheep’s Milk Vodka, £54.95
A silky-smooth British-made vodka, Black Lion Rare Sheep's Milk spirit is made using Cotswolds spring water and milk from rare crossbreed sheep from the family-owned Sheaf House farm. Floral and warming, the palate offers notes of edelweiss, white pepper, vanilla and cream. Enjoy this neat and chilled over ice.
Patron Anejo Barrel Select, £74.95
An Anejo tequila from Patron, bottled exclusively for The Whisky Exchange after spending time in a mixture of American and French oak casks. On the nose, there's white pepper, freshly cut grass, gentle spices and notes of sweet toasted oak. The palate has stone fruits – pear and whitecherry with notes of caramel, cream and capsicum, the finish has a hint of padron pepper and walnut with a gentle dry finish.
Vecchia Romagna 200 Year Riserva Anniversario, £3,500
As the name suggests, this brandy has been bottled to celebrate Vecchia Romagna’s 200th anniversary. As befits such a special occasion, this is a blend of grape brandies aged between 23 and 67 years in oak, and is housed in a decanter made by Muranobased glassblowers, Salviati. Only 200 of these beautiful bottles have been produced, and each one is housed in a striking leather case. Complex notes of dried and preserved fruits, baking spices, balsamic and coffee.
Frapin 1993 22-Year-Old Cognac, £160
A single-vintage bottling from the highly regarded house of Frapin. Aged for more than two decades, this really shows off the character of Grande Champagne, the most highly rated area in Cognac. Expect elegant notes of orchard fruit, intense spices and a rich, smooth mouth-feel.
OLD STYLE
AN EXPERTLY MADE OLD FASHIONED AT JW STEAKHOUSE
AGED OLD FASHIONED
”The new Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned Trolley pays homage to an iconic cocktail by name and nature, and the partnership with Buffalo Trace Distillery is the perfect marriage between Bourbon and bar. We are thrilled that our guests at JW Steakhouse can now enjoy classic ingredients combined with a sense of theatre and savour a perfectly crafted Old Fashioned that improves with every sip,” says Robert Sreter, bourbon expert at JW Marriott, Grosvenor House jwsteakhouse.co.uk/ bourbon-bar; Eagle Rare bourbon, £36.99, mastersofmalt.com
INGREDIENTS 1 sugar cube 2 dashes Peychaud Bitters 50ml Eagle Rare bourbon 10 cubes of ice Orange peel
• Put sugar and Peychaud Bitters in a tumbler • Crush the sugar and 25ml Eagle Rare bourbon and 5 cubes of ice. Store for 30 seconds • Add the rest of the Eagle Rare bourbon and 5 more ice cubes • Store for another 45 seconds, then garnish with the orange peel and serve. L
Sips for Santa
Tequila Komos Extra Anejo, £399
The first 100-point rated tequila has launched in the UK, with Amathus as the exclusive importer. An opulent, complex tequila,the palate is bursting with notes of dried orange peel, candied ginger and toasted pecans. Drink it neat, on the rocks, or in special cocktails.
Lairds Straight Applejack 86 Brandy, £40.27
A spicier, fuller bodied alternative to Calvados (the Champagne of apple spirits), its American cousin boasts serious history rivalling the likes of Bourbon. Enjoy poured over the rocks or replacing whisky in an Old Fashioned.
Sam Wilson, spirit guide at Amathus, the specialist drinks retailer on Wardour Street (amathusdrinks.com) recommends
Francois Voyer Napoleon Cognac Grande Champagne, £64.51
This elegant and well-balanced cognac is matured in virgin Limousin oak casks for at least six years. The rich, warming flavours of raisins, figs and a touch of sweet caramel make this a delicious fireplace tipple.
