Southwaves Radio Drink Advent Calendar 2015
Last year, I created a whisky Advent calendar (https://quaffed.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/whisky-advent-calendar-2014/) which I wrote live every day after my dram. It was huge fun and a great way for us all to discover new whisky – and share old favourites.
But I accept that, shockingly, not everyone loves whisky. I have over 100 different varieties at home from all over the world, not just Scotch whisky and not just single malts. There were also some glorious blendeds in the Advent calendar last year but, this year, I wanted to be more inclusive and so I created a Drink Advent Calendar which was on Southwaves Radio three times a day.
I was meant to write it up daily but life doesn’t always run smoothly and that’s why you’re getting it all here in one go – so much easier to read…
So, 25 days, 25+ drinks and a fabulous way to celebrate the festive season. The best part? You don’t need it to be Christmas to enjoy them.
Join me for the Cocktail Hour on www.southwavesradio.co.uk every Thursday at 9pm, repeated Sundays at 8pm for great music – and fabulous drinks!
Happy New Year!
1st December – WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey
I started with a classic, a Manhattan, and the quality ingredients have made this a favourite of mine. Sadly, Santa didn’t hear my plea for another bottle of WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey but I really want more. It’s got creamy vanilla with butterscotch, crème brûlée, oak, peat and a warming hint of orange. It’s a fantastic American whiskey.
A great Manhattan needs a quality vermouth and there was only one choice for me – Belsazar Red Vermouth whose fruit brandies add extra depth. There’s plum, passion fruit, cherry, orange and brandy. It’s the perfect marriage with WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey.
This marvellous Manhattan is warming, and tastes of the smell of Yule log, there’s plum, cloves and Port, it’s fruity and jazzy. You can just imagine drinking this in a shadowy New Orleans bar, listening to jazz – and it tastes of Christmas. The perfect start to the Southwaves Radio Drink Advent Calendar.
Manhattan
25ml WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey
25ml Belsazar Red Vermouth
Large dash of Angostura Bitters
Pour into a tumbler, swirl – and enjoy.
2nd December – Tanqueray London Dry Gin
The drink of the day? Tanqueray London Dry Gin. I love G&T but there are times when I want a change and my special Gintly Does It cocktail is incredible and so refreshing. Perfect for lunch or parties.
Tanqueray London Dry Gin is a great cocktail gin. It’s a big gin so stands up to other drinks but also offers a sublime G&T with its juniper and lemon taste and is very smooth. It’s my main go-to gin for parties as it offers something for everyone. Try it in Gintly Does It which I created especially for the Advent calendar and have enjoyed drinking ever since.
I love Qcumber which combines cucumber with sparkling water – perfect on its own or with gin. It’s a great addition to any cocktail cabinet or for designated drivers/non-drinkers. So refreshing.
Gintly Does It
25ml Tanqueray London Dry Gin
15ml Rose’s Lime Cordial
250ml Qcumber
Dash of Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter Bitters
Pour into a cocktail shaker containing ice, stir, drain into a tumbler and enjoy.
Two musts for any cocktail cabinet (or shelf) – Rose’s Lime Cordial (fresh limes are often too harsh for cocktails) and The Bitter Truth Cocktail Bitters Traveler’s Set (sic) which includes Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter Bitters, Creole Bitters, Orange Bitters, Original Celery Bitters and Old Time Aromatic Bitters. Keep an eye on Amazon’s Lightning Deals where they often appear at a discounted price.
3rd December – This is Not a Luxury Whisky (Compass Box)
I love whisky and I love this whisky in particular. It’s by Compass Box and the name is a pun based on a painting of a pipe entitled This is Not a Pipe by René Magritte. It’s a blended whisky and is fantastic quality and so smooth.
On the nose, there’s lavender, buttery fudge, oak and chocolate. When you taste it, there’s cherry, Christmas cake, burnt sugar and mocha. This gives way to smoke and it is superb. It’s butch and stands up well to meat – it’s crying out for being enjoyed with slightly charred barbecue sausages or just enjoyed neat.
4th December – New Amsterdam Vodka
Parties need food and this is one of my favourite party foods – which involves drink. New Amsterdam Vodka’s a great choice for making Bloody Mary Tomatoes. It tastes of rye and lemon. It’s a crisp, smooth vodka with no bite so an ideal cocktail vodka. You’ll see it used on another day.
Bloody Mary Tomatoes
Punnet of cherry tomatoes (or more depending on the size of your party)
2 chillies, if using fresh, deseed them
50ml sweet sherry (I use Harvey’s Bristol Cream)
½ a lemon, sliced
5 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
2 dashes of Tabasco (no more unless you want it very spicy as there’s already chilli in this party food)
2 dashes of Bitter Truths lemon bitters
Top with New Amsterdam Vodka
Make this in a jar with a lid the day before a party. Pierce every tomato three times with a cocktail stick. Don’t use a fork as you don’t get the same depth and they won’t absorb the alcohol as well. Put them in a jar and add the rest of the ingredients, top with the vodka so every tomato is covered. Cover with the lid. Stir every few hours and top with more vodka if the levels go down so the tomatoes are always covered.
On the day of the party, remove the chillies and discard them. Transfer remaining ingredients into a bowl with a spoon for serving. Save any liquid left to turn into Bloody Marys. Expect your guests to want to take any remaining Bloody Mary Tomatoes home!
And, to make Bloody Mary:
25ml Bloody Mary vodka mix from above
200ml tomato juice
Celery stick, to stir
Olives or capers, to garnish
Pour the liquids into a tumbler, stir and add the capers or olives, if desired.
And what a great way to take your vitamin C and part of your five-a-day (NB medical advice from non-medical personnel like me is best enjoyed for what it is!).
5th December – Trenet Absinthe
Oh, this cocktail needs to come with a health warning. It’s so potent – but so good! Death in the Afternoon was meant to be a drink-album match with Benjamin Clementine’s At Least for Now. This is my favourite part of my Cocktail Hour Show on Southwaves Radio (www.southwavesradio.co.uk), every Thursday at 9pm and repeated on Sundays at 8pm. I match a drink to an album where the drink complements every song and adds to the enjoyment of listening to it. Every song has to work or I have to start all over again – Death in the Afternoon jarred with a couple of the songs but was too good not to share elsewhere and it became an Advent calendar drink.
It’s a classic and credited to Ernest Hemingway whose 1935 advice is best not followed in its entirety, ‘Pour one jigger Absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly.’ Three to five? You’ll fall off your chair. This stuff is strong!
Absinthe was blamed for driving people insane and banned. When the green fairy, as it’s popularly known (think Kylie Minogue in Moulin Rouge if you must) was allowed to be sold again, people got excited, bought it… then had no idea what to do with it because, well, it’s a strange drink. You can just pour it on a sugar cube and enjoy it that way. I don’t recommend drinking it neat because I had a single sip – and my tongue went numb. For hours!
But Death in the Afternoon is a great cocktail. It’s strong but fun and a real talking point. Just don’t do a Hemingway and drink five of them!
Death in the Afternoon
25ml Trenet Absinthe
125ml Lanson Champagne
Pour the Absinthe into a Champagne flute, top with Champagne (you can also use pink cava for a pearly pink finish). Wait for the cocktail to become cloudy before drinking it.
6th December – Highland Park Cocktail Kit
I love cocktail and I love whisky – combine the two to make an Old Fashioned Cocktail using Highland Park Dark Origins. Highland Park have created a fun cocktail kit in a tin which makes two Old Fashioneds and was designed to be used when travelling. It contains a small bottle of aromatic bitters, two packets of cane sugar (like takeaway sugar packets), a dinky spoon with a muddler bar on the end for crushing the sugar and a linen coaster (and why not!). Perfect for serving with a 50ml miniature of Highland Park Dark Origins to make two Old Fashioneds. On the plane or train. Just fabulous!
Why Highland Park Dark Origins? Because it makes a Smoky Old Fashioned. It’s 46.8% and, on the nose, it’s got butterscotch, peat, seaweed and grass. This is one of the few whiskies I drink with a few drops of water because you get heather and lavender notes in addition to the complexity of the dram – peat, bonfire, bacon, hay and pepper. This gives way to chocolate, sherry and spices. It’s a wonderful whisky and perfect in an Old Fashioned.
It’s smooth, chocolaty, rich, warm and there’s coffee, Black Forest Gateau and extra cherry. Despite the sugar, it’s not sweet but gently fizzes on the tongue for a few minutes. It’s glorious! Some mixologists delight in using smoke effects, I just love being Old Fashioned.
Smoky Old Fashioned
1 packet/1 tsp cane sugar
½ tiny bottle/3 dashes of Aromatic bitters
25ml Highland Park Dark Origins Whisky
Pour the sugar into a tumbler or Old Fashioned glass (as a short tumbler or rocks glass is also known), add the bitters and crush with the bar of the muddler spoon, add the Highland Park Dark Origins Whisky and stir with a spoon – use the linen coaster for added finesse!
7th December – Fireball
This is one of my favourite cocktails and I created it just for you. I blame my Vegas friends who keep talking about dancing on tables after drinking Fireball. It made it sound so much fun and rather dangerous. An irresistible combination when sitting on the sofa, watching it rain in soggy Sussex but I didn’t just want to serve Fireballs neat, I wanted to create some magic and that’s just what I did.
Fireball’s £13 from Tesco and Sainsbury’s – a rare occasion when the Amazon Lightning Deal was actually more expensive than buying it in the supermarket. It’s a blended whiskey and cinnamon liqueur and, at 33%, it’s a heady mix but tastes of innocence – with a bite. Think cinnamon sweets and bubblegum, it’s the taste of childhood but with added alcohol.
Briottet make some of the best liqueurs around. I love their fruit liqueurs, especially their Crème de Pêche for Bellinis but their Salted Caramel Liqueur (Liqueur de Caramel à la Fleur de Sel) is fabulous!
This drink is heavenly but with a snap from the Fireball. It’s a Fallen Angel – smooth but watch that bite!
Fallen Angel
25ml Fireball
25ml Briottet Liqueur de Caramel à la Fleur de Sel or use Bailey’s if you can’t get any
Pour into a tumbler, stir and feel all your troubles just float away for a while. It’s innocent wickedness in a glass. Sublime!
8th December – Laphroaig Select
I love peaty whisky and Laphroaig is one of my favourites but this is something else – it’s Laphroaig Select and, oh, so soft. There’s peat and bonfire on the nose and the mouth is full of leather, bacon, very smoky peat and more smoke. It’s just so sexy!
It’s distilled in different casks – sherry, oak and bourbon which are absorbed and add flavour. Perfect for lovers of peaty whisky.
9th December – Brockmans Gin
One of my absolute favourite gins, Brockmans Gin comes in a sexy black bottle which is just designed to be stroked. It’s so tactile and as for the gin itself… it’s the only gin I drink neat and is full of berries. It’s perfect in cocktails and you’ll see it again in the Advent calendar. Perfect for parties – I’ve had to buy another bottle because it’s just fantastic! Everyone needs Brockmans Gin in their life, even people who might not normally drink gin or only drink sloe gin. It’s berryful of flavour with strawberry on the nose and tastes of raspberry, strawberry and blueberry.
At this time of year, we all seem to buy or be given Port, often from M&S. Don’t just drink it neat, add it to cocktails. It’s got blackberry on the nose, is smooth and tastes of blackberry wine as it crawls up the glass beautifully. It’s a great, quaffable Port and also ideal mixed with brandy if you have a cold.
Or add it to Brockmans Gin and my favourite make of Vermouth, Belsazar Red Vermouth, to make a fabulous Ruby Cooler which is full of berries, melon and so very refreshing.
Ruby Cooler
40ml Brockmans Gin
20ml Belsazar Red Vermouth
20ml Marks & Spencer Ruby Port
Large dash of Fee Brothers Cranberry Bitters
Top with dry ginger ale
Use a Martini glass, pour the ingredients into the glass and top with ginger ale for a wonderfully flavoursome Ruby Cooler.
10th December – Flaming Heart Whisky (Compass Box)
I love the label of this blended whisky. For anyone refusing to contemplate any whisky that isn’t a single malt, you’re missing out. Compass Box do a great range of blended whisky and Flaming Heart (ABV 48.9%) is their 15th anniversary edition, created to celebrate 15 years of Compass Box whisky.
It’s such a moreish whisky – light on the nose with vanilla, peat and almond with a wonderfully warming taste of cinnamon, peat, coffee, oak and marzipan. It lingers with an aftertaste of crème brûlée and jam.
11th December – St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
This is a party favourite which I make by the jug-load. I also make a mocktail version of it for those who can’t or don’t drink.
I love the Art Nouveau-style of St Germain Elderflower Liqueur’s bottle. You can just mix it with white wine or Champagne but I love turning it into a gintastic cocktail. If drinking on my own, I use Hendrick’s Gin which is a beautiful gin with rose and cucumber botanicals and its floral mix works so well with the elderflower liqueur but, if making for mixed company, I always use Tanqueray London Dry Gin which is fuller and deeper.
Radio Gingin
15ml St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
25ml Hendrick’s or Tanqueray London Dry Gin
200ml dry ginger ale
Large dash of Rose’s Lime Cordial
3 dashes of Angostura Bitters
Pour the ingredients into a tumbler with ice in it, stir and enjoy.
Radio No Gin (mocktail)
1 tsp Rose’s Lime Cordial
250ml dry ginger ale
3 dashes of Angostura Bitters (NB contains alcohol so don’t use if someone is strictly non-alcoholic)
Pour the ingredients into a tumbler with ice in it, stir and enjoy.
12th December – Blackdown Artisan Spirits Christmas Pudding Vodka
Blackdown Artisan Spirits are a Sussex-based company and use ingredients grown in the South Downs National Park. Their Christmas Pudding Vodka (ABV 29.9%) is crying out to be made into a Christmas Pudding Martini, especially using the fruit bandy-based Belsazar Red Vermouth. It’s the colour of tea and is very smooth. On the nose, there’s cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and fruitcake. It smells of Christmas.
The taste is also all things Christmas with brandy, cherry, nutmeg and Christmas cake. It isn’t obviously a vodka (added in case people say they don’t like vodka) as it’s very smooth and there’s so much going on and it’s wonderful – thick, warming and like a liquid and very alcoholic dessert. Don’t just save it for Christmas!
And it deserves more than one cocktail today – or you could just drink it neat.
Christmas Pudding Martini
25ml Blackdown Artisan Spirits Christmas Pudding Vodka
10ml Belsazar Red Vermouth
Santa Special
But don’t just stop there if you want to celebrate in style. Use the above as a base, then, for pure Christmas magic, add:
10ml Tamova Salted Caramel Vodka Liqueur from Aldi
13th December – Hoxton Gin
This is an incredible gin, I love it! The bottle states, ‘Warning! Grapefruit and Coconut’ because Hoxton Gin is like no other gin, it contains exotic botanicals which will appeal to non-gin fans but even gin purists should give this a go as it’s an exceptional gin and far more complex than it sounds. You won’t be bopped on the nose with grapefruit which is what had made me hesitate to try this gin before.
There’s heavy juniper on the nose, that classic gin ingredient, then the coconut comes through and, yes, it bops you on the nose but it sings of paradise.
I don’t drink this gin neat, unlike Brockmans, but turn it into a classic G&T and the ginger and grapefruit harmonises with a gentled coconut adding an exotic feel. The rich scent of coconut lulls you and there’s still the comforting taste of juniper in the background.
Hoxton’s Gin & Tonic
25ml Hoxton Gin
200ml Fever-Tree Tonic Water
Strictly no lemon slices
Add ice to a collins glass, pour in the gin, then the tonic water but don’t even be tempted to throw the balance by adding a slice of lemon. You won’t need it, just soak in the taste of a sun-stroked beach and enjoy!
14th December – Midori
Midori is an emerald green liquid and one of those strange bottles that you see on the shelf and wonder what on earth you do with it. Well, you could simply add it to Champagne or do what I do and make a Tokyo Tea – also called a Toxic Tea because of the vibrant green colour. Think Ghostbusters slime colour. Pretty? No but a great party favourite and I often take a 1l bottle of it with me to parties where it’s always enjoyed.
WARNING: This is the most alcoholic cocktail I make. Unlike a bar I went to at the MGM in Vegas, I make mine the traditional way, not with sugar syrup and that means 7 parts of alcohol and no dilution. Yes, 7 parts but it’s guaranteed to make you smile for hours. Just ensure that you have a designated driver or handy taxi.
Tokyo Tea
2 parts Midori
1 part Tanqueray London Dry Gin
1 part New Amsterdam Vodka
1 part Matusalem Platino Rum
1 part Bols Triple Sec
1 part tequila
15th December – Beinn Dubh Whisky
Possibly the sexiest whisky ever! Beinn Dubh (pronounced, badly, Bee-in Doo) means Black Mountain and this is a black whisky. Finished in charred Port casks, it’s a single malt (ABV 43%) from the mountains of Cairngorm and comes from Speyside Distillery. It’s the colour of espresso with toffee on the nose.
The taste is beautiful and incredibly deep – sultanas, peat, seaweed, chocolate, toffee, Port, Black Forest gateau and even Christmas cake. The long finish is of Christmas cake and it’s a fantastic dram. I want more!
16th December – Bitter Truths Violet Liqueur
Another one of those strange bottles you see on the shelf or in the Amazon Lightning Deal. I also use Lejay-Lagoute Parfait Amour Liqueur which has violet and orange. Both are great for mixing with Champagne or gins like Hendrick’s – or, as here, Brockmans, for an exceptional Violet Martini.
The Belsazar Dry Vermouth is an exceptional vermouth and its fruit brandies give it an additional depth and flavour. It turns Martinis into something more magical with more complexity – definitely a cocktail cabinet essential.
The Violet Martini is bursting with flavour, it’s so full of berries which complement the violet liqueur. The latter can be overwhelming and topple the balance so start off with 5ml and build up if necessary. Perfect for anyone who, like me, loves Parma Violets. This is one of my favourite Martinis as its bursting with flavour and so, so moreish.
Violet Martini
25ml Brockmans Gin
25ml Belsazar Dry Vermouth
5-10ml Bitter Truths Violet Liqueur, to taste
Mix the ingredients in a Martini glass and swirl. Start with 5ml (1 tsp) of Bitter Truths Violet Liqueur, then add more if needed. I don’t use cocktail shakers and ice for this particular Martini.
17th December – Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013
What a revelation. This Californian wine has to be one of the best red wines I’ve ever had and I also love their very buttery, elegant Chardonnay.
It’s a great label with a stylish font and I love the fact that the horse logo is even on the cork – a great gift for horse lovers.
There’s chocolate on the nose with lawnmower (grass and petrol) in the background. It has the typical Cabernet Sauvignon notes of blackberry and Black Forest gateau but with so much more than that and all perfectly balanced – walnut, oak, high notes of pine, mace, bergamot and even pipe tobacco and violet but all rolled into the most glorious, smooth mix. It is an incredible wine and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon is glorious!
It’s not heavy so not like the big butch Australian reds but it is rather sexy and very, very elegant. Perfect for dinner parties or just on its own when relaxing. I want some more!
18th December – Sputnik Rose Vodka
A beautifully smooth vodka which tastes of rose. You can drink it neat or, do what I do and make a Rose and Lychee Martini. If you can’t find the fabulous Sputnik Rose Vodka (available on Amazon), use New Amsterdam Vodka and add more rose syrup or, for a subtler taste, rose water which is sold in the cookery aisles of supermarkets or in health food shops.
Buy pink rosebuds from Chinese supermarkets or pick them from your garden – just wash them carefully first. I get the tightly curled dried buds from Chinese supermarkets which I also add to jasmine dragon pearls for a fabulously elegant and flavoursome tea.
This is one of my favourite Martinis and another great drink for parties. Use less lychee juice if you want a stronger drink.
Rose and Lychee Martini
30ml Sputnik Rose Vodka
20ml Belsazar Dry Vermouth
5ml rose water or, for a sweeter mix, Monin’s Rose Syrup
80-100ml lychee juice
3 rosebuds, to garnish (if desired)
Pour into a cocktail shaker which is full of ice, drain into a Martini glass and top with 3 rosebuds if you want to make it look all glam. That’s how I first encountered it at Ping Pong Dim Sum in London – and I’ve loved it ever since. Small confession, I never use the rosebuds when making it for myself at home but add it to the drinks at parties as people love that magic touch.
19th December – The Ardmore Legacy Whisky
You’ve probably realised by now that I like my whiskies big and butch (like good rock music) – okay, with some more delicate, fruity ones thrown in for balance but, given the choice, give me peat. Please!
The Ardmore Legacy Whisky (ABV 40%) is a beautiful dram with a surprisingly delicate nose of hazelnut and honey but don’t be fooled, this is a big and beautifully butch whisky. Just the way I love them.
It’s so smooth with peat and bonfire, oak, heather and cinnamon. This gives way to honey and lavender. Don’t add water as it harshens it. There’s so much going on, you’ll probably want more than one dram just to appreciate it. That’s my excuse, anyway.
It’s a velvet kiss – smooth and embracing. Absolutely delicious and, at around £30, surprisingly affordable for that much complexity and pure genius.
20th December – Lost Blend Whisky (Compass Box)
One of the first whiskies I reviewed over a decade ago was Compass Box and they have a great range of blended whisky. I’m a huge fan.
The Lost Blend has a story. Its name is based on the 1907 short story by O. Henry and there are three different labels, showing commonly lost items such as shoes and keys. I’d lost my shoes (again) when I recorded this segment for Southwaves Radio and did it barefoot. I needed that label to help me find them!
It represents a lost blend by Compass Box, Eleuthra and blends three different whiskies, two unpeated Highland whiskies (Clynelish and Alt-a-Bhainne) and one of my favourite Islay single malts, Caol Ila.
There’s orange on the nose, surprisingly so as you’d expect that more from a Speyside dram. But it’s the taste that won me – peat, coffee, seaweed, almond, oak and vanilla. This is a whisky which benefits from a few drops of water which softens it and adds heather to the mix.
A most alluring whisky.
21st December – Macallan Gold
I’ve been a huge fan of Macallan ever since they sponsored the Dagger awards many years ago when I worked for a crime-writing magazine and we were given free drams. Whisky and books? Yes, please!
The Macallan Gold (ABV 40%) is a quaffable whisky and perfect in whisky cocktails. There’s orange, vanilla and honey on the nose and the taste is creamy with orange, honey, cinnamon, oak and apple.
One of the ultimate comfort drinks for me is Drambuie. I had some in Vegas years ago when a drain cover hadn’t been screwed down so jumped up and attacked me in the street outside a casino. Shaken, I staggered inside and ordered a Drambuie and the lovely barman at Bill’s bar in Harrah’s poured me a Drambuie, expressing surprise that a woman would actually order any type of whisky (albeit a whisky liqueur) and drink it neat. I still get people expressing surprise when I order whisky which is a shame as, like great rock music, drinks shouldn’t be segregated by gender.
Drambuie’s been going since 1745 but always makes me think of the 1970s which is when I first drank it. I was precocious like that! There’s honey, heather and orange on the nose with liquorice, mead, orange and cinnamon on the tongue – it’s warming and tastes like a big hug. Just be careful about cleaning the neck when drinking it as the sugar content means the lid can get stuck down if not cleaned properly. Incidentally, just use hot water to open it if that ever happens to you.
Anyway, when you combine Macallan Gold and Drambuie, you get the classic Rusty Nail cocktail. The balance of the two drinks works perfectly, especially when you use orange bitters. It’s smooth and warming with chocolate, orange, honey, floral notes and mace. A great winter cocktail.
Rusty Nail
25ml Macallan Gold
25ml Drambuie
2 drops of Fee Brothers Orange Bitters
Combine the ingredients in a tumbler and swirl – or use a cocktail shaker with ice, then drain if you prefer your whisky on the rocks. I don’t but you can always add whisky stones straight from the freezer if you don’t want to use or don’t have a cocktail shaker. Great way of cooling whisky without diluting it if that’s how you want to serve it. I opt for rock-free every time.
22nd December – Absolut Mango Vodka
This is another of my party regulars in Mango Martini form and it’s full of vitamin C so it must be good for you… Okay, so that’s my version of science but it tastes great and is very easy to make. I make 1l of it for every party and there’s never any left. In fact, I often have to make more because this is a very refreshing, moreish cocktail.
Shop around for Absolut Mango Vodka, it’s often on special offer in supermarkets and is a regular on the Christmas gift scene in miniature form if you want to try it before committing to the regular sized bottle.
Mango Martini
40ml Absolut Mango Vodka
25ml Belsazar Dry Vermouth
80-100ml mango juice
Pour the ingredients in a cocktail shaker full of ice, shake and drain into a Martini glass. For a stronger version, use 80ml mango juice.
Or, for a Raspberry Martini, replace Absolut Mango Vodka with Absolut Raspberry Vodka and mango juice with raspberry juice drink. Incidentally, their Citron Vodka is fantastic in a lemony Bloody Mary.
23rd December – Tanqueray Rangpur Gin
As you can tell, I drink medicinally. Peaty whisky for pain, gin for arthritis and brandy mixed with Port to fight colds. And this is historic, it’s not just me who does it. One of my favourite cocktails is a Gimlet, a classic drink invented by a surgeon to ensure that sailors took lime juice so they didn’t get rickets. Yes, British sailors had to drink alcohol to stay healthy. Where can I sign up?!
I love Tanqueray Rangpur Gin in a Gimlet. The extra citrus flavour comes from the gin itself through the botanicals of Rangpur lime leaves – not an actual lime but a lemon-mandarin orange mix. It’s also known as the Canton lemon or mandarin-lime, just to confuse everyone even more. This is a great alternative to G&T and a great short gin cocktail.
Always use Rose’s Lime Cordial instead of fresh limes as the balance is gentler. Fresh limes can be too acidic and harshen the cocktail. Incidentally, the classic balance is equal parts but I find 3/2 works better, especially when using a citrus-based gin like this.
Gimlet
30ml Tanqueray Rangpur Gin
20ml Rose’s Lime Cordial
Add ice to a tumbler, pour in the ingredients, stir, enjoy and, if you’re anything like me, repeat!
24th December – Lanson Champagne
It’s Christmas Eve and you must drink Champagne to celebrate. They’re the rules! You can drink it neat or turn it into a classic cocktail. Black Velvets are one of my naughty cocktails and they need to come with a health warning after I found myself Morris dancing with two half-bottles of wine up Lymington High Street after having more than two. Stick to just two Black Velvets – or avoid Morris dancing.
I first saw this cocktail in a black and white film. The heroine had seasickness and, as she leant perilously over the cruise liner’s railing, was told that a classic cure for that malady is a Black Velvet. Yes, she fell for it.
I use Lanson Champagne – a beautifully dry Champagne with gooseberry, lemon and hay. It’s my go-to Champagne. Just as well as I always have a bottle or two in my fridge…
The other ingredient? Guinness. Full of iron and vitamin Bs, this used to be given to pregnant women in hospital and I often take it as a tonic when I’m run down and have low iron levels. I know, great excuse!
It’s a heady mix and works so well. Slightly too well in my case but what a great way to celebrate, well, anything, really. Merry Christmas Eve, it’s about to get merrier.
Black Velvet
1 part Lanson Champagne
1 part Guinness
Pour the Lanson Champagne into a Champagne flute to the halfway level. Pour the Guinness on top over an inverted spoon or a turtle if you have one – a drink-divider used for layering and sold in cookshops. That way, the Guinness floats on the Champagne.
Except, that’s a bit of a faff, just pour both drinks in the Champagne flute at the same time and at the same rate. Perfect way to mix them, too.
25th December – Sparkling Gold Cuvée
Happy Christmas! You deserve two drinks because it’s Christmas and the first one is wonderfully gimmicky but surprisingly good.
It’s a Sparkling Gold Cuvée which has 23 carat gold flakes floating in a sparkling wine which is slightly sweet (think cava as opposed to Champagne) with gooseberry, lemon and honey.
I bought it for my mum as a treat after tasting it at Ardingly’s Spring Fair and it comes in a great gold ingot-style cardboard presentation box. Great to see the gold floating in the sparkling wine and it’s lovely neat or as a cocktail, just make sure not to mix anything too dark with it or you’ll lose sight of the gold flakes – so not a good choice for a Black Velvet. But a great gift for any celebration.
And now for something else… Blue Christmas Cocktail
Inspired by Elvis’ Blue Christmas, this is a colourful cocktail and so tasty. Fentiman’s have a great range of drinks and I love their Wild English Elderflower which is just crying out to be mixed with Hendrick’s Gin with its rose and cucumber botanicals. It’s a floral delight and just needs one extra flower – violet. That’s where the blue comes in and the flavours blend perfectly for a very elegant, refreshing and blue cocktail. Merry Christmas!
Blue Christmas
275ml Fentiman’s Wild English Elderflower
25ml Hendrick’s Gin
Dash of Bitter Truths Violet Liqueur
Pour the ingredients into a Champagne flute, stir gently and enjoy!
And that’s it, 25 days of the Drink Advent Calendar for Southwaves Radio – and you! And, if you’re still thirsty, join me for music, views reviews and mixing on the Cocktail Hour at 9pm Thursdays, 8pm Sundays.
Quaffed 