We may not all be trained mixologists (well, I'm certainly not!). Yet that hasn't stopped us from having a go at making cocktails from the comfort of our own homes. Before the pandemic struck, the cocktail boom was a big success story for the on-trade. COVID-19 then prevented us from going to pubs, bars and restaurants. So, with a yearning to try different drinks at home and recreate that 'going out' experience, our creative juices have been positively flowing … into our glasses!
The on-trade suffered hugely during 2020. Indeed, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) reported sales of both still wine and spirits down 60% in volume terms on 2019 pre-pandemic levels. However, with venues closed, more of us became more adventurous with our at-home drinking habits.
As previously reported, lockdown saw many people become more experimental with their beer choices. This trend looks likely to continue. Similarly, both gin and rum are seeing continuing growth with further innovations and the success of online sales. Rosé wine sales were also given an extra boost in 2020 during the lockdowns and the warm weather. Add pre-mixed cocktails in can and bottle formats to the mix and the opportunities to try something new are limitless.
Although a report earlier this year in the drinks business questioned whether the popularity of RTDs is starting to wane, it remains a category to watch. Miles Beale, Chief Executive of the WSTA, said: "With pubs closed and the opportunity for fun in short supply, it appears that people have been looking to break up the mundane by exploring new tastes and tipples. RTDs are another category which has been gaining ground at a rapid rate. Last year, consumer curiosity and convenience drove a real boom in the variety of mixed drinks cans on the market, with consumers trying out new drink experiences in smaller packaging."
So, with people becoming more prepared to drink a wider range of beers, wines and spirits, the willingness and opportunities for home cocktail making have grown.
The popularity of cocktail kits has also grown. These contain ingredients, recipe cards and sometimes even glassware and mixology equipment for home cocktail making. According to KAM Media, during lockdowns, 7% of UK adults had 'mix your own cocktail kits' delivered to their door. This equates to more than 3.5 million adults. An additional 12% would consider ordering in the future.
Earlier this year, Data and Research Consultancy, CGA Strategy, also reported how made-at-home cocktails grew in popularity over the first nationwide lockdown. With a quarter of consumers spending more on home drinking than they did before the pandemic, CGA sees a fresh wave of interest in recreating drinks like cocktails that might previously have only been bought out of home.
It's going to be difficult to recreate the theatre of a mixologist crafting a cocktail before your eyes in a buzzing, atmospheric venue. However, without some of the skills needed, as well as the more unusual or hard-to-get ingredients, there are still many delicious and fun-to-make cocktails we can all try at home. So, here are a few ideas using a variety of spirits, mixers, tonics and garnishes. All you need are the right glassware and some basic cocktail tools, all of which are easy to find online or in many retail stores … and ice - lots of it!
The spritz serve is gaining popularity and, according to CGA's Q1 2020 Mixed Drink Report, it's the seventh favourite mainstream cocktail style.
Luxardo is the oldest independent, family-owned liqueurs and spirits company in Italy. Celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, it is still managed by the Luxardo family.
Luxardo Aperitivo
Their iconic Aperitivo (11% ABV) is an infusion of various herbs, roots and different citrus fruits. Its delicate, herbal, bitter-sweet flavour makes the ideal base for a refreshing spritz, served with equal parts of Prosecco and soda, garnished with an orange slice and olive. If you want to go for a lower alcohol drink, then you can always leave out the Prosecco, use tonic or soda and add in more ice for another stylish, thirst-quenching option.
Luxardo Antico
For a vermouth-style aperitivo without the spritz, then check out the new Luxardo Antico (16.5% ABV) and enjoy chilled, neat or over ice. When marasca cherries are harvested at the start of summer, some of the juice is separated and left to mature until natural fermentation occurs. Neutral alcohol is added and it is put to age in oak vats. Then herbs and spices are added and left to infuse. The deep burgundy red vermouth has aromas of spice, zesty citrus and white petals, with a hint of classic dandelion and burdock. Its taste is fruity and herbal with white pepper-led spice and a lightly bitter finish. So, if you prefer an aperitivo that's a little less sweet than many on the market today, Luxardo Antico is a very classy option. RRP is £20 per 70cl bottle.
A jar of juicy Luxardo Maraschino Cherries is also a great staple ingredient for adding a quality garnish to your favourite cocktails.
For another taste of Italy, legendary award-winning wines, spirits and liqueurs producer Bottega is giving UK gin lovers a real taste of the sunny Mediterranean, with its premium Gin Bacûr.
Lovingly crafted at Bottega's traditional family distillery in Bibano di Godega, Gin Bacûr is made with water from the Alps and the finest Italian botanicals. These include juniper from Tuscany, sage from Triveneto and Sicilian lemon zest to create the gin's aromatic flavour and character.
Encased in a mirrored copper glass bottle, Gin Bacûr 70 cl) is available nationally from Legacy Brands store, retailing at £26.
Rock & Soul
Pour 40ml Gin Bacûr, 80ml ginger beer and a squeeze of lemon juice into a cocktail glass, add ice cubes and stir well. Decorate with lemon peel, a sprig of fresh mint and a twist of freshly ground black pepper.
Scapegrace Distillery's Scapegrace Black is the world's first naturally 'Black Gin' that, when mixed with tonic, magically changes to a vivid purple before your very eyes!
Hailing from New Zealand's Southern Alps, Scapegrace Black is an ultra-premium gin distilled using pure glacial water from New Zealand's Southern Alps. This colour-popping, super smooth gin boasts a unique collection of natural extracts, including aronia berry, pineapple, saffron, butterfly pea and sweet potato.
Scapegrace Black Gin is available from Master of Malt for £35.95 per 70cl bottle. ABV is 41.6%.
So, you can spice up the theatrics by pouring this in front of your guests with a premium tonic and then garnish with a slice of fresh, green apple. However, how about trying an Indigo Collins?
Indigo Collins
All you need is to fill a classic highball glass with 45ml Scapegrace Black, 50ml green apple juice and top up with some old-fashioned lemonade. Pack with cubed ice and garnish with a slice of fresh ruby red grapefruit. Easy!
Masons of Yorkshire is an award-winning gin producer that continues to innovate with unique flavours.
Their Orange & Lime Leaf Gin, mixed with Fentimans Valencian Orange Tonic and garnished with a twist of orange peel is a very different style of G&T! Above all, it's deliciously refreshing, simple to make and looks great too! You can read more about how Karl and Cathy Mason created this gin here.
Nc'Nean is Scotland's leading organic whisky distillery and uses only renewable sources for its energy. The leftover grain feeds the cows on the farm and waste products are spread on the fields as fertiliser. Nothing is wasted. This July, Nc'nean became the UK's first whisky distillery to have net zero carbon emissions for its own operations, beating the Scotch whisky industry target by 20 years. The team at Nc'Nean would like us to rethink the way we view whisky and challenge us to swap our much-loved G&T for a whisky cocktail!
Whisky Six
They recommend a whisky and soda cocktail, which they call Whisky Six. It's two parts Nc'nean whisky and four parts soda, over ice with a sprig of mint, lemon wedge or lemon twist to garnish.
There are plenty of other cocktail recipes on Nc'Nean's dedicated website page. I particularly like these two:-
Old Fashioned
Fill a rocks glass with cubed ice. Then add 60ml Organic Single Malt Whisky, 10ml 1:1 sugar syrup and three dashes of Angostura Bitters. Stir for 30 seconds, then garnish with a lemon twist.
Whisky Pasqua
Add 35ml Organic Single Malt Whisky, 20ml coffee liqueur, 20ml fresh espresso coffee and 10ml 1:1 sugar syrup to a cocktail shaker. Fill with cubed ice and shake hard for 12 seconds. Fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Nc'nean whisky is available at Selfridges, Berry Bros. & Rudd, Harvey Nichols, Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt, as well as local retailers and via the distillery's website shop. Also this Christmas, Nc'nean has the perfect gifts for whisky lovers - a Hot Toddy gift set (£79.95) and a Whisky Six Gift Set (£74.95).
Independently owned and managed whisky firm, The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, led by industry stalwart Billy Walker, recently repositioned their MacNair's brand as Boutique House of Spirits. MacNair's Boutique House of Spirits comprises both their new-look Lum Reek Blended Malt Scotch Whisky and a brand new small-batch rum line named Exploration Rum.
The multi-award-winning Lum Reek Whisky range will continue to feature the 21-year-old (UK RRP £125, 48% ABV). This superb whisky scooped World's Best Blended Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2020 and Best Blended Malt Scotch at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2021. Additionally, the 12-year-old (UK RRP £49.99, 46% ABV), won Double Gold at San Francisco too.
Here's a cocktail featuring the superb Lum Reek 12-year old:-
Lum Reek Old Fashioned
Combine 2tsp of demerara sugar and 30ml MacNair's Lum Reek 12yo whisky in a mixing glass with ice and stir until completely dissolved. Add another 30ml of the whisky, 2 dashes of Angostura bitters and a wedge of orange peel to the mixing glass and grind, so the oils from the orange peel are released. Strain into a tumbler with plenty of ice and garnish with an orange peel twist and maraschino cherry.
There are no shortages of whisky-based cocktails and if you're in the mood for a refreshing whisky and soda highball, then Henstone's Single Malt English whisky is a good option. It's young, light and creamy with a hint of stone fruit-like sweetness that works well with soda water. You can read more about the whisky's launch here.
Last year, the WSTA crowned rum the 'drink of lockdown'. Figures showed that rum enjoyed the biggest growth across all spirits during lockdown. Flavoured & spiced rums proved particularly popular and even outsold white rums for the first time between April and June 2020. The trend looks set to continue and there are many cocktails you can make at home with little fuss. See The Write Taste articles on Flor de Caña and The Joy of Rum for an intriguing Basil Mojito and some Daiquiri serves.
The first instalment of Exploration Rum was sourced from Panama, renowned for its volcanic soil. This provides the ideal growing environment for rum's key ingredient, sugar cane. The range features a 7-year-old Peated (UK RRP £46.99), 7-year-old (UK RRP £42.99), and 15-year-old (UK RRP £64.99).
Exploration Rum Negroni
Pour 25ml MacNair's Exploration Rum Panama 7yo, 25ml sweet vermouth and 25ml Campari into a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well combined and the outside of the glass starts to feel cold. Strain into a tumbler filled with ice and garnish with an orange peel twist.
We don't often think about cocktails as an accompaniment for food, but this is exactly what Sollasa is all about! It's the first of its kind - a delicious apéritif, crafted by experts specifically to complement Indian cuisine.
Every element of Sollasa - from ingredients and flavour, to length and serve - has been designed by leading chefs, mixologists and food scientists to truly complement the unique flavours of Indian cuisine. It's a 20% ABV grain spirit made from all natural ingredients. It blends orange zest, lime and lychee with herbaceous notes of mint and basil, the cooling fragrant spice of coriander seeds and cardamom plus a pinch of sea salt. The inspiration for the name comes from the 'Manasollasa', an encyclopaedic 12th century Sanskrit text which is considered the first Indian recipe book. The text expounds the importance of taste and flavour in food and drink and the power of their ingredients, preparation and styling to bring joy.
Here are three great cocktails you can make at home:-
Sollasa & Ginger
Pour 50ml Sollasa into a tall glass over ice and top up with 150ml ginger ale. Stir and serve with a slice of fresh ginger. Best served with fragrant fish curries.
Sollasa Sour
Add 50ml Sollasa, 25ml lemon juice, 15ml sugar syrup and ½ egg white into a cocktail shaker. Dry shake the mixture for 10 seconds. Then add ice to the shaker and shake again for 10 seconds to create a lovely smooth texture. Strain mixture into a rocks glass over ice and add a dash of Angostura Bitters or garnish with lemon peel. Best served with Tandoor or BBQ/grilled dishes like lamb kebabs.
Sollasa Rum Punch
Add 25ml Sollasa, 25ml dark rum, 25ml lime juice, a tablespoon of honey and ice to a cocktail shaker and shake for 10 seconds. Strain mixture into a rocks glass over ice and add a dash of Angostura Bitters. Garnish with grated nutmeg and a sprig of mint. Alternatively, strain the mixture into a highball glass with crushed ice and top up with soda water. Best served with daal and piping hot naan bread.
Sollasa is available to purchase via the company's website and will also be available at select Indian restaurants across the UK.
No list of cocktail options would be complete without some non-alcoholic options. The low/no drinks sector is booming. Readers of these pages will have seen many articles on the subject over the last two years. One company that has seen great success and been met with critical acclaim from leading experts is Thomson & Scott.
In 2019, British entrepreneur Amanda Thomson launched NOUGHTY from her B-Corp certified brand Thomson & Scott. In two years, she is now selling in more than 25 countries across the world including the UK, US, Australia and Canada.
NOUGHTY Chardonnay is produced using 100% organic Chardonnay grapes from southern Spain and dealcoholised using historic patented methods. This creates a delicious, crisp and fresh wine without any unnecessary sugar or artificial flavours or aromas. It contains half the sugar of traditional alcohol-free sparkling wines and is also certified organic, vegan and halal.
However, it's not just an alcohol-free wine, it's also the perfect base for low and no-alcohol cocktails, used instead of Prosecco. Here are four easy-to-make-at-home ideas:-
NOUGHTY Classic
Take a flute glass, chill with ice and soda, then empty or chill the glass for longer in the fridge. Take a white sugar cube, add a few dashes of angostura bitters and drop into the glass. Top with 125ml NOUGHTY, garnish with a twist of lemon peel and serve. Note: Angostura Bitters do contain alcohol.
NOUGHTY Spritz
Take a wine glass and fill with ice. Add 35ml spritz syrup (flavoured syrups are widely available in supermarkets and online). Top with NOUGHTY, add a dash of soda, garnish with a slice of orange and serve.
NOUGHTY Peach Bellini
Take a flute glass, chill with ice and soda, then empty or chill the glass for longer in the fridge. Blend a 400g tin of peaches with a little of the juice until smooth in a processor. Pour the peach purée into the glass, add 5ml simple syrup (ideally natural and not refined sugar). Top with NOUGHTY, stir and serve.
NOUGHTY Cucumber Highball
With a peeler, make two cucumber ribbons. Then blend the cucumber with 100ml water in a processor. Take a highball glass, add the cucumber ribbons so that they stick to the inside edge of the glass and fill with ice. Add 50ml of the cucumber/water mixture, 10ml lemon juice, 5ml simple syrup and ice into a chilled cocktail shaker. Shake, then strain into the prepared glass, top with NOUGHTY and serve.
Some mixers and tonics are unsuitable for a vegan diet, so Fentimans decided to create a 2021 vegan cocktail recipe guide using high-quality mixers that boost flavours. One of these is the Raspberry Mojito, but if you don't like raspberries, you can easily swap for another fruit. Very refreshing, this cocktail is one of the simplest to make.
Fentimans Raspberry Mojito
Muddle five raspberries, a small handful of mint leaves, 1tsp sugar and the juice from a freshly squeezed lime. Pour over ice into a tall glass. Add 60ml white rum while stirring with a spoon. Lastly, top up with Fentimans Sparkly Raspberry Soda Water to taste and garnish with a sprig of mint.
🍸 So there we are. A few ideas for making cocktails at home that are simple and delicious. Of course, there are an increasing number of pre-mixed cocktails in cans and bottles. Yet, there's a real sense of satisfaction and a certain amount of theatrical flair in making your own. The classic 3-2-1 mix (3 parts fermentation, 2 parts liqueur and 1 part tonic or mixer) also opens up so many possibilities.
The spirits industry and, in particular, the on-trade still need our help to recover from the losses suffered during the pandemic. Trained mixologists will always offer the theatre and choice of cocktails that only their skills and expertise can recreate. Yet, there's nothing stopping us from making our own cocktails at home. So give it a go, experiment and have fun! Cheers! 🍹
