IN THE DRINK

BY PAUL ANTROBUS In the drink With Paul Antrobus

Cheer up anuar

Iam not in favour of ‘dry’ January - that simply adds to the gloom once the New Year’s Eve parties are over. Better to have some fun trying something different, so why not have a go at mixing your own cocktails?

The BBC Good Food programme reported that the main shift in the drinks market under Covid conditions was cocktails - up 30 per cent – with ales and stouts down 30 per cent driven, they suggested, by the younger generation.

You can fi nd plenty of recipes online or even create your own using stock leftover from your Christmas bar. One that springs to mind is Baileys Original Irish Cream, made with Irish whiskey and dairy cream. Normally drunk neat over ice or drizzled over ice-cream, you can combine it with vodka, tequila, whiskey or rum for a variety of classic cocktails.

One I thought would be good for fi ghting January blues is called a Flat White Espresso Martini. For two people you need: 50ml Baileys, 25ml vodka, 25ml espresso coffee and a few ice cubes. Put them in a cocktail shaker and shake until everything is blended and the liquid is smooth. Strain into cocktail glasses and decorate each with three coffee beans if available. Beer cocktails We tend to think of cocktails being mostly wine or spirit based rather than beer, but Adnams Triple Knot Tripel has all the hallmarks of a cocktail, with extra botanicals added to the basic Pilsner type beer.

Here is how Adnams describes it: “Triple Knot has been inspired by the strong Tripel ales brewed in Belgium. Our take on this traditional recipe adds a few botanicals and enjoys six months’

Do you still have some of your Christmas drinks supplies? Let’s welcome in the new year by using them to make delicious cocktails…

maturation, allowing the beer to pick up a slight bready character often associated with a sparkling wine.”

All this squeezed into a 330ml bottle with a fancy fl ip top (like Grolsch) so you can drink it in small measures, keeping it fresh in the meantime. At £6.99 and 10 per cent abv, it is just right for a January special. Although probably not in main supermarkets, it is available online from Adnams or www.beersofeurope.co.uk.

Secret ingredients Classic Amaro Montenegro Italian liqueur follows the same philosophy - basic pure alcohol with dozens of ‘secret’ herbs, botanicals and spices added including vanilla and orange peel.

It has been distilled in Bologna since 1885 and, according to Montenegro, has “a curiously fragrant aroma, with notes of citrus peels, juicy cherry, bitter tea and even hints of cucumber”.

Drink it as a double measure in a tumbler, fi ll with ice then top up with tonic or turn it into a more exotic cocktail (diffordsguide.com has 20 recipes). A 70cl bottle, 23 per cent, costs from £18.99.

If you had winter Pimm’s for your Christmas bar (Pimm’s No.3, made with brandy and 25 per cent) you should use it up before the summer when Pimm’s No.1 (made with gin) comes in. Try adding an extra splash of brandy to any leftover stock and top off with ginger ale.

Bar Buoy Or, if you would really like to splash out, Bar Buoy Cocktails, mixed “just a stone’s throw from the sea” in Devon, do everything for you - ready to serve at home or to send as gifts. In January 2020 founder Tim Ball set out to make the perfect Margarita. Then when the world went into lockdown he and his wife Ria dreamt up Bar Buoys cocktails, creating a range of hand-crafted, bar-standard, awardwinning cocktails.

There are 16 popular varieties available, many with a Devon twist, and come in either 20cl or 1l bottles at various strengths. They are quite extravagant with prices starting at £22 for two 20cl bottles (free standard delivery), decreasing in price per bottle the more you buy. Available on www.barbuoy.com. Happy New Year!

Editor Jane Hyde 079 402 403 90 editor@allatsea.co.uk

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