DRINKING PINK

WHAT DO CADILLACS, COSMOPOLITANS, BLANC DE NOIR, GIN, VODKA, STRAWBERRY LIPS, CANE AND ROSÉ ALL HAVE IN COMMON? THE COLOUR PINK, FIONA MCDONALD REPORTS.

Pleasure THE PRINCIPLE

Pink drinks always seem a bit naff – generally just because they’re pink. There’s a natural connection between the colour pink and all things lightweight, flirty, girlish and insubstantial. But there are a host of pink drinks which are altogether serious and which men – not just those in touch with their feminine side – can enjoy. Orange, green, white or even blue drinks don’t have the same credibility problem. (Personally, I blame Barbie and all things ultra-girlie for that association.)

If you Google “Pink Drinks” the first few pages are all drinks for bridal showers, Valentine’s Day, baby showers or summertime sippers – which got me thinking: just how serious are pink drinks? Wine drinkers – and particularly South African winemakers would assure you that pink wine is extremely serious. As mentioned in the CHEERS article on rosé wines a year ago, in 2007 the Platter Guide to South African wine recorded 98 dry rosé, 95 off-dry or semisweet and 38 blanc de noir wines in its 2007 issue. A decade later those numbers had changed substantially with dry rosé accounting for 260 while semi-sweet and off-dry declined to 64 and the blanc de noir held almost steady with 33.

To a large segment of the population, Van Loveren Four Cousins sweet rosé, massively popular Fourth Street or newcomer to the party, Delush, really hit the spot because of their uncomplicated sweetness and quaffability. But at the other end of the spectrum there are winemakers “getting their geek on” by making dry but nonetheless very serious pink wines using unusual grape varieties – and thus appealing to the wine drinking nerds in the market.

Let’s face it, the market would not support 260 individual labels of pink wine if there was no market for it. Ergo, the drinking public – men and women – are happy to load up their baskets and shopping trollies with pink wine. Why? Because it tastes nice. It’s refreshing to have a dry wine with a slight cherry/ berry fruitiness while enjoying a braai, lolling around on a pool lounger or with cold chicken and devilled eggs at an al fresco picnic.

Pink bubbly has to be one of the most visually appealing drinks around. Whether it is something as fancy as the recently released Bollinger Rosé 2006 – the first limited edition vintage rosé Champagne the house of Bollinger has ever released – or a domestic Méthode Cap Classique rosé such as the Simonsig Pinot Noir Rosé which took top honours in its class at the annual Amorim Cap Classique this year.

The Bollinger Rosé 2006 is a blend of 72% Pinot Noir and 28% Chardonnay with the wine aged for 10 years prior to release. And the marketing material contains the following overblown tasting note: “An enchanting salmon pink colour with a gracious mousse, the Bollinger Cuvée Rosé 2006 is delicately perfumed with enticing notes of rose petals, raspberries and quince. This unique Champagne unveils elegance, precision and harmony. It has a gorgeous round

At the other end of the spectrum there are winemakers 'getting their geek on’ by making dry but nonetheless very serious pink wines.

T OPS Buy!

See pg 24 for our Tasting Notes

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This uniquely packaged 4th Street bottling will beavailable for a limited period – for the festive season only.

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Haute Cabriere’s Chardonnay/Pinot Noir blend is a firm favourites of ladies who lunch.

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Launched less than a year ago, Delush by Orange River Cellars is already making waves. Simonsig’s pink bubbly won the rose category of the 2017 Amorim Cap Classique Challenge. 4

ness on a lively palate, a silky texture and delicious wild berry flavours. It finishes fresh with lingering notes of tangerine.” It was the way that these two grapes complement each other that launched an entirely new style of wine in South Africa. Local sparkling wine specialist Achim von Arnim created the hugely popular Chardonnay Pinot Noir blend – but without bubbles – under his label, Haute Cabriére. Everyone’s seen these bottles on restaurant and dining tables the length and breadth of South Africa: the wine which has the most delicate salmon hue to it and which lends itself to food so fantastically.

It’s been around for more than 20 years now with the first appearance labelled Cabriére Nouveau in 1994 and described by the Platter Guide as “ a ‘still Champagne’ – 51% chardonnay/ 49% pinot noir, delicious dry, white and light. Though sturdy enough to stand up to garlicky, chilled dishes. (‘Lends itself ideally to keep line fish afloat in copious quantities of gastronomic enjoyment,’ Von Arnim said.)”

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery and the following producers all market a wine with this blend: Graham Beck with Gorgeous, Boschendal, Leopard’s Leap, Avontuur, Spier, Laborie, Longridge and Overhex Balance.

There’s a big craze for Aperol Spritz at the moment – but the Aperol, Prosecco or sparkling wine and soda water aperitif is more of a neon orange drink than pink. However ... Campari was the original upon which Aperol is loosely modelled and the classic Campari cocktail is the Negroni, in which equal parts Campari, gin and sweet vermouth are mixed, making for a reddish pink drink.

Both cocktails contain just three ingredients and you don’t have to be a genius to replicate them at home – and for fans of slightly bitter drinks, they taste delicious!

Pink is also the colour of embarrassment and shame – and for male golfers there is nothing more mortifying than taking a ruddy great swing at your ball and miss-hitting it, only to have the little white spherical object unable to have enough forward momentum to dribble the few yards to the ladies’ tee!

Such misfortune, apparently, has to be punished (rewarded?) with the offender standing his four ball to a round of Pink Gins back in the 19th hole. It’s exactly what it sounds like – a tot of gin (preferably a London Dry style gin) mixed with Angostura bitters and ice, giving it a delicate shade of pink. It was a popular drink in the mid-19th century and is traditionally garnished with a twist of lemon rind. While on the topic of golf, there’s a cocktail inspired by the beautiful magenta-toned azalea bushes which feature prominently during The Masters Tournament, the first Major of the golfing season held in Augusta, Georgia every year.

The Azalea requires 30ml of either lime or lemon juice and the same amount of pineapple juice which is then mixed with 90ml of gin and agitated in a cocktail shaker with ice before a couple of drops of grenadine are added to get the colour right before it’s poured over ice in a highball glass.

From the Golf Club to the Yacht Club – the Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, apparently – where the Pink Lady cocktail was developed. According to the Royal Cafe Cocktail book of 1937 it comprises just three ingredients: a glass of gin, a tablespoon of grenadine and the white of one egg, shaken and strained into a glass.

However, Wikipedia notes that the Pink Lady’s popularity grew massively during the era of Prohibition – mainly to hide the nasty taste of the badly (and illegally!) distilled gin.

Altogether better tasting is the Pink Cadillac margarita: a cup of tequila, a cup of freshly-squeezed lime juice, ½ cup each of powdered sugar, orange liqueur and cranberry juice – all of which are stirred together until the sugar has dissolved. The desired amount is poured into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shaken for 30 seconds to chill the drink down before it is strained into chilled cocktail glasses.

Popularized in movies and television series such as Sex in the City, the Cosmopolitan is a visually appealing cocktail made with vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and lime juice. Mix 15ml of lime juice with 30ml cranberry juice, 15ml of triple sec (or Cointreau or similar orange liqueur) and 45ml of vodka in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lime wheel or wedge.

There certainly is serious intent in what local winemakers are doing with both dry rosé and the chardonnay/ pinot noir blends – and the spirit content of some of the cocktails means that anyone disregards the effect and appeal at their peril.

Quite the tonic

Stellenbosch operation Chill Beverages is onto a winner with its FITCH & LEEDES PINK TONIC. Introduced last year the pink tonic adds a pretty – and fragrant – note to the traditional gin and tonic. Made from lightly carbonated quadruple filtered water, the pink tonic retains its botanical character but is livened by a gentle rose petal and fresh cucumber note, lending itself to a range of new and exciting variations with locally produced gins. “The Pink Tonic works well with the Hope on Hopkins Mediterranean Gin, where the olives and herbs are complemented by the cucumber notes. With its gentle flavour profile and beautiful pink hue it allows the botanicals in the gin to shine through,” explains Lucy Beard of Hope on Hopkins Distillery. She recommends one part Mediterranean gin with its olive, thyme, basil and cardamom spice with citrus notes to four parts pink tonic with a sprig of mint as a garnish. Florian Leykauf of Triple Three Gin Estate Distillery agrees that Fitch & Leedes tonics unlock the botanicals of their gins: “The whiffs of cucumber in the Fitch & Leedes Pink Tonic is a magnificent combination with the mint and eucalyptus notes of buchu leaves in our African Botanicals Gin.” “The spiciness of our Musgrave 11 is cooled by the cucumber notes in the Pink Tonic, while the hints of rose petals give the gin a delicate edge,” adds Simone Musgrave of Musgrave Gin – itself, a subtle pink product.

THE WINE YOU LOVE TO SHARE, NOW IN LIMITED EDITION PACKAGING. Available from your nearest TOPS at SPAR from December.

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