HELENE RAVLICH: TOP OF THE WINTER TIPPLES

LIVING, THINKING + BEING

With the mercury in freefall on many nights, now is the perfect time to hunker down at home with a glass, or bottle or two, of your favourite winter beverage on hand. Whether you’re on a date or entertaining a crowd, there are a plethora of delicious beverages available to suit any taste.

I always associate the cooler months with a warming red wine, and Squawking Magpie Wines Gravels Syrah 2019 makes for great winter drinking. Full of berries, plenty of savoury and great with rich hearty winter fare, it’s what many of us will be serving guests over the winter period.

When it comes to spirits, a new arrival on the local scene is Peddlers Rare Shanghai Gin, a rather special drop that is made in China and now served in New Zealand. With notes of Sichuan pepper, Buddha’s hand, and Chinese mint, the award-winning flavour profile makes it delicious in a cocktail or mingling with mixers. Founded by a group of Kiwi and Chinese friends all living in Shanghai, the multicultural team at Peddlers were able to create the first craft gin from China and it’s now winning multiple awards and attracting a strong following amongst the bartending scene in its homeland.

For non-alcoholic indulgence, the team at Ponsonby News can’t get enough of what’s on offer at the New Leaf Kombucha Tap Room on Grey Lynn’s Crummer Road. A family business that believes less is more, New Leaf Kombucha is small-batched brewed with only four ingredients: filtered water, organic tea leaves, organic fair-trade cane sugar, and their own organic kombucha culture. They never add any flavourings, colourings or preservatives to their brew which is on tap year round with bottles ready to go.

Cinema Italiano’s Paolo Rotondo

When it comes to asking locals what they’re drinking this winter, chat had to begin with the preternaturally glamorous, Buckwheat. A true New Zealand drag icon entertaining and educating audiences the length and breadth of the country for over twenty years, Buckwheat certainly knows how to get the party started and has the perfect cocktail recipe to do just that. Her favourite winter cocktail is, gloves off, ‘Hot Lips’. A mix of coconut-infused tequila, lime and guava juice bring a taste of both winter and summer to warm the cockles of your heart, while the chilli salt rim kicks you in the mouth before the cocktail ignites your tastebuds. Buckwheat describes the mix as “a fiery party starter which always goes down a treat with dinner guests. It’s easy to make and never fails to impress, bringing the tropics to winter with every sip! It has a fabulous name and just smashes in flavour,” she adds. Sarah Lindsay is the woman behind the boutique fitness studio known as SALA on Brown Street which offers everything from (what I believe to be) the city’s best barre classes to yoga, HIIT Pilates, strength training and more. It comes as no surprise then that her winter tipples of choice are most definitely health-focused, beginning with Almighty Charcoal Filtered Sparkling Water.

I have no idea how they made this water taste so ‘clean’ but now I’ve tasted it, it’s difficult to drink any other water. My fridge is always fully stocked with this stuff! She’s also regularly indulging in daily doses of Mother Made Mushroom Powder. “Drinking the PM blend with a spoonful of cacao for a pre-bed treat, I love how nourishingly decadent it feels.” Last up, the new mum can’t go past Good Sh*t Soda which she calls her current favourite on-the-go fizz hit.

“It’s so delicious. 2021 has been my year of improving my gut health so it’s so nice to have more fun options that still support that goal.”

Cinema Italiano: The Italian Film Festival Director, Paolo Rotondo is passionate about not only the enduring charm of Italian film but also the nation’s equally as fabulous dedication to the art of eating and drinking.

“The defining principle of drinking ‘Italian style’ is that it must always be accompanied by food,” says the actor and director, whose favourite winter drink is a Negroni Sbagliato, “which would be sipped before dinner and accompanied by some Prosciutto Crudo or Farina’s famous Carpaccio with Grana Padano and watercress. We say that an Aperitivo drink and a little snack ‘Apre lo stomaco’ - literally ‘opens your tummy’, and prepares you for a meal which of course would arrive a little later and naturally be accompanied by wine. In my case, I’m delighted by the Organic Sangiovese 2018 from award-winning international winemaker Rod McDonald in Hawkes Bay - an Italian grape making its presence felt in Aotearoa.”

Sala’s Sarah Lindsay

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY Energy healer and coach Olivia Scott from Love by Olivia appreciates the importance of balance in life, and that also applies to her winter drinks of choice. She loves the Detox Smoothie from Little Bird Kitchen, saying: “there’s nothing that quite literally cleanses the body like this smoothie. It’s more bitter to the taste than a typical smoothie, and I find myself craving this when I need a dose of greens. It hits the spot and my immune system and skin seems to thank me for it.”

On a Friday at around 5pm you’ll quite likely find Olivia at Lilian, “as I often find myself quite inclined to wander down the road for one of their negronis over a catchup with a girlfriend. No one quite makes them as good – and I have tried a fair few around town!

They come in quite a large tumbler too, which I swear makes Friday evening a little merrier for it.” Lastly, she professes much love for the pots of chai with hazelnut milk served at Ponsonby Road’s Orphans Kitchen. “If I have already had my caffeine intake and want something warm, the chai at Orphans made with fresh spices is so comforting, especially on a cold day. I love just sitting and sipping on one of these, watching Ponsonby go by. They come in a large pot too, so are perfect for sharing.”

Lastly, Sara Higgins, owner of HANA, picks a neighbouring business as her place to kick off a chilly morning. “Nothing signals that the day has begun like a long black from Ozone cafe,” says the wellness expert, “and I love that it’s conveniently located right beside HANA. My dog Teddy and I enjoy a morning chat and pat with the friendly team as much as the coffee!” And now that the temperature has cooled, her other daily ritual is “a mug (or three) of the Adapt tea from Mayde Tea, a herbal blend to ease stress and help with mental clarity. This always brings some calm and stillness into my day!” (HELENE RAVLICH)  PN

Adapt tea from Mayde Tea