Sunshine in a glass

Putting SUN SHINE

in a GLASS

Jane Ryan singles out the people behind our favourite sunshine spirits and serves

Sunshine isn’t a flavour. It isn’t a word you’ll find on the back of booze bottles under the tasting notes or one that will score you points on a wine and spirits exam. But it is a word we can associate with taste because it evokes a feeling, a mix of all our senses that comes out as bubbly, fresh, bright, ripe and happy.

Sunshine is good-time drinking. It’s holiday vibes even when the rain is pounding on the bar roof and Ubers are surging. If you’re sipping on a Piña Colada, chances are the rain just looks like something fun to get caught in anyway, and that’s what we mean about sunshine in a glass. So, here’s a rundown of our favourite luminous people and the holiday they deliver in drinks, spirits and attitude.

Jackie Summers Sorel Liqueur

Jackie Summers, a man who possibly has the best name for this article of anyone we’ve met, is the type of person you can’t help but smile with. His personality is matched by his brand Sorel, which is a joyous hibiscus liqueur that’s inspired by a traditional Caribbean drink of the same name, enjoyed for generations among children as a tea and adults with added rum to kick-start any party.

“Flowers ‘eat’ sunshine through photosynthesis. Sorel is made from Moroccan hibiscus flowers. When you drink Sorel you’re imbibing the sunshine the flowers ate (along with the nutrients absorbed from the soil). Sorel is literally sunshine in a bottle,” says Jackie. He’s been making a version of Sorel for years, based on recipes his grandparents brought with them from Barbados to America, but he had no plans to turn it into something bigger until a health scare pushed him in the direction of his true passion. Creating something you love sounds corny but it might just be an essential ingredient when we talk about tasting a joy or an energy in a liquid.

Jackie now runs Jack From Brooklyn micro-distillery and you’ll catch him spreading sunshine around in both written and spoken words across the drinks industry.

Sunshine is good-time drinking. It’s holiday vibes even when the rain is pounding on the bar roof and Ubers are surging. If you’re sipping on a Piña Colada, chances are the rain just looks like something fun to get caught in anyway, and that’s what we mean about sunshine in a glass. So, here’s a rundown of our favourite luminous people and the holiday they deliver in drinks, spirits and attitude.

Megs Miller Anything agave

Megs Miller has worked all over the world, including stints in rainy London and her cold home province of Alberta in Canada, but this is a bartender born for sunshine. She’s now in Mexico, driving us all wild with envy as she tours agave fields and distilleries across the country, tasting spirits and liqueurs made by passionate distillers and agave farmers. Megs also co-owns CATA Agave Bar in Costa Rica, a venue that even has ‘sunshine in a glass’ in its description on social media – there’s no way we could leave it off this list. Sitting at that bar sipping on tequila with the beach below, and sunsets displaying incredible colours across the sky, is nothing short of mesmerising.

If we had to pick one drink Megs is best known for, however, it would be the Mex Martini. Now a Martini isn’t a cocktail you’d think of as drenched in summer sunshine but this is an agave Martini with bianco vermouth, so there’s plenty of verdant fresh flavours, and depending on your tequila choice, fruit and spice in abundance too. Try it ice-cold at sunset and tell us we’re wrong.

Simone Caporale and Luca Missaglia Amaro Santoni

Simone Caporale’s voice is enough to transport most people to a sun-drenched Italian square, filled with café tables and jugs of aperitivo spritzes. Or perhaps that’s just us? But if that wasn’t enough to earn him a spot on this list, he and Luca Missaglia, went and spearheaded Amaro Santoni, a delicious rhubarb amaro made in Florence. This is the kind of liquid you want to be using in every iconic summer drink, from Garibaldis to Sbagliatos, Spritzes to Americanos.

“Amaro Santoni was born two years ago with the mission to bottle an experience of being in Florence and walking around the beautiful city as well as going out to the countryside in Tuscany. The colour, the flavours, even the astringency we need from these liqueurs evokes sunshine. There’s another element too that conjures up the light and summer, which is the leaves of the olive trees that we infuse and which have absorbed the sun all year round in Tuscany. Modern, lighter, less bitter, less sugar, low abv, beautiful,” says Simone. He also revealed the vibrant red colour of this aperitivo is meant to mirror the red dome of Florence Cathedral.

Above: Luca Missaglia (left); Simone Caporale (right) Below: Brothers Richard d'Offay (left); Bernard d'Offay (right) Bernard d’Offay Takamaka Rum

Made in the Seychelles, Takamaka Rum really translates the character of the islands with its modern and bright design, and of course the liquid itself. Rum is the first spirit we think of when sunshine is mentioned – we’ve yet to visit a rum distillery not bathed in glorious tropical heat – but behind this particular rum is a family story, of which Bernard d’Offay is a key part. It was over 20 years ago now that he and his father Robert first set about making rum (even using their swimming pool as a makeshift cooler), although they weren’t the first in the family to dabble in the artform. Robert’s father was known for his local Creole drink, Rum Arrangé, that stewed spices and fruit in rum for months. “So much about Takamaka Rum is linked to our tropical Indian Ocean island home in the Seychelles, 1,000 miles from anywhere, with towering granitic mountains, dense equatorial jungle, pristine whitesand beaches, crystal turquoise waters, a remarkable community and, of course, year-round life-affirming sunshine!” says Bernard. “I'm a massive believer that our senses evoke associations. I’m often transported to a time, place or occasion by taste and smell and therefore whether or not you have visited this magical place, the name Seychelles evokes that sense of adventure nestled within a remarkable environment. Across our range of rums and the flavours, that link to the Seychelles always remains. So if asked, how do we bring sunshine into our rum, we don’t, but our home absolutely does!”

Cameron Mackenzie Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin

Each year Australian gin distiller Cameron Mackenzie receives a delivery of shiraz wine grapes from his neighbours in Victoria’s Yarra Valley. They’ve been growing juicy and fat in the Australian summer sun, but rather than make the wine the country is famous for, they’re destined to become part of a now best-selling gin product, Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin. What started off as a fun experiment with some spare local grapes is now so successful you’ve probably seen it in your local supermarket.

Gin isn’t typically what we think of as an iconic summer tipple, although maybe a G&T is your go-to holiday order. This gin, however, smacks of sunshine with or without tonic. Here’s what Cam had to say: “Bloody Shiraz Gin marries local grapes, which have been ripening all summer long, with our Rare Dry Gin. The result is a magical purple colour, rich in shiraz grape sweetness (think raspberries off the vine) yet still with a vivid juniper and spice character. It’s gin that brings ripe summer berries into your glass.” We couldn’t agree more. Try it in a Floradora for extra sunshine vibes and if you’re ever visiting Melbourne we highly recommend a trip out to the Yarra Valley where Four Pillars is made. Think hot balloons at sunrise, gin gardens at sunset and wineries as far as the eye can see.

Daniele Dalla Pola Esotico Miami / Sexy Colada

“When you have a drink like this in your hands it’s like a vacation in a glass, like golden sunshine,” says Daniele Dalla Pola on his famous Sexy Colada. Owner of tropical bar Esotico Miami, Daniele has always been drawn to drinks that imbue a holiday sensation, or as he puts it, an attraction to the exotic. Even as a young barista he was adding coconut cream and sugar to his coffee and shaking it over ice, so it’s little wonder he came up with the fresh and vivacious Sexy Colada. His twist adds ginger to unsweetened pineapple juice, coconut cream, lime and rum before being garnished with bitters and a dash of cinnamon set on fire. Because what is a holiday without some heat. Unsurprisingly the bar sells a lot of these drinks – well over 500 a week.

Whether in his native home of Italy or his adopted city of Miami, Daniele brings an island style with him. Perhaps it’s a love of rum and tiki drinks or just his contagiously warm hosting style, but every bar he pops up in feels like it’s in the midst of summer.

Yet another string to his CV, Daniele is also the man behind Alamea Exotic Infusions, a range of dangerously drinkable spirits meant to bring flavour to the forefront. Think a coconut rum and a spiced rum, as well as peach brandy and that classic tiki ingredient, pimento or allspice.

SALUTI SUMMER!

Enjoy the taste of the new dolce vita with Disaronno Velvet Liqueur and the Velvet Batida cocktail

INTRODUCING DISARONNO VELVET BATIDA

Imagine the warmth of Italian summer sunshine. Now imagine a little Italian indulgence. Welcome to the taste of the new dolce vita with Disaronno Velvet.

FIRST CAME THE ICON

Disaronno Originale – where five centuries of craftsmanship meets contemporary style. The world’s favourite Italian liqueur. A true icon. La dolce vita in a glass.

NOW COMES DISARONNO VELVET LIQUEUR – THE NEW DOLCE VITA

Instantly recognisable, with the same distinctly shaped bottle, elegant gold label and unique square cap as the original Disaronno, Disaronno Velvet proudly displays its heritage. Yet the new bottle is a brilliant, bright and beautiful white. Familiar yet surprising. Just like the sensation that awaits within.

Spin off the cap and immediately there’s the unmistakable almond and apricot aroma of the original Disaronno. Taste it and be rewarded with something sublime. Again, there’s the suggestion of almonds, but now there’s also an intense burst of vanilla. As for the texture, the creaminess is exceptional and seductive, inviting the complex flavours to linger deliciously. 'This is Disaronno reimagined as a stunning cream liqueur, with the same versatility to make refreshing summery cocktails,' says Simona Bianco, Senior Global Marketing Manager.

This is Disaronno Velvet. This is the new dolce vita.

SOPHISTICATED YET SIMPLE, THE PERFECT SUMMER SERVE

Enjoy the new dolce vita with Disaronno Velvet any way you choose. Pour it chilled straight from the fridge. Or on the rocks. Either way, sip and savour, and begin to feel that Italian sunshine.

But don’t stop there.

Disaronno Velvet is also incredibly versatile. The distinctive, creamy texture makes it ideal for adding an intense, indulgent addition to summer cocktails.

And at just 17% abv, it particularly suits leisurely sipping.

Destined to be your brand-new favourite summer cocktail, Disaronno Velvet Batida has already been popping up at some of the best bars including Hush Mayfair in London and the Candy Bar in Edinburgh. And following in the footsteps of classic global cocktails such as the Disaronno Sour and Disaronno Fizz, it encapsulates all the inviting sociable, stylish and original lifestyle appeal of Disaronno.

Making a Disaronno Velvet Batida couldn’t be easier either. And it couldn’t be more delicious – an exquisite combination of Disaronno Velvet shaken with coconut water and served ice-cold.

The addition of coconut water makes for the perfect accompaniment to the taste of the almond and vanilla, while lengthening the creamy texture to perfection.

Disaronno Velvet, share it with friends, and experience the new dolce vita!

Disaronno Velvet Liqueur is available from Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Coop and all leading retailers. disaronno.com PLEASE ENJOY RESPONSIBLY

DISARONNO VELVET BATIDA

Ingredients:

1 part Disaronno Velvet Liqueur 1 part coconut water Fresh coconut, to garnish

Method: Shake the Disaronno Velvet Liqueur and coconut water hard over ice. Strain into a tall glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a small slice of fresh coconut and serve with a sustainable straw.

Optional: Add one part of golden rum to the shaker along with the Disaronno Velvet Liqueur and coconut water before shaking for extra intensity.