ISSUE 18 - January 2019 - £4.95 FE ATURE D S P IR IT
D E : TAILS Detoxing cocktails with January’s cocktails
T H E RU BY IS L E
Ireland’s finest craft vodka is this month’s featured spirit
DE : TAI LS
N E W YEAR - N EW COCK TAI L S Get the low-down on 2019’s biggest cocktail & spirit trends
Detoxing cocktails with January’s Tipple Box IN S IDE : R U BY B LU E SPIR IT S | LIT T LE DEVI L S P I CES | S CHWEP P ES
W H AT ’ S I N T H E BOX? RubyBlue Vodka Produced by Hughes Craft Distillery, RubyBlue Vodka was Ireland’s first potato distilled vodka. Using potatoes harvested late in season, the vodka has a well-rounded creamy finish.
M UDDL E
Issue 18 - J an u a r y 20 1 9
Happy New Year! In January’s Edition of Muddle Magazine, we’re talking tipples and trends as we discover what lies ahead for cocktails in 2019. From newly launched bars and bottles to helping you build your barware collection, we’re also delving into the low/no-alcohol trend set to takeover bars and shelves this year.
Editor: Claire White Photography: Stephen Spiers For all editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact: info@tipplebox.co.uk
Alongside the low alcohol movement, many simply choose to abstain from alcohol in January so we’ve ensured this month’s featured cocktails can be switched to delicious mocktails with our Bloody Mary / Virgin Mary and Moscow Mule / Moscow Mare. We’ll also explore January’s featured distillery to uncover the story behind Ireland’s RubyBlue vodka and chilli pepper liqueur, as featured in our January Cocktail Club box.
RubyBlue Chilli Pepper Liqueur Made by infusing whole chilli peppers with a blend of Irish spirit, the vibrant and spicy liqueur is a fiery infusion to enliven the senses and help create the perfect Bloody Mary. Fever Tree Ginger Beer Made by brewing a blend of three gingers from Nigeria, Cochin and the Ivory Coast, Fever Tree’s ginger beer is the perfect match for our Moscow Mule with its long-lasting ginger flavour. Schweppes Tomato Juice Schweppes tomato juice is full of the flavour of sweet, juicy and plump tomatoes with an added touch of salt for flavour. Little Devil Bloody Spice Little Devil’s all-in-one sachets contain one tablespoon of their secret spice essence, set to reinvigorate your at-home Bloody Mary experience.
CONTENTS 01
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WELCOME
Ed itor’s letter Ins id e this m o nth’s box
TIPPLER’S TRENDS
Dates for y our d iar y Bottles & bars
T I P P L E R ’ S TA L E S
Januar y ’s d e:tails
TIPPLER’S TIME
Hughes Craft Dis tiller y Little Dev il
T I P P L E R ’ S T R E AT S
Tip p le Box bar b lade
TIPPLER’S TIPS & TRICKS
2019 cocktail trend s
TIPPLER’S TOAST
Co m p etition #TagMyTipp le
Join us in raising a glass to the year ahead!
Snap
@TippleBox
Cheers, Claire
Follow @TippleBoxUK 1
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TIPPLER’S TRENDS
TIPPLER’S TRENDS
BOTTLES & BARS
D AT E S F O R Y O U R D I A R Y
M I N D F U L D R I N K I N G F E S T I VA L
RAISE A GL ASS TO RABBIE
12-13th January
Pickering’s Oak Aged Gin retails at £25.99
London’s Truman Brewery will play host to the Mindful Drinking Festival to help you discover the newest alcohol-free drinks. Featuring over 60 of the best low and no-alcohol drinks, alongside cocktail competitions, speakers, tastings and workshops, it’s time to uncover the top alcohol-free serves.
HEN GALAN
13th January
Did you know in Gwaun Valley New Year is celebrated on January 13th? When the Julian calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar in 1752, the people of Gwaun Valley resisted the change and carried on the ancient tradition. In Welsh tradition, children are given ‘Calennig’ (sweets or money), while adults gather at village pub The Dyffryn Arms to share a drink and a meal. 3
BURNS NIGHT
25th January
Celebrations of the life and poetry of Scotland’s National Poet Robert ‘Rabbie’ Burns are set to take place across the UK. From Burns Suppers to Ceilidhs, with whisky and haggis aflowing, January provides you with the perfect excuse to raise a glass to the Scottish bard. See page 4 for our pick of an alternative tartan tipple!
Not a fan of whisky? Pickering’s Oak Aged Gin may have the answer. Distilled in Scotland and aged in Scotch whisky casks from the Highland region, the gin is best served neat or on ice, alike whisky, or, if you’re looking for a longer drink, serve with ice, ginger ale and a twist of orange peel.
STRYYK
Strykk retails at £15 Strykk has unveiled its latest zero proof spirit as ‘Not Vodka’. Distilled and bottled in the UK, the ‘vodka’ has notes of cucumber and menthol with a sweet wheaty undertone, with hints of coriander adding a spicy, peppery warming finish. Serving suggestions include with tonic or used to replace vodka in cocktails.
AMBULO
Sheffield
Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders will open two new bars in the band’s hometown of Sheffield in early 2019. The all-day cafes will be situated within The Millenium Gallery and Weston Park Museum, serving up signature cocktails and Kombucha on tap, alongside a wide variety of noalcohol and low-alcohol options on the menu. 4
T I P P L E R ’ S TA L E S
J A N U A R Y ’ S D E : TA I L S
This month, our Cocktail Club members will be enjoying two cocktails to kickstart 2019 with the Bloody Mary and Moscow Mule! Don’t forget! January’s cocktails can easily be made into delicious mocktails by following the instructions on your recipe card.
BLOODY MARY The Bloody Mary is a widely contested cocktail, with its origin credited to several bartenders.
MOSCOW MULE
The most widely-credited story is from bartender Fernand Petiot who is said to have invented the cocktail in 1921 at the New York Bar in Paris, a frequent hangout for Ernest Hemingway amongst others.
The Moscow Mule’s invention may also be disputed, however both stories relate to Hollywood’s famous British pub the Cock ‘n’ Bull Saloon on Sunset Strip.
As migrants fled the Russian revolution, they introduced vodka to the city and Fernand began to experiment with the spirit, mixing it with canned tomato juice to create the original Bloody Mary cocktail.
Legend has it that a Connecticut-based liquor and food distributor had acquired rights to Smirnoff Vodka at the same time the owner of the Cock ‘n’ Bull, Jack Morgan, was trying to launch his own brand of ginger beer. The Moscow Mule was then said to be created to help boost sales of both products by creating a new drink, adding a squeeze of lime inspired by the Cuba Libra.
It was upon relocating to the King Cole Bar in New York City that Petiot’s cocktail developed into the Bloody Mary we know today. As sophisticated New Yorkers found the tomato and vodka concoction too bland, Petiot spiced things up by adding black pepper, cayenne pepper, worcestershire sauce and lemon, with a dash of TABASCO for those who wanted an added kick of spice. Now, the cocktail is a brunch staple across the country. Alongside being cited as a ‘healthier’ option, the cocktail is also known as a common hangover remedy, with its combination of vegetables, salt and alcohol thought to help settle the stomach, replenish lost electrolytes and relieve headaches.
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The contested story states the drink was invented in the very same bar by head bartender West Price who is said to have created the drink in an attempt to clear overstock of ginger beer from the basement. With a basic recipe that’s been transformed into more than 20 editions worldwide, the drink’s global success is mostly related to the copper mug which it is traditionally served in. The copperware is linked to another marketing tie-in, driven by Morgan’s girlfriend at the time who had inherited a copper factory, as the copperware serving was introduced to boost sales of the poorly selling mugs.
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TIPPLER’S TIME
HUGHES CRAFT DISTILLERY The first small-batch spirit producer in Northern Ireland, Hughes Craft Distillery is a family distillery run by husband and wife team Stuart and Barbara Hughes who manage every step of the process firsthand. Distilled in Moira, County Down, production recently moved to a 200-year-old Coach House which was a popular halt for the old Dublin stagecoach, where it would stop to feed and water the horses en-route to Belfast.
S M A L L B AT C H S P I R I T S FROM THE EMERALD ISLE
Relocating distilling to a new premises has enabled Hughes Craft Distillery to expand to incorporate a Gastropub, tours, distilling classes and a gin school, alongside an events space.
THE SPIRITS Handcrafted in small batches using all natural ingredients, Hughes Craft Distillery creates the award-winning RubyBlue spirits. In January’s Tipple Box, we’re giving you the chance to taste two of their tipples with RubyBlue Potato Vodka and RubyBlue Chilli Pepper Liqueur.
R U B Y B L U E P O TAT O V O D K A RubyBlue was Ireland’s first potato distilled vodka. Made using potatoes harvested late in season, the vodka is three times distilled in a small batch column before the spirit is charcoal filtered to create its well-rounded creamy finish.
CHILLI PEPPER LIQUEUR A fiery infusion to enliven the senses, RubyBlue Chilli Pepper Liqueur makes the perfect Bloody Mary accompaniment.
E S TA B L I S H E D 2010
L O C AT I O N
Moira, County Down, Northern Ireland
V O D K A TA S T I N G N O T E S
Subtle notes of vanilla and crisp apple with a smooth, buttery and well-rounded finish
C H I L L I TA S T I N G N O T E S Hot, sweet and spicy with a peppery kick R U B Y B L U E S P I R I T S .C O M @ RubyBlueSpirits
Made by infusing whole chilli peppers with a blend of Irish spirit, the vibrant and spicy flavour is a fiery infusion to enliven the senses.
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TIPPLER’S TIME
LITTLE DEVIL
T I P P L E R ’ S T R E AT S
BAR BLADE
On a mission to bring around a Bloody Mary revolution, Little Devil Bloody Spice is an all-in-one sachet to reinvigorate at-home Bloody Marys. Forget having a cupboard full of spices and sauces to create delicious Bloody Marys, January’s Tipple Box features the all-in-one sachets which contain one tablespoon of essence, the perfect amount to add some fire to a Bloody Mary!
Get ready to kickstart your cocktail making into 2019 with a FREE bar blade! This month, Tipple Box Cocktail Club members will receive a free bar blade with their January box to begin building their at-home cocktail set. A bar blade is a type of bottle opener, also known as a speed opener, primarily used by professional and flair bartenders to look the part while popping the top of bottles.
Handmade in small batches, the essence includes all the classic Bloody Mary ingredients from lime, lemons, celery salt and black pepper to Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce and Louisiana Hot Pepper. Little Devil also adds a hint of Japanese wasabi and secret ingredients to add heat, spice and citrus.
H O W-T O O P E N To make the most of every last drop, grip the sachet tightly between your thumb and forefinger before holding vertically to allow the essence to drain to the bottom. With your other hand, grip the top of the pack to tear open before turning upside down and squeezing the sachet downwards.
Featuring a bottle opener at one end, the ‘spinner ring’ at the opposite end is traditionally used for tricks and pulling bottles out of ice. The bar blade is the first part to complete any cocktail set so our subscribers can get to grips with January’s box as they hook, flip and pop the top of January’s tomato juice and ginger beer to enjoy delicious detox cocktails at home with the Bloody Mary and Moscow Mule!
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TIPPLER’S TIME
2019 C O C K TA I L T R E N D S At Tipple Box, we’re all about embracing cocktail culture, but who says spirits and their cocktail counterparts need to be limited to alcohol-only versions? Whether it’s down to a heightened health awareness or for personal reasons, the demand for quality alcohol-free alternatives has boomed over the last five years. It’s not only bars who’ve picked up on the trend, nonalcoholic ‘spirits’ hit supermarket shelves in November 2015 as Seedlip launched the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit. As Seedlip seemingly kickstarted the trend, with the brand now served in more than 15 international cities, further brands soon joined the movement across the globe which looks only set to rise in 2019. Reports show that the low-ABV and no alcohol cocktail movement will begin to shape bar menus more than ever before, as bartenders adopt the same techniques used to create spirit-steeped cocktails to develop non-alcoholic mocktails, while the availability of non-alcoholic options in supermarkets expands from shelves to aisles. This month alone, it has already been unveiled that Seedlip will launch Aecorn Apéritifs, with three expressions inspired by the European apéritif, while East-London soft drinks manufacturer Square Root Soda will launch its first non alcoholic ‘gin’ and tonic featuring a blend of distilled botanicals including juniper, cardamom, liquorice and Persian dried lime blended with its house tonic water. If you’re looking to venture into the no-alcohol trend, why not try our Mocktail Box? Featuring two delicious alternatives to classic cocktails with our Nojito and Elderflower Buzz! We’ve kept the sugary-sweet and citrus flavours from the Mojito that’ll transport you to the Caribbean while our Elderflower Buzz is based on the structure of the first ‘mixed drinks’ recipe formula to take something sweet, add an ingredient to sour it for balance then dilute, with each box containing everything you need to make refreshing cocktails to quench any thirst!
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TIPPLER’S TOAST
TIPPLER’S TOAST
W I N A B A R WA R E S E T !
COMPETITION
We’re giving you the chance to kickstart 2019 by winning a bottle of RubyBlue Vodka!
For your chance to win a barware set, share your cocktails with us on social media!
Ireland’s first potato distilled vodka, RubyBlue Vodka is our featured spirit of the month with its smooth creaminess the perfect complement to cocktails.
You can win a jigger, shaker, bar blade and bar spoon to elevate your mixology sessions at home with all the tools you need to create delicious cocktails with ease.
Whether you shake up your favourite cocktail or enjoy their house serve - on ice with white lemonade - you can win your own 70cl bottle to enjoy a home!
Each month, one lucky winner will be selected to win a Tipple Box barware set and see their photo published in Muddle Magazine.
For your chance to win, simply visit Tipple box on Facebook and enter via our Competition section in January! T&Cs apply.
Our latest winner is Alison Sherris who shared her Lemon Meringue Pie-tini from December’s Tipple Box!
THIS MONTH’S WINNER: ALISON SHERRIS
Before you get shaking, check out #TagMyTipple on Instagram to see photos from cocktail lovers enjoying a tipple or two across the UK!
@TIPPLEBOX #TAGMYTIPPLE
NEXT MONTH’S BOX F E B R U A R Y 201 9
We’re continuing the uplifting start to the year for our Cocktail Club members! Our members will be enjoying two delicious cocktails in our feel-good february box, featuring Edinburgh Gin. In Muddle, we’ll continue to track the latest cocktail trends as we look at the rise of the ‘Drinkstagrammer’ and how you can get involved with our monthly Drinkstagram ventures on social media. Don’t forget to let us know what you think of this month’s box via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! 13
LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS We’d love to hear from you! Share with us your feedback on your Tipple Box by leaving us a review. All we require is a simple rating from one to five stars, alongside any additional feedback you may wish to leave. It takes just a few clicks to share your Tipple Box experience and there’s no sign up required! Simply visit Reviews.co.uk and search for ‘Tipple Box’ 4.91 Rating on Reviews.co.uk 14
GINUARY S A L E N O W L I V E AT T I P P L E B O X .C O M