LONDON'S BEST NEW COCKTAILS
“Put down the shaker, screw the cap back on the Campari, stop trying to figure out how to make those big clear ice cubes in your little home freezer; it’s time to give cocktail duties back to the professionals. After a tough year-or-so for the industry it’s basically the duty of every self-respecting cocktailian to head out and support our favourite spots by getting a few rounds in. Just as well then, that London’s bartenders are offering new menus, honed over months of lockdown, and filed with new drinks to get acquainted with. These are some of the best new cocktails on offer in the capital right now. Cheers.”
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HOW TO MASTER THE GIN GIMLET
“The Gin Gimlet was an unlikely hero of our socially distanced year. With their venues shuttered, bartenders were forced to get creative in order to ply their trade to a homebound audience. In a rush to create cocktails that could withstand bottling and postage, many turned to shelf-stable cordials in place of more temperamental citrus juices. After decades as a classic cocktail deep cut, the Gimlet was back on the menu. The original calls only for London Dry, Rose’s Lime Cordial, and a little ice to chill it down – but like many old favourites it affords ample room for experimentation.”
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BRITAIN'S TOP CHEFS ON WHERE TO EAT AFTER LOCKDOWN
“After long months of social distancing, the scramble is on to book those all-important first meals out. You can almost taste it, can’t you. Someone else’s cooking, served on someone else’s plates. It’s a universal truth that the best tips on where to eat come from within the industry. Here, some of Britain’s best chefs share the spots they’re heading to as soon as the lockdown lifts.”
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THE BEST DRINKS TO SERVE IN YOUR GARDEN
“It’s finally time. After long months walking in the park and pounding coffees in the street you can have a small number of pals over as long as they stay in the garden. Will you have a few drinks when then come by? For the first time in months? Just a couple…? Yes, you absolutely will. Here are some of the best things to serve while you to remember how to have a conversation with more than two people.”
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FOUR TWISTS FOR YOUR G&T
“The gin and tonic is a beautiful thing. Refreshing, anti-malarial, and fixable by even the least confident home bartenders. However, malaria rates are at an all-time low in the UK and over-reliance on old favourites is a sure-fire route to monotony and disenchantment. There’s a whole wide world of ways to knock back gin so why not give the tonic water a rest and try something different when 5pm rolls around?”
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WHAT TO DRINK ON ST PATRICK'S DAY
“St Patrick’s Day is coming. Which means people all over the world will be repeating that thing they’ve heard about the pints being better in Dublin, claiming that they’ve read Portrait of the Artist, and championing Irish family connections through some obscure branch of the family tree.”
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HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT MARGARITA
“One popular origin story has a Texan socialite coming up with the Margarita during a jolly south of the border in the late ‘40s but that’s about as believable as her showing up in Acapulco and inventing guacamole. In reality, prototypical Margaritas were being mixed up by bartenders around Mexico as early as the 1930s. The drink's adaptability and sheer brilliance has seen it remain popular through nine decades of changing tastes.”
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VALENTINE'S DAY COCKTAILS TO MAKE AT HOME
“As we’re all doing Valentine’s Day at home this year it’s well worth breaking out the cocktail shaker to make the occasion feel special. This selection of drinks, each more romantic than the last, should do the job nicely.”
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WHAT TO DRINK ON BURNS NIGHT
“The Burns Supper is not so much a dinner as it is a celebration of Scotland’s great contributions to poetry, distilling, and sausage making. Even though this year’s celebrations are set to be smaller scale than usual, the 25th of January still represents an opportunity to defy the winter gloom and raise a few glasses of guid auld Scotch drink. A dram or two, taken neat or with water, is traditional for toasting – but this is by no means the only way to enjoy your whisky on Burns night.”
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WHAT TO DRINK DURING DRY JANUARY
“January 2021 looks set to be a little duller than your average. And that's before many of us take on the traditional new year’s detox. Luckily, the drinks world has upped its game significantly on the low-and-no alcohol front of late, so cutting back doesn’t mean giving up on fun. Here are some of the best options for a dry – or perhaps just a little less wet – January.”
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FIVE NEW YEAR COCKTAILS TO MAKE AT HOME
“A dry gin Martini in everything but garnish, this variation on the classic comes with a pickled onion or two. The Gibson had a bit of a moment this year after featuring in The Queen’s Gambit, but it’s been around forever. Hemingway favoured them during his Florida years – when he wasn’t favouring a Scotch and soda, Daiquiri, or Bloody Mary – and would keep onions in the freezer to make his Gibsons extra icy.”
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HOW TO DRINK BRANDY
“‘Claret is the liquor for boys, Port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy,’ opined author and historical gout sufferer Samuel Johnson.”
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WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR CHRISTMAS DRINKS CABINET
The drinks section of the supermarket is more crowded than ever. Lead booze scientist predict that gin distilleries will soon outnumber people in some parts of the UK. By 2030 there will be more low-intervention wine labels than there are stars in the Milky Way (probably). While all that choice is nice to have it does make for a lot of difficult decisions when stocking the Christmas drinks cabinet. Here to take the hassle out of things are some of the best options for staying merry this festive season.”
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THE BEST BOTTLED COCKTAILS TO TRY DURING LOCKDOWN
“Bottled cocktails are nothing new. Jerry Thomas, the godfather of bartending, wrote recipes for drinks to make ahead and enjoy on the go as far back as the 1860s. However, this year saw the concept take on new significance. Bartenders and brands have worked hard to deliver signature serves in a portable fashion and bring cutting edge booze to a socially distanced world. These, are some of the best.”
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THE BEST WHISKIES TO TRY AS THE NIGHTS DRAW IN
“Whisky is not just for cold weather but it does make a certain kind of sense in the winter months. No other spirit can provide central heating like a good dram at the end of a chilly day. This month has seen a wave of new releases so there’s plenty of whisky fun to be had as autumn turns into winter.”
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SIX BARS TO TRY DURING LONDON COCKTAIL WEEK
“More than 200 venues across the capital will take part, offering events and £6 signature serves to wristband holders. During this difficult time for the hospitality industry it’s basically the duty of cocktailists everywhere to turn out and do our part so with that in mind here are the most unmissable workshops, tastings, and pop-ups to enjoy this October.”
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HOW TO SPOT GOOD QUALITY STEAK
“Buying steak means pressure, stage fright at the front of the butchers’ queue, and wondering if you were off school the day a man in a white trilby came to class and explained the finer points of steer anatomy to everyone but you. However, the secrets to securing quality beef aren’t so difficult – you just need to take your cues from the professionals.”
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WHERE TO DRINK GIN IN LONDON
“Last year’s rumblings that Britain had reached peak gin have been completely confounded by recent events. Though it’ll take time for accurate figures to emerge, it looks like we threw down G&Ts in record numbers this year – not to mention making our own Martinis, Negronis and Gimlets as everyone became their own bartenders during lockdown. Now that life is returning to the city and bars are reopening, it’s high time we handed cocktail duties back to the professionals.”
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HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT MOJITO
“The origin myth of the Mojito often credits Sir Francis Drake, the famous privateer and ruff enthusiast, with its invention. The story finds Drake on Cuba in 1586, absolutely knackered from plundering and at the command of an increasingly sickly and overheated crew. As a way to improve morale, get some fruit and greenery down everyone, and generally blow off steam Drake supposedly mixed lime and mint with some Spanish aguardente and in doing so invented the prototype for the modern mojito.”
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HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT SPRITZ
“Bitter Liqueurs have been traditional to the Italian Peninsula since before Italy as a nation even existed. These botanical infusions were taken to stimulate the appetite, aid digestion, and promote general vigour – often with a little water or wine to help the medicine go down. But it wasn’t until the 1780s that German inventor Johann Jacob Schweppe – whose name may be familiar to you – commercialised his process for making carbonated water and set the table for a million aperitivo hours.”
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