Luxury Spring Drinks Guide 2018
Looking to see in Spring and the Bank Holiday weekend with a little something special? We have shortlisted some of our favourite tipples for the Spring season in this brand new guide! Whether you are looking for super wines, elegant and refreshing gins, or even a couple of cocktails, then you are in the right place!
Eden Mill Strawberry & Black Pepper Gin Liqueur (£16)
Eden Mill is a superb, St Andrews based distillery with oodles of great style, history and variation when it comes to crafting the gins and whisky’s people really want.
For Spring 2018, they have released a series of gin liqueurs that will have the tastebuds singing in seconds! The range includes Pear & Cassia, Lemon & Raisin and Strawberry & Cracked Pepper.
Eden Mill are truly pushing the boundaries here, having mastered gin and whisky in many different forms. These liqueurs have been created with the Eden Mill Slackwater Gin, which is apparently “named after ‘the stand of the tide’ when a body of tidal water is at its calmest.” This base gin has a fabulous juniper character with hints of coconut and beetroot. We tried the Strawberry & Cracked Pepper gin, which dazzles the nose with a stunning strawberry fragrance, which is then undercut by the heat of the black pepper. A fun, exciting and summery gin liqueur that works well as a short cocktail. Just mix with spiced rum, lime juice and lots of crushed ice.
Find out more here.
Superb Spring Wines from Jereboams
Jeroboams is a London based purveyor of exquisite wines and spirits from across the globe. Ifyou are looking for wines with superb elegance or if you are looking for top level advice in purchasing, then Jereboams are always happy to oblige. A personal service, with high quality and huge amounts of knowledge, there aren’t many better places to purchase your wines and spirits from.
The 2014 Chambolle Musigny, Les Cras, Domaine Antonin Guyon from Jereboams is an elegant red burgundy, with supple tannins and rich savoury raspberry fruits. Domaine Antonin Guyon is one of the most prestigious estates in the Côte d’Or and is renowned for producing such superbly intense wines as this. Pairs with red meat and chicken. Alternatively, the 2016 Langhe Nascetta, Diego Conterno from Piedmont Italy (retailing at £17.95), is an aromatic white with lots of fruit flavour. Rich, with green apple and lingering spicy notes, this is an exciting and highly drinkable wine when the weather gets warmer.
Conker Spirit Dorset Dry Gin (RRP £35.95)
Spring and Summer come to life with a wonderful gin. Fortunately, the Conker Dorset Dry Gin, which contains 10 botanicals, is the ideal way to see in the warmer weather. Three of the botanicals are hand-sourced from Dorset itself and they provide a superb touch point on the areas produce.
Elderberries, gorse flowers and samphire give this gin a unique twist to the area and hark back to the sandy backstreets of Bournemouth, where the ingredients are distilled. Comprised of British Wheat and with a base of New Forest spring water, there is a lot of refinement and class on offer here. A Macedonian juniper heart gives the gin a stoic base from which the localised botanicals can express themselves.
For us, this is one of the best gins out there and is best served with a premium tonic over ice.
Conker Spirit Dorset Dry Gin retails at £35.95 and is available to buy at Fortnum & Mason and via conkerspirit.co.uk
Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rose
The House of Billecart-Salmon have an excellent pedigree when it comes to producing knock out champagnes! This stunning Brut Rose has been created with all of the house’s experience (seven generations, no less!) and passion in each drop. The Brut Rosé is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir vinified as red wine.
Perfectly pink, exuberant and pale, there are flecks of gold throughout and elegant rising bubbles. A bouquet of red fruits and hints of citrus is an instant crowd pleaser for connoisseurs and coiffeurs alike. On the palate there is a lovely light flavour, with elegance and class. A lingering taste of raspberries lends touch of freshness.
Ideal for any occasion (if it was left up to us) or best suited to memorable moments and celebrations. The house recommends it accompany wild salmon or sushi! It also compliments desserts too, especially those with red fruit flavours.
Elegant, light and full of refined summer flavours.
Chase Original Vodka (RRP £37)
Chase’s signature spirit, this vodka is the only true Single-Estate spirit in the UK. Made with only two ingredients, this is a wonderfully pure and simple Vodka. Combining potatoes from the Chase farm and water from their very own source, this spirit has gone on to win numerous awards. The awards even include the World’s Best Vodka at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Wonderfully clean, elegant and rounded, this is a superb example of how less is more. On the nose there the ever so slightest hints of sliced potato and a touch of white pepper. Upon tasting it is surprisingly creamy and there are pleasant mineral notes.
Make this your vodka of Spring 2018! It’s fabulously British too! Purchase a bottle here.
City Of London DRY GIN (RRP £35.00)
A relatively new player on the gin scene, City of London Gin is produced at the small City of London distillery which opened in November 2012. With only 5 years under their belt, this ambitious and modest sized distillery bagged the Double-Gold Award at the San Francisco Spirits Competition 2017. It should also be added that other gins from City of London Gin are also racking up the awards fast! Plus, this may just be one of our favourite gins of the moment and a certain contender for wowing when it comes to Spring and Summer evening parties and gatherings!
Based in the heart of the City, City of London Gin can be found just off Fleet street, where two copper stills produce both gin and vodka during the day. In the evenings, the establishment actually opens as a bar, giving a true celebration of their produce.
The City of London Dry Gin is made in small batches on site and is packaged in elegant, 700ml bottles. In the essence of a classic London Dry, this is enjoyably citrusy with the presence of fresh orange, lemon and pink grapefruit throughout. Plus, there is the typical juniper prowess you would expect. Super clean on the palate and wonderfully clear in the glass, this gin has a lot of class. The balance of the botanicals is also an exciting one, with parma violet, orris root, liquorice and others combining for a memorable experience for the senses.
You can buy your bottle here.