Christmas drinks: The 7 best festive tipples
FANCY a festive tipple? Our expert gets into the Christmas spirits...
clear out your cabinet and make way for these gorgeous Christmas tipples
This is the time of year to clear out your drinks cabinet. Get rid of the sweet sherry and weird liqueurs that you’ll never drink to make way for much more modern and appealing bottles.
There are now some excellent spirits on the market – it’s an area where innovation is rife – and although they’re not cheap, they keep indefinitely once opened, so you can return to them again and again.
Here are seven of my favourites…
From left:
Tincup Colorado Whiskey £32 or £28.80 each for six, Majestic, 42% alcohol
From Denver, Colorado, this is a classic bourbon-style whiskey with a modern twist. It’s complex, warm and spicy with vanilla, pepper, toffee and herbs along with notes of fruity pears.
Penderyn Celt Whisky £26.99, masterofmalt.com (01892 888376), 41% alcohol
Penderyn is the only whisky distillery in Wales and this is a new addition to its impressive range. It’s complex, pale-coloured and slightly peaty with flavours of pears and hot spices. This is delicious stuff.
Penny Blue XO Single Estate Mauritian Rum £40, bbr.com (0800 280 2440), 43.3% alcohol
This Mauritian rum is sweet, nutty and raisiny with a pleasant mellow spiciness. It’s rich, warm and intense with real finesse.
Poli Po’ Morbida Grappa £39.95, thewhiskyexchange.com (020 8838 9388), 40% alcohol
Grappa is made from the skins left over after wine has fermented. This is a remarkable example made from the moscato grape that is smooth and aromatic with fabulous fruity flavours. It’s perfect for sipping on its own.
Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey £37.99 for 35cl, Waitrose, 46% alcohol
Amazingly aromatic, this is one of the most impressive whiskeys and its high price tag is justified. Spices, herbs, raisins, vanilla and ripe-apple flavours all merge together to form a concentrated, complex whole.
Black Cow Pure Milk Vodka £26, Marks & Spencer, 40% alcohol
This is the world’s first pure milk vodka, made from the product of grass-fed cows. The whey was fermented into a beer using a specialist yeast, then this was distilled to create this peppery, spicy, textured vodka.
Framboise Sauvage Eau de Vie £30, Marks & Spencer, 45% alcohol
To make this, wild raspberries were macerated in alcohol prior to distillation, and the result is a gorgeous eau de vie with powerful, fruity flavours. It’s quite delicious.