Makemine amescalmargarita!
From slamming posh tequila to sipping Champagne on the rocks, how the smart set are welcoming summer...
Millions of us, joyous for a few days of sunshine, wiped the barbecue free of cobwebs, hauled the garden furniture out of the shed and found the mower thankfully broken.
With the waft of burnt sausage comes the promise of long summer evenings in the garden with a glass or two of something cold.
But what? surely we’re bored with rosé, tired of the ubiquitous gin, and horrified by sugar-laden fruit juice. Aperol spritz? so last year.
As in all things, there are fashions to be followed. And if the thought of a beetroot cocktail or a shot of Mexican heat is a bridge too far, then why not try a Chardonnay straight from the keg, or a glass of cava on the rocks? Here is our guide to the drinks for summer 2018 . . .
TEQUILA’S POSH COUSIN
lAst year, tequila was the new gin; this year, mescal is the new tequila. A smokier, earthier tipple than tequila, mescal is also made from the agave plant, but unlike its mass-produced cousin, mostly emerges from smaller, artisanal outfits.
Much like wine, it has an individual character, according to the quality of the harvest. Mixed with lime juice, grapefruit liqueur or the orange liqueur Aperol, it has that bitter, sophisticated zing that says summer 2018. ‘it’s a connoisseur’s spirit, and it’s genuinely artisanal, which is a trend,’ says Mark ludmon, editor of Bar Magazine.
the courageous will drink it with a slice or two of jalapeno pepper; the rest of us might show willing with a cocktail of mescal, cucumber juice and a pinch of salt. Add a hint of agave syrup and you’ve got a mescal margarita.
FIZZ ON THE ROCKS
Purists, look away now. the latest trend in bubbles is ice — versions of the best-known Champagnes, proseccos and cavas produced for drinking over specific amounts of ice: ‘five to seven cubes’ depending on the size of the glass, according to the maker of Canti Prosecco ice, for example. Half a dozen other ice-friendly fizzes, including Moet & Chandon ice imperial and freixenet ice Cava, are in supermarkets this summer, many in frosty white bottles. Bubbles designed for ice are usually demi-sec, which has more sugar than the dry Brut we prefer in the uK, and helps sustain the taste as the ice melts.
Veuve Clicquot has brought out a sweeter bottle called rich to mix in cocktails.
‘it’s an extension of the trend that exploded last year where you saw drinks like Aperol spritz served in big globe glasses with lots of ice,’ says Pierpaolo Petrassi, head buyer for beers, wines and spirits at Waitrose.
‘in the 19th century, most Champagne was sweet, and really sweet Champagnes were especially popular in imperialist russia,’ he adds. ‘People refer to it as the style of the tsars.’
VODKA AND BEETROOT
no, not a health smoothie, but proper booze — made with vinegar and possibly beetroot
if the gin mania of recent years hadn’t given us enough of aromatics, along comes the revival of a 17th-century recipe for a liquor called vinegar shrub.
it’s a syrup made from vegetables, herbs or fruit fermented with vinegar. like kefir (fermented milk), it’s full of healthy bacteria. A shrub is then mixed with spirits or white wine.
‘Herbal and savoury flavours are in,’ says Bar Magazine’s Mark ludmon. ‘Vinegar shrub is a classic English ingredient that’s part of that trend.’
Add beetroot shrub to vodka or whisky for a rich earthy note and gorgeous deep colour, he says. A shot of apple and fennel shrub goes well with vodka, but mixologists will use shrubs of all kinds.
CRAFT WATER CAN
You’VE heard of craft beer, now ready yourself for craft water. the market for speciality waters is booming as people ditch sugary fizzy drinks and fruit juice. inspired by health bloggers and instagrammers, we’re turning to brands that sell water in cans as lifestyle accessories.
in the u.s., the most successful brand laCroix was recently valued at $400 million (£280million), while restaurants employ water sommeliers to pair the right water with dishes. Can we be far behind?
‘People are looking for healthier, more interesting products,’ says Jack scott, who launched Dash Water with a friend nine months ago. in lemon, raspberry and cucumber flavours, it’s in 900 shops across london and the West Country. ‘ours is spring water from shropshire, and we pride ourselves on using wonky fruit and veg — produce that would get thrown away because it doesn’t look perfect.’
THE END OF THE EMPTY BOTTLE
rEfillABlE wine bottle schemes, where you bring a bottle to be filled in a shop or at a market, tick every trendy box — from a reduced carbon footprint to a lower cost.
BYo bottles are perfect for light, juicy wines made for immediate drinking. it won’t keep for much longer than two or three days, but since 95 per cent of the wine bought in the uK is drunk within 24 hours, that won’t concern the average consumer.
What might is the price — BYo wine should cost 30per cent less than the same plonk in a single-use bottle. ‘it already happens in countries such as Denmark and france,’ says Andrew nielsen, founder of wine makers and merchants le Grappin. ‘refillable bottles cut carbon emissions by 90per cent.’
You can refill a bottle with le Grappin Cotes du rhone rosé, or a Macon-Villages Chardonnay, at farmers’ markets and wine shops across london, and in Wright’s food Emporium in llanarthney, Wales. Wine-on-tap schemes operate at the Better food Company in Bristol, and reserve Wines in Manchester.
LOW (NOT NO) ALCOHOL
All the experts concur on this — as a nation, we don’t want to give up the odd tipple, but we are trying to drink less overall. ‘People increasingly want light and refreshing,’ says Petrassi. ‘A wine like a chenin blanc or a riesling packs a punch, but isn’t particularly high in alcohol.’ Many supermarkets are branding wines as low alcohol and low calorie: sainsbury’s stocks Blossom Hill wines with ABVs of 5.5 per cent, compared with the usual 12 or more, while M&s’s sumika range has an ABV of 8.5 per cent and a calorie count of 50 per 100ml compared with the usual 80 to 100. ‘it’s part of the healthy eating and drinking trend,’ says olivia Edwards at the food People. ‘lowalcohol wines elongate the drinking experience — great for picnics.’ ‘Even in cocktail bars, people are going for the lower ABV drinks,’ says Mark ludmon. ‘something simple like vermouth over ice has all the lovely herbal flavours, but a lower alcohol content. Elderflower and prosecco is another relatively light drink that’s already popular. Expect to see a lot of it this summer.’