Fancy a snowball?
Return of the retro festive drinks that taste forgot
Prosecco is passé and cava is over. Sorry, you ladies who refer to such champagne substitutes as “mum petrol”. Instead, it’s time to get on board with the latest tipple trend: the lambrusco revival. The fizzy Eighties favourite is making a comeback, thanks to a good vintage of grapes in the EmiliaRomagna region and a higher alcohol content than previous incarnations of the wine. No longer naff, lambrusco 2.0 is drier and more full-bodied than the sickly-sweet version you might hazily remember.
It’s not the only party drink of yesteryear that’s back with a boozy vengeance. Supermarket shelves and hip bars are heaving with retro names that will send you into a misty-eyed reverie about drinks cabinets of yore: well-stocked with Warninks Advocaat, Crème de Menthe, Galliano, Blue Curaçao, Emva Cream, Cockburns port, a jar of past-their-sell-by cocktail cherries and a lone bottle of Mackeson’s milk stout in case Nanna needed it “for medicinal purpose”.
Here’s a squiffy selection of seven drinks making a comeback this Christmas…
Lambrusco
The sparkling Italian wine was once a staple of shoulder-padded dinner parties, and also beloved by students for its sweet drinkability and screwtop (never underestimate the utter laziness of an undergraduate). Last week, though, the £30 Vecchia Modena variety outsold prosecco in Carluccio’s restaurants. It’s dry, foodfriendly and slips down like Santa in a wide, well-greased chimney. The similar pignoletto is flying off the shelves at Sainsbury’s, M&S and Waitrose – which has sold out of its initial order but has more on the way. Hic.
Cinzano
Despite the best efforts of Leonard Rossiter spilling it over Joan Collins in those classic ads, the Italian vermouth for years languished in the shadow of its more successful compatriot, Martini & Rossi (“Any time, any place, anywhere / There’s a wonderful world you can share / It’s the right one, the bright one… it’s Martini”). Now owned by Gruppo Campari, it’s on the comeback trail with the “Cinzano 1757” premium range – its name referencing the year of the brand’s formation by brothers Giovanni and Carlo Cinzano. Mix with soda and a squeeze of lemon, or tonic and orange juice. As the vintage slogan went: “The aroma wasn’t built in a day.”
Babycham
“I’d love a Babycham.” The light, sparkling perry – a sort of proto-alcopop, marketed to women – is back on the shelves at Waitrose and prancing off them like that iconic chamois deer on the label. Back in 1957, Babycham was the first alcoholic beverage advertised on British TV, and peaked in popularity during the Seventies. The kitschy fawn logo was recently used on Cath Kidston prints, and Babycham sales are on the rise for the first time in decades. It’s good to buy British, too: Babycham hails from Shepton Mallet in Somerset cider country. And as a “champagne perry”, its very existence has long annoyed the French, which is a bonus.
Asti
Prosecco is a Johnny-come-lately compared to Italy’s classic sweet sparkling wine. “Something to celebrate” Seventies favourite Asti Spumante gained a bad reputation as poor man’s champagne, usually being served too warm or as an aperitif (both cardinal sins). However, Asti is coming into its own this party season, especially to accompany desserts – or, as Saint Nigella recommends, mixed with fresh lime juice for an “Italian Sparkler” cocktail. Cork-poppingly delicious.
Snowball
Ah, the festive classic, beloved by grannies and teenage drinkers alike. Advocaat, the Dutch “winter warmer” brandy-and-egg liqueur, is mixed with lemonade and lime, but Warninks has been working with bartenders from Soho House Group for a pre-Christmas push. Garnish with cinnamon stick, cocoa powder, ginger or star anise for an on-trend twist. The Call The Midwife characters can’t
Blue Nun
In Roddy Doyle’s Bookershortlisted 1991 novel The Van, fishand-chip vendor Jimmy Rabbitte Sr offered wine to customers not with “Red or white?” but “Black or Blue?” – meaning Black Tower or Blue Nun, two German brands that became a byword for bad taste. Blue Nun (below) is, naturally, Alan Partridge’s vino of choice. This former liebfraumilch has been remixed with riesling grapes and relaunched as a crisply contemporary wine, which has won the approval of Victoria Beckham. All we need now is a revival of Mateus Rosé, Hungarian Bull’s Blood and Paul Masson’s Californian Carafes.
Dubonnet
Why not mark the Queen’s 90th year by helping to revive her favourite drink? The aromatised wine-based French aperitif was big in the Seventies, thanks to an ad campaign starring Pia Zadora. More recently, it popped up in super-chic boxset drama Mad Men, when Don Draper’s lover Bobbie Barrett ordered “Dubonnet with a twist”. Now it’s gaining favour with cocktail mixologists all over again. Try it mixed with vermouth, lemonade, bitters or, Her Majesty’s preference, with gin, ice and a slice. Dubo, Dubon, Dubonnet.