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Food and Drink
The Stylist guide to delicious alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for the long weekend
3 years ago
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6 min read
Our taste-test reveals the best drinks for the Platinum Jubilee weekend – without getting stuck in the kitchen.
It’s the June bank holiday we’ve been waiting for. Now’s the time to kick back with friends and family and enjoy delicious foods and original drinks that’ll make it a weekend to remember. However, if you don’t want to get stuck in the kitchen mixing together endless glasses of something cold for guests, we recommend you order in the best alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for 2022 now and enjoy the extra time lazing about as you please.
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We’ve carefully compiled and tasted the best proseccos, rosés, wine boxes, beers, ciders, gins and pre-mixed cocktails you could ever need along with excellent 0% alcohol alternatives to keep your mixology interesting. With special Platinum Jubilee editions and wine and beer from across Britain, including Scottish vodka and London-based aperitifs, it’s a celebration of artisan producers big and small. Discover your new favourite drink here…
The thinking-person’s cocktail in a can
The English summer rosé
“This dry and fruity rosé is as impressive as the bottle it comes in. Best served chilled, this multi-award-winning wine contains hints of peach, cranberry and grapefruit, making it the perfect accompaniment to a salad or light summer meal. It’s also made in England, making it the ideal Jubilee tipple.”
Summer wine finds
“Delicate yet fruity, a chilled glass of Madame F is exactly what you want from a post-work refreshment on a sunny day. It’s made to be enjoyed among friends and the softer palate makes it perfect to pair with white-rinded cheeses such as camembert and brie for the ultimate cheeseboard experience. Even better, Madame F was created in collaboration with LGBTQ+ charity Queer Britain and sales support the nation’s first LGBTQ+ museum.”
Whisky cocktail anyone?
“The Macallan Garden of Legacy is a summer recipe with legs, combining 40ml Macallan 12 Years Old Double Cask single malt, 30ml pink grapefruit juice, 10ml sugar syrup, a pinch of sea salt and then finished with soda water. Potent-but-refreshing, it’s the ideal summer cocktail to mix up before guests arrive.”
Shop The Macallan 12-Year-Old Double Cask (£60) at The Macallan
A mixologist in your kitchen
“As a true lover of the espresso martini, I have tried and failed many a time to recreate the silky smooth and perfectly balanced version found in my favourite bars. It’s much harder than it looks. However, this might just be my new go-to – I was so impressed. If you own a cocktail shaker, pour 150ml over some ice as this is best served chilled, shaken then poured in your favourite martini glass. It’s creamy, smooth and very fresh with an impressively frothy top. Pair a glass or two with some juicy British raspberries while you indulge in this very delicious cocktail at home or in the garden – and obviously with the girls.”
Shop the Soho Street Cocktails Espresso Martini (£28) at Drink Supermarket
The elevated sparkling wine
“What better way to celebrate than by popping open the first English sparkling wine produced by a champagne house? Made in Hampshire, using chardonnay and pinots noir and meunier, Louis Pommery England by Vranken Pommery is crisp and fresh, with notes of zesty lemon and tart green apples. Perfect for summer, it’s light, refreshing and best served straight up – this one’s too good to mix. Pair it with afternoon tea to counteract the sweetness, or go all out with grilled Scottish langoustines and a lemony mayo.”
Shop Louis Pommery English Brut NV Sparkling Wine (£29) at The Champagne Company
Hangover-free prosecco
“I swear I’m allergic to prosecco and champagne (a red rash creeps up my neck and I feel very drunk very fast) so I’d sort of given up on them until I tried alcohol-free Pale Fox. Light, crisp and full of bubbles, this is a real summer find.”
The fruit juice alternative
“It really annoys me when I go out to parties and there’s nothing to drink apart from cartons of juice and a flat Diet Coke so now I’m investing in Gusto wherever I go. Serving up everything from Cherry Cola to Sicilian Lemon Yuzu and Blood Orange flavours, these are refreshing, old-school taste sensations.”
Aperitif hour English style
“I bunged this bottle of English sparkling wine in the freezer for a couple of hours before cracking open with a bunch of friends. Refreshing and worryingly moreish, it’s the perfect aperitif offering for these long, warm evenings when you want something cold and fizzy to undo the stress of commuting. It’s made for drinking alongside a can of Perello olives and thick-cut crisps. The drink may be English but it’s crying out for the continental treatment.”
A trio of summer vodkas
“Fresh, fruity and oh-so natural! Grey Goose has really bottled-up summer with these new delightfully refreshing new flavours. Having tried all three, it was hard to decide on a clear favourite, but as a classic vodka lime gal, I think the floral yet citrusy White Peach and Rosemary came out on top. Best served over ice with tonic garnished with a strawberry, peach or crisp slice of watermelon to complement your chosen flavour.”
The go-to mixer for summer
The summer gin
“Tasting this apple and elderflower flavour, I couldn’t help but think ‘if the Brambly Hedge mice drank gin – I think this would be it’.” Filled with apple notes and served over plain tonic and lots of ice, you’ll find me happily snoozing under the nearest hedgerow this summer.”
Shop Penrhos Spirits Apple & Elderflower Gin (£35) at Penrhos
A proper toasting wine
“A classic blend of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes – the three main varieties used in champagne – this limited-edition patriotic bottle from award-winning English sparkling specialists Nyetimber is deliciously crisp and more than holds its own against its French counterparts. A fine fizz to toast Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne (and an extra day off work).”
Shop Nyetimber Platinum Jubilee Classic Cuvee MV (£37.50) at nyetimber.com
Tasty cider for the sunshine
“English cider that tastes like Bakewell tarts? Hell yes, is my answer. And it was a really lovely cider that worked incredibly well with a barbecue of veggie kebabs and sausages in the sun. Fruity, subtle and uplifting.”
Shop Brothers Cherry Bakewell Cider (£23.99 for 12) at Drink Supermarket
A buzz without the booze
“Reading Sentia’s description “a truly functional alcohol alternative” blew my mind, but thanks to its botanical ingredients, it triggers the best bits of a drink (feeling sociable and relaxed) with none of the downsides. Serving it straight over ice took a little getting used to but then… I was converted. I think it’s going to be a grower.”
Fun summer cocktails in a can
“These fun new flavours from Funkin Cocktails are ideal if you’re planning on spending the Jubilee weekend outside with friends. Not only are they scarily easy to drink, but both the Strawberry Daiquiri and Peach On The Beach flavours are infused with nitrogen, which allows them to retain the freshly made texture you’d find at a bar.”
For the perfect old fashioned
Shop Speyburn Single Malt Whisky at Speyburn (£32) at Sainsbury’s
The British spritz
A gin with elegance
“I struggle with flavoured gins and always opt for a classic with plain Fevertree tonic (I know, I know) but this limited-edition gin hit the right spot with surprising notes of grapefruit. I went wild and used a slice of cucumber instead of lime, and it really was a delight.”
Shop Silent Pool Gin Platinum Celebration Edition (£45) at Silent Pool
The picnic essential
“Forget wine in a bag, box or can. Just in time for picnic season, When In Rome’s Rosato has a zippy acidity, and comes in a bottle made from 94% recycled paper. Not only does it have serious eco-credentials, with a carbon footprint 84% lower than a single-use glass bottle, it’s light, delicious and absolutely made to be enjoyed alfresco with supermarket tapas of crisps, dips and charcuterie. It’s never been easier to pop a bottle in your bag and go.”
Caribbean spiced rum
“The rum is 100% natural, flavoured with fresh coconut and floral hibiscus with notes of frangipane and maraschino cherries. It’s naturally flavoured with clementine and a warm Caribbean spice mix of vanilla pod, ginger, cinnamon and clove. The rum tastes extremely smooth, with sweet and smoky notes. I tried the rum out with both slimline and elderflower tonic and ginger ale as mixers. And in my opinion, I would say that it works very well as a sweet yet refreshing drink over ice with slimline tonic or some ginger ale and a wedge of lime.”
The ultimate gin for the sunshine
“You know summer is here when Sipsmith’s Strawberry Smash gin arrives. Bringing together all the best bits of the season, I love serving this subtle take on a classic in a large tumbler with fresh strawberries to friends; it seems to make them think I’m a lot more talented at mixing drinks than I actually am.”
Barley vodka for a slight twist
“This barley vodka, inspired by the spirit-making traditions of Scotland, starts off like most other high-quality voddies (smooth, vaguely detectable) before leaving an almost whisky-ish aftertaste. For any Portuguese drink fans, it smells a little like aguardente – except that this is grain-based rather than grape-derived. Keep in the fridge and pour over ice for a straight, strong but refreshing tipple, or use to make a slightly more interesting vodka martini (whether you have it dirty or dry is up to you).”
100% natural non-alcoholic sparkler
“Sprigster Fizz is the perfect alternative to champagne and prosecco, and it’s particularly good for cocktail hour when you want the sensation of an evening starting but don’t want to go straight to the hard alcohol. Filled with botanicals, I mix and match it with flavoured tonics and soda (cucumber and elderflower ones are especially good) for mocktails that impress.”
Shop Sprigster Fizz Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Botanical Infusion (£15) at Sprigster Drinks
Alcohol-free aperitif hour
“For non-drinkers, one of the hardest flavours to replicate is that sweet-bitter blend you find in the likes of Aperol and Campari. Thankfully, the Italians have our backs once again with non-alcoholic aperitivo Crodino. Refreshingly citrusy and complex, it’s been a favourite in Italy since 1965 but only recently arrived on these shores. Serve over ice with a slice of orange and some fennel-seed taralli for snacking. Patriotic? Not so much, but when it tastes this good I’m sure HM will let us off.”
A seriously delicious drink-free rum
“I find it really difficult to enjoy alcohol-free spirits and wines, but this rum from Caleño is something else to behold. Filled with the taste of coconut, vanilla and pineapple, it’s the perfect base for tropical punches and cocktails and something I truly look forwards to drinking.”
Dry Martinis at your fingertips
Wine aromatics without the alcohol
Shop Blurred Vines Sharp + Spark (£33) at The Three Spirits Drinks
The perfect artisan craft beer
“Sustainably brewed in South Devon and suitable for vegans and vegetarians, this is a really lovely light and organic craft ale that’s perfect for summer drinking giving a taste that’s similar to the first beer you have on holiday. I am so converted to their beers now.”
Shop Barnaby’s Craft Beer from 26 May (£29.95 for 12 bottles) at Riverford Organic
A cream tea in a bottle
“This limited-edition gin from The Cotswold Distillery is infused with strawberries, raspberries and vanilla for a sweet and jammy serve. Pour over ice and garnish with fresh strawberries for a fruity summer spin on a G&T. The regal purple label is a nice touch, too.”
Shop The Cotswolds Distillery Platinum Jubilee Gin (£34.95) at Majestic
Wine for festivals, picnics and beyond
A tasty gin filled with orange
“Gin with orange – just the most delightful drink you can have in my opinion. It’s given added buoyancy with a hint of basil, so we drank it with slices of juicy orange, ice and tonic basking in the taste of summer.”
The alcohol-free beer you've been looking for
Easy drinking rosé
“If you’re on the lookout for a fresh new rosé to toast the long bank holiday weekend, may we recommend Maison Mirabeau’s smooth and elegant Côtes de Provence. While some wines are designed to be enjoyed after maturing in a dusty cellar for several years, rosé is best drunk young and this 2021 variety is gloriously aromatic, delicate and fruity on the palate, and just the right level of easy-drinking.”
Images: courtesy of brands
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