That’s The Spirit

It is for some reason fashionable to serve gin in a goldfish bowl. Nick does not approve of this trend. We prefer to serve gin in any of the nice straight glasses we have – they are less tippable and fussy.

A gin should always be served in a glass full of ice, garnished with lemon (or lime if the guest prefers) and have the bottle of tonic opened but not poured – that way the drinker can choose how much to add.

GORDONS

Our house gin,

Almost 250 years ago, Alexander Gordon started his distillery in London and set about creating the recipe for a brilliant tasting gin. Gordon’s high quality and distinctive juniper flavour has come to define the taste of the classic G&T.

Gordon’s today is a gin that’s enjoyed, not dissected. It’s the perfect gin to start a Friday evening, or a Tuesday night catch up with friends, where we share a moment and have a laugh with people we love.

ADNAMS COPPER HOUSE DRY GIN

Love your gin to be charged with juniper, citrus, and floral notes? Then you’ve found your perfect bottle. We use the finest East Anglian malted barley and six carefully selected botanicals in our small-batch copper pot still to craft this trophy-winning gin. Fruity notes of juniper and sweet orange peel sit alongside the floral flavours of hibiscus and classic aromatic London dry gin botanicals like cardamom and coriander seed.

This aromatic gin is fruity and floral with classic notes of citrus juniper, zesty sweet orange peel and the crisp cranberry crunch of flowery hibiscus. Cardamom pods, coriander seeds and orris root add underlying hints of floral spice. Serve with Indian Tonic Water and the zest of an orange.

ADNAMS QUINCE GIN
This limited edition, seasonal offering was inspired by a fruiting Quince tree growing near our Copper House distillery. It’s tangy, tart flavours sit somewhere between an apple and pear, and it produces delicate aromas of tropical fruit. With soft hints of cardamom and sweet orange peel and light florals, it is an uplifting, fresh and fruity gin.

A deliciously fresh and fruity gin with a light, tropical aroma, and orchard fruit flavours reminiscent of apples and pears.

ADNAMS COPPER HOUSE PINK GIN
This pink variation of our award-winning Copper House Gin sees a splash of raspberry added to the original recipe of six botanicals. Copper House’s sweet orange peel and flowery hibiscus form a fantastic base for the vibrant raspberry flavours. The remaining warm botanicals, such as cardamom and coriander seeds bring balance and light hints of spice to this fresh, fruity favourite. ​Serve it with tonic and garnish with fresh mint and raspberries.

ADNAMS
ORANGE & SEA BUCKTHORN GIN

Our intensely fruity, seasonal Orange and Sea Buckthorn Gin is bursting with the flavours and aromas of fresh orange, peach and pineapple. Sea buckthorn grows wild all along the sandy east coast of Britain. The berries on this hardy, salt-tolerant plant are small, but when crushed they release amazingly intense tropical fruit aromas. We thought it would make a wonderful, coastal addition to our seasonal gin range.

With a whirl of fresh orange juice, pineapple, peaches and tropical fruit flavours, this is an intensely fruity seasonal gin.

Making Time Hedgerow Gin Liqueur

Using a specially distilled base including juniper, thyme, rosehips and orange peel, we then added locally foraged bullaces, sloes, damsons, blackberries, elderberries and rosehips. All foraged by our lovely customers and friends. These are left to soak for a couple of months before being filtered and having sugar added. The result is a beautiful, slightly sweet gin liqueur.

(26%​ ABV)

Tide’s Fortune Essex Dry Gin

Tide’s Fortune is a Dry Gin crafted in small batches and infused with a range of traditional botanicals including whole juniper berries alongside the very best in local coastal botanicals. ​

The Sea Buckthorn ​adds a piquant citrus taste and the locally foraged Sea Purslane really captures the spirit of the sea. 

(40%​ ABV)

Tasting Notes

A grown-up gin for gin lovers with a fragrant juniper nose. Our take on the classic London Dry Gin with the addition of locally sourced, coastal Sea Buckthorn and Sea Purslane, alongside other traditional botanicals to create a smooth citrus piquancy moving into a warming anise flavour with a long, lingering smokiness on the palate.

Perfect Serve

Tide’s Fortune is great on its own, but it doesn’t mind company.

Not used to drinking gin neat. Trust us, give it a try.

Have it simply served over a little ice with a sliver of lemon. The ice elevates the piquancy of the Sea Buckthorn allowing that citrus hit to linger a little longer before leaving a warming smokiness on the palate.

If you’re a G&T lover start with a dash of good quality tonic and build your way up until you reach that perfect point. We recommend Merchant’s Heart Tonic as we love the way it complements our gin, never overwhelming its flavours.

Marwood’s Coffee Vodka Liqueur

In our first foray into none juniper spirits, we are proud to present this incredibly smooth liqueur. Made from a vodka base distilled with coffee and chocolate then cut with locally roasted cold brew coffee from Professor Bean. We then add just the right amount of sugar to get the perfect level of sweetness.

Perfect for Espresso Martinis.

(32%​ ABV)

Tide’s Fortune Elder Pear Dry Gin

Just like Tide’s Fortune Essex Dry, Elder Pear is a classic London dry gin, which makes the most of locally sourced and foraged botanicals, marrying perfectly with some more exotic flavours from further afield.

We roast the pears to release the natural sweetness before popping those into Monty, our beautiful still.  The remaining botanicals including foraged alexanders and dried elderflower are vapour infused during the process.

(40%​ ABV)

Tasting Notes

Our Elder Pear Dry delivers the smooth ripeness of mellow pear with elderflower and citrus notes, and a fruity warming sweetness to finish.

Reliquum London Dry Gin

A lovely citrusy London Dry Gin with beautiful floral and apple notes infused with home-grown botanicals with a beautiful, sweet, floral aroma, complemented with attractive citrus notes from the delicate fruit of the Calamondin trees from their citrus plantation.

A collaboration between Master Distiller, Dr John Walters, of the English Spirit Distillery and farmer, Pete Thompson.

Made using Opal and Braeburn apples from local orchards, which is used as a botanical to give a beautiful, sweet, floral aroma to the London Dry Gin. This is complemented with attractive citrus notes from the delicate fruit of the Calamondin trees from their citrus plantation.

A London Dry Gin made using ingredients entirely sourced from the fields and orchards of our farm in Great Oakley on the north-eastern tip of coastal Essex.

RELIQUUM PLUM

A sophisticated spirit of London Dry Gin blended with Lizzie plums to produce a bright sharp spirit with an almond after-taste

The name Reliquum comes from Latin and means “All that remains”.

RELIQUUM APRICOT

Which blends London Dry with tree-ripened apricots for a smooth taste with the distinct aroma of ripe apricots. The fruit is grown in traditional orchards and left to naturally ripen to develop the fullest flavour. Nothing else is added and nothing taken away.

We serve vodka in any of the nice straight glasses we have.

A vodka should always be served in a glass full of ice, garnished with lemon or lime and have the bottle of tonic or mixer opened but not poured – that way the drinker can choose how much to add.

Revert to the pepsi rules for garnish, lemon if fat pepsi, lime if diet.

Smirnoff Red

Smirnoff Red is triple distilled and ten times filtered for purity. This is the world’s best selling vodka.

It isn’t anything mind-blowing, but it is a dependable vodka that you can drink neat or mixed for a fair price, as long as you don’t use this on a vodka martini or expect a premium spirit you should be fine.

Adnams East Coast Single Malt Vodka

This starts off in the same way as Adnams beers. It is made by fermenting a sort of beer wash, using East Anglian malted barley. It is made in very small batches, and is distilled in a handmade copper pot still. They recommend this wonderfully smooth vodka be served with ice, tonic and a slice of lemon. It offers a rich palate with just a hint of butterscotch.

Not the usual medical/industrial alcohol smell you get from certain ‘brand’ vodkas, but an altogether more delicate smell and a taste that is like a grown up cream soda. Have tried many Russian vodkas, but this is far and away a better more satisfying drink.

Chase Naked Vodka

William Chase grew up in Herefordshire farming potatoes and then went on to produce Tyrells crisps.   As Tyrrells grew he began searching for the next step. In 2004 whilst travelling in the USA he stumbled on a small distillery making potato vodka and was inspired. This vodka however, uses apples from the Chase family orchard rather than potatoes, and shows lovely clean, fresh green apple notes on the nose, with a touch of brown sugar and apple pie character on the palate.

ABV 42%

Chase Aged Marmalade Vodka

A brilliant fruit vodka made with Seville Orange Marmalade. This is just fabulous stuff from Chase, and it works beautifully in cocktails.

Crystal Head Vodke

Crystal Head Vodka is one of the most brilliant things ever to be, also one of the very finest celebrity-endorsed products we’ve ever seen. Created for the legendary Dan Aykroyd, Crystal Head Vodka is kosher-certified, and made using Newfoundland water which is filtered through 500 million year old crystals called Herkimer diamonds. Crystal Head Vodka is also gluten-free and made with non-GMO corn.

The bottle is made in Italy by Bruni Glass and it’s also a crystal skull, which is, of course, the best thing (ignoring the negative connotations with the travesty that was Indiana Jones 4…).

Tasting Note

Nose: Vanilla and soft spices. A little rye and wheat.

Palate: Grainy, sweet palate with pepper and spice.

Finish: Soft, warming finish. Very clean.

Chase Rhubarb Vodka

Sweet, fruity Rhubarb Vodka from Chase in Hereford, now with a fancy bottle to match the rest of the Chase Vodka range. They make this gorgeous stuff by cooking the rhubarb, marinading it in their vodka, distilling this mixture before adding yet more macerated rhubarb and filtering it. No wonder it’s got such a lovely pink hue and wonderful flavours.

We serve whiskey in any of the nice straight glasses we have, the nicer the whiskey the nicer the glass, if there are any of the fancy shorter straight glasses about that’s perfect.

Traditionally nice whiskey should be served neat, no ice. A guest would sometimes prefer a little water to mix with and of course is allowed ice if they desire.

Mixers are more often required for blended or lower quality whiskeys, in which case ice is standard.

Bell’s Original

Bell’s Original is a smooth, well-rounded whisky with a hint of smoke. It’s perfect for enjoying neat or on the rocks.

Bell’s whisky is the United Kingdom’s most popular blended Scotch whisky, this is the standard release of Bell’s Original, with notes of fresh herbs on the nose with cereal sweetness on the palate.

Tasting Note

Nose: Quite soft and gentle. Malted barley and hints of cut herbs and a fresh floral note. Cereal and grist with a little honey.

Palate: Quite smooth, medium body. Barley and cereals with nut oils, hints of wood and spice.

Finish: Short with notes of fruitcake and smoke.

Jameson

A classic blend from Ireland, established by the renowned John Jameson. Really smooth and well put together, a very enjoyable Irish whiskey.

Tasting Note

Nose: A full and floral nose leads with the smooth sweetness of marmalade and fudge before a hint of Madeira and a little cut grass note emerge.

Palate: Thick and of good body with notes of orchard fruits, both fresh and cooked with a little vanilla cream.

Finish: Medium-length with spice and honey.

Ardbeg 10 Year Old Bottling Note

A phenomenal whisky packing powerful peaty deliciousness, Ardbeg 10 Year Old is a favourite of many whisky lovers around the world. Produced on the Kildalton Coast of Islay, this single malt matures for a decade before being bottled without any chill-filtration. If you’re after a whisky with full of coastal air, smoke and more, this is exactly what you want.

Tasting Note

Nose: A ridge of vanilla leads to mountain of peat capped with citrus fruits and circled by clouds of sea spray.

Palate: Sweet vanilla counterbalanced with lemon and lime followed by that surging Ardbeg smoke that we all know and love.

Finish: Long and glorious; sea salted caramel and beach bonfire smoke.

Overall: Precise balance, big smoke and non-chill filtered. This is why this is such a famous dram

Auchentoshan American Oak

From the Auchentoshan distillery in the Scottish Lowlands comes a triple distilled single malt Scotch whisky aged entirely in first fill American oak casks. A light, bright whisky with plenty of vanilla sweetness at its centre – great as an aperitif dram.

Tasting Note

Nose: Oranges and lemons, toffee chunks and milk chocolate. Wafts of grassy air and clotted cream.

Palate: Bounty bars, more citrus peels and peaches. A little bit buttery, with golden barley and oak spice developing on the mid palate.

Finish: Lasting notes of grapefruit and toffee pennies.

ADNAMS SINGLE MALT

Our Single Malt Whisky is made from East Anglian malted barley. Small-batch and copper pot stilled; our whisky is matured in new French oak barrels for at least five years before being bottled. This smooth, rich whisky has bold flavours of runny honey, vanilla and apricots. There’s a moreish, caramel finish with lush, lingering fruit.

On the nose, you will find apricot, cherry fruit, berry notes, red rope liquorice, vanilla and runny honey. The palate offers flavours of blueberries, candied fruit, cookie dough, chocolate and pepper. combine with lush spices and a delicate mineral edge to tantalise the nose. It has a rich mouthfeel and a finish of spicy caramel and red fruit.

ADMANS TRIPLE MALT

Adnams Triple Malt Whisky is made with wheat, barley, and oats. The wheat creates extra smoothness and the oats, creaminess. Ageing in new American oak barrels for five years has created bold, strong flavours of coconut and chocolate. The nose is complex with notes of spice, coconut and toasted oak, citrus fruit and sweet honey. The palate takes you through sumptuous chocolate and exploding spices, before a long, satisfying finish.

On the nose you’ll find toasted coconut, vanilla, chocolate and vinous fruit. On the palate, there’s chocolate, sweet orange peel, caramelised almonds, honey, and pepper. The finish is rich, with notes of cocoa nibs and charred oak.

Glenmorangie Quinta 14yo

Glenmorangie’s Quinta Ruban 12 Year Old is a fantastic Port cask finished expression, and now the distillery has developed upon the recipe with The Quinta Ruban 14 Year Old! The whisky is initially matured in bourbon casks before being moved over to ruby Port casks, imparting waves of scrumptious fruit and chocolate notes to the spirit. Superb as a postprandial dram.

Tasting Note

Nose: Summer fruit tart with a sprinkling of icing sugar, aromatic cedar, milky coffee and almond pastries.

Palate: Chocolate mousse, Bourbon biscuits, orange oil, more almond notes (now toasted), blackcurrant and raisin.

Finish: Lasting richness of stewed berries and dark chocolate.

Speyburn 10

This 10 year old single malt was a gold medal winner at the 2006 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. A classic from the Speyburn distillery.

Tasting Note

Nose: A fruity nose with hints of orange, mandarin and cooking apple. A touch of oak, peppermint and spice.

Palate: A light, gentle palate with soft malt, sweet, toasty barley with liquorice and dried herbs.

Finish: Just a touch of smoke trails off on the finish.

Redbreast 12 Year Old

A delightful single pot still Irish whiskey, Redbreast 12 Year Old is highly praised by a host of notable critics. Distilled at the Midleton site from malted and unmalted barley, it’s then matured in a combination of American oak bourbon barrels and Spanish oak Oloroso sherry butts. We can’t get enough of this multi-award-winning whiskey.

Tasting Note

Nose: Nutty, rich and oily. There are notes of dried peels, ginger, linseed and cut fruits including a touch of melon.

Palate: Spicy with great body. Nuts and citrus (peel and juice) with hints of marzipan, dried fruits and a hint of Sherry. You turn it over in your mouth forever.

Finish: Long and creamy with custard and spice.

Jack Daniel’s

A top-selling bottling from the Jack Daniel distillery, the mashbill is made up of 80% corn, 12% rye and 8% malt. The spirit is filtered through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal to produce a mellow, slightly smoky character, thus making it Tennessee whiskey…

Tasting Note

Nose: Light with plenty of sweetness. There are hints of dry spice and oily nuts, a touch of smoke.

Palate: Quite smooth and soft with notes of banana milkshake, a mixed nut note, a touch of caramel with crème anglaise.

Finish: Sweet with a little cereal sweetness and toasty oak.

Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Philippines, where Tanduay is the largest producer of rum globally.

Rums are produced in various grades. Light rums are commonly used in cocktails, whereas “golden” and “dark” rums were typically consumed straight or neat, iced (“on the rocks“), or used for cooking, but are now commonly consumed with mixers. Premium rums are made to be consumed either straight or iced.

Rum is normally served with a lime garnish

Captain Morgan

A very popular dark rum named after the 17th century Welsh sailor, Captain Henry Morgan. It is made with rums from Jamaica, Guyana and Barbados.

Captain Morgan, one of the largest spirit brands in the world, was founded in 1944 by Seagrams CEO Sam Bronfman, who named the brand after Welsh buccaneer Captain Henry Morgan. When the company purchased the Long Pond distillery in Jamaica, they discovered that one of the buyers of their rum was the Levy Brothers, a pharmacy in Kingston that would combine the rum with spices and herbs. Bronfman liked the drink and bought the rights to it, and this in turn inspired the recipe for Captain Morgan rums. Eventually, Seagram sold off the Captain Morgan brand to Diageo, who still own it today.

Captain Morgan Spiced

A rounded, medium bodied spiced spirit drink (to be classified as a rum, it needs to be 37.5% abv) known the world over. Captain Morgan’s Spiced is great value for money, and needs little introduction.

Tasting Note

Nose: Allspice and vanilla. Huge cinnamon notes, freshly grated nutmeg, black pepper and rich Black Forest Honey.

Palate: Demerara sugar, smoky molasses and a big whack of cloves, nutmeg and sweet cinnamon.

Finish: Medium-length with sweet spices.

Bacardi Carta Blanca

A white rum which needs very little introduction, Bacardi’s Carta Blanca is incredible popular indeed, seen on backbars around the world. The Bacardi brand originated in Cuba, and the first distillery had a colony of fruit bats nesting in the rafters, hence the bat on Bacardi labels. Suitable for countless cocktails and mixed drinks.

Tasting Note

Nose: Light and fresh with a little spice and pepper.

Palate: Medium-body with hints of tropical fruit and a note of dark brown sugar and winter spice.

Finish: Soft vanilla and spice notes linger.

Kraken Black Spiced Rum

Kraken Spiced Rum is an excellent example of spiced rum, with utterly brilliant packaging! This was launched in the UK in early 2010, and it has an extraordinarily rich, spicy flavour. Named for the legendary sea monster, Kraken is a blend of Caribbean rums that should certainly suit any fans of rich, navy-style rum.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Spicy and rich with notes of vanilla and toffee apples. Hints of lime and cinnamon too.

Palate: Dark, rich palate. Thick with molasses and tar, and a barrage of cinnamon, golden syrup, nutmeg and charred oak.

Finish: Long, very spicy finish.

The Kraken Roast Coffee

What happens when you combine your morning brew, aromatic Caribbean rum, and a mythological tentacled sea monster? The Roast Coffee edition of The Kraken, of course! The aromatic spiced Caribbean rum has had a hearty dose of Arabica bean coffee added to it, so among the flavours of cinnamon and rich treacle, you’ll find roasty, toasty, bittersweet coffee deliciousness in this Kraken coffee rum. Espresso Rum-tini, anyone?

Tasting Note

Rich treacle, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, roasted coffee bean, and a zing of lime in the background.

Wood’s Old Navy Rum

Wood’s is made from the finest sugar cane and distilled in Guyana, South America. Bottled at 57% abv, it is one of the highest percentage volume dark rums out there right now, at least at this price.

Its smooth enough to enjoy neat, but also a killer choice for cocktails.

Tasting Note

Nose: Toffee, cinnamon, cloves and pepper spice on the nose with thick caramel notes.

Palate: Muscovado sugar, soft toffee and just a hint of the spice detected on the nose. This is very smooth, belying its hefty abv.

Finish: Surprisingly short but thick and syrupy toffee notes abound.

Overall: A rich, dark rum with a high abv that retains its smoothness. Would work well in a dark and stormy, despite the fact Wood’s is distilled in Guyana, and not Bermuda.

Ron Zacapa 23

A favourite here at Master of Malt, this is a truly superb Guatemalan rum, blended using the solera system, and including rums aged between six and 23 years. Sublime stuff, matured in a mix of bourbon and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.

Tasting Note

Nose: Very sweet and nutty, honey and chocolate. Dark brown sugar, gentle smoke. Pipe tobacco.

Palate: Very sweet and soft. Dark brown sugar, molasses, rounded, so gentle!

Finish: Thick, medium length, hint of smoke on the tail.

Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof

Pusser’s ‘Gunpowder Proof’ Black Label (previously known as Blue Label) is a higher proof traditional British Naval rum, produced using the blending recipe from the Admiralty. Well loved, it picked up a Trophy at the International Spirits Challenge 2016.

Tasting Note

The nose is full of dried fruits, dates, prunes, slightly overripe figs. The palate is very sweet, plenty of dark, syrupy, stewed fruits. An interesting pot still character with a pleasant muddiness. Full-bodied. The finish is incredibly long and dark.

Brandy / Armagnac / Calvados are all spirits served in 25ml measures or multiples there of. They should all be served in a brandy balloon (preferably warmed) and without ice. The exception to this is when it’s with a mixer then ice and a straight glass are the way forwards.

Brandy is an alcoholic beverage distilled from wine or a fermented fruit mash. The term used alone generally refers to the grape product; brandies made from the wines or fermented mashes of other fruits are commonly identified by the specific fruit name. With the exception of certain fruit types, known as white types, brandies are usually aged. Aging in wooden containers deepens colour to amber, the use of paraffin-lined casks or earthenware maintains the original clear colour, and the addition of a caramel solution darkens colour.

Armagnac is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A , Colombard , Folle blanche and Ugni blanc , traditionally using column stills rather than the pot stills used in the production of cognac , which is made only from ugni blanc grapes.

Calvados is a type of brandy or eau-de-vie that is named after its home region in Normandy. Unlike most other celebrated French brandies like cognac and Armagnac, calvados is made from apple cider rather than wine. Occasionally, it can also be made from pear cider or perry as well.

Three Barrels VSOP

A family owned brand, this VSOP brandy is handmade and offers flavours of walnut, almond and dried fruits. Good value for money.

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

Nose: Marzipan, cooked fruit, over-ripe grapes, hints of ginger.

Palate: Stem ginger in syrup, dried peels, almond oil, walnut loaf.

Finish: Rich, fruity finish with cedar notes.

Courvoisier VS

Courvoisier proudly boast their Cognac as that of Napoleon. It all started when Napoleon took hundreds of bottles of Courvoisier Cognac for his years of exile. Napoleon told Emmanuel Courvoisier that whilst he could be given the Hennessy or the Cristal, or indeed the Remy, it was the Courvoisier he really wanted.

Rémy Martin XO

Rémy Martin XO is a fine champagne cognac that has been aged for at least ten years. It is produced by Rémy Martin, a French company that has been making cognac since 1724. Rémy Martin XO is a blend of several different types of cognacs, each of which has been aged for a minimum of ten years. The result is a complex and refined Cognac.

Remy Martin XO is a blend of 85% Grande Champagne and 15% Petite Champagne.

Rémy Martin XO is made with a blend of Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, and Colombard grapes. The cognac is then aged in oak barrels for at least ten years. This ageing process allows the flavours of the different grape varieties to meld together and develop complex notes of vanilla, caramel, and spice. Rémy Martin XO is a full-bodied cognac with a rich, round flavour that is perfect for sipping slowly.

Tasting Note

Nose: Fruity with dates and peels, honey and a little marmalade, overripe grape and warm pastries.

Palate: Spicy with warm pastries, overripe grape, fruits, spices, warm pastries and orange peel.

Finish: Long with spices, fruits and peels.

Reliquum Apple Bouse / Brandy

Reliquum has launched an apple brandy made with Opal apples grown on the producer’s Essex farm. Each 50cl bottle contains 28kg of apples, which would otherwise have gone to waste.

The apple brandy is made by pressing Opal apples to make a cider, then an eau de vie which was put into red wine barrels at the English Spirit Distillery.

The first batch is a young four-month brandy, akin to Calvados but smoother, according to the producer. The drink has rich notes of caramel.

Janneau VSOP

A blend of Armagnacs aged for at least 7 years in Montlezun oak. Janneau VSOP is packaged in a Basquaise bottle and it has a smooth, aromatic style.

Château du Breuil Fine Calvados

This Calvados from Château du Breuil is aged for 2 years before bottling, this was awarded a silver and “best in class” at the 2008 International Wine and Spirit Competition and a Bronze at the 2009 General Competition of Paris.

Chateau du Breuil Reserve du Chateau 8 Year Old Calvados

A Calvados from respected producer Château du Breuil, aged in oak for 8 years producing a light and fruity spirit, with nutty edges.

Château du Breuil Réserve des Seigneurs XO

Réserve des Seigneurs XO is a 20 year old Calvados from Château du Breuil in Normandy. This is a very rich and supple spirit.

The nose hits you first – a classy, toffee- infused hit. Then the smooth, silky finish and what really impresses is that unlike so many brands of Calvados, which become indistinguishable from Armagnac, the apples are still there underneath.

Koko Kanu – think malibu but classy ish

Koko Kanu is Jamaica’s finest coconut rum. A subtle blend of crystal clear rum, blended with natural essence of coconut, this 37.5% ABV rum is the only full strength coconut rum available in the UK.

Campari – 50ml Measure

Campari (Italian: [kamˈpaːri]) is an Italian alcoholic liqueur, considered an apéritif, obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit (including chinotto and cascarilla) in alcohol and water. It is a type of bitters, characterised by its dark red colour.

Campari is often used in cocktails and is commonly served with soda water or citrus juice (most often pink grapefruit juice), often garnished with either blood orange or blood lime slice (mainly in Australia) or mixed with prosecco as a spritz. It is produced by the Davide Campari Group, a multinational company based in Italy.

Campari is an essential ingredient in the classic Negroni cocktail, the Garibaldi, the Americano (which was named at a time when few Americans were aware of Campari), and the spritz (an aperitif popular in northern Italy).

In the Italian market, Campari mixed with soda water is sold in individual bottles as Campari Soda (10% alcohol by volume). Campari Soda is packaged in a distinctive bottle that was designed by Fortunato Depero in 1932.

Common uses –
“Gay Farmer” 50ml Campari, orange slice, soda water, ice.
“Gay estate agent” 50ml Campari, 25ml Gordons gin, range slice, soda water, ice. Both these should have an additional slice of orange added to the glass for each refill – when there is no more room for booze it’s hometime.
Negroni – equal measures of campari, gin and martini

Pimm’s 50ml Measure

Pimm’s is an English brand of gin-based fruit cup but may also be considered a liqueur or the basis of a sling or punch. It was first produced in 1823 by James Pimm and has been owned by Diageo since 1997. Its most popular product is Pimm’s No. 1 Cup,^[1][2] commonly used for the Pimm’s cup cocktail.

Serving Alma Pimm’s

In a pint glass add loads of ice, strawberries, cucumber, mint and any other nice fruit thats available. Top up most of the way with lemonade. Put 50ml of Pimms on the top. Serve with a straw. If you add the lemonade to the pimms you will just get a scummy mess.

Other Uses
Pimm’s can also be mixed with champagne (or other sparkling white wines), resulting in a drink known as a “Pimm’s Royal Cup”. Pimm’s Winter Cup is generally mixed with warm apple juice. A “Glasgow Garden Party” is a drink made with Pimm’s substituting lemonade with Irn Bru excluding any fruit garnish. A “Pimmlet” is a Gimlet with Pimm’s No.1 substituted for gin. A Pimm’s mojito substitutes lemon and lime soda with muddled limes and soda water.

Baileys – 50ml Measure

Baileys Irish Cream is an Irish cream liqueur, an alcoholic drink flavoured with cream, cocoa and Irish whiskey. It is made by Diageo at Nangor Road, in Dublin, Ireland and in Mallusk, Northern Ireland. It is the original Irish cream, invented by a team headed by Tom Jago in 1971 for Gilbeys of Ireland; Diageo currently owns the trademark. It has a declared alcohol content of 17% by volume.

Kahlúa (Spanish pronunciation: [kaˈlu.a]) is a brand of coffee liqueur owned by the Pernod Ricard company and produced in Veracruz, Mexico. The drink contains rum, sugar, and arabica coffee.

Kahlúa is used to make cocktails or drink neat or on ice. Some people use it when baking desserts, and/or as a topping for ice cream, cakes, and cheesecakes.

It is mixed in several ways, often with different combinations of milk, cream, coffee and cocoa.

Because Kahlúa is made from coffee beans, it contains caffeine. According to the company, “Kahlúa contains about 100 ppm caffeine, which means about 100 mg/litre of product. So, for a standard 1.5 oz [45 ml] drink of Kahlúa there would be about 5 mg of caffeine. Just to put it in perspective, an 8 oz [240 ml] brewed coffee can contain up to about 200 mg of caffeine.”

Southern Comfort (often abbreviated SoCo) is an American, naturally fruit-flavored, whiskeyliqueur with fruit and spice accents. The brand was created by bartender Martin Wilkes Heron in New Orleans in 1874, using whiskey as the base spirit. Whiskey was replaced by a neutral spirit under the ownership of Brown–Forman. On March 1, 2016, the Sazerac Company purchased it, and reintroduced whiskey as its base spirit.

Grappa usually has a strange shape glass, we sell so little of it that we don’t have any. Use a small port glass instead.

Grappa is an alcoholic beverage: a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin that contains 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume (70 to 120 US proof).

Grappa is made by distilling the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems (i.e., the pomace) left over from winemaking after pressing the grapes. It was originally made to prevent waste by using these leftovers. A similar drink, known as acquavite d’uva, is made by distilling whole must.

Grappa is now a protected name in the European Union. To be called grappa, the following criteria must be met:^[1]

1. Produced in Italy, or in the Italian part of Switzerland, or in San Marino
2. Produced from pomace
3. Fermentation and distillation must occur on the pomace—no added water
   
   

Martini Rosso – 50ml Measure

The original MARTINI, and our first love. When Luigi Rossi blended local botanicals to craft this scarlet-hued vermouth, he created an indisputable icon. While the exact recipe remains a closely guarded secret, this sweet vermouth’s intensely herbal character is the result of blending carefully chosen wines with a complex selection of Italian herbs, including sage, savory and dittany, and bitter-sweet exotic woods.

Martini Bianco – 50ml Measure

Dubbed the ‘Bianchissimo’, or the whitest, for the vanilla flowers at its heart, MARTINI Bianco’s blend of herbs, flowers and white wines such as Trebbiano creates a bright, complex flavour.

Martini Extra Dry (Dry Martini) – 50ml Measure

MARTINI Extra Dry’s rare woods, herbs, citrus and raspberry extracts are the pillar of the 20th century’s defining drink: the Dry Martini cocktail. First introduced on New Year’s Day 1900, after 10 years of development by Luigi Rossi’s sons, MARTINI Extra Dry has at its heart the violet-scented tartness of Florentine Orris – iris roots grown for three years before being sun-dried.

Port is produced from grapes grown and processed in the demarcated Douro region.^[4] The wine produced is then fortified by the addition of a neutral grape spirit known as aguardente to stop the fermentation, leaving residual sugar in the wine, and to boost the alcohol content. The fortification spirit is sometimes referred to as brandy, but it bears little resemblance to commercial brandies. The wine is then stored and aged, often in barrels stored in a lodge (meaning “cellar”) as is the case in Vila Nova de Gaia, before being bottled. The wine received its name, “port”, in the latter half of the 17th century from the seaport city of Porto at the mouth of the Douro River, where much of the product was brought to market or for export to other countries in Europe. The Douro valley where port wine is produced was defined and established as a protected region, and the name Douro thus an official appellation, in 1756, making it the third oldest wine after Chianti (1716) and Tokaj (1730).

Sherry (Spanish: jerez[xeˈɾeθ]) is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versions similar to white table wines, such as Manzanilla and fino, to darker and heavier versions that have been allowed to oxidise as they age in barrel, such as Amontillado and oloroso. Sweet dessert wines are also made from Pedro Ximénez or Moscatel grapes, and are sometimes blended with Palomino-based sherries.

Feuerheerd’s LBV (Late Bottled Vintage) – 50ml Measure

In 1815, German trader Dietrich Matthias Feuerheerd founded the company, by the same name, in Oporto. There he selected and aged the finest blends before shipping them to Northern Europe. The brand became famous for its vintage Ports, which in England became known as ‘Anchor Ports’, due to the distinctive logo on the bottle. In 2010, the brand was acquired by Barão de Vilar, giving birth to a new partnership between the Van Zellers and the Barros family, who were determined to revive the long tradition of quality Feuerheerd Ports. Both families have connections to the wine trade stretching back centuries. Today, the Ports are crafted by head winemaker Álvaro van Zeller, who focuses on creating the finest quality aged-Ports

Intense acidity, flavours of bitter chocolate and dried raisins with a dry finish

Feuerheerd’s 10 Year Old Tawny – 50ml Measure

Critic tasting note: “A dry wine, this offers intense acidity, bitter chocolate flavors and dried raisins. Full of complex aromas and flavors, it’s full in the mouth, finishing dry with an intense aftertaste.” – 91/100, Wine Enthusiast

Feuerheerd’s 2003 Vintage Port- 50ml Measure

A vintage 2003 Port Wine from Feuerheerd. The grape varieties included are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca and Rufete. Feuerheerd’s Vintage with a strong ruby-like colour with a violet shades, has a very fresh aromas, notes of mint and wild berries. On the palate, is full bodied with strong tannins, well rounded and elegant. Long-lasting finish.

Port from a single exceptional harvest may be declared as a “Vintage”. Bottled after spending between two to three years in wood, the wine continues to mature in bottle until it is ready to drink In some cases, this may take two decades or more.

Feuerheerd’s Vintage with a strong ruby-like colour with a violet shades, has a very fresh aromas, notes of mint and wild berries. On the palate, is full bodied with strong tannins, well rounded and elegant. Long-lasting finish.

Serving suggestions:
Perfect Port wine to accompany goat cheeses or typical Portuguese buttery cheese, ice-cream or simply as a digestif.

Adnams Fino Sherry – 50ml Measure

Fino (“refined” in Spanish) is the driest and palest of the traditional varieties of sherry and Montilla-Moriles fortified wine. They are consumed comparatively young.

Dry, elegant, with classic piercing savoury freshness of premium Fino. Serve chilled with nuts or smoked fish.

This is the one we put a dribble of on a bloody mary.

Adnams Cream Sherry – 50ml Measure

Dark amber nectar with luscious, raisiny depths and spicy fruitcake richness. Great with mature cheeses.

This is the one granny will prefer, the quintisential old lady at christmas drink.