Our drinks expert Jane Rakison reveals merry South West finds for festive toasts and celebratory sips
Can I share a festive secret? To me, the choice of drink matters just as much as the setting, the food, and even the company at Christmastime.
For those of us whose love of flavour and entertaining is all part of the feelgood fabric of Christmas, the difference between a good drink and a great drink is seismic.
If you’re also a member of the Fussy Drinkers Club, you’ll want to put the following finds on your festive drinks list this year. They’ll lift the carols, improve the food and, most importantly, keep the joy and conversation flowing.
Figgy Pudding Ice Cider (15%), Sandford Orchards
Bring the festive house down with this left-field cider, which has been freeze‑aged for extra flavour oomph. As the juice thaws, only the most concentrated liquid (which melts first) is used to create this luscious medium‑sweet cider.
Oak‑aged and steeped in dried fruits, with clementine, clove, star anise and caramel flavours shining through, it tastes like the very essence of Christmas.
It’s super versatile to serve, whether straight up over ice alongside a groaning cheeseboard or as a cocktail ingredient. Or go rogue and add a splash to mulled wine or drizzle over vanilla ice cream.
Golden Sipping Rum (40%), Fowey Valley
For instant cheeriness, whatever the weather, serve this smile‑inducing Cornish rum made in Lostwithiel using sugarcane molasses from Barbados.
An amber‑coloured, honey‑flavoured drink, it’s double distilled and aged in bespoke toasted barrels from Bulgaria for extra flavour complexity.
It makes a dreamy winter‑warming drink when served neat over ice, but it can also add some serious brio to longer drinks – whether mixed with ginger ale or soda water. After a bracing walk through fields of crunchy, frosted grass, it’s just the ticket when mixed with hot water, honey and lemon juice in the ultimate rum hot toddy.
Orange Cinchona (0%), Drinks Kitchen
Grown‑up NoLo drinks are now the norm at what have traditionally been boozy occasions, and Drinks Kitchen has scored a festive‑tipple bullseye with this orange elixir.
Flavour‑wise, it pays homage to Italian aperitivi and tastes like a cross between Aperol and Campari. It’s infused with bitter orange, cinchona bark and a blend of 17 herbs, including chiretta, quassia and oregano.
The classic serve is one part Orange Cinchona to five‑ish parts sparkling or tonic water. It’s also good with non‑alc sparkling wine and soda for an Aperol‑esque experience, as a base for a nogroni, or topped with ginger ale.
While it pairs brilliantly with cheeses like camembert and cheddar, it also holds its own when matched with the Christmas roast.
Classic Cuvée 2018 (12%), Swanaford
For peak bubbles pleasure at this time of year, it pays to save room in the fridge for a great English sparkling wine.
Swanaford’s flagship fizz is a double‑gold winner. It’s made using the princely trio of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes in the ‛traditional method’ – the slowest and most
flavour‑inducing way of putting the bubbles into sparkling wine.
Light on its feet with fragrant apple and pear flavours, it’s an absolute shoo‑in as an aperitif choice. The lightly toasted nuts and pastry flavours also make it a fantastic match for festive foods – from smoked trout to pork pâté. Order enough to pair with the leftovers too; this Classic Cuvée is great with turkey curry, sandwiches and salads
Enjoyed reading Jane’s pick of drinks for festive toasts? Check out her round-up of the best South West stouts.
We choose the companies included in our features based on editorial integrity. Occasionally, some inclusions will be handpicked from clients with whom we have a commercial relationship.
