Thursday, February 25, 2021

A Virtual Tour and Taste of Maremma and Montepulciano with Antinori

A Taste of Maremma and Montepulciano

 with Antinori


Le Mortelle

We had the best of guides as we visited part of the amazing Antinori wine establishment last Wednesday, all online of course. Tindal’s Harriet Tindal MW introduced us to three “guides” in Italy: Filippo Pulisci of Antinori itself, Riccardo Checchi of La Braccesca vineyard and Georgia Dimitriou of their Le Mortelle estate.


Harriet, our expert moderator, asked Filippo to tell us a bit about the firm. “I’m the old guy in the room”, he started. But nowhere near as old as Antinori’s association with wine which goes back to 1385. Indeed, they were in business for a hundred years before that as silk merchants.



“But it is only in the last sixty years, even the last thirty, that Antinori accelerated to a full cycle producer - you must grow your own grapes and do the whole thing from start to finish. We are also a custodian of tradition but always innovative.” 


And Filippo cited their famous Tignanello wine as an example. A very good example indeed as it was Tignanello that helped catapult the wines of Tuscany onto the world stage in the 1970s. The explosion in popularity of Italian restaurants in the USA, and elsewhere, also helped. 



Tignanello was the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques, the first contemporary red wine blended with untraditional varieties (specifically Cabernet) and one of the first red wines in the Chianti Classico region that didn’t use white grapes.


So Tignanello, which saw Piero Antinori lead the way, was a breakaway from the hidebound traditions (some of you may remember Chianti in its straw flask) and the rules of the appellation. He broke those rules in two ways, at least, by using international grapes and also the barriques. 



And so one of the first of what became known as Super Tuscans was born and went on to thrive. Piero is generally regarded as one of the heroes of Italian wine in the last century breaking away from a system geared more towards quantity than quality. Again, some of you will remember the EU “inspired” wine lakes and, closer to home, butter mountains.


Filippo continued: “Many followed us to Super Tuscans. We are an old family but also modern, never compromise on quality. We are also democratic producers in that we produce everyday wines to high-end expensive ones. We are always advancing, never resting on our laurels.”



We would soon see an example as Georgia began to talk about Le Mortelle, the estate she manages in the heart of Maremma Tuscany, in an area well known for the production of top quality wines. The winery appears on top of a hillside overlooking the surrounding countryside while the cellars lie underground in perfect harmony with the environment.


“It’s a mix of elegance and wilderness,”she said, where they grow quite a few of those international varieties, mainly the Cabernets and Carménère. “It is an ideal place with a warm Mediterranean climate, ideal for these varieties that require a longer ripening time."


Riccardo’s winery, La Braccesca (bought in 1990), has two different but adjoining terroirs between the hills of Montepulciano and Cortona and here two very different personalities live side by side in complete harmony: the traditional Sangiovese for Nobile di Montepulciano and the international Syrah in Cortona, an emerging wine producing area with great potential. The  La Braccesca winemakers take advantage of the terroirs, the clay near Montepulciano and the sand on the other side.



Soon he was showing us the first of the day's wines to be tasted, the Vino Nobile de Montepulciano. “The arm on the label represents the noble tradition. And when some see Nobile on the label, they think of a heavy wine.. no longer the case…now it’s all about acidity and fruitiness with softer tannins (than Sangiovese from different areas). You can drink it with everything.”


Georgia, originally from Greece and, like Riccardo, well travelled and well educated in wine, started with Vivia, “a sunny wine, recently bottled, no oak”.



Her second Botrosecco, also from Le Mortelle, is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) and Cabernet Franc. “I call it simple, simple but good, with soft tannins..easy to enjoy young… a very good expression and great value for money.”


Riccardo’s second offering was Achelo. A Syrah, “a famous grape of Cortona, a recent appellation, founded only in 2000. Some time back, a few growers, including us, saw similarities between here and the Rhone: climate, soil, acidity”.



They investigated, did their research and now produce top quality Syrah. By the way Achelo is the name of a local god of abundance. The Syrah is versatile: “Use it an aperitif. And dinner too. The more you keep it open, the more it expresses itself.”


He also showed two older Syrahs, the Bramasole from 2013 and 2016. “The plot is very well exposed, lots of sun, sandy solid. There’a an impression of sweetness, not sugar, just from the ripe fruits.. it reflects what the soil produces.. it is a powerful wine and needs 15 to 18 months in barrels plus two years in bottle.”


Then he “hopped” back to the Montepulciano side for the Santa Pia 2015, a Riserva. “Fresh, with a little bit of age flavour.” How long will it last? For decades was the answer, twenty or thirty years from the very best vintages. Maybe not as long from the other vintages.


Georgia then showed the Poggio alle Nane (Hill of the Wild Duck), La Mortelle’s “flagship wine”.  The blend of Cabernet Franc 80%, Cabernet Sauvignon 10 and Carmènére 10 was finalised in 2015. It is the only Carmènére vineyard in the area and the grape is suited by the hilly grounds. “It is demanding in terms of ripening but we have the right conditions in Maremma.”


And they work on guarding those conditions. “Our focus is to minimise our impact so we use a lot of stainable techniques: monitoring insects, encouraging predators, and more. The more we work in harmony with nature, the better the results in our wine.”

The cellar in Maremma

International Women’s Day with Whiplash Beer


Whiplash Beer Brewer Lynsey Campbell





International Women’s Day with Whiplash Beer






Whiplash Beer are pleased to share that they will be celebrating International Women’s Day this year with both an online brewery tour and a behind the scenes look at a day in the life of a cellar brewer.

Taking place on Sunday March 7th at 3pm, lead cellar brewer at Whiplash Beer Lynsey Campbell will host a virtual tasting session of Whiplash beers and a tour of the brewery. Commissioned in late 2019, the brewery in Dublin is completely custom built and on the cutting-edge of microbrewery innovation.

Lynsey joined the Whiplash team in March 2020 as lead cellar brewer, coming from a career in the UK which spanned both brewing and drinks industry sales. The global theme of IWD 2021 is Choose to Challenge and the event will touch on this as Lynsey charts her path to becoming a professional brewer. The tour will be co-hosted by Leah Kilcullen, marketing manager at Whiplash Beer.

The event is free to attend and will be hosted on Zoom. Those interested in attending can sign up at this link. Keep an eye on the Whiplash social channels closer to the event to find out what beers they recommend for the tasting. All will be available on the Whiplash webshop. All webshop sales on Monday 1st of March will go to ALONE, the charity which the brewery team has decided to support in honour of IWD. ALONE reaches hundreds of older people all over Ireland, and close to the brewery at their residential services in Kilmainham and the Liberties.

On March 8th, International Women’s Day itself, Lynsey will provide a behind the scenes look at what a typical day looks like in a busy brewery and how the team works together to get from milling malt all the way to getting fresh cans of Whiplash Beer ready for shipping. This will be hosted on the brewery’s Instagram page, @whiplashbeer.



Speaking about the events, Lynsey (above) commented:

“It was important for me to mark the day at the brewery, not because we think anyone deserves credit for having female brewers but to instead use it as an opportunity to encourage other women to look at brewing or the drinks industry in general as a viable, fulfilling and inclusive career.”

All relevant links and information are available on the Whiplash blog https://www.whiplashbeer.com/blog/2021/2/18/whiplash-x-international-womens-day

For further information, images or interview opportunities please contact Leah Kilcullen, Leah@whiplashbeer.com, 0858549411.

www.whiplashbeer.com ¦ @whiplashbeer

Whiplash Beer was founded in 2016 by Alex Lawes and Alan Wolfe and is based in Ballyfermot, Dublin. The brewery produces three core beers, Body Riddle Pale Ale, Rollover Session IPA and Northern Lights Micro IPA, along with an ever-changing and exciting roster of special editions and collaborations. It is currently ranked as the #1 microbrewery in Ireland.

Whiplash Beer employs 9 people and exports internationally to countries such as the UK, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Finland, China & Japan, and is also the founder of the Fidelity Beer Festival.


press release



Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Two highly recommended wines to savour. A Hawkes Bay Chardonnay and a Touriga Nacional from the Dão

 Two highly recommended wines to savour. 

A Hawkes Bay Chardonnay and a Touriga Nacional from the Dão



Trinity Hill “Gimblett Gravels” Chardonnay Hawkes Bay 2017, 13%, 

RRP € 34.99 Baggot Street Wines; Blackrock Cellar; C Morton & Sons; The Corkscrew; wineonline.ie; World Wide Wines



Colour of this New Zealand Chardonnay is a bright mid-gold. Aromas are fruity, grapefruit and lemon and no shortage of floral notes. Quite stunning on the palate where, along with the minerality, you again meet the citrus accompanied by a lively natural acidity. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts in 500 litre oak puncheons followed by a further four months in tank on lees has enhanced the experience, including the texture. 


Delicate, rich and elegant this beauty finishes long. It is a very distinctive, harmonious Chardonnay, is closer to cool Burgundy rather than the rest of the (warmer) New World, and is Very Highly Recommended. Try with Pork (including belly), rich fish (salmon, trout, tuna), and poultry.


The year 2017 was a very good one in the Hawkes Bay area, a moderate spring with low frost risk and generally good flowering led to an extremely dry and warm summer, recording above average temperatures in January and February before rainy weather came in late February followed by humid conditions with heavy rainfall from March to May.


Importers Liberty: Winemaker Warren Gibson has been with Trinity Hill since 1997. He is also in charge of the 80 hectares of vineyard owned by Trinity Hill and knows Hawkes Bay and the Gimblett Gravels exceptionally well. The wines reflect this. Warren and his team make wines that show the best of what Hawkes Bay and the Gimblett Gravels can produce. The wines have an elegance, balance, drinkability and precision of flavour that makes them a joy to drink.


The gravelly soils resulted from a flood in 1876 when the Ngaruroro River changed its course and a vista of gravel was left behind. Probably best known for red wines. But Chardonnay grown here has distinctive floral notes and pronounced minerality on the palate. 


The Gravels have been described as “the most famous single vineyard in New Zealand”. And from these gravels come surprising wines. It is now a highly sought-after sub-region renowned for the quality and Trinity Hill was one of the first to plant grapes on the Gimblett Gravels in Hawkes Bay in 1993. And soon after Warren Gibson arrived.




Quinta Dos Carvalhais Touriga Nacional DAO (DOC) 2017, 13.5%

RRP € 31.99 Baggott Street Wines, Lucey’s - The Good Food Shop, Wineonline.ie



Info on the label is brief and to the point

Complexity 4/5; Tannins 3/5; Body: 4/5; Fruity: 4/5; Oak: 4/5.

Pair with: Seafood, fish, chicken.

12 m in oak.

Serve at 16-18 degrees.


This intense, complex and elegant Touriga Nacional from the heart of the Dão has a dark ruby colour, slighter lighter at the rim. Aromas hint of its black fruit and the well-integrated spice from its 12 months residence in oak. Vibrant dark fruit and spice again on the palate and more besides. Great depth, acidity too and smooth, harmonious all through to the persistent finish.


The Touriga Nacional is a much loved indigenous variety but you rarely see it, in these parts, on a solo run. Quinta dos Carvalhais are credited with spearheading the quality renaissance of wines from the Dão in the early ‘90s. And it is located in the heart of the Dão. The 105-hectare estate, with 50 hectares under vine, was purchased by the Guedes family in 1988. They invested a huge amount into improvements in both the vineyards and the winery.


And part of that improvement is a series of single varietals from indigenous grapes. Along with the Touriga Nacional, look out for Encruzado and Alfrocheiro. While our bottle is single varietal, some three different batches of Touriga Nacional grapes were used in this Highly Recommended wine, each of which was harvested separately.


This wine is aged for 12 months in used and new 225-litre French oak barrels. The final blend was made to fully express the high quality of the Touriga Nacional, as well as the distinctive character of the Dão region. Serve at a temperature between 16ºC-18ºC. Pairings advised for this “Very gastronomic and perfect for meal-times” wine are “with dishes such as octopus à lagareiro, oven-roasted pork and mushroom risotto”.


UK – Here We Come. The Skibbereen Food Company's Piggy Products Hit the Shelves in Sainsbury’s in March.

UK – Here We Come

The Skibbereen Food Company

Piggy Products Hit the Shelves in Sainsbury’s
Matthew with some of his "hogalicious" products

Nine years on from an idea Matthew Brownie had from CIT in Cork, to winning the Best Business Plan for The CIT Innovation Award 2013, The Skibbereen Food Company (TSFC) goes from strength to strength from National coverage in Ireland to international markets in the UK with his successful Scratch My Pork and Pork Crunch ranges.

Amazon in the UK has been a great exposure for The Skibbereen Food Company which now has a 30 different snack products offering from 250g bulk bags of Pork Crackling to Pork Crunch to the branded 30g bags on the ready to go Clipstrip.

Matthew tells me that his “hogalicious products” are still selling strongly in his local area in West Cork. The Irish market continues to grow with new establishments stocking The Skibbereen Food Companies piggy products. Not forgetting Pembrokeshire in Wales where the first breakthrough came for him in overseas markets.


You'll find these in Sainsbury's next month.


The latest big news came at the start of December 2020 when four of Matthew’s products got accepted to be placed in 219 Sainsbury’s superstores that go live in March, which is something Matthew had been set on since the day he started his company

“This is very exciting news for me and my family, but pressure also comes with going into a major retailer in the UK. Being able to deliver and having scalability is a must in meeting all of Sainsbury’s requirements.

The company is going exactly where I want it to go and I set my goals 3 years ago to achieve this. From a local perspective I’m delighted to share the success with Skibbereen and West Cork, knowing that The Skibbereen Food Company logo will be proudly showcased around Sainsbury’s stores with the UK consumer enjoying my snacks.

SECAD Partnership / LEADER / Cork County Council and AIB bank has been a big part of TSFC moving forward with funding along Local West Cork Enterprise board. I have also started my own cooking YouTube channel that is proving to be a big hit."


What next from the Kiwi, the self-styled Culchie Chef?





Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Taste of the Week. Stone Valley Coffee

 Taste of the Week

 Stone Valley Coffee



You get music notes with your coffee notes when you buy from Stone Valley Coffee Roasters. 

I've a preference for Central and South American coffees so when I saw the selection at their stall in Mahon Farmers Market, I bought a pack of their "Some Day You'll Return", the name of their coffee from Peru, the pack illustrated with a guitar, the well-known (?) 1937 14-fret National Style "O" Resonator. 

Well, I might be able to tell one end of a guitar from another - just! So that pic didn't impress me much but the coffee, with notes of Caramel, Orange and Castillo certainly did and it quickly became our Taste of the Week.

Stone Valley have a shop in Clonakilty so you can get your fix there. They'll talk to you about music and coffee - anything it seems except decaf! By the way, I didn't remember (or maybe never knew) that Some Day You'll Return is a Dire Straits tune.

Don't know either who did One Last Drag or if it was even a song but hey do have a whole choir mentioned on the pack. The coffee though is as they say "something special" with all the "classic Ethiopian flavours but without too much of the floral notes" (which suits me very well indeed). This would do equally well as Taste of the Week.

So just take your pick! And do check out their full range  - they (John and Tom) have even snuck in a decaf! They also do wholesale and a subscription service.

They say: We roast small batches of high quality single origin coffees in our micro-roastery in West Cork. We focus on sourcing the highest quality beans and through every step of the process we focus on flavour, traceability and sustainability.

Stone Valley Roasters

35 Ashe St, Clonakilty

Co. Cork P85 N286

info@stonevalleyroasters


Monday, February 22, 2021

A Quart of Ale± #36. Moving on over to craft with a quartet of Pale Ales. Blacks. Crafty. Dungarvan. Rascals.

A Quart of Ale± #36

Moving on over to craft with a quartet of Pale Ales.  


Blacks Kinsale KPA Pale Ale 5.0%, 500ml bottle via O’Donovan’s Mayfield

A mid gold with unceasing fountains of bubbles rising are what you see when you pour a bottle of Black’s Kinsale Pale Ale. Flavours are masterfully balanced here with both the hops and the malt getting a chance to shine. But I knew all this as the Kinsale KPA has been a favourite of mine since the start.


In the first quarter of 2020, I enjoyed a pint (or two) at the Celtic Ross….

I was sipping a Blacks Brewery KPA in the bar at the Celtic Ross Hotel the other night. It is one of my favourite ales. Blacks usually get it right and they have had this spot on from the beginning. It is consistently excellent, the perfect balance.


And it is that balance between malt and hops the I find attractive. Some brewers go too heavy on the malt for their pale ales but this recipe allows the hops, a mix of Centennial, Cascade and Citra, to shine through, with the grapefruit and lime and other citrus elements, while the malt too plays its part not least in giving a delicious mouthfeel. And there’s a good crisp finish there as well.


This 5% American style ale is indeed perfectly balanced just like the guy from the band who is putting in a very athletic solo display of Irish dancing on the bar floor. Don’t think I’d ever had that kind of timing and balance - I've always preferred a different kind of tap. By the way, will we all be dancing solo for the months ahead?


That was written last March…back to the present now. Going by that last sentence above, perhaps I should take up prophesy. Maybe I’ll just repeat it for the months ahead in 2021! And hope I’m wrong.


They say: An American style Pale Ale bursting with hoppy tropical and juicy citrus fruit flavours, masterfully fused with biscuit and caramel malt aromas to produce a fantastic taste sensation. Medium in body with perfect carbonation, this beer will zip around your mouth reaching a beautiful clean finish.

American Pale Ale - Top Fermented

Centennial, Cascade, Citra

2013 release

Pair with: Burgers, Steaks, BBQ Meats


Crafty Hopster Brewing “All Hail” Pale Ale 4.0%, 330ml can via Ardkeen QFS 



A small can with a big fluffy head that lasts a fair bit, over a hazy mid-amber body well populated with micro-bubbles. Citrus aromas prominent - it is packed with Citra hops. No shortage of hoppy citrus-y flavours on the juicy palate either, with a balancing malty presence entwined. And there’s a lip-smacking finish as well. The malt, by the way, was grown locally in the Hook Peninsula (Wexford), a terrific place to visit.


They say: It is great with pizza, great with burgers, and let's be honest, pretty great with just about anything! Brewed and canned in Waterford for Crafty Brewing Waterford.




Dungarvan “Main Sail” Pale Ale <0.5%, 500ml bottle via Bradley’s



Dungarvan’s “Main Sail” is a light gold, plenty of bubbles rising. The white fluffy head quickly reduces to a thin disc. Hoppy aromas and a fair old hoppy punch too on the fruity palate, the citrus you’ve met in the aromas again resident here. No alcohol but still Ireland’s first non alcoholic ale has quite a bit of character, both in the mouth and through the finish. Ireland’s first micro-brewed alcohol free beer and one of the better ones. Was a favourite here Christmas 2019 and repeated the trick (smaller audience though) in 2020.


They say: This beer has been developed to give a refreshing hoppy flavour without the alcohol content. Coming in at 0.4% abv it is defined as an alcohol free product and can be enjoyed in place of a regular beer. Plenty of hops give a lively, refreshing citrus and herbal flavour to this light bodied pale ale.


Beer Info:

Style: Pale Ale

ABV: <0.5%

Hops: Amarillo, Challenger

Malts: Munich, Caramalt, Crystal Malt, Cararoma

Allergens: Contains Barley


And where did the name come from? From the Pogues’ “When The Ship Comes in”




Rascals “Fruitropolis” Pale Ale, 4.3%, 330 can via Bradleys


Light gold is the colour of this Pale Ale from Dublin’s Rascals who love their fruity ales, with a head that puffs up clean and white, looks attractive for a mo, and then vanishes like the air from a punctured balloon. No worries though. What’s left behind in the glass is excellent, unless you’re a dedicated hophead. Tropical, zingy and fresh, is the web banner for this and they are telling the truth! More exotic fruits than you can shake a lei at. Say Aloha and let the moment linger as the waves wash that distant shore.


So lots of fruit (orange zest and tropical fruit purées are adjuncts here) but it also has a refreshing dry finish as this little beer is pretty well balanced. 


For the Geek!

Malt: Pale, Crystal, Wheat.

Hops: Magnum, Amarillo, El Dorado, Mandarina Bavaria.

Yeast: WLP001

Other: Orange Zest, Tropical Fruit Purees.

ABV: 4.3%

Unfiltered. Unpasteurised. Keep Cool. Drink Fresh.

Sunday, February 21, 2021

The Cask Box opens onto a magic road. Variety, colour, flavour, texture

The Cask Box opens onto a magic road.

Variety, colour, flavour, texture

Beef Short Rib Chimichanga


Open the Cask Box onto a magic road. Exotic signs along the way: Chimichanga, Empanadas, Koftas, Bravas. This is a food trail that we are on, guided by a Brazilian chef and packed with surprising variety, colour, flavour, texture. Six major stops on the delicioso camino.

.


The box itself, which we picked up from the front door in MacCurtain Street, looks small enough but it is packed with a generous amount of good stuff. Some unlisted items are included. Big green olives, as large as pigeon eggs, big but exquisite. Some bread too and a trio of colourful and tasty dips to be starting with as we begin to make sense of the directions (don't worry, nothing at all too onerous here). Indeed the few minutes preparations for the courses encourages you to get up and chat and sip a little wine.


Cask are justly famous for their cocktails and you have the option of adding two or more to your order. But I had a bottle of wine on hand that I figured would go well with Cask in a Box. And the Menade Verdejo Ecologica Vino De La Tierra De Castilla Y Leon excelled itself across most of the “courses”. I didn’t chance it against the Chocolate Empanadas but it stood out when paired with Monkfish Croquettes, Prawn & Chorizo Stew and especially (and slightly surprisingly) with the Lamb Kofta (with Raita sauce). 



In no time at all, the Patatas Bravas with their sauce were on the table and, in no time at all they, along with the garlic aioli, had vanished. By then, the Monkfish Croquettes were at hand and, served with a tasty salad of large peas and with a lime and honey aioli, were thoroughly enjoyed.



An impressive surf and turf combination followed: the Prawn and Chorizo Stew that sat atop a bed of rice. The wine sang in tune with this beauty. And stood out too when paired with the next round: Lamb Kofta in a tomato sauce. Tasty stuff with the raita providing a cooling touch.


While all these are classed as Tapas, they are not your one or two bite Spanish style tapas. These are more like small plates, designed for sharing, quite generous portions indeed as was certainly the case with our next plate.



This was Beef Short Rib Chimichanga. Chimichanga I had to look up and found this definition: a tortilla wrapped round a filling, typically of meat, and deep-fried and may have originated in Mexico or even in Arizona.


Our Chimichanga was multi-layered and was packed with the shredded beef and took just seven minutes in the oven. Then it was cut in half and placed on the delicious guacamole and tomato salsa. Another superb dish from @chefvictorfranca and the team at Cask.

Dessert


And still there was one more stop on this fabulous food journey, the sweet one, of course. And it was wickedly sweet, sugar laced Empanadas with a shot of the chocolate in the pocket, just a shot but a strong one! We just about finished one and kept the other for the next day; not as crisp then but still delicious.



So now you know. If you’re looking for something different, order that box (a vegan selection also available) from Cask (€40 for two people). They have other choices as well, including Prawn Empanadas, Chicken Empanadas and Taquitos. Not all “exotic” boy - you could well be tempted by the Beef and Beamish Pie (covered with Parmesan cheese)!


More details here


#cask #VictorianQuarter #LeCaveau #Greenes #purecork #tapas #smallplates #wine #tablepath #AtHome #takeout #chefvictorfranca

Friday, February 19, 2021

Blood and Passion by the Blackwater. Bittersweet Taste of Love in the Club

Blood and Passion by the Blackwater

Bittersweet Taste of Love in the Club



Blood and Passion were all the fashion in Ballyduff, the hottest spot north of Fungarvan. 


But fear not, on Valentine’s night, the Blackwater Distillery team were chatting, via Facebook, about nothing more "bloody" than the ingredients in their Tasters Club Valentine’s Day offerings: Blood Orange Gin and Love Potion No. 5.


When it comes to passionate speakers on drink, then you’d be hard pushed to beat Susan Boyle, the creator of the Love Potion. On hearing the invite from Blackwater’s Peter Mulryan, another passionate drinks enthusiast, there was no hesitation, no delay: “I’m on board!”


And soon her thoughts began to take shape, pomegranate prominent in the melange. “..the proliferation of the seeds..the association with fertility.. and it’s also in season. I like to think that maybe Adam and Eve were tempted by pomegranate rather than the apple.”


And so the new spirit (25% abv) was based on pomegranate and, as Susan “was looking for balance”, Cardamon and Orange also came into the equation. As a result, Peter pointed out that there is a slight sediment in the bottle and it will haze when chilled.


At the finish, you’ll note a “final bite of gentian”. “Love,” affirmed Peter, “is bittersweet!” The bite here is close to what you’d get from an Italian Amaro. Susan: “Bitterness is an acquired taste, eg dark chocolate, coffee, but a brilliant taste.” As usual, Blackwater had cocktails in mind but Susan says the spirit is terrific when topped with pink Champagne or crémant. “It ticks all the boxes,” she enthused. “A multi-layered drink, ..all enveloping… romantic..and red-coloured. I had so much fun coming up with this idea, I hope the love potion works its magic for everyone who tries it.”



John Coleman, the resident cocktail creator here, called this one The Look of Love. But why did he used condensed milk with the Love Potion? He had started with cream but found that it stifled the citrus while the milk allowed it through. Honey and chocolate at the finish added to the smoothness.


Blood in the Bronx was John’s riff on the classic Bronx cocktail and, according to Peter (right) and lots of Facebook watchers, “perfectly showcases our Blood Orange Gin”. Very refreshing and quickly put together with, like all Blackwater cocktails, no extra alcohol involved (the gin itself is 40%). There is sweetness from the maple syrup and that is countered by the lemon juice (if you want it sweeter, tone back the lemon).


The Blood Orange Gin itself, designed by Kieran Curtin, started with "a bit of drama" before he decided to pare the whole thing back, leaving “obscene quantities of blood orange..in the dry form.. take the spotlight. “A post distillation infusion of blood orange slices with elderflower gives a bare hint of colour and a vibrant fresh orange palate.”



Not enough orange for some. One Facebook follower: Really enjoyed the blood orange gin with fresh orange juice and a touch of lemon juice .. I froze ice cubes with slivers of oranges in it . So they froze and look beautiful !


Blackwater’s “official” perfect serve is: Plenty of ice, a crisp tonic water and a wedge of blood orange.


#BlackwaterTasters #drinkresponsibly