Winter is Coming
It’s been a fun summer with team Daffy’s this year with plenty of gin to cool us down in times of need. We’ve been crazy busy with the Edinburgh festival with pop ups throughout the country, including the garden takeover at the Blackbird in Edinburgh which showcased some delicious summer cocktails. I did of course find time to try some new exciting products such as the Peychaud’s Aperitivo, which beautifully balances complexity with bitter orange and zesty grapefruit for a great pre dinner drink. Look out for this replacing Campari in the Negroni for a softer version of Italy’s most celebrated cocktail. Peychaud’s Aperativo is currently only available in a select number of venues across the UK, but try it as a simple serve with a splash of soda and an orange wedge.
Wine Find for the Month
Chateau Thenac Blanc- Bergerac Sec. I much prefer red wine but summer sometimes calls for something more refreshing. I tend to go for oaked white wines that have a great buttery mouthfeel and toffee warmth. Available from Berry Bros and Rudd http://www.bbr.com/producer-1044-chateau-thenac for £16.
Winter Warmers
Autumn is fast approaching however and gone are the days of sipping on a chilled D&T outside with the warm summer breeze. This is the time of the year to think about warming and comforting drinks. It’s a bit early yet to think about presents but I had a great day with photographer Gill Murray shooting up some of our winter warmers and it’s got me thinking of my favourite drinks and spirits to play around with this time of year. For some seasonal mid ground here are a couple of Autumnal cocktails to ease you into the colder weather.
Winter Martinez
The Martinez cocktail is one of my go to drinks with Daffy’s, but the hint of chocolate livens it up and brings a new depth of flavour to the drinks. This drink calls for a simply infusion of 20g cacao nibs per 100mls of Daffy’s. The gin will take on the flavour of the nibs within a couple of hours but for more intensity leave them to soak for 24 hours.
I always recommend keeping a bottle of Pedro Ximenez Sherry in the fridge at Christmas. It’s the perfect companion to cheese, pumpkin pie, and of course Daffy’s!
- 50mls Daffy’s gin (cacao nib infused)
- 20mls sweet vermouth
- 5mls maraschino liqueur
- 5mls Pedro Ximenez Sherry
- 2 dashes black walnut bitters
Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass and stir with cubed ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Midnight Mist
If you’ve followed us on social media and tried out some of our cocktail recipes, you may have noticed I’m a sucker for sherry. Autumn is the perfect season to experiment with sherry as it carries a great depth of flavour and intensity. The oaky flavours from Daffy’s work well with deep nutty notes found in the sherry to create a delicious after dinner drink.
- 25mls Daffy’s
- 25mls Frangelico
- 5mls Fino Sherry
- 50mls Pomegranate Juice
Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake hard with cubed ice. Strain into a chilled champagne flute and top with fizz.
Tomorrow I will be along at the Juniper Festival in Glasgow talking all things Daffy’s and demonstrating a complex Autumn cocktail:Clarified Pumpkin Spice Latte. Video footage and pictures to follow!
