Bring a Bottle Podcast: Episode 104

We are together for Episode 104 and the season finale of the Bring a Bottle podcast! This will be the last episode for a while, so it’s a time for reflecting on the trends and value monsters of the year just passed and predict the trends for 2023. Top cocktails of the year, Mezcal, Martini, Dry January tips, a Buy it or Bin it that misses the mark and much more! Happy New Year drinkers!

What’s In Our Glass?

The perfect party wine, we’re loving the Graffigna Malbec Genuine Collection in this episode. Malbec is probably the greatest all-rounder red there is, and for an Uco Valley bottle, this is amazing value; concentrated with ripe berries and bursting with flavour.
Helena brings DeRosier raspberry chocolates along which go perfectly with it, and Aidy suggests pigs in blankets or aged gouda as another perfect match. To be honest, whether main or dessert, this elegant easy-drinking Malbec loves most dishes!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £9 Sainsbury’s (often on offer so keep your eyes peeled!)

Drinks News

We look back at the most popular cocktails of the year and what do you think number one was? Dirty Shirly was a surprising 3rd, and Espresso Martin 2nd... what would your top be? Listen to find out!
Also, the Duke of Sussex pub has dipped into the Royal controversy by realising a, ‘Harry’s Bitter’ brew... some love it, some think it’s going too far, what about you?

What will be a big drinks trend next year?

We’d love to see Mezcal trending in 2023, and with Margarita and Picante so popular, tequila is getting there but we’re predicting more short serves. Helena’s crystal ball also fancies Vermouth to pick up more of the spotlight so we shall see!

Bang for Buck

A big shout out to Crémant de Loire from Lidl, a Chenin-based Champagne alternative that punches well above its pricepoint. Lees aging, a splash of Chardonnay, and weight and waxiness from Chenin – the balance is impeccable, and it would sing if served up beside something like salmon mousse.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £8.99 Lidl

Martini

If you love a Martini then you don’t want to miss this segment. Opposing the most famous Martini drinker of them all, Aidy says to never shake them! He likes to stir his Savoia vermouth in, whilst Helena prefers Cocchi vermouth. Sweet vermouth can overpower the vodka or gin in your glass, so consider trying a ‘vermouth rinse’ if you find this problematic!

Dry January

We’ve been singing the praises of Franklin and Sons tonic and soda for a while, and they’re perfect for a Dry January stand alone. Also, consider Wednesday’s Domaine for a great value non-alcoholic wine. It’s creative, fun and tasty to boot!

New Year’s Eve

What is our favourite cocktail for the big night? For a sparkling option, French 75 is hard to beat. For something with oomph, Death in the Afternoon! Or... what about Aidy’s homemade experiment? Grand Marnier, honeycomb syrup, bitters all shaken and topped up with Cava! Who knows, maybe that will be the top cocktail of 2023?

Buy it or Bin it

It looks like a dark Irn Bru, hits you with aniseed and sambuca... but there’s chocolate in there too? It’s Chocolate Absinthe Liqueur, by Devil’s Botany. The bottle is beautiful, but the drink inside doesn’t quite hit the mark with us when trying it neat. However, to bring balance to a savoury cocktail, it may well be ideal!

Listen in to our final podcast episode for all this and more!

Bring a Bottle Podcast: Episode 99

Episode 99 welcomes back a familiar face from a couple of episodes ago, and that’s Jason Myers! It’s a very special rum that we sip on too, the Madeira Cask from Mount Gay’s Master Blender Collection. Listen for our verdict on this, as well as a sweet Frizzante wine called, ‘the wink’, the brand new virtual reality wine-sniffing experience, and the best wine Jason has ever tried!

Our Guest Drinker

If you didn’t catch Episode 97, then Jason is a hospitality CEO currently involved with Grosvenor pubs, opening new and exciting projects regularly, like The Hare & Hounds in Newbury, and Wild Thyme and Honey in the Cotswolds. He loves his wine and whisky and has worked and travelled around the world seeking out amazing food and drink experiences. Welcome back, Jason!

What’s In Our Glass?

Filling our glasses in the podcast studio this week is a beautiful rum from Mount Gay’s Master Blender Collection, the Mount Gay Madeira Cask Selection. Mount Gay is the world’s oldest rum distillery, and their Mount Gay Madeira Cask Selection is special stuff. A bit of a step away from the other bottles in the collection, you’ll find notes of orchard fruit, pear, grapefruit, vanilla, butterscotch and a really nutty note coming from the Madeira cask. It’s super balanced with a deep complexity to it and with only 2706 bottles made it’s a delicious treat that we are sure will be snapped up fast!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 55%
Find here: £160

Drinks News

Have you ever heard of an olfactometer? Well, it’s a machine designed to deliver odours of some kind, and a Swedish University collaboration has created a wine-sniffing virtual reality experience with it. The user enters a virtual wine cellar, and scores points depending on correct guesses of the aromas in each bottle. We think that after all that you’d be desperate for a taste that isn’t virtual, but the experience still sounds fascinating!

Drinkers Discovery

L’Occhiolino is a sparkling red wine, which translates as, ‘wink’ from Italian. It’s a very unique style of Frizzante from Emilia-Romagna, and although you might not take to it unless you like sweeter wine, it’s a lot of fun. At 7.5% ABV, it’s weaker than your usual Prosecco, and that’s a good job because it is very moreish! If you like a new wine flavour with a yeasty quality, then it’s definitely worth giving a go. We love the bottle too - it would make for a lovely present.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 7.5%
Find here: £12

Mount Gay Distillery Fun Fact

Ironically, way back in 1703 it was a man called John Sober who originally started the small distillery at the top of Mount Gilboa, Barbados. After a while, Sir John Gay Alleyne, a fourth generation Barbadian was introduced, and his innovations grew the distillery so much that the entire distillery took his name!

Instant Sommelier

Listen to find out what Jason’s favourite wine of all time is (this is a guy that’s tried many remember!), as well as his other go-to’s for different occasions.