8 CBD Drinks To Relax You Over Winter

Every year, more and more people are becoming familiar with CBD and at The Three Drinkers, we like to keep a particular eye on CBD infused drinks. There can be a lot of misconceptions about CBD so with the dark nights drawing in, what better time for us to give you the lowdown on what CBD is and which drinks you should try!

CBD is short for cannabidiol, a naturally occurring molecule that plants in the cannabis family produce. Now for people not familiar with it, the confusion can arise from the fact that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is also in cannabis plants, and this is what produces the ‘high’ associated with marijuana.

CBD does not come with this ‘high’. Instead, it has shown to be beneficial for deep relaxation and stress relief, hence why you’ve seen it popping up all over the place over the last decade. So, if you want to combine a delicious drink with something to de-stress and pick you up from any winter blues, CBD drinks are well worth trying!

Gin

Cloud Gin

In many ways this is a classic gin, except nestled amongst the familiar juniper, coriander and blueberry botanicals is CBD. Masterminded by two brothers in Yorkshire, they chose to emphasise the similarities of CBD and alcohol in calming anxiety. And so, born in the overlap of that Venn diagram was Cloud Gin. It’s perfect for sipping the evening away after a stressful day and a beautiful bottle that’s worth keeping too!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
CBD: 35mg
Find here: £39.95

Rum

Dead Man’s Fingers Hemp Rum

With their eye for experimentation, it’s no surprise that Dead Man’s Fingers has its own CBD drink – the world’s first CBD hemp rum! It was awarded Gold at the Rum Masters in 2020, with praise for the herbal grassy notes, pine, coffee, and a warming spicy finish. Hemp contains CBD naturally, but this won’t be as strong in that department as some others on the list. Enjoy it with some ginger ale, or in an ‘Ernest Hempingway’ cocktail because why not!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
CBD: Minimal
Find here: £22

Vodka

Aqua Sativa Hazy Dry

Formerly known as Strangeways Spirits, Aqua Sativa is continuing its aim to become a pioneer of CBD drinks, and with the Best Alcoholic Beverage Award at the World CBD Awards in the bag, their vodka has to be a must try. Hand-crafted, distilled and bottled in Manchester, try it on the rocks with lemon and see what you think!

Size: 500ml
ABV: 40%
CBD: 20mg
Find here: £37.99

Beer/Cider

Cannabrew

Back in 2019, Elliot Horner started exploring CBD to ease his aches and pains from rugby. He ended up merging that with his passion for craft beer and arrived at Cannabrew – one of the UK’s first CBD breweries. The CBD oil used is specifically made to work well with the range of beers and ciders, and what a range! Somerset Cloud cider, clean and crisp Soul lager and a citrusy Session IPA. They actually have even more, but we think these are a great place to start. Cannabrew is completely vegan, plastic free and even has a tree planting scheme, so it won’t just be the CBD giving you a feel good factor!

Size: 330ml
ABV: 4.5% (Cider 4%)
CBD: 15mg
Find here: £19.99 6x330ml

Bitters

OTO

OTO is a reliable and renowned name in the CBD world, with skincare, pure oil, and other products available, but it’s their bitters we’re interested in. It’s a blend of herbaceous botanicals that adds to your drink, from a few drops in your morning coffee, to a dash in a Friday night cocktail. Unlike the other drinks on this list, these are much stronger, so whilst it may be much pricier, only tiny amounts are needed to bring on the calmness.

Size: 75ml
ABV: 0%
CBD: 1350mg
Find here: £51.75

No Alcohol

Goodrays

Goodrays is one of the loudest voices educating people about the often-misunderstood CBD. These seltzer style cans are 100% vegan and sustainable, contain Vitamin D aka the sunshine vitamin (perfect for winter), natural flavouring and also hemp extract, which is shown to help with stress and inflammation. Goodrays has four flavours right now, but our top two are the Blood Orange & Grapefruit with its juicy tartness and their Passionfruit & Pomelo with its tropical sweetness.

Size: 250ml
ABV: 0%
CBD: 30mg
Find here: Blood Orange & Grapefruit: £6 4x250ml
Find here: Passionfruit & Pomelo: £6 4x250ml

Gibson’s Goodology Tea

Gibson’s Goodology cans are luxury CBD Teas, tailormade to help revitalise, refresh and re-balance. There are no artificial flavours or sweeteners, just five ingredients: tea, fruit puree, agave, lemon juice and CBD. If you’re tired of sugary sodas, caffeine crashes and alcoholic cocktails, then this natural tea is the opposite. They have three very inviting options currently; a nutty shisho tea with a sweet blueberry finish, a punchy passionfruit with earthy green tea, and a floral jasmine tea with tart rhubarb. Also, if you are still drinking alcohol, we reckon these would be great as a gin mixer so why not give it a whirl?!

Size: 250ml
ABV: 0%
CBD: 25mg
Find here: £14.99 3x250ml

EDI Spirited Euphoria

The mysteriously named Endorphin Dealer Institute (EDI) has its own alcohol-free hemp spirit called, ‘Spirited Euphoria’, and it’s designed to trigger the enjoyment of alcohol without the downsides. It’s a dry, bittersweet, and subtly aromatic flavour and although it’s a non-specific spirit, it’s incredibly refreshing and enjoyable. There’s hemp, nootropics (cognitive enhancers) and adaptogens (stress reducers) all working together meaning that not only is there no hangover, but you also feel on top of your game. Sounds good to us! It’s perfect over ice with a little orange, or if you want a sweeter flavour pair it with some fruit juice.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 0%
CBD: 420mg
Find here: £40.10

If you’re more of a white than red kind of person, then we’ve got a list of our favourite white wines for under £10 here! And with the sleigh bells of Christmas ringing louder each day, there are some more great value reds perfect for Christmas here too. 

Words by Calum Ecroyd

Bring a Bottle Podcast: Episode 98

Episode 98 is here and this week Alex Layton joins Aidy in the studio as we continue our Bruichladdich journey, try the ultimate ‘Christmas in a glass’ liqueur, give amazing Australian wine tips, and decide what the perfect drink is for our most loved fast foods. Oh, and you’ll want to keep listening to the end for one of the most embarrassing confessions we’ve had on the pod yet!

Our Guest Drinker

With us in the studio this week is Alex Layton who is Head of Marketing at Decanter Magazine no less! Decanter is the place to go for everything wine, reaching millions of people across its numerous channels. Alex also tells us about the Decanter Awards on the pod, as well as his love for BBQ food and his extensive job experience across the world of drinks (if you can think of it, he’s probably done it).

What’s In Our Glass?

We adored the Bruichladdich Classic Laddie last week, so we’ve progressed onto the Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10-Year-Old this time, also produced on the Southwestern tip of Islay Island just off the Scottish west coast.

If you like smoky whisky, then at 40PPM this super peated dram will suit you down to the ground. Behind that oak-y smoke though there is a roundness, with subtle sweetness and notes of seaweed and salty sea air coming through. It would be a great dram for someone who’s into something between the Speyside and Islay whisky styles, and it’s from a fantastically sustainable distillery too. Lots to love with this!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 50%
Find here: £46.75

The Sandfly Cocktail

This single malt is perfect at the centre of a Sandfly, a cocktail dreamt up in New York in 2017 as an adaption of The Mosquito. We think this is just gorgeous. The smokiness from the super peated whisky is beautiful, and despite being in pretty much equal parts to the Campari, isn’t overwhelming at all. There’s spicy sweetness from the ginger, and bittersweetness from the Campari to round it out too. It’s the perfect drink for this season, sat around a bonfire sipping away – an autumnal cracker.

Ingredients
25ml Port Charlotte 10 year
20ml Campari
20ml Lemon Juice
10ml Ginger Syrup

Method:
Combine all the ingredients with ice and shake well. Strain into your cocktail glass and bottoms up! 

Buy it or Bin it

This is one that reveals itself slowly. It looks just like a glass of milk, and initially smells like it too, but then there’s a boozy kick and a ‘Milky Bar’ feeling to it. 

It’s Mozart White Chocolate Cream Liqueur! This milky, chocolaty, Bourbon blend tastes like Christmas in a glass, and the bottle is beautiful too, like a giant Ferrero Rocher. It’s crying out to go into a White Chocolate Espresso Martini. It has 60% less fat and a lot less alcohol than other Irish creams too by the way! This is 100% a ‘buy it’ pick.

Size: 500ml
ABV: 15%
Find here: £14.99

Australian Wines

Australia is almost the size of Europe, so the diversity in wine flavours, styles and grapes is massive down under. We run through the very best of Australian wine, from incredible value Viognier to Pinot perfection, and everything in between.

Fast Food Drinks Pairing Quiz

November 16th is National Fast Food Day, so we run through the perfect drinks to accompany just that! Champagne and fried chicken? Negroni Sbagliato with a hot dog? Listen in and tell us what you think of our pairings!

Drinks Confessions

Wine tasting should be a joyous occasion, learning about the origin, aerating the wine etc. Well, not for Alex, not at his first ever session anyway. And it won’t have been great for the person standing in front of him either, let’s just say that. Find out why he had to run off in embarrassment on the podcast!

Tsikoudia: A Cretan Hidden Gem

Here at The Three Drinkers, we get inundated with new products and increasingly these products are very good, which makes it difficult to know when to really shout about something. Occasionally something comes along which is truly outstanding, different and of such excellent quality It needs to be noted. I am partial to a good grappa, a lot of grappa simply tastes of alcohol and not the grapes it’s made from, luckily there are exceptions. The drink I want to talk about is close to the grappa family, although few people will have heard of it. It is like a Raki, but it comes from Crete and is called Tsikoudia, pronounced “tzikoodia”. Within the Tsikoudia family there are also varying qualities of spirit, but there is one which shines above the rest.

What is Tsikoudia and how is it made?

Coming from the famous Manousakis winery in Vatolakkos in Crete, planted in 1993 by Ted Manousakis, are some of the best wines in Greece. The winery produces many different varieties of wine, both white and red, and I’ll write further about them soon. One of the varieties they produce is Roussanne, grown on schist and sandy clay soils which creates a rich, creamy white wine. The marc, or pumice from the grapes (more commonly known as the mash), is placed in large plastic containers for forty days to ferment and the resulting mash is then given a single distillation in copper stills. Like most spirits, the materials used to create it are incredibly important, so the use of high quality Roussanne grapes which have lots of flavour make an excellent spirit.

What does Tsikoudia taste like?

There is a very fine cut so the spirit can be reduced to 37.5% making it a very easy to drink spirit which has lots of fruity esters giving flavours of green apples, touches of lime and of course, lots of rich and intense grape flavours. There is no acetic flavour at all which can be associated with poor grappa. Tsikoudia only needs a single distillation, much like Armagnac as the fermented mash is at a higher percentage alcohol than a spirit like whisky where the wash going into the first distillation is only 8% or 9%.

How do you drink Tsikoudia?

My favourite way of drinking it is at room temperature in sunny weather, but it’s also good over ice or directly from the freezer and it can also be good with bitter lemon for a long drink. Tsikoudia is very flexible as it is both an aperitif and digestif.

Which Tsikoudia should I try?

Manousakis Tsikoudia

Size: 500ml
ABV: 37.5%
Find here: £32

If you enjoyed this, make sure you head over to our spirits page for more delicious recommendations!

Words by Colin Hampden-White

6 Irish Coffee Recipes for All Whiskey Lovers

The season of cosy cocktails is upon us, and the Irish Coffee has to be right at the top of that list. Rich, warming and velvety smooth, it’s simply perfect as the nights draw in.  

They’re so simple to make, but that doesn’t mean you can’t vary it up! Picking the perfect whiskey can transform an Irish Coffee, so take a look at our favourites below. Richer, spicier, fruitier, whatever your preference it’s here.

Traditional Irish Coffee- Powers

If you want to taste Irish Coffee as it was originally intended, then this traditional recipe is the way to go because it’s exactly the way that Chef Joe Sheridan made it back in 1943, at Foynes Airport. It’s also the method that we follow in Episode 2 of The Three Drinkers in Ireland if you want to find out more! At the centre of it is Powers, a classic Irish whiskey that’s been around since 1791! This concoction is a true taste of history.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons brown sugar
120ml hot coffee
45ml Powers Irish whiskey
Cream lightly whipped

Method
First, warm your glass with hot water for a little bit (make sure you tip it out) before adding the sugar and then the beautiful steaming coffee. Add the Irish whiskey, and pour that silky very lightly whipped cream on top over the back of a spoon – this way it sits beautifully on top! As they say in Ireland, Slainte!

Fruity Irish Coffee - Jameson

Jameson is the biggest selling Irish whiskey in the world and for good reason. Deemed by many as the ultimate beginner’s dram, it has more pronounced sweeter notes with apples, honey and tropical fruits coming to the fore, rather than spice or smoke which can be more challenging. This is perfect for a really tasty and subtly fruity Irish Coffee to warm you on a cold night. 

Ingredients
30ml cream
10ml demerara sugar syrup
90ml espresso
35ml Jameson Original
Grated nutmeg (garnish)
1 vanilla pod (garnish)

Method
The sugar syrup is so simple to make, just dissolve demerara sugar in boiling water, and stir this into your measure of Jameson. Add the espresso shots. Then, whip the cream a little to stiffen it and pour it over the back of a spoon so it sits nicely on top. Garnish with a dusting of nutmeg or cinnamon and a vanilla pod for a drink that looks and tastes stunning.

Spicier Irish Coffee - Slane

Slane Irish Whiskey is made from not one, not two but three different casks – virgin oak, Sherry, and seasoned casks which previously contained Tennessee whiskey and bourbon. The end result is a really full taste, with flavours of butterscotch and vanilla, as well as warming notes of baking spice. It’s ideal for a spicier and particularly Autumnal Irish Coffee.

Ingredients
40ml Slane Irish Whiskey
15ml vanilla-infused demerara syrup
70ml espresso
20ml double cream
Dark chocolate shavings (garnish)

Method
Half fill your glass with boiling water and add syrup, coffee, and whiskey. The syrup can be made by combining boiling water, demerara, and vanilla essence or pods. Top with the lightly stiffened double cream float (again, using the back of the spoon) and finish with chocolate shavings. This is pure indulgence and the perfect balance of sugar and spice.

Peaty Irish Coffee - Kilbeggan

Now, this is a whiskey steeped in history. It’s named after one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland who founded a monastery nearby in the 6th century, and the Kilbeggan Distillery itself is the oldest of its kind in Ireland. It’s distilled twice rather than thrice, so retains strong peaty qualities and a long finish full of flavour.

Ingredients
15ml cream
15ml brown sugar syrup
90ml coffee
40ml Kilbeggan Single Grain Irish Whiskey
Grated nutmeg (garnish)

Method
Add your Kilbeggan and brown sugar syrup to the glass (to make this heat sugar to water in a 2:1 ratio until the sugar dissolves). Fill up with coffee and cover the top with a small amount of cream. Grate some gorgeous nutmeg to finish and voila!

Rich Irish Coffee – Roe And Co

Roe and Co have been on our lips since scooping the prestigious Master award at the Irish Whiskey Masters in 2019. It’s a beautifully balanced whiskey with creaminess, a velvety texture and notes of woody vanilla and spiced pears. Worryingly moreish and one you definitely have to try! Why not in a Irish Coffee?

Ingredients
40ml Roe & Co
75ml hot coffee
1 tsp demerara sugar
20ml double cream
Grated nutmeg (garnish)

Method
Super simple this one. Just add everything but the cream and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Then spoon over the gently whipped double cream on top and grate some nutmeg to finish. It’s luxuriously rich and fulfilling to the max.

Super Smooth Irish Coffee- Teeling

We bring you another Master winner, this time from 2020 and it’s Teeling’s glorious Small Batch. The blend of malt and grain whiskeys is aged in ex-Bourbon barrels initially, before unconventionally being moved for further ageing in Central American rum barrels. Because of this, it’s fruity on the nose, super smooth on the palate and finishes with an enticing caramel creaminess. The combination of rum and whiskey creates a unique flavour profile that you may well fall in love with! 

Ingredients
40ml Teeling Small Batch
80ml brown sugar syrup (50/50 split)
120ml coffee
20ml double cream

Method
Word to the wise, the sugar syrup here is a 50/50 split of sugar and hot water, which is less sugary than usual, in case you were thinking 80ml is a lot! Preheat your glass and add the whiskey, syrup, and freshly brewed coffee. Stir thoroughly and pour the cream over the back of a spoon. Again, grate some nutmeg if it suits your tastes and away you go!

If all that has got you in the mood for other coffee cocktails, then check out our best selections here. And for more great Irish Whiskey content, explore our other favourites with, ‘The Best Irish Whiskey’.

Words by Calum Ecroyd

What You Should Be Drinking with Thai Food

Pairing drinks with Thai food is no easy task. With salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavours all working harmoniously, the cuisine’s complexity can result in confusion over what works well, and what clashes. So, without further ado, here is our essential guide to the best drinks to have with Thai food.

Beer

We’ve got some great wines for you below, but spice and wine don’t always get along, which is why beer steps up to the plate as the ultimate thirst quencher. Thai food isn’t as synonymous with hot spice as Indian, but most dishes still have a kick, and some stir fry dishes (Phad Kee Mao, Pad Kra Pao for example) are very spicy. The cooling bubbles instantly refresh, and the alcohol content is relatively low so you can gulp away comfortably. 

Citrusy, spicy beers go best with hot and sour Thai dishes.

Witbier

You might know witbier as wheat beer, or white beer. They’re typically cloudy with a fresh and frothy texture due to a lack of filtering and surprise surprise, high wheat level. The fragrant citrus taste provides a perfect counterbalance to any sourness and spice in your meal, and they also work wonderfully with the lemongrass flavour that crops up again and again in Thai dishes. Hoegaarden (4.9%) is a renowned Belgium witbier dating back 600 years, with a super refreshing soft and light feel that will go very nicely indeed.

Find here: £5 4x330ml 

IPA

If you prefer slightly medium spice Thai dishes that tend to be heavier, sweeter and aromatic then IPA could be the way to go. The citrusy aroma of most IPA’s pairs nicely with Green and Red Curry, and Rendang and Panang too. The right IPA will accentuate the lime and lemongrass often used in these curries, but be careful to pick out a sweeter, sharper ale, not a hop bomb. We’d aim for balanced coconut or fruity/citrus IPAs in particular. Cigar City’s Jai Alai (7.5%) has assertive bitterness that will counteract sweetness in the food, and the bold and citrussy flavour pairs nicely too. Alternatively, renowned Hamburg brewer Kehrwieder have their non-alcoholic üNN IPA range, and Coconut Grove (0.4%) would complement Thai flavours superbly. There’s also tropical fruit and lime and of course, no alcohol to fan the flames!

Find Cigar City’s Jai Alai here: £3.70 Jai Alai
Find Kehrwieder Coconut Grove here: £2.74 Coconut Grove / £27.71 Case of 12

Singha

Most beer from Thailand and the surrounding areas is German influenced lager, and the most popular bottle that you’ll find is Singha. It’s crisp and clean with a mild, light taste that’s perfect for hot Thai food. It’s a very easy drinking lager with strong malty flavour that pairs nicely with something like massaman curry. Also, whilst they tend to avoid alcohol with food in Thailand, it’s still satisfying to enjoy drink and food from the same nation. By the way, it’s pronounced without the a if you want to impress the waiter at the next Thai restaurant you visit!

Find here: £2.20 

Wine

Wine and curry can be a dangerous game in terms of successful combinations. The tannin and heavy alcohol in stronger wines can be a mismatch for spicy foods, but don’t write it off just yet. Off-dry, medium to low strength white wine is the way to go. 

Gewurztraminer

Gewürztraminer is a distinctly aromatic, dryer wine with full body and more often than not, floral and citrus aromas. You’ll often find ginger too which matches nicely with most Thai dishes, and the slight sweetness copes with any mild spice thrown at it. If you’ve ever tried Moscato wine, there’s some overlap. The more fragrant dishes such as the green and red curries, panang, beef satay, pad thai and tom Kha soup all pair well with Gewürztraminer. An off dry Riesling will work similarly well. Also, a much sweeter late harvest bottle mirrors Thai desserts pretty well too, because they can be intensely sweet. This one is Cave Vinicole de Hunawhir’s Cuvée Prestige (14%), an Alsace wine with notes of tropical fruit, apricot, lychee and a touch of ginger. 

Find here: £12.99 (£9.99 Mix Six offer)

Torrontes

Torrontes is an aromatic Argentinian wine that is a versatile dancing partner for Thai cuisine due to the sweet floral aromas, and peachy lemon zest notes. It’s sweet on the nose but dry in style and as long as the dish isn’t overly spicy with extremely intense flavours, it will work a treat. Think coconut curries, peanut dishes, and seafood options. This bottle from renowned winery Catena (13%) uses some of the highest grapes on the planet to create a crisp and zingy wine with particular sweetness that fades out for dryness in vintage Torrontes fashion. 

Find here: £7.50

Alsace Pinot Gris

Pinot Gris has a less fruity flavour than other options on this list, and instead a stronger acidic structure. The sweet muskiness that comes with it goes fantastically well with spicy Thai dishes, and especially so if it’s from Alsace because they often have some ginger and clove spice notes. There’s enough subtle spice here to complement the Thai spice, and acidity to cut through it too. It’s a balanced wine capable of dealing with both sweet and sour – ideal for Thai food. From the same winery as the Gewürztraminer is the Cuvée Prestige Pinos Gris (13.5%), a rich and full white with refreshing acidity and peach and pear notes. 

Find here: £12.99 (£9.99 Mix Six offer)

Spirits

Many might write off spirits with Thai food but with the right mixer and tonnes of ice, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy one with your food. We’ve gone for a gin because many of the botanicals complement ingredients used in Thai cooking. It’s also very easy to transform into the ultimate refresher.

Gin

Avoiding anything overwhelmingly strong, you can pick out the right gin for whatever dish you’re having. If you’ve gone for sweeter curries, a sour dry gin works well for example. Gin and ginger beer would be fantastic with warming spice and refreshing bubbles working hand-in-hand, or a premium original tonic will do the job. Lime Leaf Gin from Batch Spirits (42%) drew inspiration directly from Thai cuisine, using lime leaf, galangal, and jasmine botanicals. It’s vibrant, citrus-forward, and unsurprisingly, perfect for sipping alongside Thai food. You can even get Thai Basil for the perfect garnish! Word to the wise, be generous with your tonic because whilst 42% isn’t strong, you run the risk of clashing with spicier dishes if it isn’t diluted thoroughly. 

Find it here: £35.95

We know how hard it is to decide what takeaway you want (all be it a nice problem to have!), so if you’re fancying an Indian instead, we’ve got you covered there too! Check out our Best Drinks With Curry guide!

Words by Calum Ecroyd

Bring a Bottle Podcast: Episode 97

Greetings drinkers! You can listen to Episode 97 of the Bring a Bottle Podcast now! Joining Helena is Jason Myers, a hospitality king who travels the world seeking out amazing food and drink experiences. Discover why his favourite ever whisky cocktail may have changed mid-recording, hear about the pub returning to candlelight, the blockchain powered fine wine revolution and how will Helena fair putting herself in the ‘Buy it or Bin it’ firing line? 

Our Guest Drinker

Joining Helena on the pod this week we have Jason Myers! He’s a hospitality CEO who’s worked and travelled around the world, always keeping one eye on food and drink (particularly his beloved wine and whisky). When he’s back on home turf he’s involved with Grosvenor pubs, opening wonderful new sites like The Hare & Hounds in Newbury, and Wild Thyme and Honey in the Cotswolds. Welcome, Jason!

What’s In Our Glass?

Bruichladdich (pronounced like ‘brookladdie if you weren’t sure), is a very progressive distillery from the island of Islay just off the west Scottish coast. They’re the first of their kind to become a ‘BCorp’, meaning exceptionally high levels of social and environmental performance but right now we’re focusing on what’s inside their ‘Classic Laddie’ Scotch, and it’s very nice indeed.

Unlike the neighbouring distilleries on the island, the entire range is made without the use of peat. It’s a super warm, floral, and elegant Single Malt Scotch with a nice smokiness coming through. It’s bottled at 50% but make no mistake, it’s very easy drinking and not heavy at all. 

Size: 700ml
ABV: 50%
Find here: £41.45

Not only does it make for a stunning dram, but it also makes a fabulous cocktail. Here’s what we tried in the studio…

Young Laddie

The sweetness and bitters balance out delightfully here, retaining a subtle smokiness that’s perfect as an introductory whisky cocktail for a newbie. The garnish twists tie everything together very nicely at the end too, so we recommend you include one. 

Ingredients
50ml Classic Laddie
20ml simple syrup
2 dashes angostura bitters
Walnut bitters
Grapefruit/ orange/ lemon twist (garnish)

Method:
Simply combine everything (except the twists), add a large chunk of ice, and stir until chilled. Squeeze the twists before dropping them in and you’re ready to go!

Drinks News

The Tollemache Arms in Northamptonshire is rolling back the years by switching off all the lights every Thursday evening in November and setting up cosy candlelit dinners instead. It’s not just because of the tough times we live in either, it’s just to get back to basics and create a romantic and cosy atmosphere. Could this become a trend? We certainly think it should!

Buy it or Bin it

Something slightly different this week as Jason puts his wine tasting to the test with this dense, savoury, and blackcurrant-y red... little does he know it’s actually a Bourdeaux blend by Helena herself!

Crurated

Crurated is a wine community completely changing up the fine wine industry by selling fractions of wine barrels that you can personalise yourself. It’s a membership club that uses blockchain and NFT technology to skip the middleman and open up the world of fine wine to everyone. Helena chats with Paolo Sforza to find out more in the podcast and you can also read more here.

Instant Sommelier

What wine would Jason pick to impress colleagues?  And has his favourite ever whisky cocktail changed literally over the course of the podcast? Listen to hear the answers to these questions and other fab recommendations!

Mailbag

A question from the mailbag to finish of course, and it’s...*drum roll* ‘What is the best value wine usually found on a pub wine list?’ Listen in to find out what you need to drink next time you’re down the pub!

Blockchain, NFTs and Wine: Crurated’s Fine Wine Revolution

Listen to Helena’s chat with Paolo Sforza above.

Crurated is a forward-thinking company that has captured our attention since launching in the spring of 2021. The first of their kind, they’re a membership-based community of fine wine lovers and collectors, where NFT and blockchain technology is used to ensure security, authenticity and provenance.

Some of the most highly rated producers in the world are on board, and members can enjoy a range of benefits but at the centre of it all is Crurated’s fractional barrel offering. If any of this sounds a bit confusing at first, don’t worry because it’s actually very simple. Let us explain!

What are fractional barrel offerings?

First up, Crurated are the first membership-based wine company to use fractional barrel offerings using blockchain and NFT technology. Whilst the tech might be new, the concept itself is actually very traditional. For many years in France, wine lovers have teamed up to buy and share a barrel, so this is simply a rejuvenation of an old tradition in a modern way.

Prestigious barrel offerings from some of the finest producers in Burgundy, Piedmont, Tuscany and beyond go live on the website, and members can bid for the litres that they want. Then, when the time comes to bottle, the members pick which size of bottle they would like, and the wine is stored in Crurated’s warehouse in Burgundy for as long as they like.

Producers know exactly how many bottles of each size to produce, and consumers can pick whatever size they want, including much larger bottles that are usually extremely rare or even unavailable altogether. Win-win!

Absolutely anyone (providing they’re of legal age of course) can sign up, making fine wine accessible to everyone. This hasn’t always been the case as the fine wine community can be quite insular, complicated and generally difficult to break into as an outsider. For many high-end allocations, it can even be impossible to get the opportunity to buy some.

What is blockchain and NFT technology?

You might have heard of blockchain technology in connection with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. In a nutshell, the blockchain is a decentralised network that facilitates the process of making transactions and tracking assets - a digital ledger of sorts. All the information stays entirely within the network and crucially, the data cannot be edited retroactively.

An NFT is a more recent innovation and it stands for non-fungible token. These tokens are used to purchase digital assets, then the blockchain technology is used to assign and claim ownerships of these. In short, it’s a secure contract that says you own the digital asset, which in the case of Crurated, is also linked to a real asset: the wine. So, if you own the NFT, you own the bottle. This isn’t the same for all NFTs by the way; sometimes you really do just own a cartoon picture online and nothing in the ‘real world’.

Safe to say it’s a complicated area, but the brains behind Crurated know a lot more than us and are putting it to good use! But how?

How does Crurated use blockchain and NFT technology?

In the world of fine wine, there are conventionally a lot of middlemen and hoops to jump through. Everyone takes their cut, there can be questions over provenance and care taken over the wine at each stage. All in all, getting your hands on a reputable new release is very complicated.

Crurated remove those barriers to entry, democratising the distribution of fine wine. Anyone can sign up and despite the sound of the technology used, the process is user friendly and very easy to navigate.

The blockchain and NFT involvement means transparency and authenticity at every stage. Think of it as a digital contract; a modern way to keep track of orders, accounts and contracts, where every bottle is tracked directly from the producer to storage, and absolutely everything is recorded so that you are assured of your bottle’s authenticity. Provenance is one of the most important concepts in the fine wine market, and refers to whether the wine really was made by the producer on the label as well as what kind of storage the wine has been kept in.

With everything being so specifically tracked and checked, there can be no doubts over any of this. The final stop for the wine is the warehouse in Burgundy, which is fully insured and kept in optimal condition so members can enjoy peace of mind until the time comes to ship it. It’s fine wine being treated as fine wine should, which is not always the case!

How do you become a Crurated member?

Signing up is simple via the Crurated website. Currently, there are four different memberships, starting from free explorer options and increasing to various levels of paid membership. These come with additional benefits like being able to store hundreds more bottles, access to rare vintages, invitation-only events and bespoke service. Once your account is up and running, you can take advantage of all the great information and materials available and start bidding on any barrels that take your fancy.

What else can members get access to?

Crurated is about more than transactions. They have recently launched experiences, where members can visit the vineyards of top producers, have dinner with them and discover more about the products they love. This enables producers to communicate directly with their top clients to find out what people love about their products and offers members a uniquely tangible connection to the wine they’re involved with.

The producers involved are already wide-ranging across Italy and France, and the network is consistently expanding. It’s also worth mentioning that at events like these, it is clear how the ‘old boys club’ image of fine wine is something Crurated are changing.

There is a diverse membership base, with more younger people and women attending and signing up. This trend is mirrored in the workforce too, with a 50/50 male and female split and full-remote working enabling people from all over the world to build the Crurated community.

The other really cool feature on offer is personalised labelling. Many of the producers allow custom labelling for specific and special occasions, which is something you just don’t see from high-end producers. Once your bid is accepted and your NFT is secure, you’ll often have the option to put whatever you want on the label, making that special bottle of wine even more special.

Crurated has an active social media presence showing what their winemakers do, what the events they run are like and keeping members up to date with new features, offerings and opportunities. Even if you don’t sign up, it’s also a great way to stay up to date with all things fine wine!

Instagram – @cruratedofficial
Facebook – @crurated
YouTube - CRURATED

What kind of barrel offerings does Crurated have available?

Crurated tends to focus on a different barrel each week, so here are the offerings for the remainder of 2022:

Domaine Gerorges Mugneret-Gibourg — November 7-13
Vosne-Romanée “La Colombière" 2021
Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru “Les Feusselottes” Cuvée Augustin 2021
Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2021

Domaine Pierre Girardin — November 14-20
Échezeaux Grand Cru 2021
Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 2021
Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru 2021
Richebourg Grand Cru 2021

Montevertine — November 21-27
Le Pergole Torte 2020

Domaine Y. Clerget — December 5-11
Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru  2021
Volnay 1er Cru Clos du Verseuil 2021
Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens 2021

Domaine Hubert Lignier — December 12-18
Clos de la Roche Grand Cru Bio 2021
Morey Saint-Denis 1er Cru Vieilles Vignes Bio 2021
Morey-Saint-Denis Trilogie Bio 2021
Bourgogne Pinot Noir Grand Chaliot 2021

Domaine Bruno Colin — December 19-25
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2021

12 Stunning Supermarket Red Wines for Under £10

UPDATE: For the latest monthly supermarket deals from Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Aldi and more, click here.

The selection of great quality wines available on supermarket shelves has come on leaps and bounds in recent decades, and there are now plenty of options that provide not just good value for money, but sublime flavour full stop, even compared to pricy classics.

Times are tough right now, so here are some bold and beautiful red wines curated by us that all cost less than a tenner. More good news is that they should be available at a supermarket near you too, so you can easily pick them up on the weekly shop. Check them out below!

Corte Alle Mura Chianti Riserva

This fantastic Chianti represents incredible value with a full body and complex flavour. There are detectable notes of fruitcake and sweet spice, and a slightly balsamic finish too. It really is punching above its price point!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13%
Find here: £5.99 Lidl

Piccodoro Nero D’Avola DOC 2021

There’s more fantastic value here with this Nero D’Avola from the stunning island of Sicily. It’s rustic and figgy with notes of wild strawberry jam and all in all, it’s a tremendously food-friendly and comforting wine. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13%
Find here: £5.75 Tesco

Extra Special Chilean Pinot Noir 2021 

Concentrated, plush and plummy, this generous Pinot hails from the prestigious Leyda Valley in Chile. It’s dry, beautifully balanced and very loveable indeed. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14%
Find here £6.50 ASDA

Marqués de los Zancos Rioja Crianza DOC 2019 

If you like your wine tangy then this Spanish Rioja is right up your street. Think autumnal flavours with subtle notes of peppery spice. Delicious. There are some hefty price tags slapped onto good Rioja, so this is a must try.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £6.75 Tesco

Extra Special Sicilian Reserve 2019 

Made with 100% Nero D’Avola, this rustic red has been partly aged in French oak barrels before having a further year in bottle before release. Rustic and tangy, there’s fantastic flavour on show, with strawberry and mocha noticeable. Superb value from Sicily once again!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £7 ASDA

Tesco Finest Stellenbosch Pinotage 2021 

A fantastically modern example of South Africa’s flagship red wine made by the family owned Stellenrust winery. This Stellenbosch is distinctly fresh and moreish with a medium body and those rich, meaty notes come through clearly. Enjoy with barbecued meats or (given the time of year), a nice hearty stew.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14%
Find here: £7.50 Tesco

Taste the Difference Barbera d’Asti 2018

Hailing from the Piedmont region in Italy, winemaker Claudio Manera has produced a terrific, soft and saline wine with notes of ripe red and black berries balanced by a super fresh acidity. Smooth and mellow. Yum! 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14.5%
Find here: £8 Sainsbury’s

Lisboa Bonita 2020

This bottle uses a blend of local grape varieties like Caladoc and Castelao, which grow close to Lisbon where the sprawling vineyards have a long history with winemaking. It’s rich, chocolatey, and packed full of bramble fruit flavours for an intriguing and complex flavour. Nom! 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £42 for a case of 6 (£7/bottle) M&S. Also available in store. 

Johann Wolf Pinot Noir

From the Pfalz region, this is a classic, cool-climate German Pinot. It’s elegant with plenty of silky cherry and raspberry fruit to enjoy. Try pairing it up with a hearty roast and it’ll show brilliantly.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12.5%
Find here: £9.99 Waitrose (could be on offer even cheaper!)

T-Bone Malbec 

This is a really excellent benchmark Malbec from San Juan that brings to mind the velvety notes of chocolate dipped blueberries. With some added structure from the inclusion of a little Cabernet, this inky black red has plenty of oomph. Unsurprisingly given the name, it would sit perfectly beside Argentinian steak but it’s more than capable of crowd pleasing on its own too. Lovely!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13%
Find here: £7.99 (Mix 12 Price) Laithwaites 

Tesco Finest Marlborough Pinot Noir 2021

This is a light and elegant Pinot from reliable New Zealand producer Indevin, with lifted notes of violet and cherry. The thin-skinned grapes from the Waihopai Valley give an inviting light colour, and they’ve mellowed it in French oak for a welcoming, smooth finish. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13%
Find here: £9 Tesco

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2021

Last on our list is a banging benchmark Shiraz. Penfolds are so reliable when it comes to this area, and Koonunga Hill is yet another example of this. It’s a traditional Australian blend that blends a wonderfully expressive Shiraz with the structure of a Cabernet Sauvignon. The result is an interesting, full-bodied red with silky red fruit, liquorice notes and a peppery kick. A complete winner at that price. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14.5%
Find here: UK £8.50 Morrisons // US $19.99

If you’re more of a white than red kind of person, then we’ve got a list of our favourite white wines for under £10 here! And with the sleigh bells of Christmas ringing louder each day, there are some more great value reds perfect for Christmas here too.

Words by Calum Ecroyd