What is Pimm's?

Pimm’s first made an appearance back in the early 19th century when it was served by its creator, James Pimm, as a tonic from a tankard to aid digestion at his oyster bar in east London. The classic Pimm’s ‘No. 1 Cup’ recipe is still a gin liqueur-based tipple featuring a secret recipe of herbs and spices, only now it’s usually served with lemonade, a tonne of ice and half a fruit salad as a light, summer punch. 

Having a secret recipe has not stopped others from having a go at making their own versions, however. Sometimes, they nail it. Sometimes, it’s a mess and in some cases, it’s even better than the original. Here’s my verdict on the latest Pimm’s-like plonk for all budgets because you know, someone has to do it!

How to serve the perfect Pimm’s

The Pimm’s rule of thumb is one part punch to two parts lemonade or thereabouts, whether you make it by the (highball) glass or jug. Start by filling whatever you’ve chosen with ice, then add fresh wheels of orange, lemon and cucumber with sliced strawberries and a handful of mint. Add the punch and stir before topping up with lemonade when you’re ready to serve it, stirring very gently to keep the bubbles bubbling. 

Pimm’s No. 1 Cup

The Original

The original Pimm’s summer punch should be mahogany in colour with aromas of baked strawberry, orange rind, cooking spice and a medicinal herb-like note that finishes with a bitter bite. This is the benchmark bevvy. Now let’s see how the others compare. 

Size: 70cl
ABV: 25% 
Price: £18.95

Summer Cup (Tesco)

The Frothy One

For the price tag, this is an ‘ok’ copy and it tastes exactly how the bottle looks: a bit simple and thin. This summer cup is more like a sweet, orange cordial and feels like it’s missing something, though it leaves a lot of froth. The simplicity is reflected in the lower price, at least. 

Score: 5/10
Size: 70cl
ABV: 25%
Price: £8

Oxford Originals Summer Cup (Morisson’s)

The Low Alcohol One

If you like strawberry ice lollies, the Oxford Originals Summer Cup is for you. Quite a lot sweeter than Pimms, it’s less bitter and spiced but also, lower in alcohol. Despite all this, it’s not unpleasant and is also half the price. Just don’t expect all the fancy flavours! 

Score: 6/10
Size: 70cl
ABV: 15%
Price: £6.99

Plymouth Fruit Cup

The Connoisseurs One

Created by the famous Plymouth Gin company, their fruit cup is quite a different animal to Pimm’s. The highest in booze of the lot, it’s got a syrupy texture and lots more blackcurrant and warm spice to it. Make sure you add less lemonade to this one - and you could even try it neat. Pretty good quality, but much more pricey than Pimms. 

Score: 7/10
Size: 70cl
ABV: 30%
Price: £19.75

Sipsmith: The Original London Cup

The Fancy One

Very much its own style this one, with plenty of table appeal and a lighter colour in the glass. Think cola cubes and wild strawberry sweets with a bite of bitter bark on the finish and decent weight from the higher alcohol level. If Pimm’s did a posh rosé, this would be it. A great one to gift someone this summer.

Score: 8/10
Size: 1L
ABV: 29.5%
Price: £19.13

The Great Summer Cup (Asda)

The Surprise

I have to say, one look at this inexpensive looking packaging and I was not expecting great things. How wrong I was! Packing a punch (literally) at 21.9%, this is a really tasty summer snifter that’s very similar to Pimm’s, just with a teensy bit more strawberry sweetness and texture. This ‘Great’ summer cup is actually pretty great. You might just want to hide the bottle after you’ve poured it...

Score: 8.5/10
Size: 70cl
ABV: 21.9%
Price: £7.50

Pitchers (Sainsbury’s)

The Identikit

If it’s a pure Pimm’s copy you want, Sainbo’s Pitchers is pretty much identical, taste-wise. For a pound less, 250ml more and a bit lower on the booze (though you can’t tell), it’s a bit of a no brainer. The packaging is also fairly smart too. Big thumbs up. 

Score: 9/10
Size: 1L
ABV: 17.5%
Price: £11.70

Austin’s Summer Punch (Aldi)

The Winner

Not identical to Pimm’s but actually better, in my opinion. More layers of flavour, well balanced and bitter with a yummy, yeasty note like baking bread. For half the price, lower alcohol (not that you’d know) and another 250ml to boot, this Austin’s is properly awesome. Well done, Aldi!

Score: 10/10
Size: 1L
ABV: 17.5% 
Price: currently unavailable but will hopefully be back this summer!

If you are looking for more quintessentially British drinks, have a read through The Queen has a Gin! or English Sparkling Wine you Have to Try!

The Best Gins to Try This Year

Gin, a spirit adored by bartenders and home drinkers across the world. Its versatility in cocktails and spritzers make it a home bar essential. From a dry martini to a Negroni to a humble gin and tonic, this spirit’s got it all. We’ve listed our summer favourites of this botanical delight, whatever your taste may be.

Best London Dry Gin: Sipsmith London Dry

Where better to begin than with the classic gin we all know and love, a London Dry. Unlike other drinks that bear a name, London Dry gins don’t actually have to be made in London as it’s only a nod to the heritage of gin. However, every drop of Sipsmith’s artisinal London Dry is made in the leafy London suburb of Chiswick, so you are tasting a truly London gin. Sipsmith is quite the all rounder, though the dry zestiness of the gin really shines in a classic G&T.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 41.6%
Find here: UK £27.95 // US $39.99

Best Tropical Gin: Whitley Neill Watermelon and Kiwi Gin

Tropical, fun and summery: Whitley Neill’s fruitiest addition to their already wide spanning line up is both a wonder to behold and to drink. It’s not often watermelon and kiwi are associated with gin, but the tartness of the kiwi alongside notes of watermelon sorbet is exactly what a summer gin is supposed to taste like. Though it tastes great in a G&T, why not spice it up and add lemonade to this fruit favourite. Garnish with watermelon for an impressive cocktail.

Size: 70cl
ABV: 43%
Find here: £25.95

Best Citrus Gin: Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla

This gin is quickly becoming a BIG favourite in the world of flavoured gin, achieving near perfect scores in BBC Good Food’s Citrus Gin Tasting Session. With Tanqueray’s rich history as the pioneer of London Dry gin, it already has an excellent leg to stand on. The orange flavour isn’t too sweet, nor does it take away from Tanqueray’s winning formula of botanicals. The sophistication of the drink is not lost either, with notes of blossom that round out the gin with a floral finish. Have this in a simple G&T garnished with orange.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 41.3%
Find here: UK £28.95 // US $28.99

Best Pink Gin: King of Soho Variorum Gin

Shine a torch through this bottle and you might mistake it for the dazzling neon lights of The King of Soho’s namesake. This funky gin is dedicated to a London tycoon who transformed Soho into the entertainment capital of London, Paul Raymond. His son Howard and a gin lover named Alex Robson worked together to create King of Soho, a gin brand that encapsulates Raymond’s style and vigour. Variorum is their pink gin, fruity and opulent with notes of camomile and juniper. The lightness of the gin means it can be taken neat or over ice, however a dash of tonic complements the botanicals well.

Size: 70cl
ABV: 37.5%
Find here: UK £30.05

Best Gin for a Martini: Monkey 47

The 47 in Monkey 47 stands for the number of botanicals used when making this gin (which is a lot!). Funnily enough, 47 crops up again in the gin’s alcohol content - 47%! It’s a shame Monkey 47 isn’t bottled in 47cl bottles, but then again, you won’t want to be missing that extra 30ml. This gin definitely deserves to be tasted in its entirety, as every time you drink it you’ll discover a new flavour. Try it in a martini or a G&T.

Size: UK 500ml // US 350ml
ABV: 47%
Find here: UK £35.40 // US $46.99

Best Sloe Gin: Bathtub Gin

The packaging and name of Bathtub Gin is a throwback to the prohibition era between 1920-1933 where people actually made gin in their bathtubs. We love the extra detail of the brown paper packaging which makes owning the gin feel a bit like smuggling some contraband (shhhhh). Their sloe gin is a brilliant addition to the range, especially since sloe gin is an often homemade drink. This infused gin has notes of hazelnut turkish delight, tart plums, figs and cream. Yes, sloe gin might not be a summery drink - but Autumn is creeping up on us! Ease into the next season with a Sloe Gin Fizz made with Bathtub Gin… 

Size: 50cl
ABV: 33.8%
Find here: UK £27.95

Enjoyed this? Why not have a look at The World’s Most Luxurious Gins or The Best Gins for a Martini.

Mariah Carey Has Launched An Irish Cream Liqueur

Move over Bailey’s, Mariah’s here. 

She’s the queen of Christmas, the crown jewel of pop, and now, the newest kid on the Irish cream liqueur block (if such a block exists). With her smash hit ‘Fantasy’ recently featured in new movie ‘Free Guy’, Mariah is back in town and she means business.

Mariah Carey took to Instagram to announce the launch of ‘Black Irish’, her own brand of Irish cream liqueur. Lounging on a Caribbean beach flanked by sea, sand and Irish cream liqueur, Carey looked rightfully confident in her brand. The post received much support from fans, eager to get their hands on a bottle.

The name ‘Black Irish’ is a nod to Carey’s own heritage, with an Irish mother and a Black father - a topic she has discussed previously in a 2009 interview:

“It’s, like, my mother’s white – she’s so Irish, she loves Ireland, she’s like, yay, Ireland! Waving the flag and singing When Irish Eyes Are Smiling. And that’s great. I appreciate that and respect it.”

“But there’s a whole other side of me that makes me who I am and makes people uncomfortable. My father identified as a black man. No one asked him because he was clearly black. But people always ask me. If we were together, people would look at us in a really strange way. It sucked. As a little girl, I had blond hair, and they’d look at me, look at him, and be disgusted.”

Black Irish clearly means a lot to Carey, and the way she talks about the brand echoes this.

Speaking on her brand last week, Carey stated “I wanted to create something that embodies the holidays and gives everyone a reason to celebrate year-round, and I really think we have done that with Black Irish.” To be perfectly honest, we’re quite excited we’ve been gifted with a year-round reminder of her glittering empire. With the heaves of celebrities piling into the drinks industry, it’s refreshing to see one try something a little different.

Mariah Carey is releasing three flavours of the liqueur; Original Irish Cream, Salted Caramel, and White Chocolate; all of which sound delicious.

However, UK and Ireland residents might have to wait a bit longer to sample some of Carey’s liqueur as there’s said to be a Dublin brand already holding the name ‘Black Irish’. Mariah only has access to the US rights for the name, with Darker Still Spirits in Dublin having a stout named ‘Black Irish stout’. We’ll see how that pans out… Perhaps she can offer them a free concert? Signed CDs?

Did you know that there is an abundance of Celebrity Owned Wine and Celebrity Owned Tequila too?!

The Best Hard Seltzers Right Now!

Welcome to the biggest drinks trend of the century: hard seltzers. These bubbly, lightly flavoured waters ‘spiked’ with some form of booze have taken the US by storm and are set to do the same on our shores. According to recent figures, 52% of Americans swapped beer for them in the last 12 months and it’s a trend that is likely to stay too, as more people reach out for a ‘cleaner’, more mindful drinking experience. How does that work? Well, hard seltzers tend to be super refreshing, low in alcohol (4-5% abv), low calorie, made with natural fruit flavours (and in some cases, natural sweeteners), are gluten free and vegan. With these lighter creds than the sugary, boozier alco-pops of the 90’s and their sleek, modern packaging, you can see why they’ve been winning hearts. At around £2 a pop, they’re light on the pocket too. Believe the hype and take the plunge on these super spritzy, summer sippers.

White Claw - Black Cherry

The famous one. White Claw is the wonder brand leading the charge for hard seltzers Stateside and the benchmark everyone is trying to beat. You might not believe the hype, but once tasted, they’re hard not to love. The Black Cherry itself has an almost cultish following, with ripe, cherry flavours on the nose that gives way to fresh, sparkling water with just a hint of fruit flavour. 

Score: 8/10
Size: 330ml
ABV: 4.5%
Find here: £2.25

Smirnoff Seltzer - Raspberry and Rhubarb

The one for a hot day. Light and insanely drinkable, the raspberry and rhubarb aromas are well balanced, natural and fresh, leaving a crisp, subtle flavour in the mouth. A great starter for ten and you’ll want to drink this all day. Just remember, there is some booze in it!

Score: 9/10
Size: 250ml
ABV: 4.7%
Find here: £2

Bodega Bay Hard Seltzer - Apple, Ginger & Acai

The most natural one. Quite a rich, real apple flavour here with a cracking kick of ginger and spice. The acai berry completes the mix to make a genuinely interesting drink with a unique taste. It’s the only one with fully natural ingredients too and its sleek, white, minimalist packaging feels very classy and clean.

Score: 10/10
Size: 250ml
ABV: 4%
Find here: £1

Kopparberg Hard Seltzer  - Passion fruit

The Instagrammable one. Winning the pretty packaging prize is well-loved booze brand Kopparberg. Passion fruit is the star of the range with its up front fruitiness and long lasting flavour. Sweeter than some, it’s still a good, lighter alternative to more calorific bottled booze.

Score: 7/10
Size: 330ml
ABV: 5%
Find here: £2.30

Mike's Hard Seltzer - Lime

The foodie one. The lime flavour in this is reminiscent of green wine gums from years past (remember those?) It’s also quite intense and lingers in the mouth for a while. Not as natural tasting as some, but definitely a thirst quencher and would be a great one with fish and chips.

Score: 6/10
Size: 330ml
ABV: 5%
Find here: £2

Barefoot Wine Seltzer - Strawberry & Guava

The one made with wine. Yes, water with a touch of wine and some natural flavours, though the guava flavouring is pretty pungent. Quite different from the others thanks to the tang of vino, there’s more flavour here than in many, if a bit less natural tasting.

Score: 6/10
Size: 250ml
ABV: 4%
Find here: £2.30

Nordic Wolf Hard Seltzer - Cherry & Cranberry

The one for cherry cola fans. The flavour is stronger here than with the other seltzers, but not sickly. Heavy on the cherry and a moreish tang from the cranberry, this is the one most like a normal soft drink, but without the nasties and cloying sweetness. Fantastic value.

Score: 7/10
Size: 330ml
ABV: 4%
Find here: £0.99

Sparkl Hard Seltzer - Lemon, Ginger & Chilli

The one for fans of vodka and slimline with a slice. Bucking the can trend in a glass bottle, this buzz water is subtle on flavour despite the addition of ginger and chilli. The real lemon zings and despite the alcohol, it feels strangely cleansing.

Score: 6.5/10
Size: 330ml
ABV: 4%
Find here: £30 for 12

Looking for more canned drink goodness? How about checking out these 5 Cracking Canned Drinks or if you’re looking for something slightly wackier then this Dill Pickle Hard Seltzer is always an option!

Thursday Club with talk RADIO: Pisco, Cachaça and Absinthe

It’s an international theme on The Three Drinkers this week: World drinks you’ve heard of but might not be quite sure what they are! We take a deep dive into Cachaça from Brazil, Pisco from Peru and Absinthe from France! All these drinks are very much finding their own place in the UK finally and so deserve your attention. Here’s a little more about them. Huge thanks to The Whisky Exchange who sent us all the samples. 

Cachaça 

Try: Sagatiba Cachaça Cristalina

If you’ve ever had a Caipirinha, you’ve had Cachaça; the white spirit of Brazil, who produces 800 million litres of the stuff every year! In Brazil, it’s also known as Aguardente de Cana and it’s close in style to a white rhum agricole, distilled from fermented, fresh sugar cane to produce a fruity, slightly spicy, slightly funky spirit. When exported it must be labelled as Cachaça to stop confusion with rums from other countries. 

White Cachaça may be labelled as branca (white), clássica (classic), tradicional (traditional) or prata (silver). Amarela (yellow) Cachaça aka ouro (gold) or envelhecida (aged), is stored or aged in wood, thus changing its colour. “Premium" Cachaça has been aged for at least 12 months in suitable barrels, whereas "Extra Premium" has seen at least three years.  

Find it here at The Whisky Exchange for £21.95 for 70cl.

Simple Caipirinha recipe

1 lime, cut into wedges

60ml ounces Cachaça

2 teaspoons brown sugar

Lime wheel for garnish

Ice

Muddle the lime and sugar in a rocks glass, then add the Cachaça and ice and stir briefly before adding the garnish. 

Pisco

Pisco is a grape brand produced in Peru and Chile that first appeared in the 16th century when the conquistadors started to grow grapes to make wine. They then distilled the results to make Pisco. It’s clear or slightly yellowy because they don’t age it in barrels and neat, it can be dry and earthy or floral and fruity. Sip it neat or make a deliciously refreshing Pisco Sour by adding lime juice, sugar syrup and egg white.

Find it here at The Whisky Exchange for £30.45 for 70cl

Simple recipe for a Pisco Sour

30ml Pisco

15ml lime juice

15ml simple syrup

1 egg white

Garnish: Angostura bitters

Add the Pisco, lime juice, simple syrup and egg white into a shaker and dry-shake (without ice) vigorously. Add ice and shake again until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass and garnish with 3 to 5 drops of Angostura bitters. Using a toothpick or similar, swirl the bitters into a simple design.

Absinthe

Try: La Maison Fontaine Blanche

Although originally Swiss, it's fair to say that France claimed it as its own as the spirit that conjures up images of bohemian Parisian in the late 19th- and early 20th century with artists and writers all going a little bit bonkers after drinking it, notably Baudelaire, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Vincent van Gogh and Marcel Proust. It’s an anise-flavoured spirit made from various plants including the famous wormwood, sweet fennel and other medicinal plants. It was always naturally slightly green in colour (hence its nickname, ‘the green fairy’) but can also be made clear. Absinthe is bottled at a high % abv, though it’s meant to be diluted with water. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug as it has been portrayed, though it does have trace elements of thujone; a chemical compound that has been known to lift mood. For many years, Absinthe was banned in the United States but in 2007, it was reintroduced after rigorous testing proved it did not present a health risk or cause louche behaviour.

This blanche Absinthe is made in a pre-ban style with notes of sweet fennel, cereal and  licorice. White absinthes tend to be a bit smoother and less herbal than green ones - often less strong too.  

Find it here at The Whisky Exchange for £20.75 for 20cl - 56%

Simple Absinthe Cocktail Recipe  ‘Death in the afternoon’

25ml of Absinthe

5ml of sugar syrup

120ml Sparkling wine

This punchy tipple was named after Ernest Hemingway’s 1932 book about Spanish bullfighting. Pour the absinthe into a flute with sugar syrup and stir, then top up with chilled Champagne or Sparkling wine. If you prefer something simpler however, try it with really cold water and ice or lemonade.

Glenfiddich to Fuel Trucks with Whisky Waste

Does driving a car powered by whisky count as drunk driving…? The jury’s still out on that one, but one thing we know for certain is that a whisky waste powered car is on the horizon!

Making whisky can be surprisingly wasteful, with nearly 85% of the leftover grains and barley from the malting stage going to waste. Wastage is a huge problem in the food and drink industry, but major whisky producer Glenfiddich seems to be on the road to combatting their waste.

Though previously sold off as high-protein cattle feed, Glenfiddich is using its spent grains to create fuel for trucks. The grains are put through ‘anaerobic digestion’, a process in which bacteria break down organic matter and produce biogas. This biogas is what can be substituted for the harmful diesel. Using biogas instead of diesel or other fossil fuels cuts CO2 emissions by over 95% and reduces other harmful particulates and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 99% - now that’s cool. Each truck will displace up to 250 TONNES of CO2 annually!

Glenfiddich currently have four trucks running off this biogas, but plan to convert the other sixteen of their trucks to be biogas fuelled in the near future. At the moment, these trucks are only the ones transporting the spirit to be bottled but William Grant & Sons, Glenfiddich’s parent company, are looking to use the same biogas to power trucks that transport the whisky nationally.

William Grant & Sons have always proclaimed to be at the forefront of reducing carbon emissions in the whisky industry, and they hope to hit carbon net zero targets by 2040. Judging by the way things are going now, that doesn’t seem to be such a huge hurdle anymore.

Glenfiddich distillery director Stuart Watts (pictured above) told Reuters, “The thought process behind this was, ‘what can we do that’s better for us all?’”. This mindset is certainly one that is catching on around the drinks industry as we see more and more brands either utilising waste or becoming carbon neutral (even sometimes carbon negative!).

In Finland, even goose poop has been used to make beer! Check out this article to see how other companies are making their processes a bit more eco-friendly.

What is a Whiskey Sour?

Let us take you back in time, back to a time where boats were the only method of international transport and shirts had far too puffy collars… In the 19th century, scurvy was RIFE in the Navy. With no ships carrying fresh fruit or vegetables, sailors were suffering from severe and deadly Vitamin C deficiencies. Luckily, consuming citrus fruits was discovered as a way of warding off scurvy, and ships began to be piled high with lemons. At that moment, the Whiskey Sour was born.

Drinking spirits was much safer than drinking sea water, and they never expired. When he wrote ‘water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink’ in 1836, Samuel Taylor Coleridge wasn’t kidding. One could mix lemon juice with one's whiskey rations and have a (somewhat) healthy and safe drink. 

This very simple version of the drink was brought back to land and, like the sailors, was cleaned up a bit. Sugar syrup was added to take the bite off the acidic lemon and punch of the whiskey and garnishes were added for a bit of fanciness. It was first written down in Jerry Thomas’ 1862 The Bartender’s Guide. Here’s the original recipe:

Ingredients

1 teaspoon powdered white sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1 wine glass of Bourbon or Rye whiskey
Seltzer
Berry for garnish

Method

Take 1 large tea-spoonful of powdered white sugar and dissolve in a little seltzer. Add the sugar solution, lemon juice and whisky to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a claret glass. Garnish with berries.

The Whiskey Sour you might know often includes egg white and Angostura bitters - but that’s a fairly recent take on the Whiskey Sour. Here’s our favourite 2021 Whiskey Sour Recipe:

Ingredients

50ml Bourbon (we like Maker’s Mark)
35ml lemon juice
12½ml sugar syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
½ fresh egg white
Cherry for garnish
Orange or lemon slice for garnish

Method

Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into an ice filled rocks glass. Garnish with the orange or lemon slice and a cherry.

Like this? For more delicious cocktail content how about checking out the Crabbie’s Colada, The Dalmore Mackenzie Highball or the Classic Daiquiri?

Which Whiskies To Invest In - August Whisky Investment Index

The closed distilleries march on.

It seems that having been out of the running a few months ago, and now moving up the table, Karuizawa is moving up further. There have been some significant bottles at auction and quite a few of them giving the Japanese distillery a lift in recent weeks. Springbank and Bowmore have kept steady, and Brora has entered the fray.

Brora distillery could be an interesting prospect. Having been closed since 1983, the distillery has been rebuilt. Not just another distillery on the same site. The re-built distillery is almost an exact replica of the original. The original new make is no more, but Dr Jim Beverage can remember the profile and is certain he can recreate the magic of the past.

Whether this will bring old bottles out of the woodwork, or if people will hold onto them hoping the Brora brand will grow and grow, one doesn’t know. But my feeling is that if you can invest in old bottles of Brora, which already has cult status, you won’t do badly.

Macallan 1%
Bowmore 1%
Springbank 1.5%
Karuizawa 2.0%
The Dalmore 2%
Clynelish 3%
Brora 2%
Rosebank Official Bottlings 1%
Ardbeg 2%
Glen Grant

Bottles to Watch

The following bottles are from Brora. There are not many as Brora bottles are truly old and rare, and I would advise finding bottles at auction rather than at retail. As always, these are just suggestions but it will point you in the right direction to do your own research and introduce you to the possibilities of investing in whisky.

Brora 37 year old (Special releases 2015)

This bottle is from a release a few years ago and will likely improve over the coming years as well. An official bottling from Diageo, it will always be sought after.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 50.4%
Find here: US $1999.99

Brora 21 year old 1977

This 1977 is a lot less expensive than its older sibling from 1972, and therefore has a little more room to increase in value.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 56.9%
Find here: UK £1795

Brora 1982, bottled 2008 G&M Connoisseurs Choice

Independent bottles are frequently less expensive to buy, this can also be because they are also bottled at a lower ABV. However, with good ones, they can increase in value at the same rate as official bottles. This is a prime example.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 43%
Find here: UK £1200 

To see how this whisky investment index is created, have a look at March and to see how August compares to July click here.