What Are The Most Popular Red Wine Grapes?

With so many red wines out there it’s hard to know which bottle to choose. With that in mind, we’ve created this handy guide to the most popular red wine grapes including information on their characteristics, what to pair them with and which bottles we recommend…

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon (often colloquially known as Cab Sauv) is the world’s most popular grape, being planted in a great many wine regions around the world. The wine has brilliant aging properties thanks to its full body and tannic structure and its rich, concentrated flavours of blackcurrant, cedar and mint are a pie that everyone wants a slice of.

Where Is Cabernet Sauvignon Grown?

As previously mentioned, Cabernet Sauvignon is almost everywhere as it’s fairly robust; its thick skin helps it cope well with both heat and cold. It’s popularity globally is also thanks to its association with very famous wines such as a Château Lafite from Bordeaux. Its spiritual home is still France (especially the Bordeaux region), but the grape has taken to California, Chile and Australia in particular extremely well.

What Does Cabernet Sauvignon Taste Like?

Cabernet Sauvignon has a distinct blackcurrant and dark forest berry flavour with some sort of leafy note. Its thick skin provides a lot of tannic structure too, making it very dry and full-bodied. Depending on the region, it can also have notes of peppercorns and spices.

What To Pair With Cabernet Sauvignon:

The full-bodied nature of Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself extremely well to rich, grilled meats and dishes with high flavour, protein and fat content.

Which Cabernet Sauvignon Should I Try?

Affordable: Apothic Cabernet Sauvignon UK £9 // US $8.98
Mid-Tier (Cabernet Sauvignon Blend): Château de Janicon Graves Rouge 2018 UK £14.83
Top-End: Mt Brave UK £79 // US $99.99

Merlot

Merlot tends to make softer, more medium-bodied, fruitier wines than Cabernet Sauvignon and the two are very often blended as they complement each other so well. 

Where Is Merlot Grown?

Merlot is grown in similar regions to Cabernet Sauvignon and is the other ‘famous’ Bordeaux grape. As Merlot takes less time to ripen, it can be grown in slightly cooler climates than Cabernet Sauvignon such as Northern Italy. For juicy, fruity, warmer climate Merlots, head to Australia, California and Chile as well as regional Southern France.

What Does Merlot Taste Like?

These warmer climate Merlots are often bolder and fruitier, offering flavours such as red plum, blackberry and even vine tomato. Cooler climate Merlots are more tart, with earthy notes and often, an iodine tang. 

What To Pair With A Merlot:

Merlot is a great wine to pair with food as it is so versatile. Easy drinking, inexpensive Merlots like creamy, tomatoey sauces. An earthier, old world Merlot is delicious with roasted meats and vegetables.

Which Merlot Should I Try?

Affordable: Château Tertre De Viaud Côtes De Bourg 2016 - UK £10.92
Top-End: Château Prieurs de la Commanderie Pomerol 2016 - £39.48

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is one of the world’s most popular red wine grapes. It can taste like a red wine but feel like a white, so is often the red that white wine drinkers pick. It is light bodied and elegant, with high acidity and very low tannin, coupled with a beautiful silky texture and classic flavour profile of spiced cherry, raspberry compote and earth.

Where Is Pinot Noir Grown?

Pinot Noir loves a cool climate and you can now find incredible bottles from many places around the globe. France produces a huge amount of it, with the majority coming from Burgundy, and since the 1990s, Germany has also been producing some stunning bottles, only here they tend to call it Spatburgunder. The USA has some very exciting styles coming out of Oregon and coastal California, and although not as widely known, there are many other countries around the world that produce some very good Pinot too, including the UK, New Zealand, Austria and Romania to name a few! If it’s a cool region, Pinot will do well. 

What To Pair With Pinot Noir:

Given its higher acidity and its low tannin, Pinot Noir pairs really well with many different dishes. For the lighter, fruitier versions, try it with fleshy fish like salmon, or chicken, whereas bolder Pinot Noirs such as those from Chile or New Zealand work really well with pork, duck, beef stews and mushrooms.

Which Pinot Noir Should I Try?

Affordable: Sanziana Pinot Noir Recas Cramele UK £8.50
Mid Tier: Sebastiani UK £25 // US $14.99
Top-End: Volnay Domaine Cyrot-Buthiau 2017 UK £35.95

Syrah

You might know this grape better as Shiraz; the Australian name for their most planted grape, but the two are technically the same, although the Shiraz style has morphed away from the Syrah style, hence the two names. These dark and brooding wines have wonderful aging capabilities and are excellent with all sorts of foods.

Where Is Syrah Grown?

Syrah thrives in warm and dry climates, which explains its massive success in Australia. However, the grape’s spiritual home is on the rocky, gravelly hillsides of the Northern Rhone region in France. California has also done well with the Syrah grape, though it is often left in the shadow of the ever popular Californian Cabernet Sauvignon.

What Does Syrah Taste Like?

Syrah creates powerful, full-bodied wines chock full of dark, plum fruit flavours, dried herbs and pepper. In the Southern Rhone valley in France, Syrah is a key component in famous blends such as Cotes-du-Rhone and Chateauneuf du Pape. New World Syrahs are often spicier and more fruit driven than Old World Syrahs, which offer more herbaceous notes and higher acidity. 

What To Pair With Syrah/Shiraz:

The punch of Syrah can sometimes be too much for foods with more delicate flavours, so pairing these wines with meaty and peppery dishes is the way to go. With an Australian Shiraz, don’t stray too far from the meaty flavours, however, the herbaceous, European Syrah is perfect for vegetables and game. A Californian Syrah is a good middle ground.

Which Syrah should I Try?

Affordable: McGuigan Reserve Shiraz UK £6
Mid-Tier: Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz UK £29.95 // US $27.99
Top-End: Mclaren Vale Yangarra Estate Ironheart Shiraz £89.97 // US $32.99

Malbec

Malbec is a grape with a rich history and a rich flavour. Though sometimes chosen as a better value substitute for Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec deserves its place on the list of most popular wine grapes.

Where Is Malbec Grown?

While Argentina’s pride and joy, the Malbec grape actually originated in South West France. Its move to a warmer, sunnier country by a hopeful French botanist allowed it to shine in a way it never had done in France before. Malbec loves altitude and thrives on the sunny slopes of Mendoza in Argentina and although this country now grows 70% of the world’s Malbec, the grape can still be found in its French home in the famous, black wines of Cahors and is becoming slowly more widespread in other New World regions such as New Zealand and Australia.

What Does Malbec Taste Like?

Classic Malbec is all about blueberry, raspberry and chocolate. It’s bold but often very smooth and with a bit of age can also offer more complex, savoury, leathery notes.

What To Pair With Malbec:

As you may suspect, an Argentinian Malbec loves a good steak! It’s a sure fire winner at any grill or barbecue and works very nicely with hard cow cheese too. It’s another one that can handle grilled veg well.

Which Malbec Should I Try?

Affordable: Tesco Finest Argentinian Malbec £8
Mid-Tier: Bramare Malbec Lujan de Cuyo UK £29.24 // US $39.99
Top-End: Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino US $149.99

Grenache

Grenache is not only known for its red wines, but also for the deep rosés that it can create. Its fruity nature (especially in its rosés) is very approachable and dangerously drinkable! A Grenache is a great pick with or without food.

Where Is Grenache Grown?

Unlike many of the grapes on this list, Grenache didn’t actually originate in France. Though it’s now planted all over France’s Southern Rhône region, Grenache originated in Spain (where it is labelled as Garnacha)! It’s not as widely grown in the New World as a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Merlot and its acreage has been sharply dropping in the past few decades (sad face).

What Does Grenache Taste Like?

Grenache’s fruity flavour is made up of its notes of strawberry and cinnamon, though depending on where the grape is grown, it can also produce notes of orange and grapefruit. 

What To Pair With A Grenache:

Though it’s definitely a winner with most grilled meats, lean towards something leaner with Grenache, such as lamb. It’s not just meat that you want to pair with Grenache, anything spicy or herbaceous is perfect with this fruity wine.

Which Grenache Should I Try?

Affordable: Waitrose Cotes du Rhone Villages £7.99
Mid-Tier: Anayón Garnacha £17.19
Top-End: Orin Swift 'Abstract' UK £39.99 // US $37.99

Tempranillo

There’s no doubt that Tempranillo (tem-pran-ee-o) is Spain’s favourite red grape, and its versatile flavour profile and texture makes it a treat for pairing with food. It’s most commonly known in its guise as Rioja (In Spain, the wine is often named after the region) but Tempranillo can be found all over Spain. If you’re planning a tapas night anytime soon, be sure to pick up a bottle of Tempranillo - you won’t regret it!

Where Is Tempranillo Grown?

Again, this grape is Spain through and through. Over 80% of the world’s Tempranillo comes from Spain but it has tiptoed its way across the border and is now fairly common in other countries like Portugal. Australia has also been experimenting with this grape, as it enjoys similar conditions to the old favourite, Aussie Shiraz. 

What Does Tempranillo Taste Like?

Tempranillo is simultaneously earthy and fruity, with notes of leather, strawberry cherry and spice. An Australian Tempranillo offers more chocolatey notes, sometimes even being juicer than a Spanish variant. It’s worth trying both New World and Old World Tempranillos to discover your favourites.

What To Pair With Tempranillo:

A fresh, young (‘joven’) Tempranillo is delicious alongside pasta and tomato dishes, whereas a bolder Tempranillo is more suited to meaty dishes. It’s all about trying what works for you and what doesn’t.

Which Tempranillo Should I Try?

Affordable: Finca Besaya Crianza 2017 UK: £9.99
Mid-Tier: Altos de Baroja Rioja Joven £10.75
Top-End:  Marqués de Murrieta Gran Reserva Rioja £50.50

Looking for more wine content? How about having a read of The Best Places in the UK to Drink English Wine or Cheap Champagne that Tastes Great.

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.

Thursday Club with talkRADIO: Martini Three Ways!

Shaken, stirred, dirty, wet, dry, with a twist or something totally bonkers with onions, nothing says class like a Martini. What though actually is the difference between all these styles?

These days, there are over 200 variations on a theme of Martini with some barely resembling the ‘original’ version at all. Let’s go back to basics though and try make sense of some of the more classic recipes. 

Over time, the Martini as we know it has become progressively drier, having morphed from sweeter drinks, namely the Martinez or the Marguerite. The dry Martini as we know it is most likely to have gained traction at the end of the 19th century and start of the 20th, when London Dry Gin became a thing and there was a huge advertising campaign by the Martini & Rosso vermouth company who created a strap line saying ‘It's not a  Martini unless you use Martini”. Genius. It worked though. 

Shaken or Stirred

The point of shaking and stirring the Martini ingredients before serving is to cool and dilute the drink. Shaking does this faster than stirring but it also changes the texture slightly, creating tiny air bubbles that are held in suspension in the liquid, giving it a slightly cloudy look. Choosing which you prefer is a satisfying element of bespoking your own Martini.

Key styles of Martini

Classic Martini

The classic is a combination of London dry gin (2 parts) and dry vermouth (1 part), stirred with ice, then strained straight up into a chilled Martini glass and garnished with an unstuffed Spanish olive. If you use vodka instead of gin, this is simply a classic vodka Martini. Many prefer the classic ‘with a twist’, however, which is simply a slim twist of lemon peel.

Dry Martini

A less vermouth, the drier the Martini. A classic dry version will see the glass have a vermouth rinse before being topped up with gin, but it is still known as dry if there’s more like a splash of vermouth in there.

Wet Martini

A wet Martini is when you are upping the vermouth from more than a small splash, so that it can even be half gin (or vodka), half vermouth. This is also known sometimes as a 50:50.

Dirty Martini

A dirty Martini is when a splash of brine from the olive jar is added to the drink and is served with a stuffed olive. 

Perfect Martini

A perfect Martini means the drink includes equal parts of dry and sweet vermouth.

The Gibson

Fun fact! If you swap out the olives for cocktail onions, the drink becomes a Gibson! Named after the famous London bar of the same name.

Other Styles of Martini

Really, you can substitute the gin or vodka for any spirit. You can also substitute the vermouth! One example is the saketini, where vermouth is replaced by sake, or the tequini, where the gin or vodka is substituted for un-aged tequila!

Tequini Recipe

90ml Tequila Blanco

15ml Dry Vermouth

1 dash Angustura bitters

Twist of lemon or olive as preferred.

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Champagne Comes From Russia – Or So Putin Says

We all know how it goes: Champagne is Champagne because Champagne is made in Champagne, which makes it Champagne. Pretty simple, right? Well, due to a recent announcement in Russia, that’s not the case anymore. We have a feeling the notoriously specific French wine authorities aren’t going to be happy about this.

The big man, Putin himself, has signed legislation stating that imported Champagne not made in Russia can no longer label itself as Champagne (though it can tell you where it was made on the back label). Instead, only sparkling wines made in Russia have the privilege of being named Shampanskoye (Russian for Champagne).

However, wine enthusiasts and sommeliers in Russia aren’t in such a rush to change things around. According to The Guardian, sommeliers such as Elena Lebedeva, the head sommelier for a group of very popular Russian bars, aren’t going to be changing the menus. “If we are selling namely [French] champagne, it’s going to remain in the champagne section”, said Lebedeva.

Russia imports a staggering 50 million liters of sparkling wine each year, 13% of which is French Champagne. Russian sparkling wine is not nearly as popular, with some bottles being sold for the equivalent of £2.70 in stores. With this new law in place, it’s likely that French Champagne houses will either significantly reduce or even halt their exports to Russia - leaving Russia not able to meet the needs of their mega-rich. Moët’s Moscow office has already declared that they will be refusing to export their Champagne to Russia if a solution cannot be found, clearly hesitant to have to overhaul the branding of their exports to Russia.

We’re quite curious as to which appellation Putin is thinking of claiming in the near future. Perhaps he’ll fancy some Roquefort, a Cornish Pasty, a Melton Mowbray pork pie… Who knows? Watch this space!

Want to read more drinks news? How about checking out Cocktails for Dogs… yep, they’re a thing! Or maybe funky drinks such as this Dill Pickle Hard Seltzer is more up your street?!

Cocktails for Dogs

In all our time reporting on human drinks, it seems we’ve looked past an important demographic - pets! Yep, apparently, you’re now able to take your pooch to their very own bar and can order them a doggy cocktail! 

The Barkney Wick dog and human community centre in Hackney has decided to open a bar, aptly named ‘After Bark’. Unless you can speak Woof, you’ll have to judge which ‘puptail’ your dog is yearning for - but with a menu of Bloodhound Marys, Barkaritas and Howlapaw Slings, they’re spoilt for choice.

In case you were wondering whether these ‘puptails’ were just a smelly meaty stew in a plastic margarita cup, you’d actually be wrong. According to Jamie Swan, who opened the bar in June, “The puptails basically consist of raw beet or raw carrot. We don’t have any preservatives in anything.”. Gywenth Paltrow’s dog has unofficially given it a star of approval.

Jamie went on, “We also have Fish Island Iced Tea, which is just for dogs, and that’s got things like dandelion and burdock in, which are good for the gut and for overall health, as well as just a lot of fun.” Awww, well isn’t that sweet. Not sure where the pun in Fish Island Iced Tea is, but we imagine that’s probably not top of a dog’s list when it comes to slurping down a puptail.

It’s not just dogs who can have all the fun either! After Bark also offers some human cocktails with punny dog names, for example a ‘Neboni’ or an ‘Old Daschund’. Make sure you don’t put your ‘Neboni’ next to Mr. Snuffles’ ‘Barkarita’ to avoid a nasty trip to the vet… If this thought does worry you, After Bark also serves a great selection of natural wines and beers.

After Bark was started as a place to help soften the blow of separation anxiety as dog owners begin to go back to the office after spending months together in lockdown. If you’re worried about your pup feeling left out when you’re starting to hang out with your friends again, perhaps After Bark is the perfect location. Man, their best friend, and man’s best friend can meet in harmony once more.

Looking for more drinks news? Then make sure you check out The Most Popular Cocktails this Summer (this time for humans ;) ) or how about Can Music Make Wine Taste Better?