Best Sparkling Wine for Afternoon Tea

There's a reason why bubbly wine is the perfect match for afternoon tea, and it’s not just adding that extra touch of excitement with every popping cork. Sparkling wines offer the best of all worlds - the crisp sweetness that pairs exquisitely with pastries and treats, the savoury charm that complements the sandwiches, and of course, effervescence to lighten up the whole affair.

They’re so good as afternoon tea companions in fact that the marriage has its own name, ‘The Sparkling Afternoon Tea’. Bearing that in mind, let’s take a look at the Best Sparkling Wine pairings for afternoon tea!

Prosecco

Maschio Prosecco DOC Extra Dry

Prosecco's light and fruity character makes it a charming companion for afternoon tea, as long as you find one with decent flavour complexity so the food doesn’t overwhelm the wine. Prosecco particularly shines with the sweet dishes, having the fruitiness and touch of sweetness required to avoid becoming overly bitter and acidic.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 11%
Find here: £8 (usually more!)

Champagne

Mercier Brut Champagne

When forced to pick only one, Champagne is probably the ultimate afternoon tea companion, or indeed ‘Royal Afternoon Tea’ as it becomes. A beautifully produced Brut Champagne like this serves as a fantastic all-rounder, with that yeasty, nutty, creamy and brioche profile complementing well. There is also enough acidity to cut through fatty, oily foods like savoury salmon, buttery pastry, and clotted cream.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £35.94

Moscato d’Asti

Moscato d’Asti DOCG Bersano

Moscato d’Asti has a similar relationship with afternoon tea as Prosecco, and if you’re looking for something to do the job whatever level of the afternoon tea you’re on, this probably isn’t it. However, when it comes to the cakes, sponges and in particular the citrus sweets, it’s fantastic. Subtle, refreshing, delicate bubbles, low alcohol and with more sweetness than Champagne but a hit of acidity too – give it a go!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 5.3%
Find here: £8.99

Blanc de Blancs

Gusbourne Blanc De Blancs 2018

There has never been a better time to pair up English wine with afternoon tea, with more and more delicious wine in production. Blanc de Blancs brings a touch of simplicity and purity to your teatime affair. Made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes, this wine offers crisp, refreshing notes that gracefully enhance buttery scones and clotted cream. For anything rich, look to fresh and lively Blanc de Blancs to lighten the experience. Gusbourne’s flagship bottle costs a bit more than most, but there’s a reason it’s one of England’s best-known wines.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £63.75

Blanc de Noirs

Rathfinny Estate Blanc de Noirs 2018

Staying with the blooming world of British fizz, this is a white sparkler made from 100% black grapes – Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier in this case. It offers more structure and something with richer fruits (cherry and baked apple) and leans more towards florality, minerality and earthiness. It’s bold and loveable and can hold its own against more intense meaty flavours, as well as sweeter red fruits. Savoury and sweet, Blanc de Noirs won’t let you down.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £38.50

The flourishing English Fizz market has tonnes of good options to pair magically with afternoon tea, so try these incredible English Sparkling Wines leading the way!

One Drink, Three Ways: Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora

One Drink, Three Ways is the signature feature by The Three Drinkers. Join us as we take one bottle and create a trio of phenomenal serves that you can enjoy anytime, anywhere. From rums and whiskies to gins and wine styles, The Three help you get the most out of your glass. It’s time to get liquid on lips.

Sweet wines are back in vogue as people realise that there is so much fun to be had with them! From swapping out simple syrups for them in cocktails to drinkable puddings, sipping neat or in highballs, sweeter sips are the drinks trend of this summer and beyond. 

One must-try sweet wine that does everything is Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora. Hailing from Victoria, Australia, this rich, golden sipper is made with the lesser known Orange Muscat grape blended with some rare Flora, all harvested late to concentrate the sugars. The result is a sweet, viscous white wine with fresh, orange blossom aromatics and notes of candied lemon peel and marmalade. At just 10% ABV, it’s incredibly versatile; you can have this alone as a drinky dessert, pair it with salty blue cheese (yum!) and even mix it into elegant cocktails. Here are three, fun ways to try the Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora.

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Helena’s Choice: Orange Sunset

Think of this as a much lighter, more elegant and summery version of an old fashioned with a delightfully floral kick. This works as an aperitif as well a digestif depending on the mood and is a great all rounder cocktail for everyone at your gathering. Simply build the drink in a tumbler glass by combining the whiskey with the wine, adding the bitters and ice cube, then stirring. Garnish with an orange wheel or orange peel.

Orange Sunset

50ml Orange Muscat & Flora

25ml Rye Whiskey

2 Dashes Orange bitters

Orange peel zest

Large ice - ideally with flower frozen into it

Glass: Small wine glass

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Aidy’s Choice: Spiked Orange Bellini

Here’s another super simple recipe - a Bellini with a twist! Switch out your fresh pear juice for some Orange Muscat & Flora wine in a flute and top up with Extra Brut Prosecco to give your fizz a golden hue and stunningly different aroma and flavour. It’s a really beautiful, yet simple change form a classic recipe and is guaranteed to get people talking. Garnish with an orange ribbon if you’re feeling fancy.

Spiked Orange Bellini

50ml Orange Muscat & Flora

Top up with Extra Brut Prosecco

Orange and or lemon garnish

Glass: Flute

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Colin’s Choice: Mango Flora Frosé

Mango Flora Frosé

300g Frozen mango slices

150ml Orange Muscat & Flora

Edible flowers to garnish

Glass: Large, round wine glass

This frozen treat can be a light pudding in itself or it makes a great palate cleanser before or after cheese. It takes some thinking ahead though as you need to pour the wine into a freezer bag and leave it overnight, before adding it to a blender with the mango and giving it a good blitz! Serve in a coup glass or large wine glass and garnish with edible flowers of your choice to pretty it all up.

Like this? Check our our other One Drink, Three Ways pieces: Belvedere Organic Infusions, Tanqueray Gin and The Macallan 12.

What Should I Drink With Oysters?

Oysters are a true oceanic delicacy, loved for their delicate texture, rich and briny flavour, and high vitamin/low calorie combination, but such a strong and distinct profile requires thought when it comes to finding the perfect drinking accompaniment.

Fear not, because although these little molluscs seem intimidating, there are plenty of delightful pairings to elevate your oyster experience to new heights.

SPARKLING WINE

Champagne

When in doubt, reach for the bubbles! Champagne's effervescence and crispness complement oysters like a match made in seafood heaven. The light acidity and mineral notes of a quality Champagne cleanse the palate between each oyster, enhancing the taste and leaving you wanting more. The typical yeasty, bready profile adds suitable savoury depth, and the bubbles also provide a balance with the smooth fleshy texture of the oyster.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £22.25

WHITE WINE

Sauvignon Blanc

East and West Coast oysters have different profiles, but with West Coast oysters (Olympias for example), you want a heavier white wine. Unoaked Chardonnay would work, but we like Sauvignon Blanc's vibrant acidity and citrusy notes to provide a refreshing contrast to the briny richness of this kind of oysters. Crispness cuts through the creaminess, creating harmonious balance and refreshment.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £7.49

Chablis

The briny toughness of East Coast oysters like Bluepoints are known to pair well with bright, lighter whites that come with racy acidity such as Riesling (always reliable as a food-friendly option) and Chablis. Get yourself a steely, dry, and particularly acidic Chablis like this, and the fresh minerality will bond with the oysters making dining dreams come true.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12.5%
Find here: £19.99

COCKTAILS

Martini

Gin and Tonic works too, but the Martini and oysters marriage is iconic for a reason. The juniper and other botanicals usually compliment the oyster (providing you don’t opt for anything too intense), but the Martini also retains that clean and crisp nature to let the salty umami oysters shine. Every sip enhances the fresh, marine flavour, especially If you go for a subtle herbal savoury gin using seaweed, cucumber etc.

Find our recipes here

BEER

Saison

The pillowy mouthfeel of a stout is a favourite with oysters, as is the minerality of a Czech pilsner, but a traditional saison is our pick. Bright effervescence, fruit and peppery spice, tight carbonation, and a light body, it’s a super accessible option to provide a more balanced flavour on both ends.  

Size: 330ml
ABV: 6.5%
Find here: £3.15

Explore our other guides including Indian, Thai and Sushi!

Brew-tiful Blends: Elevating Cocktails with the Power of Tea

Cuppas and cocktails, is there anything we like more? Well, how about them together? We’ve been exploring tea-infused cocktails and boy can they elevate a creation to that next level. From floral refreshment to soothing spice, these are some of our favourite tea cocktails, hot and cold, that you should definitely experiment with if you haven’t already! Let’s get the kettle on...

Jasmine Fizz

The Jasmine Fizz just gets more and more delicious with each ingredient. Delightfully refreshing, it combines the floral notes of jasmine tea with the effervescence of sparkling wine. Elderflower continues this natural and aromatic profile, with fresh lemon to cut through and add some zip. One of those cocktails that you feel invigorated drinking.

Ingredients

60ml jasmine tea-infused gin
30ml elderflower liqueur
15ml fresh lemon juice
15ml simple syrup/honey
60ml sparkling wine
Lemon twist (garnish)

 Method
Okay, so the gin. We recommend testing on a smaller amount first, but you’ll need to sit the jasmine teabags in the gin for at least 1 hour. After this, just shake everything with ice and strain into a chilled glass. Lemon or beautiful jasmine flowers for garnish and voila, a cocktail that will really impress.

Aperol Tea Spritz

Sparkling teas like these stunners work wonderfully well in place of sparkling wine in cocktails, and this Aperol Tea Spritz is a perfect example. LYSERØD is one of the driest sparkling teas out there, and those Rosé notes and smooth White Tea pair nicely with the Aperol. There are so many combinations you could try, so experiment with sparkling teas in your favourite Spritzers.

Ingredients
100ml Aperol
150ml sparkling tea (something like LYSERØD by Copenhagen)

Method
Pour both over ice – there really is nothing else to it. Relax and enjoy.

G&Tea

Adding teabags to Gin and Tonics has been a bit of a thing in Scandinavia for a while, but adding an elegant sparkling tea instead of the tonic and teabag separately makes a hell of a lot more sense if you ask us. This is a really fresh way to mix up the usual G&T for something just as clean and pure, but with more botanical depth. Just pick a tea with mild flavour and mix with your favourite gin.

Ingredients
50ml gin
100ml sparkling tea (something like Jing Jasmine Pearls)
Angostura bitters (optional)
Honey (optional)

Method
Make it as you would a regular G&T, simply combining the two. Obviously tonic is more neutral than tea, so if you want some bitterness add Angostura drops, or if you want a dash more sweetness go for a touch of honey.

Hot Chai Toddy

The addition of spiced black chai to the winter warmer that is the Hot Toddy adds deliciously comforting warmth and deep spice, complementing the whisky well. With the earthy tea, fresh lemon and touch of honey, there is an almost medicinal quality to this cocktail that harks back to the Hot Toddy’s roots.

Ingredients
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
100ml-150ml hot water
1 black chai teabag
35ml whisky
1 clove (optional)
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
Lemon wheel (garnish)

Method
Grab your favourite mug or handled glass and pour the hot water over the tea. Mix in the honey, whisky, and lemon until everything has merged. Chuck in the clove and the cinnamon for even more warmth. Cup in your hands and let it soothe your soul!

Birds and Bees

From Juan Coronado of The Bazaar comes this delicious cocktail using a chamomile-honey syrup to mellow the fresh lemon juice and complement a good quality gin. It’s another tea cocktail that feels clean and delicate, but with punchy gin at the heart of it. Tasty.

 Ingredients
50ml gin
30ml chamomile-honey syrup
25ml fresh lemon juice
10ml lime juice
For the syrup: 1 chamomile teabag and 15ml honey (you might want to make a bigger batch though)

Method
All the effort here is in that syrup, which is actually very simple to make. Make chamomile tea as usual and dissolve honey into it, before cooling at room temp. Then, combine everything in a shaker with ice, strain, and sip! Nom.

Green, Ginger, and Gold

Cognac is a surprisingly tasty pairing with green tea, and of course ginger so this is a gorgeously fresh and alive cocktail merging them. With fresh mint too, there is a refreshing and soothing quality, as well as rich warmth and spice and earthiness. You could try this warm or chilled, it’s up to you but we’re going for chilled this time.

 Ingredients
3 pieces fresh ginger
2 mint leaves
15ml syrup
30ml cognac (VS or VSOP)
60ml chilled green tea

Method
Muddle syrup, mint leaves and ginger with cognac and fresh, chilled green tea. Once the flavours are infused, strain into a glass filled with fresh ice and garnish with a mint leaf for that final touch.

There are so many cocktails you could make with sparkling teas in particular, so check out these! If any cocktail recipes use sparkling wines like Rosé or Prosecco, then give these a go instead.

How Much Has Alcohol In The UK Changed Price?

We’re all used to seeing drinks price go up and down, be it inflation or market trends, but on August 1st something happened that will have an effect on all of our favourite tipples – alcohol duty changes. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was at the Great British Beer Festival promoting these changes, the most significant of their kind for over a century… so what’s the long and short of it?

Well, there are winners and losers but probably more in the latter camp, the biggest of which is sadly wine. Drinks Business have been running the numbers on this, and still wine will increase in duty by an average of 20% - that’s from £2.23 to £2.67 on a 12.5%ABV 750ml bottle.

Plenty of others failed to escape the hike too, with Sherry and Port up 44% (around a £1 increase on average bottles), vodka up 10%, canned beer up 10% and canned cider up 8%. Taking the average alcohol percentage and size of these drinks, the duty cost has increased from as much as £1.29 for port, to as little a 1p for canned cider.

Breweries are trying to dodge these changes however, in a process dubbed ‘drinkflation’. Essentially, various well-known beers like Foster’s (4% to 3.7%), Old Speckled Henn (5% to 4.85%) and Bishop Finger (5.4% to 5.2%) are cutting down on the booze to avoid the alcohol duty hit. Colin Angus of the University of Sheffield calculated that if all breweries cut alcohol content by 0.3% then the total saving would be £250 million, so expect to see more names following suit.

It isn’t all bad news, however. The increasingly popular RTDs (Ready to Drinks) like G&T have decreased by 14%, sparkling wine is down 7%, cream liqueur decreases 3% and the Chancellor’s draught relief means a 1p cut for draught cider, whilst beer stays the same.

On the whole, we’re talking about pennies here, but they do of course add up for both consumers and producers, and let’s not forget that if you’re a keen sherry, port, or wine drinker then the difference will be visible.

Seeking value has never been more important then, so check out the various guides across our website offering insight into bottles of your favourite drinks that punch above their price point.

Our Top 3 London Rooftop Bar Picks

We are in the peak of summer (and hopefully soon the weather will start to play along), so here are our top three rooftop bar picks for you and your friends to try! Whether it’s after work drinks or a date night, we’ve got you covered. While we’ve categorized each bar by it’s specialty, all these rooftop bars have a great selection of cocktails, beers and wines to choose from.

For the wine lover: Forza Wine

Situated in Peckham, opposite the Peckham Rye station, is one of our personal favourite wine bars, Forza Wine. The menu consists of over 30 different wines of different styles. The grape type, and the region that the wine was made is also listed, for all wine enthusiasts who want to know every detail about what they are drinking. The broad price range is great to accommodate every person's budget. The knowledgeable waiters will gladly bring you a few tasters if you are unsure which wine you would like to try! Forza is a north-facing bar, and has an unobstructed view of the city - the sunsets we have witnessed while drinking a glass of bubbles are simply breath-taking.

Address: The Rooftop, 133A Rye Ln, London SE15 4BQ
Website: https://forzawine.com/

For the beer lover: Kraft Dalston

Moving from South London to East London territory, you need to give Kraft Dalston a try. This impressive establishment has an on-site brewery ensuring your pint of choice is as fresh as can be. If freshly brewed beer isn’t already a good enough reason to visit KRAFT, because the beer doesn’t need to be packaged and transported, carbon emissions are reduced by 75%. They have recently opened up their rooftop bar as well just in time for summer with some amazing new cocktail choices using their own craft gin.

Address: Inside Kingsland Locke, 130a Kingsland High Street, Dalston, London E8 2LQ
Website: https://www.kraftdalston.com/

For the cocktail lover: Madison Rooftop Garden

This lively rooftop terrace is a must-see. The bar is at the top floor of the One New Change next to the iconic St Paul’s Cathedral. Sipping on your Aperol Spritz while the sun sets with St Paul in the background is quite a surreal experience. The NYC inspired bar and restaurant has all the classic cocktails, some frozen cocktails for when the weather heats up, and some glorious signature cocktails. There are regularly in-house DJs that just amplify the ambience and are guaranteed to get the party started. 

Address:  Rooftop Terrace One, New Change, London EC4M 9AF
Website: https://www.madisonlondon.net/

If you want some more London bar recommendations, read about Bandra Bhai here!

What is the Best Thing to Drink on Aeroplanes?

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment a holiday starts, but sipping on an in-flight drink whilst cruising above the clouds is a guaranteed way of getting into the mindset. But have you ever noticed any differences in how your favourite drinks taste at 35,000 feet?

Well, you’re not imagining it. The altitude lessens the ability of our senses to detect complexities in flavour, and the pressurised, dry air subdues taste buds, dries out the nose and de-intensifies aroma. It is easy to forget just how much our taste relies on our small, and in the cabin, you may well notice that your favourite aromatic wine on terra firma is unusually shy in the cabin. Did you know that even the loud engines compromise taste, for example!? So, bearing that in mind, how do we drinkers adapt to these conditions and avoid disappointment when the drinks cart comes around?

The key is to opt for bolder, fuller, and more intense flavours, whilst avoiding subtle, more nuances and fragrant drinks. Particularly when it comes to premium aged liquids like older whiskies and wines, the full sensory experience involved in enjoying these is best left till your feet are back on the ground!

When deciding in-flight white wine, you’ll get more out of powerful whites like Chardonnay, Rhone blends, and Viognier-based bottles. For reds, look out for punchy Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Syrah.

Tomato juice is sold in surprisingly huge quantities by airlines, nearly as much as beer in the case of Lufthansa. Research shows that this umami flavour profile may not only avoid the compromise of other tastes, but actually may be enhanced! So, if a Bloody Mary is an option or perhaps savoury gins, then these may taste even better than usual.

One semi-myth of in-flight boozing is that you get drunk quicker. Some say that the pressure change thins the blood, strengthening the effects of any alcohol consumed. What’s more likely however is that the lack of oxygen, dehydration, fairly empty stomach (airports are expensive and plane food’s reputation isn’t the best), limited movement and vacation excitement contributes towards an intoxicated feeling – so there’s some truth to it we suppose. One thing to note; carbonated booze is very popular on flights, and these are absorbed by the body at a faster rate, so if you want to avoid any tipsiness until you reach your destination, maybe steer clear of these.

A New Twist on Tradition: Exploring the World of Beer Cocktails

When it comes to cocktails, beer definitely isn’t the first ingredient that comes to mind. However, the world of mixology has embraced the idea of blending beer with other spirits and flavours to create unique and refreshing concoctions, so don’t write it off just yet! It’s probably the most beloved drink of them all, so let’s dive into the delightful realm of beer cocktails, where traditional brews meet exciting twists.

Marbeerita

The Beer Margarita, the Beerita, the Beergarita, whatever you call it, it really works. The beer brings a refreshing twist to this classic putting a bubbly spin on the traditional mix of tequila, lime and aromatic orange... which marries with hops deliciously. Barbeques, laid-back afternoons, the Marbeerita is well worth a go.

Ingredients
50ml tequila (blanco or reposado)
30ml lime juice
25ml Cointreau
15ml triple sec
120ml chilled beer (go for lager, ideally Mexican)
Lime wedge (garnish)

Method
Add everything except the beer, stir to combine, add a little ice, and pour beer over the top. How’s that for simple?

Shandy

Cocktails do not get simpler than this. If you order a Shandy, you’ll almost always get beer and lemonade, usually in a 50:50 split. It’s ideal if you want something thirst quenching but not too boozy, and also adds some bright and juicy sweetness to the crisp beer. If you don’t fancy lemonade, then try fruit juice or ginger ale. A Radler is basically the same thing too, but uses lemon soda instead.

Ingredients
120ml beer
120ml lemonade

Method
To avoid chaotic fizz levels, pour the beer first and top up with lemonade. Shandy complete.

Michelada

Becoming more and more popular stateside is the Michelada, a brunch style cocktail like the Bloody Mary but usually without the tomato. Traditionally it’s simply light Mexican beer with a dash of hot sauce and a salted rim and lime, but Worcestershire sauce also makes a nice addition. To make a Chelada, just ditch the hot sauce and pepper and up the lime.

Ingredients
250ml beer (light lager)
Dash of Mexican hot sauce
Salt and pepper rim
Lime for juice and garnish

Method
Mix salt and pepper on a plate (chilli powder too if you want more heat). Rub the rim with the lime and roll in the seasoning. Then, squeeze the lime and add to the rim before adding hot sauce, and topping up with lager. Unless your beer is ice-cold, add ice because the Michelada really is best served super chilled.

Beermosa

The Beermosa is a delightfully simple twist on the classic Mimosa. By replacing the sparkling wine with beer, you get a malty bitterness that tames the sweet citrus nicely. This beer cocktail is perfect for any time you want a little citrusy goodness with a beer kick.

Ingredients
120ml beer (try and get one with citrus notes)
120ml orange juice
Orange wheel for garnish

Method
Pour equal parts of beer and orange juice into a glass (no ice if they’re both chilled). Stir gently to combine the two and keep the bubbles alive, before a wheel of orange to finish the sunny look. Nom.

Black Velvet

A famous stout cocktail this time, the gorgeous Black Velvet. Created during the national mourning of Prince Albert in Victorian Britain, Guinness is almost always used (or a very dark stout) for its bitter, silky richness to offset the fruity and fizzing lightness of the sparkling wine. Surprisingly moreish so give it a try!

 Ingredients
100ml Champagne (Crémant or Cava is fine)
100ml Guinness

Method
Champagne first, then pour the Guinness over a spoon to layer it up nicely. Enjoy!

Every cocktail we love today was discovered through experimentation so try stuff out! Need inspiration? Check out our recent Daiquiri Twists here!