A new range of extremely British cocktail recipes has been released – featuring tea, curry and BOVRIL.
A poll of 2,000 Brits found the nation’s favourite flavours in each region, with the results being boiled down by expert mixologists into unusual alcoholic concoctions.
Almost three in 10 Brummies believe the flavour of a Balti best represents their area, leading to the ‘Brummie Sweet Spice’ cocktail being born – also containing dark chocolate, Bitters and Crème de Pêches liqueur.
And for gravy-loving Manchester, mixologists created the ‘Rock My Manchester Gravy Boat’, a beer-based cocktail topped off with Bovril and raspberry liqueur.
Louise Lynch, Product Developer for Beers, Wines and Spirits at Sainsbury’s says; “Having worked in the drinks industry for many years, I’m surprised that we’ve never seen a British cocktail earn its place amongst the classics.
“It seemed like an obvious solution for us to use our new range of cocktail ingredients to create a bespoke collection of cocktails the nation can be proud of.
“Our cities are famous for their identity and we’re confident that these creations represent the charm and character of our home-grown regions.”
The Edinburgh Irn Punch takes inspiration from the iconic Old Fashioned, and mixes whisky with Scotland’s other famous export Irn Bru, served with a side of shortbread.
The supermarket giant worked with the London Cocktail Club to invent the bold new flavours, culminating in ‘The Great British G&Tea’.
Combining two of Brits’ greatest loves – gin and tea – the wacky drink mixes tea with London Dry Gin, a dash of cassis liqueur and a spoonful of blackberry jam – and is best served with a custard cream.
JJ Goodman, the founder of London Cocktail Club, said; “We had a lot of fun creating cocktails which represent these great cities.
“The key for me was to keep the drinks simple, but also creatively interesting so they can not only be re-created at home but also feel like a taste of home.
“Sainsbury’s has done a great job with their new range of cocktail ingredients, which help to keep the cost down when experimenting in mixology and I hope this encourages more people to get inventive with their creations.”
The full recipes are:
The Great British G & Tea
50ml Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Blackfriars 10 London Dry Gin
25ml Sainsburys Crème de Cassis Liqueur
25ml English Breakfast Tea
20ml Lemon
3 teaspoons of Blackcurrant Jam
8 Mint leaves
Glass: Clear Jam Jar (label off)
Ice: Crushed
Method: Add all ingredients, fill 2/3 with crushed ice, churn with a latte spoon or similar
Cap (top off) with crushed ice
Garnish: Mint sprig and a Sainsbury’s custard cream
The Edinburgh Irn Punch
50ml Sainsbury’s Blended Scotch Whisky
10ml Irn Bru syrup (reduce one can of Irn Bru on the stove until it becomes half the amount, add 100g of caster sugar, stir until dissolved, bottle and refrigerate)
12 Drops Sainsbury’s bitters
Ice: Cubed
Method: Stir and strain over cubed ice
Garnish: long orange zest peeled in a spiral to be placed on the rim of the glass and shortbread biscuit on the side
A Bristolian Perfect Pair
40ml Sainsburys 3yr old brandy
20ml Sainsburys Triple Sec
20ml Fresh Lemon Juice
50ml Sainsburys Vintage Cider
1 teaspoon of bramley apple sauce
Ice: Cubed
Method: Shake and strain all ingredients (except cider) over cubed ice in highball
Garnish: Fresh apple and chunk of Cheddar on stick
Brummie Sweet Spice
50ml Sainsbury’s White Rum
15ml Sainsbury’s Crème de Pêches Liqueur
35ml Spiced Mango Puree (Sainsburys mango slices blended with teaspoon of ground cumin and half a medium red chili)
25ml Lime Juice
1 teaspoon of runny honey
6 drops Sainsbury’s bitters
Method: Shake and fine strain into a Martini glass
Garnish: Mini Sainsbury’s own-brand Jaffa Cake, Cadbury’s chocolate spread on half the rim. Top half of red chili
Rock My Manchester Gravy Boat
50ml Distil No 9 Ukrainian Vodka
15ml Sainsbury’s Raspberry Liqueur
20ml Hyde and Wild stout
75ml fresh tomato juice
15ml Bovril (2 teaspoons of Bovril, mixed with 200ml hot water)
6 dashes Tabasco
5 dashes Worcester sauce
10ml lemon
1 whole sprig of rosemary
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of salt
Ice: Cubed
Method: Shake all ingredients and strain over cubed ice into a Latte glass
Garnish: Rosemary sprig and a chip, with cracked pepper sprinkled on top
