Drinks of the Month
Six of the best drinks to carry in a hipflask
Since we’re incarcerated for the forseeable future with only a daily walk as light relief it struck me we need to go back to the days when people carried a hipflask of something warm and sustaining, particularly given the current icy conditions.
If you haven’t already got one you might even find one in the sales or give yourself one as a post Christmas present. Aspinall has some very classy ones (apart from the Union Jack version) for £49 at the moment although I’m not sure why they’re labelled ‘Men’s Collection’. Women have hips too.
Farrar & Tanner also has a wide selection including a Barbour hipflask that’s on offer at the time of writing at £20
What to pour in it? Well it has to be strong, warming and even fiery. It’s just a quick nip, after all, not a long drink. Here are my top six candidates.
Six drinks to pour in your hipflask
The King’s Ginger £23.50 for 50cl bbr.com
Possibly the best ever drink for a hip flask not least because it was specifically created by Berry Bros for King Edward VII when he went out on his morning rides. It’s also been rather beautifully rebottled with more lemon than I remember. It IS very gingery though although that is rather the point.
Stone’s - or Crabbie’s - Ginger Wine
A cheaper and more widely available choice. I like the Stone’s Special Reserve £7.50 at Waitrose which at 18% is still strong enough to perk you up on the coldest of days. Or you could always go for the basic ‘original’ 13.5% version as a whisky mac - 50/50 or 60/40 whisky to ginger wine depending on your taste.
Mother Root Ginger Switchel £19 for 480ml (16 serves)
This alcohol-free mixture of ginger, apple cider vinegar and honey would be a good option if you don’t drink or are doing dry January. It’s designed to be diluted but would be fine with just a drop of water.
Sloe (or damson) gin
Sweet, warming and plummy - a great option if you’re not into ginger. Particularly delicious if it’s home made (a neighbour has been giving me some of hers) but almost every distiller who does a range of flavoured gins has one (try Warners or Sipsmith’s)
Sherry cask-aged whisky
I’m a fan of peaty whiskies myself but have to admit they’re better suited to a fireside than a flask. I’d go for a richer sherry cask-aged style for the extra warmth - The Macallan 12 year old if you’re feeling flush or have a lockdown birthday to celebrate, Lidl’s medal-winning Abrachan at just £17.49 if you’re not.
Spanish brandy
Actually any kind of brandy would do the job* but Spanish brandy is somehow warmer more generous and fruitier than cognac or armagnac. Cheaper too. There’s even one called Soberano which is a bit of a laugh. You can buy it for £15 from Asda and Morrisons. Stepping up a bit, the Torres 10 Gran Reserva - at £21.13 from Master of Malt - is worth a place in anyone's flask.
* Such as cider brandy or calvados for example which I should arguably have included but this list would become unhelpfully long if I incorporated everyone's favourite drink. Should you fancy the idea I'd go for the rather charming Somereset Cider Brandy 3 y.o.
See also 10 tips for cold weather drinking
Top photo by Vitezslav Malina at shutterstock.com
Gin of the month: Albury sloe and damson gins
There are not one but two gins of the month this month - both limited editions from the same distiller Silent Pool in Surrey. One’s a damson and the other a sloe gin and they come in 50cl bottles at - gulp - £30 a bottle.
I nearly didn’t recommend them on that basis but they are basically the best flavoured gins I’ve tasted, homemade included. This is probably because they are unusually high in alcohol - 35% rather than the usual 20-25%% which carries the fruit flavours incredibly well - and I imagine gives them a slightly longer life once open. They are also considerably less sweet than most commercial versions.
Some of you might find them too alcoholic to drink on their own - my gin-loving neighbour did - but I must confess they are exactly the sort of spirits I would want to carry in a hip flask in the unlikely event I were out hunting or yomping across Exmoor. They would also make the perfect nightcap
The damson which is delectably plummy is probably the more approachable of the two though the sloe has a marvellously bitter (but not medicinal) edge that I really find appealing. The distillery recommends you serve it over ice or with a squeeze of lemon but I quite like it neat at room temperature.
The pair would make a great gift for any gin lover. You can buy them from the Silent Pool website*
* they also have a rather lovely gift pack of their own Silent Pool Gin with two beautifully decorated 'copa' glasses
Drink of the week: Warner Edwards Harrington Sloe Gin
If you’re going to stay with someone - or even just have a meal with them - over Christmas, it’s good to take along a bottle of some kind and if you don’t know their taste in wine why not make it gin?
Warner Edwards, which is run by two good friends Tom Warner and Sion Edwards, was one of the finalists in the drinks category of the BBC Food & Farming Awards I judged earlier this year. I liked their whole range, especially the rhubarb gin but sloe is perfect at this time of year.
It comes handsomely presented in a wax-sealed bottle and a box so looks as if you’ve spend money on it. (Which you have. It’s around £30 from online retailers including John Lewis and Amazon - which is expensive for sloe gin but at 30% it’s higher in alcohol than most which makes it suitable both for cocktails and sipping.) I can strongly recommend trying it with Stilton or pouring it into a hip flask for your Boxing Day walk …
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