When Kate Hawkings was commissioned by Harper’s to write a piece on the new wave of non-alcoholic drinks she very sensibly responded by filling the upstairs room of The Drapers Arms with a wide variety of drinks and tasters – some professional and some (like me) distinctly amateur.
I spent a very informative couple of hours writing tasting notes with fellow Guild members such as Felicity Cloake sipping, savouring, swallowing and (in some cases) spitting. I don’t want to steal Kate’s thunder so I will not comment in detail on everything we tasted (article due in June) but here is a summary of what caught my eye. Initially I tried all products without alcohol, and then returned to my favourites to see how they performed with booze added.
Schweppes Traditional and 1783 range
I especially liked the 1783 Crisp Tonic and the 1783 Light Tonic, the latter sweetened with agave syrup rather than stevia (hurrah). Clearly designed to take on the all-conquering Fever Tree, better late than never.
This range is made by steeping fruit and sugar for a couple of days before acidifying with a complementary vinegar – rice, coconut, apple cider – and then gently pasteurising and bottling. As result the fruit flavours are really fresh and the vinegar is prominent but not dominant. I enjoyed these mixed with soda water and ice as drinks in their own right. Pineapple, Chilli and Lime was my favourite.
Designed to do for tequila, rum and whisky what Fever Tree has done for gin. Lightly carbonated, restrained sweetness and subtly flavoured. My pick was the Prickly Pear, Fig and Bitters which blossomed when combined with Patron Silver Tequila.
The “Negroni”
The clever chaps at The Zero Option used three of their drinks to produce a brilliant cocktail: Gin Loe Zero non-gin, The Bitter Note bitters and Pimento Spicy Ginger Beer. The latter is very good on its own and packs a real punch, due to the presence of chilli and two different gingers.
Finally an honourable mention to the Franklin & Sons range of tonics. My favourite was the Bergamot variant, the Black Olive flavour being novel rather than enjoyable.
Overall I was very impressed by the creativity and innovation on display. The Drapers Arms is lovely, a neighbourhood pub in the heart of Georgian Islington, Penguin Modern Classics on draft.
Thank you Kate for an enjoyable and informative session. It did leave me gagging for a classic G&T…