14 great bottled cocktails
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The 1990s alcopop is making a comeback – or so claim the makers of Reef, the vodka-and-tropical juice brand that recently returned to the market after a 20-year hiatus. I drank alcopops the first time around, so I’m not celebrating, particularly when there are better bottled cocktails I could be drinking.
Those by London’s Tayēr + Elementary are still top of the class – its new Yuzu Gimlet is made with Japanese Roku gin, fino sherry, yuzu and bittersweet Muyu Chinotto Nero liqueur (£35 for 30cl). I like it best over ice.
Tayēr + Elementary Yuzu Gimlet, £35 for 30cl
Scarfes Banana Gimlet, £35 for 30cl or £90 for three, shop.rosewoodhotels.com
Gimlets are also a focus for Scarfes Bar at London’s Rosewood Hotel. The Banana Gimlet is made with gin, tangy sherry and “electric banana cordial”, which captures the sweet-and-spicy intensity of a banana so ripe it’s about to go over. Other cocktails in the range include a Peach Flower Martini and a Smoked Maple Manhattan infused with black cardamom. Each label also has a colourful little caricature by the satirical cartoonist Gerald Scarfe.
Cravan bar in Paris’s Saint-Germain-des-Prés does bottled cocktails smart enough to give as presents or take to a dinner party. Each recipe riffs on a Moët Hennessy spirit: Archi blends Glenmorangie with pear cordial; Mina marries Volcan blanco tequila with quince; and there’s also an ultra-luxe Boulevardier in two versions, blending either Hennessy XO or Very Special with Campari-like bitters (from €35 for 50cl). Another showstopper for a special event would be the crystal-clear Mirror Margarita from Hacha bar in east London – this month, it’s launching a new spiced incarnation, with accents of orange, lemon and lime (£26 for 50cl).
One of the advantages of ready-mixed cocktails is that they save you from buying masses of ingredients, which is particularly useful when it comes to a fiddly drink like the Bloody Mary. The new Bloody Mary from The Pickle House is excellent, seasoned with pickle juice, cucumbers, spices, horseradish and vegan Worcester sauce. A non-alc version is also available.
The Pickle House Bloody Mary, £3.99 for 20cl, delli.market
Lockdown Liquor & Co Forest Picante, £25 for 50cl
The idea that people would spend money on non-alcoholic bottled cocktails would have seemed bonkers not long ago, but the 0 per cent abv sector of the ready-to-drink market is seeing steady growth. In the US, the Phony Negroni by Brooklyn aperitivo company St Agrestis is a hit. Packaged with a nod to the Campari soda bottle, the 0 per cent abv family of aperitifs includes a non-alc Negroni plus espresso and “mezcal” Negroni twists ($5 for 20cl, boisson.co).
In the UK, Lockdown Liquor & Co has also been going down the temperance route. I like its Forest Picante, a sweet-and-sour Margarita-style drink made with Everleaf Forest, lime, orange-blossom water, coriander and a hit of habanero (£25 for 50cl). Stash in the fridge for drinking at home or imbibing on the go.
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