As the festive season approaches, our minds turn to cocktails and what better way to celebrate Christmas than with one of our favourite tipples celebrating Surrey's favourite artisan producers. Our top three festive cocktails feature not only our Albury wines, but world-famous gin and small batch spirits from our neighbours here at the Silent Pool.
Spritz cocktails, typically bittersweet aperitifs blended with bubbles originated in Italy but have now become a global phenomenon, officially the drink of the Summer. Our Christmassy spritz is a twist on the classic featuring our latest product, Albury English Vermouth topped up with English fizz and garnished with a wedge of orange. The sweet rosso vermouth has been hand-crafted from Albury wine, distilled by Silent Pool and blended with carefully selected botanicals. It's cram-packed with festive flavours - beautifully bitter wormwood, a warming melange of spiced nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger, and mouth-tingling citrus peel.
30ml Albury Vermouth
125ml Albury Estate sparkling wine
ice and orange
Fill a tumbler or large wine glass with ice, add the vermouth and top with English sparkling wine. Garnish with a twist of orange peel or slice of orange.
Another Italian classic, the Negroni cocktail is a firm favourite amongst both the Albury Vineyard and Silent Pool teams. The original recipe is a straightforward blend of gin, vermouth and campari in equal measures but our twist on the classic features all English spirits... Silent Pool Gin, Albury English Vermouth, and the distillery's latest small batch creation - alluring Sour Cherry & Sloe Aperitivo. Whilst sloes have been favoured for gin making since the 18th century, Silent Pool have enhanced their classic tart, cherry flavour with the addition of fruity, bright sour cherry and a secret blend of herbs and spices for a fresh, versatile and seductively scarlet treat.
25ml Silent Pool Gin
25ml Albury Vermouth
25ml Sour Cherry & Sloe Aperitivo
Combine the spirits over lots of ice. Gently stir and garnish with a twist of orange. For a decadent variation, top with Albury Estate sparkling wine to create a Negroni Spritz.
A classic kir royale combines rich cassis with elegant Champagne and has to be one of the world's most popular cocktails. It's also one of the easiest to make! Our quintessentially English version uses Silent Pool Distillers Blackberry Gin Cordial - combining the bold flavour of British blackberries with a classic juniper-driven gin makes for a perfect combination, and with its vivid colour and intense berry flavours this liqueur is a royale addition to our Albury Estate English Sparkling.
95ml Albury Estate sparkling wine
fresh blackberries
Add the blackberry gin cordial to the bottom of a Champagne flute, top with English sparkling wine and garnish with a blackberry.