Jo Aspin’s got your autumn drinks needs covered with a round-up of the latest independent products arriving in the UK this season. Delve in and sip your way to winter with these new spirits, ready-made cocktails and more.
1) Woodcutter’s Daughter Transatlantic Rye
Silent Pool's latest release comes in the form of this exceptionally fresh and peppery whiskey. Known for their gin, Woodcutter’s Daughter is a first from the Surrey distillers and offers an unusual blend of American Rye from New York combined with Surrey Rye whiskey, blended and bottled in their home county. It’s a limited-edition run of only 1,000 bottles so get your hands on it them quick if you want to add something punchy and new to your drinks cabinet.
RRP £65
2) These Days Venetian Spritz
These Days have launched their spritz range into cans. The Venetian Spritz and The Sundown Spritz both honour the style of traditional aperitivo, made with organic white Côte du Rhône (Chateau St Cyrgues) and mixed with all-natural flavours and soda. The Venetian Spritz is dry with peach notes - ideal for those who like their aperitif a bit more on the bitter side while The Sundown Spritz is slightly sweeter with notes of citrus and blood orange.
£14 (per pack of four)
3) Parafante Liqueurs - Fig Leaf Negroni – EDITOR’S PICK
Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE a good Negroni. We wrote about this lovely indie brand Parafante when they launched their fig leaf liqueur last year. New this autumn is their Fig Leaf Negroni. It's ready-mixed and beautifully red in hue, using their original fig leaf liqueur as the base which is made from fig leaves harvested in Itay’s Calabria. They’ve added vermouth bitters and London gin to their naturally sweet based fig leaf liqueur, resulting in a sweet and slightly cinnamon tasting Negroni. Absolutely delicious! Buy it while you can.
£22
4) Whitebox Cocktails
Want a ready made drink that you can sneak in your handbag? Check out these new pocket rockets from Whitebox Cocktails. Squeezy's Margarita and Pocket Negroni may be small but they both pack a punch at 19% and 21% ABV respectively. Pour this into a glass at your next dinner party if you’re short on time and I’ll bet your guests will think you’ve whipped it up fresh in the kitchen. Or get some serious props of your mates if you bring this out at your next al fresco picnic.
£30 pack of six, £5 a can
5) Ulverston Gin
Shed 1 Gin Distillery in the market town of Ulverston on the edge of the Lake District launches a limited edition locally sourced gin this autumn. Produced by micro distillers, Andy and Zoe Arnold-Bennett this is their eight gin blend and takes inspiration from botanicals foraged from local hedgerows, lanes, and beauty spots including sheep sorrell and elderflower and they’ve even grown their own herbs to perfect their mix. We LOVE the look of this bottle of this with its quaint illustration and wax bottle seal. £5 from the sale of every bottle will be donated to Cumbrian charities from the limited edition run of just 300 bottles.
Ulverston Gin. RRP £39.50 50cl. ABV: 40%.
6) Bobby’s G&T's
Dutch-Indonesian gin company Bobby’s has launched into cans- choose from their gin and tonic or gin and pink lemonade. Combining a blend of Dutch and Indonesian flavours Bobby’s G&T really stands out from its competitors. You’ll get an added hint of orange and cloves, coming from their gin base which features botanicals like clove, cubeb pepper, cinnamon and lemongrass and rose hips. To make Bobby’s Gin & Pink Lemonade they’ve partnered with ‘Pinkyrose’ who have created a spiced lemon and rose syrup blend especially for the drink. We loved both of these when we tried. A thumbs up from Chatting Food’s drinks testers.
£3.49 per can
7) Rosa Neurita Tequila
Here's a brand new naturally fruit infused tequila. Neurita Rosa with Tequila, created by a female-led team, has been concocted to use as a base for margaritas in particular. The tequila is sourced from a family-run distillery in Mexico and then infused with fresh raspberry, strawberry and pomegranate. We can't wait to make our margaritas with this pretty pink potion!
http://www.neurita-tequila.com (Available from 4th October)
8) Manchester Spirit No. 3 Vodka
We're always intrigued by the creations that come out of independent Spirit of Manchester distillers and this latest concoction has caught our eye once again. Manchester Spirit No. 3 Vodka has been crafted using a gentle cold distillation process, infusing tonka beans in copper pot stills. The result is a creamy and more aromatic vodka than its counter-types with notes of cherry and almond. Due to its natural sweetness this is a great choice for mixing into cocktails particularly your Espresso Martinis!
RRP: £29.95
9) Amarula African Gin
There’s nothing not to LOVE about this brand-new gin. It’s created using the elephant's favourite fruit marula. Every January in harvest season South African elephants are drawn to the scent of the ripe marula fruit trees. This gin has an orignal base taste, plus exotic notes added from other botanicals such as orange blossom and Ghanaian grains of paradise. Our first sip conjured up fresh citrus and took us to the warm African plains. £1 from every bottle of Amarula African Gin sold goes to the Amarula Trust - supporting elephant conservation and local communities which harvest amarula once a year. Best served with a slice of grapefruit.
Buy it on Amazon £28