SEPTEMBER

Cocktail of the month
We’re all familiar with craft beer, but what
about craft cider? Attention has recently
been turned to this most British of
beverages, elevating it from its park and
festival status to something altogether
more sophisticated. You don’t have to
look very hard to find a decent bottle
nowadays, and we’re even seeing cider
crop up as an ingredient in cocktails
– a trend you can easily follow at home.
Here we’ve paired it with a seasonal,
fuss-free homemade cordial and
William’s Elegant Gin from Chase that’s
distilled from Herefordshire cider apples
to give a great, fruity flavour.
Blackberry cider fizz
5 MINUTES + INFUSING | SERVES 1 | EASY
William’s Elegant Gin 50ml
blackberry and mint cordial 25ml
dry cider to top up
CORDIAL
blackberries 400g (keep 1 to serve)
apples 2, 1 cut into chunks,
1 thinly sliced
caster sugar 400g
lemon 1, sliced
mint a few sprigs (keep 1 to serve)
• To make the cordial, heat the oven
to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Put the
blackberries, apple chunks, sugar, lemon
and mint in a dish with 400ml water and
bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes, until
the fruit gives up its juice and the sugar
has dissolved. Strain and leave to cool.
• To make the cocktail, put the gin and
cordial in a glass, fill with ice, then top
with cider and gently mix together.
Garnish with a thin slice of apple, a sprig
of mint and a blackberry.
O booze pro Sarah Kingsbury and wine expert Kate
Hawkings track down what to drink and where to drink it
Being able to grab a great cup of Joe on-the-go or in the comfort of our own
homes has become an everyday luxury. Nespresso has taken it to the next level
with its Prodigio coffee machine, which allows you to use your phone to schedule
brewing through the app so it’s ready, say, when you wake up. £159, nespresso.com.
Visit Omagazine.com for more futuristic, connected coffee machines.
3 OF THE BEST… NEW WHISKIES
A year after unprecedented
demand for Japanese
whisky meant Nikka ran
out of single malt, it’s back
with two new expressions
– Miyagikyo and Yoichi.
The latter is our pick – very
complex with fruit, spice
and floral notes alongside
a salty smoke. £67.45/70cl,
thewhiskyexhange.com
Lagavulin has released
a new limited-edition,
eight-year-old whisky
to celebrate its 200th
anniversary. Black pepper
and citrus peel on the
nose develops into
woodsmoke, honeyed
fruit and spice on the
palate. £52.95/70cl,
thewhiskyexhange.com
From The Glenlivet, the
world’s biggest selling
single malt, Cipher is a new
release which supplies
no information about the
whisky, save for the
ABV (48%) – the details
are hidden on its website.
The jet-black bottle is
sure to wow. £90/70cl,
cipher.theglenlivet.com
98 Omagazine.com September 2016