From January mocktails to a real Bloody Mary
Morning Wire’s cocktail expert
Alcohol’s value goes beyond its simple price-tag. Over the Christmas period it was no doubt used by plenty to ease family tensions, as well as to smooth the passage from 2012 into 2013. Alcohol is so ingrained within our social experiences that human guinea pigs exhibit the effects of drunkenness, even when tricked with non-alcoholic placebos.
But sometimes, it is time for a little time off. Following in the footsteps of hopeful Babylonians, Romans and medieval knights, many of us spent last month enduring a dryathlon, which may have involved you sipping on non-alcoholic cocktails, otherwise known as mocktails.
The idea of cocktails without alcohol may seem oxymoronic, but the history of the cocktail is finely laced with drinks that won’t get you drunk. Even Jeremiah P Thomas – widely considered the father of American mixology – has a chapter on temperance drinks in his seminal 1862 book, The Bar-Tender’s Guide.
But January is fast becoming a distant memory. And those of us getting back on the wagon may be in search of a hangover cure. Those looking for a variation on the classic Blood Mary may want to head over to Barts, a late night speakeasy on Sloane Street, where you can pick up a Mary Tudor (a Bloody Mary with a twist):
Mary Tudor
■ 50ml of Bloodshot Vodka
■ 3 ½ bar spoons of rose jam
■ ½ lemon
■ A drop of Fee Brothers Orange Bitters
■ A splash of sugar syrup