Twelfth Night, Spices and Kings




Magi arriving at the crib at Aperitif Towers
Tonight is Twelfth Night, traditionally regarded as the last night of Christmas. (We count nights from Christmas Eve, days from Christmas morning.) Tomorrow, the decorations come down and “normal” life is restored. 6th January, the feast of the Epiphany, is when the Christian church remembers the arrival of the Magi, often called the three wise men or three Kings, at Bethlehem. In the past, it has been a time of more merry-making than Christmas itself, with raucous Twelfth Night parties, spiced drinks and sweet foods all being part of that.


A few years ago, a new gin came on the market called Opihr. Its heavy bottle features exotic colours and an ornate elephant. The gin itself is flavoured with cumin and coriander. It pairs well with either tonic water or ginger ale, and I loved it. Intrigued by my discovery, I wanted to know where it was made. One quick glance at the back label (with my glasses off to see the small print) revealed it’s actually distilled in the town of my birth, Warrington. There is nothing “craft” or “niche” about Opihr. It’s made on an industrial scale by Greenhalls, once famous for Vladivar vodka. No matter. If the gin tastes good, who cares where or how it’s made?

Now, back to the Epiphany. Having had my own little epiphany about great-tasting gin from my home town, I had a look around Opihr’s website, which itself is rather colourful and exotic, and found the recipe for a cocktail called Three Kings. Oh joy! An aperitif cocktail for a Twelfth Night dinner. I couldn’t be happier. The Beloved and I have now established a tradition of taking this cocktail before dinner to mark the end of our Christmas celebrations.

Twelfth Night aperitifs

Three Kings Cocktail
In a mixing glass of ice, place:
·         1 measure of Opihr gin
·         1 measure of Dubonnet
·         ½ a measure of Aperol
·         a slice of red chilli

Stir until cold, then strain into a coupette or Windsor Martini glass. Garnish with another slice of chilli, if desired.



It’s a strong cocktail, and the spices in the gin are brought out really well by the sweetness of the Dubonnet. The Aperol lightens the drink a little and adds a touch of bitter citrus to hold it all together. The chilli brings a little warmth to the finish, but doesn’t make the drink in any way hot to taste.

Happy festivities. I hope 2019 is a good year for everyone you care about.


Next week: dry January – low-alcohol and alcohol-free aperitifs.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fine food with fine beers

Image
We've been drinking beer with food for centuries, but it's only in the last couple of decades that people have begun to give serious thought to matching food with beer. In the English-speaking world, especially, beer used to be seen as a working man's drink, and therefore unworthy of respectful consideration; wine was the drink of sophisticates. Working men were not expected to have discerning palates and an interest in what makes food taste good. As wine has become more popular, though, so too has to wine-drinkers' interest in food matching. I wouldn't have a blog if that cultural shift hadn't happened. Regardless of cultural class, these days there can be few drinkers unfamiliar with the idea of serving certain drinks with certain foods to enhance the appreciation of both. With the growth of interest in craft ales and micro-brewing, beer, too, has positioned itself as a drink for discerning and sophisticated drinkers, and sophisticated drinkers like to...
Read more

Spritz and more

Image
Aperol Spritz About fifteen years ago, the Beloved and I visited Venice on holiday. Every guidebook recommended we try the local aperitif drink. In Venice at the time, spritz was made with still wine and a little soda and flavoured with one of several bitter liquors. Our guidebook noted that, while Campari was generally the preferred flavouring south of the Grand Canal, most bars in the tourist north served spritz with Aperol, then virtually unknown at home. Perhaps the students and celebs on the south islands like the higher alcohol content of Campari! It was served in a straight-sided glass (usually a high-ball), filled with ice, fruit and olives. How times have changed! I've just done a quick Google image search, my search-term being simply "spritz." Most of the images show bright orange Aperol spritz in large wine glasses, although there are some old fashioned glasses. Orange slices are frequent, and there are a couple of raspberries and blueberries to be ...
Read more

Absinthe - Madness, Murder and Misinformation

Image
Drinks, like most other things in life, have a cycle of fashions. Cocktails have come and gone several times since their 1920s heyday. When I started buying wines, riesling was the white wine of choice for most drinkers. That was replaced by chardonnay, then pinot grigio, and now it's sauvignon blanc, with a suggestion that riesling might be the next big thing. Some drinks become so fashionable that their popularity can be described as a craze. Think of the current wealth of gins available and the almost insatiable appetite for new gin experiences, new flavours, new mixers. Between the 1860s and 1914, that same crazed appetite was seen in much of Europe in relation to absinthe. Absinthe is a high-alcohol, herb-flavoured spirit (anywhere between 55% and 74% ABV). It is usually green in colour, due to it being subject to a second maceration of herbs after distillation. Three herbs in particular are used to give it its characteristic look and taste: green anis, fennel and wormwood. An...
Read more