Spirited News Christmas Special 2016
The latest Spirited News were supposted to be the last for this year, but I have a special treat for you! I stumbled upon the latest Drinks Syndikat box! Ever since the guys featured my “Metallic Cloud” in their craft beer box I am a big fan! If you are looking for festive drinks, get this sparkling cocktail set!
Last year Drinks Syndikat co-founder Erik asked me if I had any craft beer cocktails they could use in one of their themed boxes. Of course, I was more than happy to provide them with a recipe and in the end the choice fell on the “Metallic Cloud” cocktail. This basic Fizz variation combines Lowland single malt, with Lemon Juice, a sweetener, thyme and is topped of with a hoppy IPA. However, today I want to tell you about the newest Drinks Syndikat box the Sparkling Cocktails set. They released it just in time for Christmas and the holidays and I had to see how the drinks would taste like! Especially, because the set contains two small bottles of what is maybe the best sparkling wine in Germany, the Cuvée Katharina from renown producer Raumland.
“German” rum and Riesling liqueur
The first drink of the set is called the “Saar 75” a modern twist on the “French 75” from Roberto di Pasquali of Kantine Kohlmann in Berlin. It combines Bonpland Rum Blanc VSOP from the guys behind the Ferdinand’s Gin, their Riesling Liqueur, lemon juice and simple syrup. After shaking the ingredients and straining the drink in a suitable glass a healthy dose of Raumland sparkling wine is added. Because it is a “French 75” variation I decided to use a Champagne glass for the drink instead of the suggested cocktail glass. All in all, the drink was very refreshing and complex. You get a hint of rum in combination with a perfectly balanced sweet and sour mix. There are also delicate wine and even a hint of yeast notes from the sparkling wine noticeable. I very much enjoyed the “Saar 75” and – spoiler-alert – it was my favourite of the three drinks.
Powerful grape marc notes
The next drink, which is a Drink Syndikat original, is a great new approach to sparkling wine cocktails. At least for me it was the first combination of Peruvian pisco with sparkling wine I tried and it definitely will not be the last! The “Old Peruvian” consists of Pisco Lunas an Acholado pisco, The Bitter Truth Elderflower Liqueur, lime juice, simple syrup and sparkling wine. The intense wine and grape notes from the pisco pair very well with the Cuvée Katharina. Also there is a slight herbal note from the elderflower liqueur to the mix which opposes the strong wine flavours. The “Old Peruvian” came a close second right behind the “Saar 75”.
Last but not least: gin
The greatly named cocktail “North By Northwest” from Brian Miller maybe was the most festive cocktail of them all! With its mix of Bobby’s Gin, Montana Perucci Absinth, lemon juice, simple syrup and Raumland sparkling wine, it had a powerful Christmas aroma and a complex spiciness. That being said, while it was very good, I enjoyed the other two cocktails more, but that is just my personal preference! They are all similar on a certain level, but differ in the details, which means there should be something in this box for everyone! I can only highly recommend this box to you and wish you a merry Christmas!
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product.
