Saturday, 31 May 2014

Gibson's Organic Fruit Liqueurs: a fruity cocktail challenge

The actual contents of my fridge...
So I have a confession. When two little bottles of Gibson's Fruit Liqueur landed on my desk, I basically had no idea what to do with them. Wine - sure, I know about wine. Spirits - they’re fine too. Fruit liqueurs? I know pretty much nothing. 

So, I set myself a little discovery challenge: to create two different drinks using only what I already had at home. I figure fruit liqueurs are something most of us are given as gifts, and might not remember when we go to the supermarket, or when planning a party, so I wanted ingredients to be simple and non-expensive, and for the freshness and the flavour of the fruit liqueur to truly show itself.




Organic Liqueurs with Friendly Bunny.



Firstly, let’s introduce our special little ingredients. Gibson’s Liqueurs are made in Oxfordshire, by hand, and all of the fruits are grown locally on the farm (which looks stunning). They are priced at £14.99 for a larger bottle of 35cl, and available from a whole host of lovely local independents. If you’re buying online,Vintage Roots is an excellent online stockist. All of the fruit is organic, which I truly believe creates a richer, purer flavour in both food and drink- these liqueurs are no exception, retaining vivid characteristics of their ingredients.

After (hiccup!) much trial and error, these two were the most delicious use of the most delicious Organic Fruit liqueurs! Oh. And I’m converted- I would DEFINITELY buy them especially from now on!



Raspberry fizz

This time of year, I always have raspberries and strawberries in the fridge which is kind of perfect as the first liqueur was a raspberry one.
Sexy and seductive; a real head turner
I tried initially making this will still wine, as a way of disguising an acidic white wine, and although it was OK, it really improves with the fizz. This little bottle of prosecco is available in Asda for £4, but you could use any prosecco/fruit led fizz; the yeastiness of Champagne would probably bring it down a little, and quite frankly would be a waste of Champagne.

Pour one part raspberry liqueur over 4 of 5 raspberries and leave for a minute or two so the liqueur soaks into the fresh fruit. Then, top up with your fizz. The colour from the liqueur is fresh, bright and vivid, and mixed with the fresh raspberries is like a big fat kiss; it looks seductive. Next time I have a drinks reception- this one is coming out.





English Summer

Elderflower can be a bit ‘love it or hate it’; luckily, I love it. The floral, fresh deliciousness reminds that its summer time more than anything else. Until now, I haven’t ever tasted an elderflower liqueur (or a wine for that matter), using this lovely floral treat as a soft drink presse instead. It definitely works in its boozy form too!

Fresh and classic- just like elderflower should be

For me elderflower is a classic, quality, beauty, and a drink that contains it needs to be the same. For that reason (and because it’s my favourite) I have added some good quality gin to this recipe- just a splash though- and decent tonic. It’s nice to watch the richness of the liqueur mix with the thinner gin. 2 parts liquor, 1 part gin, 2 parts tonic. Ensure you have plenty of ice, and get the liqueur chilled, or pour in first and let it sit in the ice for a minute or two.

Do you love fruit liqueurs? Any tips to use up the rest of my little bottles? And which of the Gibson's range do you like best?

No comments:

Post a Comment