Alternative Xmas Dining Drinks - New Online Guide Launched
Take a Different Look at Christmas Drinks This Year
If you want to spice up this year's Christmas dining with a
selection of drinks, look no further than Friends of Glass and drinks educator of the year, Jane Peyton.
Together, they bring you the essential guide to alternative festive drinks and argue that beer and cider are
the best partners for your food choices this Christmas.
In recent times, both beer and cider have undergone a huge
surge in popularity. Partly driven by the rise of craft beers and premium ales, there are now more breweries
per capita in the UK than any other country.
New cider brands have transformed the choice of great ciders
on offer in the shops, with many styles now available.
Jane Peyton believes that both beer and cider are great
British options for pairing with your food this
Christmas. She says: “With a huge range of brilliant beers
and ciders now widely available, there's never been a better time to explore these wonderful gifts from
nature.”
“Both beer and cider are perfect for lightening the richness
of heavy meals due to the carbonation they contain. What's more, Christmas dinner is a lengthy meal so
beer and cider, which are usually lower in alcohol than wine, are less likely to tip you over the top
of the recommended number of alcohol units at the dinner table - and perhaps leave more room to party
afterwards.”
The guide, which is available to download on the Friends of
Glass website (www.friendsofglass.co.uk) or via the link http://content.presspage.com/uploads/1081/fog.xmas.final.pdf?10000,
offers a range of
suggestions for pairing beer and cider with different foods
at Christmas. It also advises on suitable
glassware for serving your beer and cider at the dining
table. For instance, an Indian Pale Ale makes a great aperitif in a Champagne flute and a cider served with smoked
salmon looks and tastes great in a Loire wine glass.
Jane adds: “There's no place for big ugly pint glasses on
your Christmas table and it's an outdated notion to
think that beer needs to be served in such a way. You can
get more from the flavour and taste experience
of your beer or cider if you are a little more imaginative
about the glassware you choose.”
And it's not just how you serve up your beer and cider that
can affect the taste. Glass bottles have always
been the best way to buy beer and cider: glass is simply the
best at preserving taste, and what's more it's
best at protecting your health (unlike cans, no chemical
layer is required to keep the contents fresh) and for
taking care of the environment as glass is made of naturally
occurring raw materials and is 100%
recyclable.
For more ideas on matching food to beer and cider and the
best glassware for serving it this Christmas, look
no further than The Essential Guide to Alternative Festive
Drinks at
Here's a great alternative after dinner 'cocktail' from
Friends of Glass and Jane Peyton to give you a taster:
The Big Smoke Winter Cockt-Ale
Soothing, warming and oh-so more-ish!
1 x 500ml bottle of porter (a dark beer brewed by several
breweries including Fuller's)
1 x 500ml of medium dry cider (such as Cornish Orchards
Gold)
Add a sprinkle of smoked paprika
If serving mulled, gently warm the drink on the hob
Serve in a tulip or snifter glass
Garnish with a cinnamon stick as a stirrer
Accompany with a couple of slices of crisp smoked apple to
nibble on (sprinkle with Smoked paprika too if
desired)
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