Imperial drinks

[GSG]

I thought I'd revive this dusty old thread and introduce a few more fancy pants British drinks.

English Blackthorn
This isn't a drink with an impressive colonial past to my knowledge, but it does taste like dusty late August evenings in the countryside - wistful and charming. Drink before a beautiful amber cider and imagine yourself basking in gentle sun with rolling countryside stretching out before you.
1oz sloe gin
1oz Plymouth gin
2 dashes orange bitters


Cider Cup
Use ferocious West Country scrumpy for an interesting twist on what could follow your English Blackthorn.
1 quart of chilled scrumpy
1 1/2oz brandy
1oz Cointreau
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 pint of fresh orange juice
Slices of oranges and lemons


Blue Blazer
Blazers seem quintessentially British to some people and here is a highly dangerous and entertaining drink to make.
1-2 teaspoon of sugar or honey
4oz warmed scotch
Leomon peel
Nutmeg
Now, what I think you're supposed to do is get two metal containers and warm them up. In one you put the sugar and dissolve in 3oz of water. In the other your put the scotch and set it on fire. You then pour the still flaming scotch back and forth between the containers to make a continuous stream of fire. Let the flame go out of its own accord and then pour into a wine glass. Fun, no?


Grog
One of the cornerstones of this great seafaring nation. Where would we be without pissed members of the Royal Navy and indisciplined pirates making this at one point the richest country in the world? Introduced by one Vice-admiral Edward Vernon, a rather nice sounding old geezer who deplored pressment and wanted to see better treatment of sailors. Drunkeness has long been considered something useful by the Navy but when the men used to drink neat rum all day, they weren't much use for those important things i.e. fighting the dastardly French/Dutch/whoever we happened to be fighting. English sailors were also such drunks that they would often drink their allotted ration for a month in a week, leaving them understandably uppity and slightly on the mutinous side. Vernon helped introduce grog, an alcoholic beverage that isn't as potent as neat rum and contains added vitamin C to combat scurvy. This drink of me hearties everywhere was weak enough to be drunk all day but strong enough to provide the men with the buzz they needed to be fearless in the face of canons. Drink and go a-boarding the enemy ships me hearty! Aaaargh!
3 parts water to 2 parts rum of your choice
3 teaspoons sugar
Juice of one lime

[Jimmy&Guinney]

I always thought the water used in Grog was probably well hopped beer, something similiar to what we now call India Pale Ale. On Speak Like a Pirate day, I always order an IPA and a shot of rum and bomb it. Then I go pillage. Far across the western ocean I must wander.

[GSG]

I always thought the water used in Grog was probably well hopped beer, something similiar to what we now call India Pale Ale. On Speak Like a Pirate day, I always order an IPA and a shot of rum and bomb it. Then I go pillage. Far across the western ocean I must wander.

Well that was just the account I heard but your IPA story sounds interesting. I'll have to look into that.

[Jimmy&Guinney]

I always thought the water used in Grog was probably well hopped beer, something similiar to what we now call India Pale Ale. On Speak Like a Pirate day, I always order an IPA and a shot of rum and bomb it. Then I go pillage. Far across the western ocean I must wander.

Well that was just the account I heard but your IPA story sounds interesting. I'll have to look into that.

Aye, let's go a-pillaging together mate!

[GSG]

I always thought the water used in Grog was probably well hopped beer, something similiar to what we now call India Pale Ale. On Speak Like a Pirate day, I always order an IPA and a shot of rum and bomb it. Then I go pillage. Far across the western ocean I must wander.

Well that was just the account I heard but your IPA story sounds interesting. I'll have to look into that.

Aye, let's go a-pillaging together mate!

Aaargh!

[Smatter Noguts]

thanks, I've had a bottle of Pimms sitting around for 10 years wondering what to do with it.