db picks the best Wimbledon themed cocktails

The oldest tennis tournament in the world always brings the best out of UK bartenders, as more and more inventive cocktails turn up each year.

Wimbledon 2012 has lived up to this billing with Match-Point punch, Drop Shot Sazerac and the Perfect Serve cocktail leading the charge.

Other than cocktails, official Champagne sponsor, Lanson, is celebrating its 30th year at the tournament and Lanson Rose Label will be adding some summer sparkle to picnic blankets on the Tea Lawn and tennis-inspired parties with a big screen.

Jacob’s Creek is the official wine sponsor and has created a range of wine cocktails which will be served during the two weeks.

The following pages lists some of the best Wimbledon themed cocktails out there – and recipes to make them at home.

Match-Point Punch

• 24 oz Croft Pink Port
• 6 oz Minute Maid lemonade
• 5 oz part POM (pomegranate juice)
• 3 oz Champagne Laurent-Perrier Brut L-P
• Chopped strawberries, raspberries and other seasonal fruit
• Place fruit in pitcher. Add all other ingredients, mix, and refrigerate for 10 hours.

 Cucumber & Strawberry Mojito Royale

The parlour on Canada Square, Canary Wharf made a refreshing Cucumber & Strawberry Mojito Royale to celebrate the Wimbledon tennis tournament.

1 1/2 oz. Hendrick’s gin

3 slices cucumber

2 strawberries

1/2 oz. simple syrup

1/2 oz. lime juice

1 splash soda

Grass Court Cooler/Match Point Mimosa

 
Pernod Ricard UK has launched a range of Jacob’s Creek tennis-themed wine cocktails this summer, its latest bid to expand the wine category amid declining sales

Each cocktail is based on Jacob’s Creek Classic wines and includes; Grass Court Cooler made with Sauvignon Blanc and Match Point Mimosa which uses Shiraz.

It will be backed by promotions in pubs and clubs with branded t-shirts, bar runners, Wimbledon stirrers and pitchers.

Marketing activity includes sponsorship of this year’s Wimbledon tennis tournament and a promotional campaign featuring former tennis player, Andre Agassi.

The move is part of wider strategy from Pernod Ricard UK to expand its wine brands into new markets as it looks to arrest declining sales across the category.

Volume sales of wine in the off-trade were down 2% for the year to 4 February, according to the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) Market Report.

Grass Court Cooler:

The SW19 Cocktail

Roast Restaurant in London’s Borough Market is celebrating Wimbledon fortnight (25 June – 8 July) with a selection of new cocktails.

The choices include:

• Eton Mess with Kentish strawberries and elderflower.
• The SW19 Cocktail, an uplifting blend of gin, Mandarine Napoleon, elderflower cordial, lemon juice and homemade cucumber and celery purée, served over a lime cordial ice ball.

Harvey Nichols serves up some aces

Harvey Nichols has got into the swing of things by creating four Wimbledon themed cocktails for its Fifth Floor Bar.

Each of the four clever creations is served on a bed of grass with a Champagne strawberry shooter in a white chocolate tennis ball on the side.

• Gin and Deuce (Beefeater 24 gin, fresh mint, lemon, pressed apple and muddled cucumber)
• Centre Court (Chase Rhubarb Vodka with fresh raspberries, pressed apple and lemon)
• Perfect Serve (Chase Marmalade Vodka with Kentish strawberries, pear juice and lime jam)
• Game, Set and Match (Edgerton Pink Gin, pressed grapefruit, lemon and rose syrup; light, zesty and fresh).

Drop Shot Sazerac

• 2 oz Camus VSOP Elegance Cognac
• 1 white sugar cube3-4 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters.25 oz Lucid Absinthe

  Saturate sugar cubes with bitters and gently muddle. Add the Camus VSOP Elegance Cognac and stir with ice. Strain into a short rocks glass that has been coated with the Absinthe. Spray the glass with the lemon peel zest and rest the peel on the rim as garnish.

Pimm’s Cup

The Pimm’s Cup’s origins date back to 1832 when a London oyster bar owner, James Pimm, started offering guests a gin-based beverage containing quinine and a secret blend of spices.

The drink’s popularity quickly grew, and by the end of the 19th century and the first Pimm’s bar opened at the 1971 Wimbledon tournament and nowadays over 80,000 pints of Pimm’s and lemonade are said to be sold at the tournament to spectators each year.

2 oz. Pimm’s No. 1
4 oz. lemonade

Mint sprig, cucumber slice, strawberry slice and apple slice for the garnish

Add ice to a chilled tall glass. Add the Pimm’s and lemonade or lemon lime soda. Stir gently, and garnish with the mint sprig, cucumber slice, strawberry slice and apple slice.

Wimbledon Sweetspot Sour

• 2 oz Flor de Cana 7yr Grand Reserve Rum
• .75 oz lime juice
• .5 oz simple syrup

Combine ingredients over ice & shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a lime wheel.

Summer Cup

Sipsmith Summer Cup features the producer’s award-winning gin as the base and infused with a range of ingredients including Earl Grey Tea, Lemon Verbena, Vermouth, cucumber and various summer fruits. Its great for a summer cocktail while watching Andy Murray.

This natural cup shows rich orange, fresh cucumber and delicate tea notes on the nose.

On the palate, the bold juniper and zesty citrus notes of the gin are complimented by aromatic spices and hints of cherry, with the subtle tannins of the tea delivering a long, flavourful, yet refreshingly dry finish.