With Geoff enjoying the last of the summer flavours, I thought I'd turn my attention to more autumnal sharing beverages.
Pimms is designed for Wimbledon finals and the Henley regatta, but what do we drink communally as the evenings get darker and there's a wee nip in the air? One of my favourite warming cordials is a classic spiced apple punch.
Put a large pan on the hob and add one litre of apple juice, one litre of tasty cider and two cups of gomme syrup (made by adding two cups of sugar to two cups of water and heating until the sugar is dissolved). Chuck in six cinnamon sticks and a handful of cloves, heat for four or five minutes then leave to cool. Add a bottle of good vodka, stir and pop into mugs.
And when I say a bottle of good vodka, remember you get what you pay for. Avoid the supermarket-own section and the very cheap brands. Pick something that is at least 40% ABV and spend as much as you can afford. Waitrose has a decent selection sub-£20, which includes Finlandia (£17.50), Absolut Blue Label (£18) and Stolichnaya (£19.70).
One of my favourites for sipping and mixing is the Crystal Head Vodka (Inverarity One to One, £44.99) from Canada. This fantastic spirit is quadruple distilled and filtered through diamonds for purity.
Another excellent premium spirit is the Mamont Vodka from Siberia (Harvey Nichols, £42). The bottle design is based on the shape of a mammoth's tusk (mamont is Russian for mammoth), and the spirit is just about as pure as can be. The vodka is flavoured with cedar nuts, making it the perfect ingredient in an autumnal punch.
Pete Stewart is Glasgow director of Inverarity One to One,
185a Bath Street, Glasgow.
www.inverarity121.com
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