Prohibition Cocktails – Bubbly Edition

Welcome back to the 1920s in America, a decade that allowed women the vote, when a flight from London to South Africa took 45 days and oh god, alcohol was illegal in America!

Don’t start freaking out just yet, very soon Speakeasies would become one of the most popular places to socialise and to enjoy a glass of something stronger than water.

Speakeasies were one of the best worst-kept secrets of the time, everyone pretty much knew about them and to gain entry you would often need a password for the doorman to let you in.

As quickly as a Speakeasy was closed down, it seemed like two more would pop up elsewhere, but one good thing that did come from all this, in the various Speakeasies across the country, anyone and everyone was welcome, men and women of all races and ethnicities were, for the first time, drinking together.

In this best worst-kept secret article, we’ll show you some of the most popular Cocktails of the 1920s and give them a Bubbly twist, please do not share this article, we must keep it a secret.

The Sparkling Wine – Prohibition Wine Company

 

Sticking within the law of Prohibition these two Sparkling Wines contain 0% alcohol (Alcohol-Free), they were produced in La Mancha, which is south of Madrid in Spain.

They exclusively use the Tempranillo grape variety in their Sparkling Rosé and the Airén grape variety in their Sparkling White.

I reached out to Julia Wilson, the co-founder of Prohibition Wine Company to ask her a question, ‘What was the story behind using the name Prohibition in your company?’

“I named the company Prohibition Wine company, taking the word Prohibition from the National prohibition of alcohol (1920-33 USA) legally forbidding the consumption of alcohol.

“I have a love for the 1920s and I want our wines to give you that fun feeling, all the taste without the alcohol.” – Julia Wilson

Let’s explore one of the Alcohol-Free Sparkling Wines from the Prohibition Wine Company. Read the full Prohibition Article, delving into the history of the American Prohibition and Prohibition Wine Company: Welcome To The 1920s – The Age Of Prohibition

ØSQUIFF™ Alcohol-Free Sparkling Rosé – Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Soft red apples, strawberries, raspberries, green and white apples and pears on the aroma.”

Flavour – “Delicate red berries, strawberries, cherries, red cherry juice, pink floral and pink rose petals on the palate.”

Silver Medal in the Summer Days Category at the Glass of Bubbly Awards 2022

The Gin Liqueur – Archangel Distillery

Archangel Distillery‘s Rhubarb Gin Liqueur is steeped in the distillery’s own special vodka for at least four weeks and tasted frequently to see how it’s progressing. They then blend the finished product with their ‘Classic’ gin until the balance of flavours is perfected.

The saying ‘if you’ve tried one, you’ve tried them all’ simply doesn’t apply here, each batch is unique in character, with the flavour profile of the rhubarb developing differently over each summer, every cut of rhubarb contains a varying amount of juice, so Archangel make the liqueur ‘to taste’ – not to a formula, which means that each batch has a slightly different ABV, which is handwritten/recorded on the individually labelled bottles.

Crafted entirely in Norfolk, Archangel Distillery doesn’t import or relabel, their Gin is entirely theirs, with each batch of Archangel Gin containing local juniper in varying quantities, harvested from bushes originally planted fifteen years ago. In 2016, they planted an additional 200 juniper and 50 sea-buckthorn bushes, ensuring that their locally grown content will continue to rise over the coming years.

Archangel is continuing a venerable monastic tradition of brewing and distilling with a mixture of work and prayer, ‘Ora et labora’ that stretches back well over a thousand years and during the working day they observe the monastic hours of Lauds and Vespers.

The Church has deep roots in Norfolk, with gothic arches, hammer beam rooves and soaring towers, which hold within them a spectacular past, thriving through a time when Norfolk was one of the richest counties in England, the landscape remains dominated by these historic monuments to faith.

Rhubarb Gin Liqueur – Tasting Notes “Divine natural rhubarb, with syrupy and caramelised rhubarb characters rising from the glass.”

The Spritz – Pinkster

Perhaps more the ingredients for a game of Cluedo, but that’s how Pinkster was born.

Let’s begin the story with the founder, Stephen Marsh, he unfortunately came to the realisation that wine and beer no longer agreed with him, and when looking for a good drink he only had the option of Vodka or Gin, with Gin being his preferred choice, he started his search high and low for the blend he hoped to fall in love with, but found the juniper expression to be too strong for his liking, so, when you can’t find something, we make it, and that’s what he did.

A keen forager and maker of sloe liqueurs and other concoctions, he turned his attention to gin and started experimenting at home, mashing assorted fruits with different spirit strengths.

He wasn’t intentionally creating a pink drink, it’s just that after working his way through an entire fruit bowl, raspberry delivered the best flavour. With the recipe developed, pals started encouraging him to go commercial.

G&J, one of the country’s oldest distillers, was recruited to the cause. They produce the core spirit with five botanicals to Pinkster’s original recipe which they painstakingly developed over several years.

They then macerate with a further three botanicals, including fresh, plump raspberries grown nearby their rural base outside Cambridge, to produce the finished gin that is Pinkster.

Despite the growth of Pinkster Gin, Stephen still personally oversees the production, ensuring consistency from batch to batch.

Pinkster Spritz Raspberry and Hibiscus – Tasting Notes – “Freshly picked raspberries and strawberries, with red berry brambles and herbal notes.”

The Prohibition Era Cocktails

Bee’s Fizzy Knee’s

Ingredients

• Sparkling Wine
• Gin Liqueur
• Honey Syrup
• Lemon Juice

How To Make

• 25mls of Honey Syrup
• 2 dashes of Lemon Juice
• 20mls of Gin Liqueur
• Top up with Sparkling Wine

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Succulent rich golden honey, with the strawberries, rhubarb and raspberries soaked within on the aroma.”

Flavour – “The fizz comes alive on the palate, popping bubbles left, right and centre, silky honey, rhubarb and red berries/fruits on the palate.”

Mary Pickford’s Glass of Bubbly

Ingredients

• Sparkling Wine
• Gin Liqueur
• Pineapple Juice
• Grenadine
• Rosemary

How To Make

• Pour in 60mls of Pineapple Juice
• 2 dashes or 5mls of Grenadine
• 20mls of Gin Liqueur
• Top up with Sparkling Wine
• Garnish with some Rosemary

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Fresh rosemary slowly soaking into pineapple juice with delicate hints of rhubarb and candied red berries on the aroma.”

Flavour – “Fizzy and exciting, livening up the palate with soft rhubarb, extremely ripe strawberries and raspberries and blossoming pink and red rose petals on the palate.”

Bubbly Jack Rose

Ingredients

• Sparkling Wine
• Spritz
• Grenadine
• Lemon Juice

How To Make

• 20mls of Spritz
• 5mls of Grenadine
• 2 dashes of Lemon Juice
• Top up with Sparkling Wine

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Red berries from the grenadine, an extra helping of raspberries, and raspberry foliage on the aroma.”

Flavour – “Sweet and fizzy, red berries, raspberries, strawberries, with hints of soft bramble branches on the palate.”