Hot Cross Bun Easter Cocktail

Hot Cross Buns, a delicious baked treat most commonly enjoyed around Easter along with the chocolate bunny and chocolate egg, this year Easter Sunday is on the 4th of April 2021.

According to Wikipedia the first definite record of the Hot Cross Bun came about in 1733 from a London street cry: “Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs. With one or two a penny hot cross buns”, which appeared in Poor Robin’s Almanac, but if you read on you will see that Queen Elizabeth I had something to do with the Hot Cross Bun when she ruled from 1558 until 1603.

There are of course older theories on the first hot cross bun, such as the Greeks in the 6th century AD where they may have marked cakes with a cross and the ‘Alban Bun’ is a possible source for the Hot Cross Bun, it is said to have been created by Brother Thomas Rodcliffe, a 14th-century monk at St Albans Abbey, England, where he gave out these buns to the local poor on Good Friday.

We don’t exactly know when the first Hot Cross Bun was created and enjoyed and how similar it was to the ones we eat today, but what we do know is during the time of Queen Elizabeth I of England, Hot Cross Buns and other spiced breads were forbidden by the London Clerk of Markets on order from the Queen, unless on Good Friday, Christmas or at burials, if you were caught with a forbidden bun, then all illegal goods would be gifted to the poor.

Last year I created an article focused on pairing Sparkling With Chocolate which you can read here: Celebrate Easter With A Glass of Bubbly

The Sparkling Wine – Cavas Naveran

Cavas Naveran covers 100 hectares in the Alt Penedès in Northern Spain about a 1 hour drive away from Barcelona.

Cavas Naveran produces 500,000 bottles of wine annually, this production is split between 50% Cava and 50% other Spanish Wines. Their Grapes are picked in early August and are aged for at least 2 years before being ready to enjoy.

Cavas Naveran – Brut Vintage Tasting Notes

Aroma – “A light array of spices like cinnamon and nutmeg on the aroma, if you leave the glass for a moment, then some creamy spiced aromas appear.”

Flavour – “A soft spiced taste, almost like Christmas spices and a spiced powder feel on the palate.”

This Cava Won a Gold Medal Winner in the Hint of Spice Category at The World’s Finest Glass of Bubbly Awards 2020.

Manchester Drinks Co Hot Cross Bun Gin Liqueur

Manchester Drinks Co Hot Cross Bun Gin Liqueur Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Candy like pastry, hot cross bun and Spiced cake aromas.”

Flavour – “Sweet and warming flavours of nutmeg, cloves and ginger and pastry.”

Manchester Drinks have a whole load of Gin and Rum liqueurs along with some other drinks, which you can check out on their website.

The Hot Cross Bun Cocktail

Ingredients

• Sparkling Wine
• Hot Cross Bun Gin Liqueur
• Cinnamon

How To Make The Hot Cross Bun Cocktail

1. Pour 20mls of Hot Cross Bun Gin Liqueur
2. Add in half a teaspoon of Cinnamon
3. Then top up with 150mls of a Hint of Spice Sparkling Wine

Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Pleasant sweet pastry and cinnamon aromas. After leaving it for a moment to develop, It reminds me of a club soda aroma.”

Flavour – “Smooth and sweet flavours of hot cross buns, cinnamon and a few more spices coming in.”