The Duke Cocktail

For more than 140 years, the statue of the Duke of Wellington and his faithful steed Copenhagen stood in time as just another Glasgow monument, but after looking over the Royal Exchange Square peacefully since 1844, a traffic cone suddenly and mysteriously started appearing on his noble napper in the mid-1980s.

As fast as the council could remove it, the orange pylon returned, it became a battle of wits between the pranksters and the council who blamed health and safety for removing it, they tried to raise his plinth and install CCTV to stop the pranksters, but these ideas were loudly opposed, with a ‘keep the cone’ campaign which was launched to preserve his hallowed headwear.

Unlike Wellington, the council eventually admitted defeat and the cone has been a permanent fixture ever since, proving that Glasgow spirit will always prevail.

• Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was born 1st of May 1769, in Dublin, Ireland
• Commissioned as an ensign in the British Army in 1787
• Rose through the ranks to become a field marshal
• Known for his stern character and strict discipline
• Participated in 60 battles during his military career
• Defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815
• Served as British Prime Minister in 1834 and 1828-1830
• Designed his own military boot, nicknamed ‘Wellingtons’
• Died 14th September 1852 in Walmer Castle, Kent
• Buried in St Paul’s Cathedral, London
• The capital city of New Zealand was named in his honour
• Gave his name to 10 other towns and cities in Canada and Australia
• His horse, Copenhagen, has a monument at his grave in Hampshire
• Statue in Glasgow designed by Italian sculptor Carlo Marochetti

The Sparkling Wine – Ferrari Trento

The creation of Ferrari Trento is all down to the highly regarded Giulio Ferrari, who started his journey back in 1902, he started creating his extraordinary vineyard/winery in the divine Trento city in Italy that then started creating unforgettable Sparkling Wines. Giulio wanted to be able to turn the area of Trentino into a place capable of competing with the finest French Champagnes and I think it’s safe to say that his dream became a reality.

Interesting Fact – Giulio knew the area of Trentino was a good location to plant vines, so after choosing the location he had the challenge of picking the vines he wanted to plant, he went for Chardonnay and ended up becoming the first person to make substantial plantings of Chardonnay in Italy.

Ferrari Trento is also the Official Toast of Formula 1. Matteo Lunelli, President & CEO of Ferrari Trento was quoted on F1.com saying: “We are very excited to announce this partnership with Formula 1 which is both an achievement and a starting point for us. It’s an achievement because it demonstrates the renown and the appeal that Ferrari Trento wines enjoy internationally, thanks to our team that works tirelessly across the board. It’s a starting point because we are just beginning this extraordinary adventure that will allow us to bring the Italian Art of Living to the celebrations of Formula 1. We decided to embark on this project even in this complex time that the world is currently experiencing because we strongly believe in the future of Ferrari Trento.”

If you want to find out more about Ferrari Trento, continue reading Ferrari Trento – “A Dream is all you Need” or find out more about Magnums vs Standard Sized Bottles with Ferrari Trento

Ferrari Trento – Maximum Blanc de Blancs – Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Crisp green apples, orchard fruits, minerals, chalky, with yellow fruits, honeysuckle, yellow rose petals and wild yellow floral on the aroma, if you leave it in the glass for a few minutes, it’ll start to open up with rising oaky characters, toast and smoked meat.”

Flavour – “Delicate green apples, fresh green apple skins, with minerals, wet stones, chalky, almost saline, with ripe juicy yellow fruits, yellow rose petals and yellow floral notes on the palate, the palate gets richer after a while in the glass, almost like golden honey, hints of oak chips and charred oak.”

Silver Medal in the Classic & Elegant category at the Glass of Bubbly Awards 2022

The Gin – Glasgow Gin

Glasgow Gin was created to celebrate both the unique city and the family’s ties to its famous streets, they wanted to produce something fun, something playful, something Glasgow.

They knew they needed a distinctive character to help captivate and showcase what Glasgow Gin is all about, they knew it had to be bold and cheeky but also have a soft and sweet side.

Then it became apparent to them, who better than Glasgow’s iconic and instantly recognisable Duke of Wellington statue?

Glasgow Gin – Pure Gallus – Tasting Notes – “Fruity with freshly picked summer berries and gentle and kind notes of mint on the aroma, with the palate taking you through crisp green apples, sweet wild floral, rose petals and blossom with zesty and zingy lemons, finishing on a sherbety texture.”

Cocktail – The Duke

Ingredients

• Sparkling Wine
• Gin
• Rosemary
• Green Apple
• Orange
• Lime

How To Make The Duke Cocktail

• Place a Strip of Green Apple Skin in your Glass along with the following
• A Twig of Rosemary
• A Twist of Orange Peel
• A Twist of Lime Peel
• Then Pour in 15mls of Gin
• Top up with 75mls of Sparkling Wine

The Duke Cocktail Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Gorgeous fresh green apple skins, rosemary and a delicate touch of our loved zesty and zingy characters on the aroma.”

Flavour – “The fresh fruits and herbs have started to soak their charming flavours into the cocktail itself, delivering to you, passionately handpicked green apples, a sprinkling of lime homegrown garden rosemary, delicate yellow floral and divine mint.”

 

Information about The Duke of Wellington aka Arthur Wellesley, courtesy of Glasgow Gin

Image Credit: Pylon