Twelve Drinks of Christmas
A redcurrant riff on a Cumberland sauce, sticky toffee crumb and the theatre of cinnamon smoke – pour over a new cocktail list this season with yuletide spirit infused in every drop.
Taste your way around the landscape with our Twelve Drinks of Christmas map.
Tapping into the lively independent spirit that thrives in this special part of the world, we set out to showcase the standout selection of Cumbrian-made tipples on offer; with vodkas, rums, gins, whiskeys and liqueurs, all distilled, crafted and bottled here in the Lakes.
From the green hills of Pennington’s Kendal Mint Cake Liqueur and the charming village Greenodd with its Gingerbread Vodka, to Carlisle Christmas Gin made near Hadrian’s Wall and Sticky Toffee Rum crafted in the shadow of the fells – with a heavy emphasis on Cumbrian makers and suppliers, taste your way around the landscape with our Twelve Drinks of Christmas map to see where the spirit in your glass hails from.
The cocktails
Sustainable sipping
Mixologist and sustainable food and drink aficionado Beth Bond always looks beyond the glass. Whether it’s forging links with suppliers who share our sustainable spirit, or working in tune with the kitchen and gardeners to create recipes that minimise waste and bring the outdoors in.
Ever since joining the Another Place team earlier this year, she’s worked hard to create an imaginative bar experience for our guests with our responsible ethos at its heart.
And this year’s Twelve Drinks of Christmas is no different. “For me it all starts with what’s in season, and what’s available to us,” she explains.
Deliciously different
With an eye on the garden, Beth’s been snipping our own herbs, tracking down seasonal fruits from nearby orchards, and dreaming up zero-waste concoctions to add depth to each of her festive creations.
“A lot of the ingredients will be made here by myself and the team in the morning,” she explains. “Like the spiced-quince purée, ready to be served to guests when evening rolls around.”
The new list is wide-ranging, from the celebratory Laurent-Perrier-topped and lighter fruit-based cocktails, to smoke-infused Old Fashioneds and creamy after-dinner nods to decadent desserts. “There’s a danger with Christmas cocktails that they’re all heavily spiced and orange-centric,” she says. “That’s why we’ve tried to create something a bit different.”
There’s a danger with Christmas cocktails that they’re all heavily spiced and orange-centric. That’s why we’ve tried to create something a bit different.
Here, classic Christmas flavours such as gingerbread and spices come together with newly imagined methods.
“I wanted to put things together in a more surprising way,” says Beth. “For the Warm Apple Strüdel cocktail, we’ll set fire to a cinnamon stick, and bring it to the table as it releases its fragrant oils, which you can breathe in as you sip.”
Can’t make it to the Another Place bar this season? Beth’s shared four of her Christmas creations for you to make at home. Better fetch the shaker.
UP THE APPLES AND PEARS
Drawing on the Twelvetide folk song, the pear tree provides the backbone of this fruity ode to the orchard. Beth devised this drink to pack a flavoursome punch, infusing Lakes Vodka from Cockermouth with local pears and apples, which are then puréed to add some texture and a delightful golden glow. “It means we don’t have to throw anything away, everything gets used.”
SPICED QUINCE DAIQUIRI
As an elusive Christmas fruit here in the Lakes, Beth’s working with our gardening and sustainability teams on a project to plant our own orchards so we can grow fruit like quince within our own grounds. In the meantime, we’re sourcing ours from as close as we can get them in England, and are making them into a purée before adding a spiced rum kick.
SAUCY SANTA’S TONIC
A Cumbrian Christmas in a highball. The star of the show is a mellow spiced gin, Cumberland Saucy, which is distilled by specialist gin merchants, Chestnut House, just down the road from Another Place in Pooley Bridge. With redcurrant, orange peel, black peppercorns and a hint of mustard and coriander, it conjures the traditional flavours of Cumberland Sauce, before adding crushed redcurrants and a citrus hit to round it off. A festive tipple to take your time over.
STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING FLOAT
Every last crumb goes into this dessert-like concoction. “Sticky toffee pudding is my absolute favourite,” says Beth – and she isn’t alone. As a Lake District-born pudding, you’ll be hard-pushed to find a menu without an STP in these parts.
Mixed from Sticky Toffee Pudding Rum made in Windermere, an organic ginger ale and topped with Lakes Vanilla ice cream, it’s not for the faint-hearted.