Something for the Holidays, Part Two: Drinking
What to drink this Christmas from 33 global contributors
WITH THANKS TO // FEATURING:
Nick Ryan, Besha Rodell, Mike Bennie, Ned Goodwin MW, Nic Peterkin, Mark Diacono, Alicia Kennedy, Bre Graham, Calum Franklin, Dan Lepard, Alexandra Carlton, Matt Breen, Matt McConnell, Joseph Abboud, Nina Thorsby, Kerry Diamond, Danielle Alvarez, Victor Liong, Palisa Anderson, Alyx Gorman, Dani Valent, Alla Wolf Tasker, George Egg, Will Irving, Max Veenhuyzen, Ben Day, Georgia Moore, Cassandra Charlick, Jess Arnott, Sarina Kamini, Ricky Mandozzi, Ange Yang, James Gentile.
Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash
As with part one of this holiday special I’ve corralled a list of contributors that includes writers, sommeliers, brewers, winemakers, and those who make merriment their business. It doesn’t run to the 40-minute reading time that part one did; a quicker 20-minute Christmas pre-prandial, or something to carry you to the New Year and beyond. It can be read in one go or each part can be read as individual pieces. Dip in, dip out; whatever works for you.
There are hot takes from the likes of Mike Bennie, we have egg nog, and a recipe for a vegan spiced coquito from Puerto Rico based writer Alicia Kennedy. We hear what winemakers, brewers, writers and wine professionals like Nick Ryan, Besha Rodell, Ned Goodwin MW, Will Irving, Matt McConnell, and Nic Peterkin will be drinking this holiday season. There’s a Polish take on mulled drinks from Mark Diacono, and a suggested twist on a classic Christmas drink from comedian and food botherer, George Egg. We also dive into non-alcoholic choices, and a particular drop that is hotly tipped in that space.
Holiday drinking can go hand in hand with the restorative breakfast. Take a look at Bre Graham’s master stroke, the burnt butter fried egg and sage sandwich featured in part one, or my recent ode to the bacon sandwich. Either way heed Bre’s words: “One sandwich usually isn't enough but it's a good place to start.”
The holidays are the only time of the year when I feel justified in using the word libation, in a louche Terry Thomas kind of way – all raised eyebrows and filthy grin. There are things we drink only at holiday times, perhaps out of tradition or maybe because we’re thrust into situations with people of very different tastes to us. It’s a time to celebrate, and to reconnect, but could it also be a time to expand the horizon of our tastes?
As Dan Lepard noted in part one, do make time to try new things. ‘Think of three foods you’ve never tasted and be determined to try them,” Dan said. “It then becomes that memory hook where you can relate that season with a particular food.” My thought is that the same thinking can be applied to our drinking. Going further, perhaps it’s a time to buy booze and drinks more generally that are local, independently produced, sustainable, or all of the above.
Micheladas, and a brewers break
You’d perhaps expect one of Australia’s most eminent voices on wine to pick some obscure find, classic marque, or exxy magnum to highlight their summer drinking situation but not Nick Ryan, columnist for The Australian, sought after wine judge, and semi-professional Russell-Crowe-agram. Typically antipodean, with a twist, he calls out “Boston Bay ham sandwiches in soft white bread and Pikes Lager micheladas ready for the first ball of the Boxing Day Test,” as his holiday situation.
It brings to mind that as a Yorkshireman and a wannabe Australian I should be predisposed to the sound of leather on willow, but (and I’ll say this in a whisper) I can’t abide cricket. Micheladas on the other hand, I can, though I all too rarely do. Perhaps this could be the year that I rediscover my taste for them. A drink for summer they also feel fitting drink for Christmas: spiced, refreshing, and perhaps a way to get rid of the orphan beers after a family BBQ.
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