restaurants Brighton's Guide to
Christmas Drinks
What to Drink This Christmas
Not sure what to drink this Christmas? To help overcome beverage overwhelm (it’s a thing!) we’ve reached out to some of our clever friends for their expert advice. Here are some delicious picks from Maddy Riches (Dilsk), Hugo Arnold (No. 34), Paul Morgan (Fourth and Church) and Tom Surgey (author of How To Drink Wine). There’s fizz, wine, low-no drinks, cocktails, sherry, madeira and more…so I think we’ve covered most of the bases. Happy drinking!
Maddy Riches – Dilsk
Bee Tree Blanc de Noir
Fizz to open presents with has to be Bee Tree Blanc de Noir. Made by Dermot and Ana Sugrue, this is a beautifully balanced Sussex sparkling with tons of fruit and a bit of spice, making it the perfect winter sparkling. It is also wonderful with canapes thanks to its creamy texture and complex depth, coming from the blend of 2 red grapes, (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier). The label is great too, definitely a bottle to be paraded around! Find it here.
Mandrarossa Frappato
I think chilled reds will be the ‘in thing’ for 2025, and I totally understand why. Although I love a big red on a wintery day, a lighter option for your Christmas lunch is Mandrarossa Frappato from Sicily. Serve chilled and you have a wine that is bursting with ripe raspberries, big enough to work with richer dishes but fresh and light so great for a lunchtime splash. Find it here.
Copenhagen Sparkling Tea
We have a few non drinkers in our family, and although my Dad loves a Bass shandy there are plenty of exciting alcohol alternatives out there. Copenhagen Sparkling Tea feels special enough for a day of celebrating. Available on line, it is my favourite of the sparkling teas, but the Real Peony Blush is a close second and more readily available (on offer in Waitrose at the moment). Find it here.
Winter Sling
I’m not a big cocktail fan, but it has become a bit of a tradition for my husband to make a few on Christmas eve. This year’s offering is a Winter Sling. Gin, White Heron English Cassis, lemon juice and William Fox pine syrup. Shaken, poured over ice, topped up with soda and garnished with a Maraschino cherry. You can go extra fancy and boozy by swapping the soda for English sparkling (his idea not mine!). Find it here.
Paul Morgan – Fourth and Church
Champagne, Lequeux-Mercier, ‘G4.2’, Extra Brut, NV
A superb grower Champagne, rich and complex with aromas of croissants, hazelnuts and caramel with pleasantly oxidative notes. The palate is opulent and precise with hints of baked apple and great structure. Highly recommended to kick start the celebrations on Christmas morning. Find it here.
Gusbourne Sparkling Rose 2019
Pale pink in the glass with complex aromas of red berries, lemon zest and apricot with hints of white flowers. Bright red fruits with a delicate mouse and a delicious creamy yet refreshing finish make this the perfect glass for all things smoked salmon. Find it here.
Manzanilla Pasada, La Bota 110 “Capataz Cabo” Equipo Navazos
A complex and powerful Manzanilla Sherry, a balance of freshness and elegant oxidation. A truly unique wine, Intense with steely notes of salinity on the palate. This is the most complex and nuanced style of Manzanilla Pasada before turning into an Amontillado. This is the way forward with cured fish and charcuterie, rich egg dishes and mushrooms. Find it here.
Madeira, 10 Year Old Verdelho Reserva, Barbeito
Wonderful notes of citrus, lightly polished wood, honey and white flowers. On the palate, clementines, sultanas and a slight minerality. Some slightly sweeter notes of dried apricots emerge amid the nuttiness; A lovely festive aperitif or a glass served alongside those aged hard cheeses and chutneys on the cheeseboard. Find it here.
Hugo Arnold – No.34, Lewes
Pousse Rapier
Our top seasonal aperitif is definitely a Pousse Rapier. White cognac infused with orange zest and served with some crisp sparkling wine and an orange twist. You cannot beat a negroni for seasonal cheer, we tend to overpour slightly on the gin for a seasonal lift.
De Moor Aligote
We have the most delicious sardines from Cornwall on the menu at the moment and have De Moor Aligote on the wine list at a very reasonable price. Chilly perfection.
Tourbillon Jean-Philippe Padie 2020
The wine we keep coming back to is Tourbillon Jean-Philippe Padie 2020. Roussillon, France Although it’s made in the Roussillon, Jean_Philippe has an incredibly light touch. This is sheer elegance with a sweet earthiness.
A Pél Barba-Roja Pet Nat
My partner Susan’s fondness for fizz of many kinds means we have a few on the list, most intriguing of all is the A Pél Barba-Roja Pet Nat. A Pél means bareback. It’s oodles of fun, inexpensive and full of cheer.
Find these at No. 34 in Lewes, to drink there or buy and take home.
Tom Surgey – Author of How To Drink Wine
Elusa Blanche Armagnac
SUCH beautiful raw grape spirit, with smooth, elegant, aromatic profile – based on Armagnac’s ‘original’ grape variety Folle Blanche that has all but died out.
A perfect seasonal sipper, but even made better in a dry martini style alongside dry white vermouth, with an Elusa-soaked orange slice lit on fire balanced on the rim. Let it flambé for a moment, then extinguish and garnish with. I call it the ‘La Flamme’ Find it here.
NB. Please don’t burn down your house while attempting La Flamme!
Shop Cuvée Mulled Wine
If you can, make it yourself – and throw the whole spice rack in, plus chocolate, Jalepeños, whatever you fancy. But if time saving or a gifting opportunity is the priority, this ‘natural’ red wine based pre-mixed mulled wine from achingly-trendy Top Cuvée is very good cold or warmed up in a pan. Find it here.
Wiper & True’s Three Beers of Christmas 2024
Perfect stocking fillers. These three are tasty, fun, seasonal beers – my favorite is the cranberry Christmas Fizz sour, but each is delish. Find it here.
Bedoba Saperavi
Juicy, black-fruited, gently cinnamon and dry-woody spiced red wine from Georgia. Saperavi the grape is the backbone of this largely undiscovered wine region’s red wine offering and is a perfect option if you like Shiraz or Malbec. They’ve been doing it for 8000 years too, so have a bit of experience…A Christmas red. Find it here.
(Here’s Tom and friends discussing how to avoid the dreaded festive hangover…)
