Granny's Drink

[Drusilla]

Your Granny is now in fashion. Sales figures for sherry have rocketed by 80% this year, though to be fair, it's not the sweet, dark sherries that put a twinkle in Nan's eye, but a dry, pale sherry that is served chilled and adored by the 35-44 age group, apparently.
This is all down to the 'tapas effect', which is a combination of more foreign restaurants opening in England and the increases in the number of people taking holidays abroad.
Which old drinks would you like to see the drinks industry re-introduce and which foreign drinks have enticed you on your trips abroad?
Personally, I would love to try an old fashioned perry, or a porter and maybe even a mild. As for foreign drinks, I used to enjoy the really heady beers you get in Holland, where they whip the frothy head off with a spatula.
Happy Christmas all!!!!

[-=BigD=-]

Not really �old� drinks but proper beer!!

Decent Dutch/Belgian/German/American/British beers, are starting to get a foot hold in the decent watering holes in Leeds, with most bars having Erdinger (and some even use the Erdineger spatulas! [German not Dutch tho]).

As for �old� alcohol I�d like to try mead. I�ve seen it before but never tried it. I understand it to be made from honey by monks (originally).

Drusilla � I know a decent offy that delivers a massive selection of great beers beerritz.co.uk if you want to get reacquainted with those heady Dutch beers!! (Duvel is my fav!)

[-=BigD=-]

Duvel is Belgian before anyone points out my deliberate mistake!

[BigMac]

Drusilla, Mild? Now there's a blast from the past. It wasn't really available when I came South (I used to drink mixed - mild and bitter) so I started on bitter (no head - not the same) and then moved on to Guinness. The best bitter is still Taylor's Landlord, of course. Though I'm sure others will suggest their favourites.

If you like the chilled fino-type sherries then you might like chilled white port, too - makes an excellent aperatif.

But why does pastis (Pernod, Ricard, 51 etc) or even ouzo just not taste the same back in Blighty? Do they not travel well, or is it all down to the atmosphere/ambience of where you drink them?

[BigMac]

Sorry - it should read aperitif.

[Drusilla]

Hi BigD, I tried mead when I was at Uni about 15 years ago. It was quite a pleasant taste, but not something you'd want to drink over the course of an evening.
Sorry, BigMac, but I've never heard of Taylor's Landlord and as for ouzo, I so agree about its limited appeal 'off location'.
I haven't actually touched alcohol since the birth of my younger daughter six years ago, but I'm tempted to try a chilled sherry this year. I would really love to try an old Dickensian drink where they stick a warmed metal rod into a drink, but I don't even know what that drink would be. Anyone know???