British (and British-Inspired) Drinks

By Food & Wine
Updated May 08, 2017
The British love for top-notch lagers and ales is well-known, but the English also know how to mix a good cocktail. From a fruit-loaded Pimm's Cooler to a smooth brandy-based Sidecar, here are a handful of our favorites.
Start Slideshow

1 of 9

Pimm's Cooler

Go to Recipe

Pimm's Cups, the drink to order at polo matches, are traditionally made with lemonade, lemon soda, ginger ale or ginger beer and are garnished lavishly with cucumber, mint leaves and fruit. This version incorporates Creole Shrubb, an orange liqueur made in Martinique.

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 9

Sidecar

Go to Recipe

Thought to have been invented around World War I in London, the Sidecar is traditionally made with cognac, orange liqueur and lemon juice.

3 of 9

Bivalve Brews

Go to Recipe

Traditional British oyster stout is, in fact, brewed with fresh oysters, but the beer is minerally, not fishy.

Advertisement

4 of 9

The Savoy Daisy

Go to Recipe

This is an update of the classic Daisy cocktail. Instead of using white sugar as a sweetener, try muscovado, an unrefined brown sugar with a very moist texture and a strong molasses flavor.

5 of 9

Mr. Stair

Go to Recipe

This savory pear sour honors an English schoolmaster who reputedly discovered the Williams pear (a.k.a. the Bartlett pear) around 1765.

6 of 9

Mother's Ruin Punch

Quentin Bacon
Go to Recipe

Classicist bartenders have resurrected the centuries-old ritual of the formal punch service. Mixologist Philip Ward makes a potent concoction named after the old British slang for gin.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 9

Kyoto No. 2

Go to Recipe

England's Fever-Tree tonic water (available in U.S. grocery and specialty stores) has a refreshing astringency perfect for this tangy, mint-infused drink.

8 of 9

Pimm's Iced Tea

Go to Recipe

Pimm's No. 1, a gin-based aperitif invented by London bar owner James Pimm in 1823, is the quintessential English summer-afternoon drink (and the traditional drink of Wimbledon). Here, it is combined with tea, another beloved British beverage.

9 of 9

Tea Thyme

Go to Recipe

This cocktail uses English Breakfast tea steeped in vodka. To sweeten it, uses a dark, fig-flavored honey.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Advertisement
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.foodandwine.com