Having a bar cart at home is the perfect way to always be prepared for guests, for celebrations and impromptu date nights, minus the need to go anywhere. I’ve ALWAYS wanted one in my house just never had the space to do so up until last year, so I got straight onto the internet to purchase said bar cart (and assembled it myself, given my other half has no patience for instructions) and then, the actual hard bit – stocking it correctly.
I say ‘correctly’ because you can add whatever drink you damn well please, but I feel a decent bar cart to wow the guests and get your own tastebuds onto something new needs the help of professionals, so I teamed up with The First Pour. A home-grown Quality Wine, Whisky & Spirits online store that prides itself in curating the unique, the unusual and the absolutely delicious alcoholic beverages and mixers that can be delivered direct to your door.
It was first agreed a great starting point is to have one or two strong / quality spirits from the core groups – Gin, Rum, Vodka, Whisky. Plus, a premium bottle of wine from the core groups too – Red, White, Rose and Sparkling. Then, to complete the cart, you need an array of mixers to be able to create some incredible beverages, including cocktails.
To help you kick-start your own bar cart, here’s what I ordered, complete with tasting notes and mixer pairings:
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Warner’s Rhubard / Harrington Dry Gins ABV 40%
Located in Northamptonshire, United Kingdom, all botanicals for these gins are grown on their own farm and go into the pot within an hour of harvesting. It does not get any fresher than this. The Harrington is particularly smooth given its higher alcohol content and the Rhubarb is very special as the first batches were brewed from rhubarb planted by Queen Victoria herself.
How To Serve:
Rhubarb Gin – Delivers Rhubarb, Cardamom & Sweet Orange notes and tastes delicious with Ginger Ale
Harrington Dry Gin – Delivers Spicy pepper, Cardamon and Juniper notes and tastes delicious with Indian Tonic water and slice of fresh orange.
Mirabeau Rose Gin ABV 43%
Mirabeau Rose Gin is made in Provence and truly captures the spirit of the south of France. At its core, it is a classic dry gin, using a 100% grape-based neutral spirit which adds roundness and subtle fruitiness. Rose petals, lavender and jasmine are used sparingly to bring a variety of floral tones.
How To Serve: Delivering Floral, Fresh Citrus & Spice notes, serve with Mallorcan Tonic and a sprig of Rosemary.
Tanglin Gin ABV 42%
Singapore’s first ‘made in Singapore’ gin! Home-grown by four men and one vat, quickly became one of the most awarded alcoholic spirits in Singapore, brewed now in the heart of Dempsey. A mix of chilli and citrus zest makes this a wonderful drink for the tropics – capturing the original pioneer spirit and the range of flavours cultivated or bought into our shores.
How To Serve: Delivers Ginger, Mandarin & Orange Blossom notes, serve with Light Tonic.
Kraken Spiced Rum ABV 40%
A 94-proof alcoholic wallop that packs a significantly higher proof than other spiced rums, Kraken holds high-octane flavours such as dark chocolate, burnt caramel and cinnamon. The sweetness comes from the Caribbean molasses that makes the Kraken ever more alluring.
How To Serve: Delivers Spicy, Toffee Apples and Nutmeg notes, tastes incredible served with Ginger Beer or Cola.
Copper Horse Vodka ABV 40%
This vodka is made solely in specal copper distilation columns, and because copper is highly chemically active (far better than stainless steel), it improves the quality and taste of the final product. This vodka is made with 100% natural wheat farmed in the middle of Russi, and is rested for 3 days in the copper still pots before bottling, to ensure the liquid is brought to the ideal state.
How To Serve: Delivers Creamy, clean & hints of wheat notes, serve with either Ginger Beer (a Moscow Mule) or Soda and lime wedge.
Bushmills 10 Year Single Malt Whiskey ABV 40%
Waters from the river bush which is part of the Wild Atlantic way and 100% malted barley grown in the lush fields surrounding Cork, Ireland has created one of the famous and smoother whiskies available in the market. This bottle has matured for at least 10 years in sherry and bourbon seasoned barrels, which gives it a honey, vanilla and milk chocolate flavours.
How To Serve: Delivers Light, Fruity and hint of Honey & Apple Tart notes. Best served neat on the rocks, or with Soda / Ginger Ale.
Disaronno Liqueur ABV 28%
Disaronno Originale is an amaretto-tasting liqueur with a characteristic almond taste (as it is made from apricot kernels) made in Italy. Its maker, Disaronno, maintains its original “secret formula” is unchanged since 1525 and claims the Amaretto Legend “Luini tale” as its own particular history.
How To Serve: Delivers Almond, Cherry & Orange Zest notes, serve with Cola or Spritz-Style with Gancia Prose.
Gancia Rose Prosseco ABV 11%
The Gancia Rose Prosecco consist of a blend of Glera grapes and Pinot Noir fermented on skin harvested in the Prosecco DOC area. The alcoholic fermentation takes place at the temperature of 25°C and at the end of the process, the pomace is pressed to obtain the base wine pinot noir. The base wine pinot noir is mixed with the base wine glera for the second fermentation and filtered. Sugar and yeasts are added to the liquid for the second fermentation in sealed tank.
How To Serve: Ideal as an aperitif, a perfect pairing with Mediterranean cuisine such as raw fish, seafood and fresh cheeses.
Durvillea Sauvignon Blanc ABV 13%
Simon Waghorn the founder and wine-maker is one of the top producers of Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand. A Gold medal and 96/100 at the Decanter World Wine Awards – one of the very top results for a NZ Sauvignon, which is not suprising as its AstrolabeÕs baby brother Sauvignon which is growing up and getting a large export following. Zesty and vibrant this wine has Astrolabe’s expert quality just in a more affordable, more accessible and ridiculously easy-to-drink style.
Black Cottage Marlborough Pinot Noir ABV 13%
Sourced from the Southern Valleys, this pinot noir went through fermentation in open top fermenters, with 20% whole bunch and was hand plunged. This brought out the perfumed berry fruit as well as increasing the silky mouthfeel of the wine. The wine was then aged for three months with a mixture of oak, including 4,500 litre French oak cuves and barrels.Dark and brooding with aromas of forest floor, black cherry and chocolate coated coffee bean. The palate has spicy, peppery notes with thyme, violets and typical Southern Valleys grainy texture.
Franklin & Sons Premium Soft Drinks
Franklin & Sons products were first introduced in 1886 and the Franklin brothers quickly established themselves as experts in creating authentic, high quality recipes made from delicious hand-picked ingredients. An ethos which continues today in the new range of premium tonics and mixers.
Today’s range was developed to ensure the flavours are well balanced and bring out the best in spirits. The foundation of the Franklin & Sons tonic and mixer range is Staffordshire water and finest British sugar with the highest carbonation possible to lift the most delicate botanicals of any spirit. The range only uses natural flavours, extracts and colours and never include preservatives or sweeteners.
Looking for Low Alcohol / Low Carb Options?
If you wish to enjoy your beverages minus the too-drunk state, or you’re watching your calorie intake, there are thankfully many options for you available on the market:
- Beer – Old Speckled Hen has quite few calories per ml, but as we drink a lot of it at a go we gain a lot of pounds quickly;
- Gin and Vodka – particularly the London Dry for Gin varieties have around 50 calories per 25ml serve. However, Tanqueray has nearly a 100 calories. The beauty for the Gins that The First Pour carries is that they are below 70 and close to 50 calories e.g. Warner’s Rhubarb Gin featured above has only 56 calories.
- Kraken Rum – It tastes like it should be high in calories but is actually only 56kJ, the main reason being that the sugar is eaten away to produce alcohol during distillation (hooray!)
- Liqueurs – can be weight busting. Whiskies as well. Sorry to say, must steer clear.
- Mixers – The tonics that The First Pour carry from Franklin & Sons are low in calories ranging from 15 to 25 calories per bottle.
- Alcohol free – Warner’s have done something super that the count is barely there, check out all alcohol-free options here.
Generally advice would be to go for long drinks i.e. some alcohol mixed with a tonic or mixer, and choose your mixer wisely. Coke has a calorie count of 45kJ per 75ml, and loads of sugar! Tonic or Soda Water is always the best choice.
