Celebrating Aidy as the Top 100 Most Influential People in Drinks Are Revealed!

As the UK’s number one magazine for everything off-trade drinks, Drinks Retailing is always worth keeping an eye on. Their annual list of the 100 Most Influential People has returned this year, with more industry voters than ever before looking across the entire drinks industry and putting names forward.

Be it through innovation, pushing the industry forward, combating injustices, raising issues, or generally using their voice to positively shape drinks retailing communities, voters were asked to pick the people they thought deserved a spot on the list.

All of this is why we’re so delighted and proud to reveal that our very own Aidy Smith came in 5th place in this year’s list! Woohoo! As the UK’s only television presenter with Tourette Syndrome and one of the few LGBTQIA+ personalities, championing fair representation and using his influence to break down barriers is close to his heart.

Not only has he raised these issues on television, radio, and social media, but he’s also launched DRINKLUSIVE, the results of which you can find all across our website and socials. The first of its kind, it’s an inclusivity mentorship and incubator programme that gives aspiring content creators the chance to shine in the drinks space. Alongside this, he’s also been busy exploring Cognac in a new Amazon series of The Three Drinkers and regularly entertaining us on Instagram. Whether they are from LGBTQIA+, ethnic-minority or disability groups, Aidy is at the forefront of diversifying the people writing and creating in our industry, and it’s amazing to see him recognised for this work in this list.

We'd like to send big congratulations to Helena, too, who also featured in this years list! To find out more about her new and exciting adventures, head over to Flock and Hive!

The full list and magazine are well worth a look to see the exciting work going on across the whole industry. You can find Drinks Retailing here, where it’s free to sign up and read the beautifully designed magazine.

Congratulations to Aidy, Helena and everyone building a better drinks industry for all - onwards and upwards!

The Best No & Low Drinks To Discover in 2021

Written by Aidy Smith

As we enter 2021, many of us are making decisions to better our mental health and wellbeing which sometimes means drinking less but better. I’ll be honest in that I’ve never been a fan of ‘Dry January’, but what I do believe in is making better life choices throughout the year. In this piece I’ll be showing you first-hand how no and low alcohol doesn’t have to mean zero taste, quite the opposite actually. In 2020 more no-low products entered the market than ever and the category is now continuing to boom. Again, I’ll be upfront in saying there’s some stuff on the market that has been rushed to hit a fad and, in my opinion, shouldn’t be in people’s glasses, but everything below has my endorsement out of the hundreds of products i’ve tried from this category. Enjoy!

HOLOS 'Sparkling Oolong' Kombucha (750ml)

How about a sparkling Kombucha made from Oolong tea leaves? Fermented in West Sussex using luxury loose leaf Oolong, this treat is a perfect excuse to toast amongst mates when you don’t want an ABV in your glass. Notes of elderflower and lychee intertwine, making this a floral driven sweet treat – it’s like the demi-sec of Kombucha. 

£24 (for 2) from HOLOS kombucha

Copenhagen Sparkling Tea RØD
(750ml, 5% ABV)

A renowned sommelier from Denmark loved his tea and one day it just hit him – why don’t we explore the same process with tea leaves instead of grapes?! The result was quite genius, I never thought I’d exclaim that I truly enjoyed drinking a sparkling version of tea, but here goes, it’s great! RØD is their version of a sparkling rosé and is ripe with blackberries, red berries, hibiscus and a balanced citrus. Lady Grey and Early Grey teas (two of my favourites!) create a slight bitterness from the bergamot oil which balances everything together quite nicely. Honestly, this is something you’ve got to try!

£18.50 from Fortnum & Mason

The Original Small Beer Session Pale
(350ml, 2.5% ABV)

Hands down one of the BEST low alcohol beers on the market. I visited the brewery last year and saw first hand how they create these wonders. The Session Pale is one of my faves, given it has such a tropical fruit backbone to it with a little apricot thrown in. You get that refreshing juicy burst of fruit followed by a crisp balanced hoppy finish. The best bit? It just tastes like a really well made beer – the alcohol content doesn’t even cross your mind. Small beer, great minds. 

£12 for 6 from Majestic

OTO CBD Botanical Seltzers (250ml)

Two things began to surge in 2020 – seltzers and CBD. OTO is arguably the most luxurious and quality driven CBD brand on the market right now. So, when they decided to launch their own seltzer range, naturally, I got pretty excited. I’ve been using the products for a fair while now and can confidently say my anxiety levels have fallen and I feel a better sense of calm. There are three flavours, each containing 25mg of CBD and matching the 3 categories across the OTO range - Focus (Korean Sencha, Mint and Kampot Pepper), Amplify (Bitter Orange, Goji Berry and Habanero Chilli Extract) and Balance (Elderflower, Cucumber and Liquorice). Honestly, they are well worth a try. As we enter 2021 health is our most important asset and we’re going to need to invest in it. 

£11 for 3-Pack from OTOCBD.com

McGuigan Zero Rosé (750ml)

Finally, a de-alcoholised wine that actually tastes decent. Many have tried, few have succeeded, but I have to say McGuigan have done a great job. The magic lies in spinning cone technology, which draws the wine into fine layers for enhanced vaporisation. This basically means alcohol is removed at much lower temperatures so the taste can remain! The result is not just aromatic and vibrant, it’s bursting with fresh strawberries, cherries and a citric kick which holds everything together. 

£5 from Sainsbury’s 

Sea Arch Coastal Juniper (700ml)

If you’re longing to feel the sea breeze against your skin like the good old days when we actually leave our towns and cities, well, this may be for you. This 0% gin takes inspiration from its Devon based roots. 

Aromatic juniper berry with herbal notes of sage upfront. Coriander and grapefruit peel results in a clean, crisp feel on the palate along with some peppery notes. Sweet blood orange adds complexity and together with lemon undertones drives the perception of juiciness. Cardamom spice gives a balanced warmth to the finish. Sugar kelp and samphire are the stars of the show, with juniper, coriander and blood orange playing the harmony in the background. Add a splash of your favourite tonic and you’ll unravel juniper and bitter grapefruit with a sweet-spice blood orange and breeze of seaside herbs. 

£25 from SeaArchDrinks.com

Mockingbird Spirit (500ml)

Say hello to the UK’s first tequila alternative with zero alcohol, made using blue weber agave. I have to say, this for me has be one of the most exciting discoveries of the year so far. I judge hundreds of tequilas each year and this really does attain the major components (minus the alcohol taste)  of a quality driven reposado tequila. There’s a sweet vanilla glaze from what would have been oak ageing, married together with the plush and juicy blue weber agave. A kick of habanero spice comes into play, all the while creating a succulent drink which leaves you wanting more. Completely unexpected (as I’m always so sceptical when it comes to no-alcohol adaptations of spirits) but thoroughly delighted. 

£23 from MockingbirdSpirit.com

Mother Root (480ml)

Ginger, honey and apple cider vinegar are 3 components that if we take on a daily basis can really boost our immunity and keep our gut in good stead. Mother Root has managed to combine all 3 ingredients into a non-alcoholic drink which can now be enjoyed as part of a routine versus a forced concoction each morning. Inspired by an age-old American recipe this infusion of pressed ginger juice, blossom honey and organic apple cider vinegar entice the tastebuds. Perfectly paired with a light tonic (to retain the flavours) and a big slice of orange or sprig of rosemary for something a little more savoury. Another evolution for the world of drink and health. 

£19 from MotherRoot.London

Caleño Light & Zesty (500ml)

Columbia is a country that I’ve long wanted to visit. Sadly, right now that’s not but possible – but what I can do is taste the equivalent in a glass with Caleño. Inspired by a variety of tropical, citrus and spice ingredients such as Inca berry, pineapple, papaya and coconut, to name just a few, Caleño gives us a burst of sunshine in a glass. Zesty, tropical, sweet and tangy all in one – there’s a surge of memorable flavours that leaves you wanting more. This non-alcoholic spirit is growing rapidly and with good reason. 

£18 from Amazon

The World’s First Peated Tomato Juice

Yep, that’s right. This is the first tomato juice to have been infused with Islay peat smoke. The result? A totally unique flavour that screams “Bloody Mary!”. Not only is it richer and deeper in taste than your standard tomato juice, it’s hand-crafted in Scotland itself by a small team of gastronomic food innovators. 

Quite exciting, given how much we love a bloody mary. Now, they recommend you mix it up with vodka (recipe below), but I would argue for those who love peat as much as we do, drop a wee dram of whisky in there instead for a double whammy peat punch. Don’t forget that mandatory slice of shortbread on the side too.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with peat – it’s an organic material that has decomposed over millions of years. On Islay, it absorbs all of the sea salt from the atmosphere given you’re never far away from the coast, in doing so infusing all of that rich goodness when smoked.

A local smokery is used to extract maximum flavour, with the dried peat being infused into the fresh, seasonal tomatoes. What you get is a super rich batch of sweet, smoky and salty tomatoes and in turn, their juice. Damn. 

Okay, enough talk, let’s get to the good stuff. 

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Tongue In Peat’s Smoky Mary Recipe 

Ingredients: 

50ml vodka (or a peaty whisky!)
6 drops Tabasco
8 drops Worcestershire sauce 1 pinch celery salt
1 tsp horseradish
2 tsp fresh lime juice 

Method: 

Rub a wedge of lemon along the rim of your glass, then coat with black pepper. Add the vodka, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, salt, horseradish and lime juice before topping up with Tongue in Peat Smoked Tomato Juice. Fill the glass with ice then stir, and garnish with a wedge of lemon and celery stick. 

Tongue in Peat is now available in 250ml or 500ml glass bottles from selected online retailers including directly from Tongueinpeat.com as well as Paisley Drinks Company and Craft56.co.uk 

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