Franklin & Sons: an icon of mixers, sodas, and tonics

Founded in Victorian London all the way back in 1886, Franklin & Sons are true pioneers in the soft drinks space, leading the way with natural ingredients and innovative flavourings to offer the most complete range of mixers, sodas, and tonics out there.

Within their remarkably diverse range, there will always be the perfect bottle to jazz up your drinks which is why we made the most of their offering throughout The Three Drinkers in Cognac, and if you’re a listener of our Bring a Bottle podcast, you may well have heard us merrily sipping our way through even more of them on there.

Beautifully bottled too, it really is well worth exploring all of their wonderful flavours for yourself to see which jump out, but below are just some of the Franklin & Sons that we have loved trying, and recommendations for what to enjoy them with!

FRANKLIN & SONS TO EXPLORE

Original Ginger Ale

Ultimate warmth and refreshment with a completely natural feel, Franklin & Son’s Original Ginger Ale blends natural root ginger extract with their pure sparkling spring water for classy and subtle flavouring. Celebrating the classic ginger and cognac combination, you can see it used as a Highball in Episode One where the spice of the two blend perfectly.

Ingredients:
30ml Cognac (we used Courvoisier VSOP)
80ml Ginger Ale
Plenty of ice

Method:
Pour in your cognac over plenty of ice and top up with the fizzing ginger ale. Voila!

Find here: £20 24 x 200ml

Sicilian Lemon

The first Franklin & Sons bottle to appear in the series, the Sicilian Lemon is used for the gorgeously simple and sunny Courvoisier Gala Highball below. Legendary Sicilian lemons and natural botanicals like cinchona bark blend with sparkling spring water to make this burst of citrus.

Ingredients:
30ml Cognac (we used Courvoisier VSOP)
80ml Sicilian Lemonade
Plenty of ice

Method:
Highballs are simple so let’s keep it that way – pour everything over ice and give it a little stir.

Find here: £20 24 x 200ml

Mandarin & Ginger Soda

The Mandarin & Ginger featured in one of our One Drink, Three Ways segments where you can find three deliciously different serves it’s perfect for. With natural zest, warmth, vibrance and refreshment, this soda elevates all kinds of different drinks which is why it crops up again in Episode Two of the series emphasising the fruity spice of cognac.

Ingredients:
30ml Cognac
80ml Mandarin & Ginger Soda
Plenty of ice

Method:
Super simple – cognac poured over ice and topped up with the soda! An orange wheel is the perfect garnish.

Find here: £20 24 x 200ml

Rosemary & Black Olive Tonic Water

The Rosemary and Black Olive tonic is so distinct. Almost reminiscent of focaccia, this savoury mixer adds a stunning culinary dimension to cocktails. We pair it with Umami gin for an entirely unique herbaceous G&T that is just asking to be paired with some side dishes.

Ingredients:
30ml Umami gin
80ml Rosemary & Black Olive Tonic Water
Plenty of ice

Method:
Simply pour each over ice, stir well and sip away.

Find here: £20 24 x 200ml

Guava & Lime Soda

A very light and lofty soda with natural guava and Tahitian lime as well as a sprinkling of ginger, this completely livens up what can be a dull vodka and soda combination. Refreshing, fruity and tropical!

Ingredients:
30ml guava vodka
80ml Guava & Lime Soda
Plenty of ice

Method:
Pour each over ice and stir well to combine thoroughly!

Find here: £20 24 x 200ml

Natural Rose Lemonade

Episode Four of The Three Drinkers in Cognac shows our Helena using Natural Rose Lemonade to bring colour, natural sweetness and an inviting aroma to the wonderful cocktail below. The English rose petals, lemon juice and crisp sparkling water are a floral twist on the original 1886 lemonade and add so much summery elegance to almost any concoction – delicious.

Ingredients:
50ml gin (we used Audemus Pink Pepper Gin)
Splash of Champagne
Top up with Franklin & Sons Rose Lemonade

Method:
Stir gin and ice and add to your cocktail glass. Top up with a splash of Champagne and Rose Lemonade. For the garnish, cut thin strips of lemon skin and wrap them around a chopstick for an appetising spiral effect.

Find here: £20 24 x 200ml

Pink Grapefruit Soda

You can see Aidy takes this essential Pink Grapefruit soda for a spin in Episode Four of The Three Drinkers in Cognac, when partnered with Reposado Tequila, fresh lime and Grand Marnier in a Paloma/Margarita hybrid. The soda is amazing for adding fizz alongside bright and balanced citrus notes with a dash of bitterness.

Ingredients:
50ml reposado tequila
50ml Grand Marnier
25ml fresh lime juice
Pink Grapefruit Soda

Method:
Add the tequila, Grand Marnier, and fresh lime juice into a rocks glass over ice and stir. Top up with Pink grapefruit soda and stir very gently to combine.

Find here: £20 24 x 200ml

Pineapple & Almond Soda

This is another favourite of ours that you really need to try. To be honest, you could enjoy it flying solo as a soft drink, but it’s so versatile that it can be mixed with the nutty caramel notes of cognac, the profile of a tropical rum, or even earthy tequila/mezcal. Stewed caramelised pineapples shine through at first, but when mixed the marzipan almond notes flood the palate – this is what drinks innovation should look like.

Find here: £20 24 x 200m

If you want to see these delicious Franklin & Sons drinks in action, check out The Three Drinkers in Cognac! Or, if you’re curious as to their other flavours, have a flick through their range here!

Meet Laager – The New Beer Made from Naan Bread

There’s a new contender for the best beer to enjoy with Indian food, and that’s because the sustainability-focused Crumbs Brewing has launched a lager that is literally made from naan bread.  

Fuelled by a desire to depart from the corporate world and create something positive, husband and wife duo Morgan and Elaine Arnell started Crumbs in 2017. Believe it or not, this naan project is just the latest in their bread transformations. Using unsold bread from their local bakery Chalk Hills, they set about brewing beers inspired by particular breads. For example, there’s Pale Ale using zesty sourdough and their Ruby Ale, made from richer, spicier rye.

They were missing one thing from their range though, commenting, “We’ve been exploring the idea of a light refreshing lager for some time. All our beers are very distinct from one another, and it was the obvious gap in our range. That kind of beer is always perfect with spicy food like a curry, so it made a lot of sense to explore using naan bread in the brew.”

As is the case around the table at a curry house, it wasn’t long before naan entered the conversation. They did some digging and discovered that manufacturers and retailers were wasting unsold and wonky naan. They then developed their recipe with the Nigella seed at the heart of it, a key ingredient in most naan bread that provides much of the unique taste we love.

The outcome is a super refreshing, light and slightly aromatic ‘laager’, with a gently floral finish. It sounds ideal for complimenting the flavours of the food, whilst cutting through the spice at the same time.

If you want to put their creation to the test yourself then you can order the tastefully designed 330ml bottles online, available in a 4 Bottle Gift Pack for £12, or you can pre-order the 12 Bottle Case for £29.

For more interesting beer flavours, why not check out Aldi’s Yorkshire Pudding Beer or Wild Beer Co’s Wasp Yeast Beer?

Alternative Drinks To Have With Curry

When it comes to Indian curry or Thai food over here in England, light, refreshing, not-too-gassy beer is a firm favourite. Brands like Kingfisher, Cobra, Singha and Jaipur are absolutely leading the way. But what if you don’t want to drink beer? Here are a few alternative suggestions for the best drinks to have with curry as shown by me on talkRADIO this week: 

Wine

When spice is involved, whether aromatic or chili hot, the best sort of wines to have with curry are white and aromatic with lots of flavour and ripe fruit notes. Off-dry wines work brilliantly here too, even if you think you might not normally drink them. It’s because that touch of sweetness really tames the heat and the riper, richer flavours stand up to the stronger flavours of the curry. Key wine styles to seek out for curry would be Alsace Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Viognier, Marsanne, off-dry Riesling. A crisp, sparkling wine will work too, especially when there is a touch of residual sweetness. Try these:

Wolfberger Gewurztraminer

Gewurztraminer is a soft skinned grape that makes wines that are low in acidity, very soft and incredibly aromatic, with notes of lychee and rose petal with a touch of ginger. That kick of sweetness is the perfect foil for spice. 

Find it at Co-op for £9.95

Irresistible Marsanne

This wine blew me away at the press tasting. Marsanne is a grape that hails from the Rhone valley in France - usually blended with Viognier and/ or Roussanne to make the famous, weighty white Rhone wine. Standing alone here, it needs nothing else. Ripe, round and peachy with notes of apricot and honey. Incredibly gluggable and excellent value. Nice label too. 

Find it at Co-op for £8

Bowler & Brolly, Classic Cuvée English Sparkling Wine NV

Bowler & Brolly is ALDI’s new own brand English wine range and this one is made with the three Champagne grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Meunier) in the traditional method. Hailing from Lyme Bay in Devon, this is super crisp and refreshing with a good amount of fruit and a chalkiness that battles the spice. The perfect upgrade tipple for your spicy cuisine.

Something Different

Sollasa & Tonic

A gin alternative created specifically to complement Indian Cuisine by co-founders Vishal and Sajag along with leading chefs and mixologists. It was named after a 12th century book called “Manasollsa’ written in Sanskrit which is considered to be the first ever Indian cuisine recipe book. Lower in ABV than most spirits at 20%, it has delicious, complex flavours of orange zest, lime, lychee, mint and basil, with notes of coriander seed and cardamom. Serve it long with Indian Tonic. Find recipes on their website too.

Find it on Sollasadrinks.com for £29 (70cl)

Classic Cheese and Wine Matches

It’s that time of year when we put together a mega cheeseboard and pick at it ALL DAY! For several days. What joy! With help from the brilliant folks at Paxton & Whitfield cheesemongers, I've chosen some classic wine and cheese combinations to help you navigate the cheeseboard.

All cheeses below can be found at PaxtonandWhitfield.co.uk

Goats Cheese + Sauvignon Blanc

The Cheese: Selles Sur Cher

A French goats' cheese from the Loire Valley, France, Selles sur Cher is a classic French goats’ milk cheese that’s finely textured, succulent and velvety. It has an aroma of walnuts and the flavour is also nutty but with a hint of lemon and salt followed by a mellow sweetness. The Cher river runs parallel to the Loire, home of world renowned Sauvignon Blanc that is fresh, bright and grassy. These wines match perfectly the bright lemony flavours of this cheese.

The Wine: Stone & Bones Sauvignon Blanc 2020, Portugal 

More elegant than Marlborough, More fruity than a Sancerre, this zesty, herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc from Portugal is a deliciously different, mid-way style that will sing with this goats’ cheese.

Find it for £10.99 mix 6 price at Laithwaites. 

Premium Cheddar + Pinot Noir

The Cheese: Westcombe Reserve

Cheddar is undoubtedly the UK’s most popular cheese, outselling British and Continental counterparts, yet so often it is thought of as a cooking or an everyday cheese. Over the last few years, the team at the award-winning Westcombe Dairy, Somerset, have made big decisions to improve the quality of their cheese. Lots of these decisions have been in the field, rather than the dairy, one of them being to farm in a more sustainable, regenerative way. These decisions have resulted in some of their best ever batches of cheeses. The team at Paxtons has selected a single day’s production of cheese, from the 12th of March 2020, to age further and create a special profile especially for its customers this Christmas. With a full body and notes of warm toasted nuts, this promises to be a very special batch of cheese indeed.

The Wine: Gabel Pinot Noir Kalkstein 2018

German Pinot Noir has a gloriously silky, lactic feel to it making it exceptionally elegant, yet easy drinking. Think ripe red berries with a touch of spice and a hint of smoke. 

Find it for £13.99 mix case price at Laithwaites 

Alpine Cheese + Chardonnay

Cheese 1: Beaufort

Beaufort is a huge Alpine cheese weighing between 40-60kg that is named after the Beaufort Valley in France where it was first produced, where mountains reach altitudes of 3000 metres.

It’s pale yellow, with a smooth and creamy texture and lacks holes like other Gruyère-style cheeses. It also has a very distinct, earthy aroma, reminiscent of the pastures on which the Tarentaise and Abondance cows graze to provide the milk used for the cheese. This is the cheese also commonly used to make cheese fondue because it melts easily and it’s a winner with bold, white wine like Chardonnay.

Cheese 2: Comté Vieux

A limited edition Comté Vieux cheese that’s extra mature, aged for approximately 29 months in French caves . Made with the raw milk from Montbeliarde and French Simmental cows, the flavour is nutty, full and rich, with fruity tones and more of the crunchy Tyrosine crystals formed during the aging of the cheese. 

The Wine: Redhead’s Harmonie Fox Coonawarra Chardonnay 2021

Coonawarra has traditionally been famous for big, bold reds made with Cabernet Sauvignon so a Chardonnay is a step away from the norm. This is an ideal style of white for a flavoursome hard, nutty cheese as it has lots of ripe peach and apricot fruit as well as a crisp acidity and a touch of spicy oak. 

Find it for £11.69 mixed case price at Laithwaites 

Blue Cheese + Sweet White Wine

Cheese 1: Cashel Blue, Irish Farmhouse Blue Cheese

Cashel Blue is the original Irish blue cheese! Firm, salty and savoury blue cheese that starts as a firm textured, crumbly consistency but with ripening it takes on a soft, creamy, almost spreadable texture. As it matures, the flavour also changes, growing stronger and becoming spicier. The rind is very distinctive with a covering of grey and pink moulds.

Cheese 2: Blue Cloud

Inspired by soft, sweet Gorgonzola style blues, Blue Cloud is made on the beautiful Balcombe Estate in Sussex using milk from a single herd of Norwegian Red Holstein cows. The cheese is soft and creamy, with a heady, doughy scent reminiscent of freshly baked bread.

The Wine: Seifried, Nelson ‘Sweet Agnes’ Late Harvest Riesling 2019

A late harvest Riesling from Nelson, just next door to Marlborough, New Zealand,. Made with raisined grapes, it’s a lusciously sweet wine with tonnes of refreshing acidity. Think apricot, marmalade, lemon and tropical fruit. It’s not Port you need; it’s sweet white wine!

Find it for £14.99 per half bottle and mixed case price at Laithwaites

Want to know how to put together a cheese platter? Check out this article.

How to Put Together the Perfect Cheeseboard

As Helena looks into wine and cheese matching, she gets some tips from Hero Hirsh, head of retail at the award-winning cheesemonger, Paxton & Whitfield about how to put together the perfect cheeseboard or cheese platter.

How much cheese per person?

If your cheeseboard is part of a meal, about 100g to 125g of cheese per person and  possibly a little more at Christmas is ideal, so 150g each. This is because at Christmas, the cheeseboard will often sit out for longer so people will come and go for snacks throughout the day. We can certainly agree with that!

How do you put a cheeseboard together?

Think about offering a mix of styles, textures and flavours on the platter. This is why the combination of Cheddar, Stilton and Brie has always been popular as you've got a blue, a hard cheese and a soft cheese; different textures, different milks and different flavours to savour. If you’d like to add further cheeses, perhaps think about a goats cheese and a washed rind to complete the board. Five is a good number for a full board.

Should you consider other food in the meal when putting together the cheese platter?

Yes, certainly consider what other food you are serving for the meal or at the event. If the dish just before is rich and flavoursome, think about selecting cheeses that have a stronger flavour so that they complement preceding courses. The cheese course should be a continuation of flavours so it can be enjoyed so try to match the intensity. 

What are the ideal accompaniments to a cheese board?

If you’ve got lots of flavoursome cheeses, then keep accompaniments simple, so one chutney or honey, one style of biscuit or artisan bread and then perhaps some grapes or dried fruits. Arrange them around the pieces of the cheese on the cheeseboard. Finally, I’d add  in the cheese knife and then you have a visually appetising cheeseboard to enjoy.

Are there rules to how to lay out cheese on a cheeseboard?

There are no hard and fast rules about laying a cheeseboard out. The most important thing is to make sure that it looks visually appealing and that it is easy for guests to help themselves to the cheese. There are no real rules about which cheeses can and can’t sit close to each other on a cheeseboard. If you go for a good balanced selection as outlined above, everything should be fine. 

Any tips on how to store various types of cheese?  And what to do with any leftover bits of cheese?  

How you treat the cheese has an important impact on your enjoyment of it. Once bought, I would always recommend storing the cheese in a cold room or the bottom of the fridge - if possible wrapped in waxed paper as this allows the cheese to breath. Before serving, bring the cheese out to warm up to room temperature. Twenty minutes should be enough, particularly in a warm house at Christmas. Letting the cheese warm a little will help improve its flavours when you come to eat it.  

A good piece of advice for when buying cheese for your cheeseboard at Christmas is to buy less cheese but bigger pieces. Larger pieces of fewer types will keep better over Christmas time. Bigger cuts of cheese store better than lots of small cuts. A hard cheese, a blue, a soft cheese and a piece of cheese that is slightly different or surprising is all that you need to create an appealing cheeseboard. 

In terms of leftovers, cheese is incredibly versatile and leftover cheese makes a superb cooking ingredient. It can be used in soups, risottos, pasta bakes and as a finishing touch stirred into a gravy, or sauce, to add a little bit of richness.  

Visit Paxton & Whitfield for all your cheese needs:

www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

London Shops

93 Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6JE 
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7930 0259
Email: jermynstreet@paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

22 Cale Street, London, SW3 3QU
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7584 0751
Email: calestreet@paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

Bath Shop

1 John Street, Bath, BA1 2JL
Telephone: +44 (0)1225 466403
Email: bath@paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

Festive Recipe: Persian Salmon with Provencal Rosé

Persian Salmon Wraps with Vins de Provence Rosé

Here’s a great recipe for Winter and a delicious wine to pair it with. If you’re interested in more festive recipes with Provencal rosé wine, tune into Vin de Provence’s LIVE sessions starting this Thursday Nov 26th over on instagram @VinsDeProvenceUK!

Recipe adapted for Vins de Provence from 'Simply: Easy Everyday Dishes' from the Bestselling Author of 'Persiana' by Sabrina Ghayour is published by Mitchell Beazley, £26, www.octopusbooks.co.uk

Drink: Rosé Fleuri by Château Barbebelle from the Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence appellation

Ingredients 

500g skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4cm cubes 

For the marinade:
4 tablespoons Greek yogurt 
1 tablespoon garlic granules 
1 heaped tablespoon rose harissa 
1 teaspoon ground turmeric 
1 teaspoon paprika 
1 teaspoon olive oil
Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lime and a good squeeze of juice 
Generous amount of Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper 

To serve

Tortilla wraps 
Avocado slices 
Finely sliced onion 
Pomegranate seeds 
Coriander leaves 
Greek yogurt

Method

1. Preheat your oven to its highest setting (with fan if it has one).

2. Line a baking tray with baking paper. 

3. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a mixing bowl. 

4. Add the salmon and turn until well coated in the marinade. 

5. Spread the salmon out on the prepared baking tray and roast for 10 minutes until cooked through. 

6. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with tortilla wraps, the sliced avocado and onion, coriander leaves, a scatter of pomegranate seeds and Greek yoghurt. 

For more suggestions for winter pinks, look here!

Spice It Up and Chow Down: Why Food is the Latest Bedroom Fetish

Words by Sara Lawrence

What the survey says about ‘sploshing’

Keeping it interesting in the bedroom is a long-debated topic. There are many fetishes out there in the world, some tame and some bizarre. We not here to judge, however. Instead, we’d like to focus on one fetish that’s reaching an impressive 48,280 google searches per month: food.

Aphrodisiacs have been around for centuries of course but what about incorporating the food into the act itself? Both sex and food are generally sensual and happy activities known to boost serotonin, oxytocin, dopamine and endorphins, so why not combine them together?

Define “sploshing”

Sploshing (also known as wet and messy fetish [WAM]) refers to a fetish that incorporates food items either for arousal or during sex itself. The allure stems from the appeal of different textures smeared, placed or dumped onto the skin or clothes. As you can imagine, food is an excellent source for this kind of pleasure, not to mention tasty too. So, which food stuffs are the best? Let’s find out…

The survey says…

According to a survey of 1,986 people conducted by Canabiotics.co.uk, whipped cream topped the list rather unsurprisingly, while apple pie took a pie to the face. The twenty available answer preferences included condiments, fruits, beverages and seafood. Ew!

Other crowd favourites included peanut butter and chocolate spread for a sticky, sweet combination that’ll send a rush to the brain. To cool things off while heating things up, ice lollies took bronze for their phallic shape, cold temperatures and sticky remnants, while oddball choices butternut squash and apple pie brought up the rear. Don’t think about that last sentence too much.

If you’re looking for libido-enhancing foods to munch on prior to engaging in some adult activities however, check out this list to help you narrow down your options.

There’ll be no need to leave the room for a snack in-between rounds. Remember folks, safety and consent first!

If you enjoyed this, check out these naughty drinks names for a giggle!

The Ultimate Gin Cheesecake Recipe

With World Gin Day 2020 happening on the 13th June, our thoughts are turning to the juniper-scented deliciousness of Gin and various ways of enjoying it. This week, we came across this incredible Gin cheesecake recipe created by TV chef (and winner of MasterChef 2015) Simon Wood that he created in partnership with Didsbury Gin. We reckon this would work quite nicely with most classic Gins, though Didsbury is a good place to start as it has been tried and tested (#NotAnAd)! We’d also pair it with a cocktail version of a Gin cheesecake too, just because.

Ingredients for Gin Cheesecake

• 120ml Gin

• 30g Caster Sugar

• 125g Digestive Biscuits, smashed to crumbs

• 40g Butter, melted

• 280g Cream Cheese

• 397g Can Condensed Milk

• 90ml Fresh Lemon Juice

• 1 Grapefruit

• 1 Orange

• 1 Lime

• 1 Lemon

Method

1. Add 120ml Gin to a saucepan along with the caster sugar and simmer to reduce by two thirds.

2. Combine the biscuit crumbs and melted butter and press into the base of your moulds, taking care to keep it crumbly and not over bash it until it becomes dust!

3. Zest your citrus fruits and set aside. Retain a little of each for the garnish.

4. Whisk the cream cheese and condensed milk together, then slowly stir in the lemon juice and reduced gin ‘syrup’. Add in the citrus zest and mix well before pouring over the prepared base.

5. Chill everything for at least 2 hours in the fridge until set.

6. Serve with your remaining citrus zest sprinkled on the top- and possibly, a Gin and tonic!

Have a go, take a picture and tag us on Instagram @TheThreeDrinkers!

Didsbury Gin is available from £29.95 from Master of Malt.

If you like this, try Hamish’s famous Amaretto crumble recipe.