Beverages

[Stokey Sue]

She sounds very cool WW, I bet she had a pair of white “kinky boots” like Lulu

[WWordsworth]

She did, and shiny red ones too

[Earthmaiden]

Do 'beverages' include long, cool soft drinks?
Just wondered if people had come up with anything nice over the past couple of hot days.

I have had a third of a box of satsumas in the fridge for ages and decided to extract the juice from some of them then topped up with sparkling water and ice. Very simple but delicious.

I am also fond of Robinsons Crushed Lime and Mint cordial - with sparkling or still water and ice. I discovered it last year. It is designed really for Mojitos I think.

[WolfGirl]

Ooh I like the sound of that EM.

I shall look out for it this week.

[RockyBVI]

I like that one too EM. The Bottle Green lemongrass and ginger cordial is also lovely. I bought a soda stream last year which is great for summer drinks!

[Stokey Sue]

I drink Rose’s cordial, fairly. dilute, a lot, just to not always be drinking plain water

If I’m actually having a long soft drink I like the Cawston Press cans, especially the rhubarb

[PatsyMFagan]

Ooh I like the sound of that EM.

I shall look out for it this week.

Me too ..

I like bought Robinson's lemon barley at the weekend

[scullion]

we are drinking elderflower cordial and raspberry syrup (both made last year) diluted with fizzy water (soda stream).
i did an audit yesterday to check that we will have enough before the elderflower season comes in again.
must see what they are like mixed together.
we also have a few bottles of blackberry syrup. it was a good year for them last year and you can only eat so much crumble.

cold, cold-brewed black coffee over ice is also really refreshing.

[Earthmaiden]

Nice ideas. I like Cawstons rhubarb too. I keep telling myself I can't justify a sodastream. I love sparkling water but don't buy it often because of all the plastic bottles. Maybe I could justify one .......

[Stokey Sue]

Nice ideas. I like Cawstons rhubarb too. I keep telling myself I can't justify a sodastream. I love sparkling water but don't buy it often because of all the plastic bottles. Maybe I could justify one .......

I feel much the same about SodaStream, but if anyone has found a good concentrate/syrup for Indian tonic water that might tip the balance, I like it as a straight soft drink, not just as a mixer

[Pepper Pig]

I like the rhubarb too. Some of the Fevertree mixers are great on their own as well.

[KeenCook]

Decided we really like the London Essence Tonic with Blood Orange and Elderflower. It mixes well with the excellent Asda non-alcoholic Botanical Drink. We only discovered the Asda drink when it was recommended in The Observer mag a few months ago. It used to come in a very attractive bottle, but they've changed it now to a rather ugly one. We fortunately kept the first one and just transfer it now and recycle the ugly one!

[Stokey Sue]

When I Google for the concentrate/syrup/cordial for making tonic from sparkling water the London Essences tonics come up, but I have 2 problems with them
1 ready mixed, not what I was looking for
2. my problem with that particular one is elderflower, which I'm not keen on

I will try their Indian Tonic if I see it though I'm doubtful about the juniper flavour

What I want is a simple Indian Tonic: quinine, a bit of citrus and not a lot of sugar. I dislike the tendency to pile in loads of herbs and spices, even when I'm drinking it straight, but particularly with gin, someone has gone to a lot of trouble to balance the botanicals in the gin, and I don't want to smother them - might as well drink gin and Coke as some of them.

Will look out for the Asda spirit. if I ever see an Asda again, they seem to have left this area

[WolfGirl]

Just a heads up.
I bought some of the lime and mint cordial from Tesco. 50p off if you have a Club Card.

Haven’t tried it yet. Weather has very definitely changed.

[KeenCook]

2. my problem with that particular one is elderflower, which I'm not keen on

Funnily enough, I think it might have been the Feverfew Tonic with Elderflower (if they do one) I tried first, and heartily disliked.

I can't remember why we even tried the London Essence one, I think, we needed something non-alcoholic to take to friends and so we took that one, for interest's sake, and the straight tonic; btw I've just noticed that Asda inadvertently also delivered a Pomelo and peppercorn Tonic today, as well as the ones we ordered. I must check, sometimes they send quite nice freebies!
I would never have ordered it, will be interested to see what it's like!!

[Amber]

I accidentally (blame the barman) had the London Essence light tonic (yellow label) yesterday. It was horrible, sweet and manufactured.

But the alternative, on tap tonic, was tasteless.

I usually have ordinary yellow fever-tree. I wonder if the yellow light label of London Essence is coincidental?

[Suffs]

we are drinking elderflower cordial and raspberry syrup (both made last year) diluted with fizzy water (soda stream).
i did an audit yesterday to check that we will have enough before the elderflower season comes in again.
……

Elderflowers are in full bloom right now here in S Lincs

[Stokey Sue]

I accidentally (blame the barman) had the London Essence light tonic (yellow label) yesterday. It was horrible, sweet and manufactured.

But the alternative, on tap tonic, was tasteless.

I usually have ordinary yellow fever-tree. I wonder if the yellow light label of London Essence is coincidental?

They all seem to use yellow
I think the London Essences lite uses stevia, which imo has a very unpleasant flavou.

I quite like the Fevertree standard Indian tonic but I did once email them to suggest that it’s quite sweet, and having chatted with a few people an extra-dry, less sweet, version would be welcome. I got a prompt reply, presumably from the office junior, informing me that the already made a low calorie version. I replied pointing out that is if anything sweeter and it was the sweetness not the calories that was the issue. Didn’t hear again


Yes Suffs, I noticed the elderflowers on the common were in full bloom yesterday.

[Pepper Pig]

That's interesting. I don't find the Fevertree Mediterranean light sweet at all. Far preferable to the ordinary. I hate sweet drinks and I particularly hate anything that tastes predominantly of Stevia.

[Stokey Sue]

I should probably try the Mediterranean again (I just checked, no stevia, just fructose) but I am really searching for the platonic ideal of a simple Indian tonic