Mince Pie Madness

The mince pie is one of the most important British Christmas traditions there is. The delicious mix of mince, fruit and spices rolled together in a pastry parcel is a taste like no other. This year, many bars have tried to turn the popular snack into a cocktail.
There are a few different versions, and the creator of each insists that it is a unique recipe, designed to capture the taste of the festive season. The supermarket, Sainsburys, has already sold so many mince pies this year, that it decided to team up with the London Cocktail Club to create their liquid pie. The recipe includes Irish cream liqueur, cognac, milk and mincemeat, with a clementine garnish. They have named it the Mincemeat Irish.

Another London bar, situated inside the iconic Shard, named theirs Old St Nick. It includes Bulleit Whiskey, Johnnie Walker Black, mince pie syrup and clementine. Their unique selling point is that it is served in a stocking. It doesn’t get much more festive than that.

Perhaps the most impressive, however, is the Zacanta cocktail created by James Fowler. The UK World Class Bartender of the Year, 2014, serves his drink in the Larder House, Brighton. The beverage has two steps, with the garnish being even more complicated to make than the drink. The cocktail is made up of spiced pineapple puree, Ron Zacapa 23, Kamm & Sons, lime juice, and of course, mincemeat.

The drink is shaken and poured over ice. Then the Hot Date Foam is made. The dates are heated with boiling water until they form a puree. Two spoons of pro espuma hot are added, and the whole mixture is placed on top of the drink using an espuma gun. It must be served hot for maximum effectiveness.

However, despite the trend taking off this year, these are not the first bartenders to experiment with mincemeat in a Christmas cocktail. According to the Difford’s Guide, the Mincemeat Pie was created in 2008. Bruce Borthwick of Inspirit Brands, used one spoon of mincemeat, 2 shots of Bacardi, apple juice and cream.

My children usually leave Santa a mince pie or two on Christmas Eve. He may be driving the sleigh a bit wonky this year, as I am sure he would prefer one or two of these cocktails….