Tipple Table: Ripe and Rouge

As the days lengthen and the skies brighten, our gently drying lawns invite us out to make the most of the early freshness of spring. So, as our minds slowly fill with promises of weekend picnics and drinks on the terrace, we thought we’d take the time to arrange a tipple table fit to meet the moment.

In a journey that takes us to two continents – from local British hedgerows to the deserts of Mexico – this spring’s tipple table is a celebration of fruit and fruit flavours, from both near and far.

Fundamentally, a tipple table is a symbol of a host that desires the absolute comfort of their guests. Why dictate what they drink when you can give friends and family the freedom to pour their own? With this approach you allow your guests to recline and relax whilst enjoying a drink of their choice, mixed to their preferred strength.

Starting with the immediately local – within the same shared postcode district, in fact – Hipsterra’s Rose Hip Cello is a distinctive liqueur crafted here in West Oxfordshire using locally sourced rose hips.

Bringing a taste of the Cotswolds countryside to cocktails and aperitifs, it offers up a bright, refreshing balance of sharp fruit with an elegant botanical depth. A liqueur as at home on a sun-kissed garden terrace as it is on the back bar of a discerning members’ club.

Likewise, we are keeping it very local with our second selection: a summer cup that’s once again handcrafted here in the Cotswolds.

Originally made in 1904 by Reverend Hubert Bell Lester using prize-winning fruit from the vicarage garden for his congregation’s summer fête, the recipe for this award-winning cup has, in the succeeding years, been revived and refined by the Reverend’s great-grandson, Thomas.

Offering a quartet of real fruit in harmonious concert, as the sweetness of luscious plums and pomegranate beautifully complements the sharpness of rhubarb and cranberries, this summer cup lends itself to a simple serve over ice, topped with soda and garnished with mint and freshly cut strawberries.

Next, we are heading across the Severn estuary to enjoy a modern twist on the world’s oldest fermented beverage. Founded in the Welsh Borders in 2018 by brothers Kit and Matt, Hive Mind brew their range in their own purpose-built meadery in Caldicot, Wales, where each mead is carefully conditioned to achieve a delicate sparkle.

The perfect blend of sweet and sour, this refreshing drink sees the fresh flavours of tangy rhubarb juice complemented by Hive Mind’s sweet honey mead. An excellent choice for the year’s first beach trips and barbecues.

Born of a shared love of nature and foraging, Mydflower was founded during lockdown, deep in the Brecon Beacons, on a hillside farm close to the ancient village of Myddfai, by friends Michael Dew-Veal and David Ruttle.

An autumnal expression that effortlessly complements a long spring afternoon, Mydflower’s wild raspberry wine pairs ripe British raspberries with pure Brecon Beacons spring water.

With a vibrant sparkle of small orange bubbles, this decidedly British take on a classic sparkling wine offers up fresh aromas of wild berries and raspberry sorbet. Natural fruit richness on the palate delivers a bright, mouth-watering finish.

Travelling much further afield, again in pursuit of those ripe fruit flavours, our next stop sees us settle optimistically into the Land of the Sun.

Crafted to capture Mexico’s sunny climes, this uniquely Mexican gin is a clean, bright, fragrant infusion that intriguingly combines an indigenous desert cactus fruit with orange blossom and Mexican lime zest. An excellent alternative to your favourite fruit-infused London Dry gins, it adds a distinctive dimension to a host of gin-based cocktails.

Why not mix it with homemade rhubarb shrub syrup and soda for an inventive take on a classic Collins? Celebrating the fruits of both our Atlantic nations, this cocktail beautifully blends the flavours of the arid Sonoran Desert with those of the well-watered rhubarb patches of South Yorkshire.

Lastly, when it comes to keeping a clear head, Wild Idol alcohol-free sparkling rosé lands us back on European soil – namely the famed winemaking region of southwest Germany.

Produced using the same careful craftsmanship found in traditional winemaking, this vibrant, sparkling rosé is fresh and naturally alcohol-free. Unlike many other alcohol-free wines, Wild Idol’s collection is made without creating alcohol, avoiding the need for artificial processes that would be involved in its removal.

A stunning blend of fruit-forward Müller-Thurgau and Merlot grapes, this wine offers up floral aromas leading to an abundance of red fruit and crisp green apple flavours on the palate, along with zesty hints of gooseberry, rhubarb, and grapefruit.