Gurdeep Loyal's summer drinks trends 2024

Where to try it: Tapas bars are the best places to try white sangrias. Gambas in Bristol has a ‘Summer White Sangria’ on their menu made with seasonal fruit purées. Bar 44 in Cardiff has ‘Pineapple and Passionfruit Sangria’ with Spanish wine and pineapple liqueur, as well as a ‘Hemingway Sangria’ which is rioja rosé wine, rum, elderflower liqueur, grapefruit and lime. Jose Pizarro’s tapas restaurants in London – including the soon to open Lola on Bermondsey Street – have their own fruity take on White Sangria on their menus. Ottolenghi's test kitchen chefs have created a white sangria infused with lemongrass syrup.

White Negronis were invented in 2001 by a British bartender called Wayne Collins. To concoct one, shake together gin, Lillet Blanc – a wine-based aperitif, Suze – a bitter-sweet gentian liqueur from Auvergne, and a twist of lemon. Whilst still bitter and strong like a classic negroni, the white version is light, floral and summery. See our white negroni recipe here.

Where to try it: Stylish cocktail bar Coupette in Bethnal Green is famous for its ‘Truffled White Negroni’, and the pioneering bar Tayor + Elementary on Old Street also do a ‘White Camomile Negroni’. Also check out Asterley Bros who sell their own botanical spirits and amaros. They also do a series of cocktail masterclasses and have a ‘Negroni Society’ where they champion the white negroni, as well as other twists on the classic.

The Paloma is the new picante of 2024. A classic Paloma is a mix of tequila, agave syrup, lime juice, pink grapefruit and soda – although now often you’ll find them made with smoky mezcal. We've got a classic paloma recipe as well as a mezcal paloma, so you can pick your favourite to try.

Where to try it: At Three Sheets in Dalston and Soho they have a Paloma style cocktail called the ‘Lost Explorer’ which is Espadin mezcal, timur pepper, grapefruit, honey and soda. The restaurant Salt Yard - which has recently opened in Borough Market - have a ‘Smokey & Paloma’ on their menu which is mezcal, guava purée, lime juice, lavender agave and grapefruit soda. The extraordinary Sri Lankan restaurant Paradise in Soho London has their own take on a Paloma with Volcan tequila, Ceylon arrack, cumin, coriander seed and grapefruit. And Funkidory in Peckham has become famous for their ‘Frosé Paloma’ – a frozen rosé, grapefruit and tequila slushie!

Picon Bière – the sophisticated French shandy

With the Paris Olympics approaching, one of the trendiest drinks of the summer is the French Picon Bière. It combines Picon – which is a bitter burnt orange aperitif liqueur – with blond or white beer and a spritz of lemon. It’s a bit like a very sophisticated, bitter French shandy and is very refreshing!

Where to try it: The Wigmore in central London do their own take on it called ‘The French Way’ with Picon, grapefruit sherbet, honey, lemon and Asahi Super Dry lager. The restaurant Floral Hall in Crouch End has ‘Picon Beer’ on their menu if you want to try the classic version. Amathus and The Whisky Exchange both sell the spirit Picon if you want to make it yourself – it’s also a great liqueur for making burnt-orange negronis!

Spiced rum, aged rum & the discerning piña colada

Craft-made rum – particularly aged and spiced rums - are having a big moment this summer. The brand Duppy Share is a great one to check out for their ‘Spiced Rum’ in particular – a delicious blend of 2-year aged rums from Jamaica and Barbados spiced with vibrant pineapple, kola nut and island spices. It’s balanced and uniquely complex, with notes of ginger, vanilla, grapefruit, pineapple, clove, nutmeg, basil and orange. Duppy Share also have an XO aged rum which has notes of sour chocolate, tamarind and caramel.

Old Road Rum from St Kitts is made in the oldest surviving rum distillery in the Caribbean. It’s tropically aged for 12 years in ex-Bourbon casks – and one of the suggested pours is to have it with an ice cube of coconut water. With rum and coconut in mind, the piña colada has had a very sophisticated glow up this year, being transformed into all sorts of unique cocktails that are playing with this classic retro combination. See our review of the best rums to buy for more recommendations.

Where to try it: Schofield’s Cocktail Bar in Manchester is a great place to check out unique rums and rum based cocktails. The Cecil Beaton Bar at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane has a cocktail called the ‘Beautiful Wasp’ which is piña colada inspired with Bacardi Quatro, Plantation Pineapple, tonka bean, saffron and coconut sugar. The Fumoir Cocktail Bar at the iconic Claridge’s hotel has a very sophisticated grown up take on the piña colada – a cocktail called the ‘Songbird’ with Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva rum, Glenfiddich 15, Campari, pineapple, demerara, coconut and lime. The restaurant Firebird in Soho has a rum based ‘Baked Banana Old Fashioned’ with dark rum, baked bananas and chocolate bitters. Carmen O’Neal, also known as @Cocktail.Carmen – founder of hand-crafted gin distillery 58 and Co –has her own inventively re-mixed take on it, the ‘Marga-Colada’ with Reposado tequila, aged rum, frozen pineapple and coconut cream. And the brilliant mixologist Harp Mann – @Mixx.Mann on Instagram – is a great person to follow for amazing rum-based cocktail recipes and summer drinks inspiration.

Chilled red wine – the wine tipple of summer 2024

Forget rosé, yellow, green or orange wine, and put away the prosecco and crémant: chilled red wine is having a big revival and is everywhere in trendy wine bars across the country. You can in theory chill any red wine – but the most suited are wines that are fruit forward with low tannins. Beaujolais is always good for chilling – as the grape gamay is light. Cabernet Franc wines from Loire are also delicious chilled, as are Spätburgunder pinot noir wines from Germany.

Where to try it: Flawd wine bar in Manchester is an incredible natural wine bar and bottle shop that has incredible chilled reds to try out. Forza Wine at the National Theatre in London also has an amazing list to check out including chilled reds. Rye Wine Bar & Bottle Shop which is newly opened at Rye Bakery has an exceptional menu of summer wines to discover. Planque restaurant and wine club in Dalston has fantastic wine cellars to check this out. Shrine to the Vine on Lambs Conduit Street in London – which is part of the Noble Rot restaurant group is a great place to check them out. The newly opened plant-based restaurant Holy Carrot in Notting Hill is championing natural and biodynamic wines and sustainable viticulture. The hip Bistro Freddie in Shoreditch has an extensive selection of Beaujolais on their wine list. Also Top Cuvée and Sager & Wilde are wine pioneers in London that are brilliant places to discover the chilled red trend. The summer wine selection from the supermarket Asda is also worth checking out for some lighter reds great for chilling and their award winning Beaujolais village wines.

Green Liqueurs – the contemporary revival of St Germain, Green Chartreuse & Midori

Thanks to the pop-star Charlie XCX – whose album BRAT is the soundtrack of this summer – lime green is the colour of the season for 2024. With this in mind, a host of old school, vintage and retro spirits – that are all green – are being re-discovered by a new generation. St Germain is a pale green elderflower liqueur that has notes of pear and peach and is delicious in summer cocktails. Green Chartreuse is a herbal green liqueur which is peppery, a little minty, licoricey and woody – almost medicinal tasting. Most famously, the Queen used to enjoy Chartreuse and champagne garnished with a cocktail cherry – a cocktail now known as ‘The QEII’. Midori is a Japanese melon liqueur that TikTokers are being drawn towards because of its lime green colour and sweet summery flavour of Yubari king and musk melons.

Where to try it: Side Hustle Bar at The Nomad Hotel in London have St Germain in lots of their drinks like the ‘Stranger Things’ which is Hepple Gin, St Germain, Acuavit and green apple. At the uber hip T. Liquor in Shoreditch the first cocktail on with menu is the ‘Dilla Instinct’ which is St Germain, lemon, dill syrup and soda, and at celeb favourite The Dover in Mayfair they have a cocktail called the ‘Hugo Spritz’ with St Germain, prosecco, lime, mint, Double Dutch soda. Satan’s Whiskers in Bethnal Green do a ‘Chartreuse Swizzle’ with Chartreuse, Falernum, lime and pineapple juice, whilst The Goring Hotel Cocktail bar has a cocktail called ‘Last Word’ which is Haymans Dry, Green Chartreuse, Maraschino and citrus. The website Punchdrink has some brilliant contemporary Midori cocktails that are worth checking out – all 2024 lime green in colour!

Gose Beers – the German sour that’s taking off

Pronounced ‘goes-uh’ this is a salty-sour German beer that has been brewed for over 1000 years – in the town of Goslar, Germany. It’s made from malted wheat and malted barley and is a crisp, tart and tangy sour. Coriander seed is a key flavour in classic gose sours – but it’s often flavoured with other unique fruit combinations. It is a hip drink that beer lovers are turning to this summer.

Where to try it: Vault City in Edinburgh have in their taprooms a ‘Strawberry Margarita Gose Table Sour’ – which combines Scottish strawberries, with lime and Himalayan salt. Gypsy Hill Brewing is another brand with a taproom in South London that has a delicately sour ‘Watermelon & Lychee Gose’. Lough Gill Brewing Co in Ireland has a Sloe Gose, and the pioneering Orbit Beers based in South London has launched a classic Leipziger Gose that has a fresh tartness with coriander and sea salt. Also for the perfect crisp pairing to go with sour beers like this (and other drinks for that matter!), checkout the upcoming book ‘The Crisp Sommelier’ by Neil Ridley (@ridleydrinks) – the ultimate guide to crisp and drink pairing. For sours he suggests Torres Cured Cheese Crisps or Howdah Masala Dippers!

The 50/50 Martini & the vermouth revolution

The ‘50/50 Martini’ is a half vermouth and half gin cocktail – like a martini but more quaffable for summer! Famously, it was the drink that food writer MFK Fisher used to drink and is now popping up on menus everywhere. Vermouth is a fortified wine infused with botanicals including wormwood – a bitter plant from the artemisia family, and vermouth and tonic is one of the must-try aperitifs of this summer.

Where to try it: Bar Daskal in Borough Market which is joined to Parrillan Restaurant have an amazing selection of vermouths. They also do vermouth cocktails like the ‘Eduardo’ which combines Hart Bros Manzanilla, Palo Cortado, vermouth blend and bitters. Also the ‘¡Hay Tomate!’ which is tomato, vermouth, tonic and celery. At foodie favourite Mountain in Soho – the first cocktail on their menu is a Turi vermouth & tonic. Turi by Salvatore Marino is very much one of the most desired vermouth brands of the moment - it’s a warm, nutty, spiced, nectar-like vermouth from Sicily with the addition of rhubarb, vanilla, wild thyme, wild fennel and orange. At pioneering restaurant Apricity from chef Chantelle Nicholson, they make their own sweet vermouth using wine that might otherwise go to waste, giving it an aromatic and delicious second life. Also the brand Vermanos which is a London based small-batch vermouth company are doing exciting things, and Farm Shop have their own rich aromatic vermouth made using botanicals foraged from their Somerset farm in Bruton.

Herbtails

These are cocktails where fresh herbs take over from fruit as a predominant flavour. Whilst we’re all used to fresh mint in mojitos, in 2024 it’s all about cocktails infused with fresh basil, tarragon, shiso leaf, sage, rosemary and seaweed.

Where to try it: Scales bar in Mayfair has a shiso leaf drink which is a vodka cocktail with green apple, shiso and bergamot. Pioneering cocktail expert Mr Lyan has a drink called the ‘Safety Frappé’ with Hendrick’s gin, shiso absinthe, mint, anise and peach wine on the menu at his revolutionary bar Lyaness. The Alchemist St Martins Lane is doing a ‘Basil Smash’ cocktail with Millers Gin, basil, peach and lime, and The Martini Bar at the Barbican is doing a ‘Yuzu & Basil Martini’ with Sipsmith gin, yuzu citrus, fresh basil and apple juice. Le Petit Maison restaurant has a cocktail called the ‘Pablo’ with Botanist gin, tarragon, orange and mint cordial.

Spring Restaurant by Skye Gyngell do a ‘Peach and Rosemary Fizz’ with 58 & Co vodka, triple sec, Cocchi Americano, nectarine and rosemary purée, prosecco – as well as a non-alcoholic ‘Grapefruit and sage soda’. At Core by Claire Smyth their signature cocktail is the ‘Whisky & Seaweed’ – made using butter-washed Irish whiskey, kelp, sea lettuce, black cardamom, fino sherry and lemon juice. And at the seasonal neighbourhood restaurant Saltine in Highbury, their cocktail menu has a ‘Thyme’ cocktail with Four Roses Small Batch rum, honey, lemon and thyme, as well as a ‘Grapefruit’ cocktail with gin and rosemary.