BS: Christmas drinks

Subject: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 02 Dec 17 - 11:59 AM

I was going to start a thread saying Christmas is here. The reason I know it has arrived however may be more interesting though.

Mrs G has just had a 'Cheery B'. Only ever has it at Christmas - along with 'Snowball' and 'Babycham'. The shops we go in only ever seem to stock them at Christmas too. Back the 60s and 70s when they were in vogue you could get them any time. When did they become Christmas fare?

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Raedwulf
Date: 02 Dec 17 - 12:39 PM

Shops stock Snowballs? :o I thought you were supposed to buy advocaat & lemonade & make them yourself. Sacrilege!! :grrrrrr:

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 02 Dec 17 - 12:44 PM

You forgot the lime, Raedwulf! Do you not remember the little bottles being on sale in pubs as well?

DtH

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Raedwulf
Date: 02 Dec 17 - 01:02 PM

If you're using lemonade, why would you add lime as well? :? And no. Apart from the fact that by the time I was visiting pubs (aged 14 *cough*) I'd rather graduated beyond snowballs so wouldn't have noticed them, I don't think the pub that was my regular would have had much demand for the stuff!

I've occasionally, down the years, bought a bottle of advocaat, etc, for nostalgia's sake. But snowballs is what the kids got offered at Yule, when Dad was doing the drinks for the adults...

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: DMcG
Date: 02 Dec 17 - 01:10 PM

I had the annual Snowballs as a child from just before Christmas to just after New Year. I wonder if anyone 'mornink and evenink drank Warnicks'?

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Will Fly
Date: 02 Dec 17 - 01:50 PM

I can remember Warninks, Cherry Heering and Babycham - all favourites in the 1950s with my parents.

I nicked my first shot of Scotch one Christmas when my parents were out - Haigh, as I recall - must have been about 14...

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 02 Dec 17 - 06:24 PM

Mrs Steve and I got married on 18 December (1976), and we have always had a bottle of Madeira to celebrate. The leftovers go nicely with the Christmas pud. But this year in September we actually went to Madeira for our holidays and we went to the Blandy's winery in Funchal where they make all the Madeira. They had a special offer on the 5-y-o Bual (a style slightly less sweet than the Duke Of Clarence style that you can buy everywhere here). We had six bottles delivered post-security at Funchal airport at less than ten quid each. I was considerably nonplussed to discover that Mrs Steve has now allocated five out of the six for Christmas presents to the undeserving non-cognoscenti, those of the unrefined palate. A total embuggerance which I cannot contest on this occasion. But there'll be a next time....

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Joe_F
Date: 02 Dec 17 - 06:55 PM

Smoking Bishop has the honor of being the punch with which Ebenezer Scrooge celebrated his liberation. Brought to a Christmas party, it is likely to disappear soon.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 02 Dec 17 - 09:16 PM

In my youth, I used to enjoy small bottles of Gold Label Barley Wine around Xmas Time.
I was only about 10 and a half stone.. so I got my money's worth.
It went down well with my primary student drink, bottles of Newcastle Brown...

Now I see it is still available, but seems to have had it's strength drastically reduced, and only available in cans... bastard corporate brewery accountants...!!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 02 Dec 17 - 09:20 PM

The twats. I can't help thinking that Laphroaig and Talisker ain't what they used to be either. The whole bloody world's being diluted down. Where are the MEN!

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 04 Dec 17 - 04:11 AM

I think the Warninks one was

'Eveninks and morninks, I drinks Warninks'

But do you remember the Gold Label one with a David Attenborough type character (It may have been him. I dunno!)

"Don't drink a Pigmy's Gold Label or he will do what he is able"

And Raedwulf - Men didn't drink Snowballs, Babychams or Cherry Bs. They were what you bought the bird if you were trying to impress her. Along with the chicken in a basket if you were feeling flush :-)

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Kampervan
Date: 04 Dec 17 - 04:37 AM

Sorry Raedwulf, when making a Snowball (and I made '0000s in my days behind a bar), it was always a sherry glass and Advocaat, an equal measure of lime juice into a paris goblet then top up with lemonade. It would have been far too sweet without the lime juice.

Variants included using fresh lime rather than cordial and a measure of brandy was an optional extra.

But I'm sure that everyone has their own recipe.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Kampervan
Date: 04 Dec 17 - 04:43 AM

Whoops!!! I forgot the maraschino cherry!

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Jos
Date: 04 Dec 17 - 08:45 AM

I have never drunk a Snowball (or even heard of them until now).

For me a Christmas drink would be mulled wine. I have wasted many a bottle of indifferent red wine trying to get it right, but then I heard that what you should do is use the orange and spices to make a syrup. With a batch of spiced syrup and a microwave you can make mulled red wine, white wine, cider or whatever (including non-alcoholic versions if needed) by using a small amount of syrup at a time, varying according to how sweet anyone wants it, and produce mulled drinks to order.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Mrrzy
Date: 04 Dec 17 - 09:35 AM

Love mulled wine. We did it for Boxing Day the last year we did Boxing Day, and it was yum.

Also a big fan of eggnog.

When I read Snowballs I mistakenly thought Lemon Drops, which are how I ended up married once. It is a tale told by an idiot.

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 04 Dec 17 - 02:40 PM

It was Cherry B, Dave, but certainly turns you into a Cheery B! Available on Amazon and at Iceland!
A friend of ours always had a party on Jan 2 at which you were invited to sup "Hare's Blood" - sadly for the heid next morning it was very quaffable, tasted innocuous, but was high on the ABV. Mixture of whisky, Drambuie and cherry brandy!

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Raedwulf
Date: 05 Dec 17 - 12:01 PM

DtG - Lol. I've never been much of a ladies man (way too shy), which would explain why I never thought of that!

Kv - Good point. On the other hand, turn the explanation on its head - if they're being made for kids, they wouldn't be too sweet, since kids drink lemonade, et al anyway...

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 05 Dec 17 - 04:44 PM

I thought 'Cheery B' was quite a good Freudian slip :-)

Could have used it as an advertising campaign. Not as good as the one that me and my mate had rejected by a local brewery though. 'Holt's bitter gets you pissed'.

:D tG

Subject: RE: BS: Christmas drinks
From: ripov
Date: 05 Dec 17 - 06:48 PM

Many moons ago my other half's uncle entered a similar competition by The Time Beer Company, Dublin, with "peeing is a waste of good Time". That wasn't used either.