Traditional British alcoholic beverages

Cider
Cider, sometimes called hard cider after fermentation, is the fermented
juice pressed from apples and enriched with other specific ingredients,
typical for each brand. The alcohol content differs, but it is usually under
10% ABV (alcohol by volume). Also in UK it must contain at least 35%
apple juice by law. The origin goes back to Roman ages or even further;
however, cider became exceedingly popular in England after The Norman
Conquest in the 11th century, when new apple varieties were brought to the
country. Nonetheless, it's considered that British had known cider even
before the invasion. Nowadays the UK drinks the highest amount of cider
in the world and it's very common. There are more than 450 active
registered cider makers, especially in South West England and regions near
Kent.
Perry is a beverage made from pears, similar to the cider. It has also long
tradition in Great Britain, particularly in West England and surroundings.

A bottle of
Strongbrow cider

Punch

An example of bourbon punch

Punch is drink usually consisting of multiple fruit

juices mixed with wine or other liquors. Nevertheless,
it can be non-alcoholic. Punch is mostly served in a
punch bowl with special punch glasses. It was brought
to UK from India in the 17 th century thanks to British
East India Company and from there it widely spread to
other parts of Europe and North America. In the
present day, there exist many different kinds of this
beverage. For example in the form of fruit cup
(probably the most famous called Pimm's cup), rum
punches, bourbon punches and almost every fruit
combination you can imagine. Many families have
their own recipes and it's also served during
Christmas.

Ginger beer
This famous English beverage has also roots in India and colonial
spice trade. Traditional ginger beer originated in the 18th century in
England, where ginger, sugar, water and other ingredients were
fermented and brewed. The result is golden-ish liquid with
approximately 11% alcohol. The name "beer" was established due
to similar fermentation and brewing process during production.
However, the ingredients are totally different. These days, not
many ginger beer are made in the same way and more popular is
non-alcoholic variant ginger ale, or other low-alcoholic forms. It is
also used as a part of some mixed drinks and it's known in the
whole world.
Beers in general have a great culture in the UK too.
Ginger beer

Dandelion & Burdock

As the name indicates, it's beverage made of
fermented dandelion and burdock roots. It has
the same origin as root beers and other similar
ales. Originally it was a type of mead,
however, such as many of mentioned English
drinks, these days it's consumed as a soft
drink with low percentage of alcohol and it's
typical for its taste.

Dandelion

Burdock

Gin
Gin is a transparent distilled liquor made of wild juniper berries. It is commonly
combined with other botanicals, such as for example coriander, lemon peel,
angelica root, orris root, liquorice, cassia and more. It has origin in the 17 th
century in Netherlands, but early in the 18th century it became popular in England
too. Although gin is now distilled in many parts of UK, London had an essential
role in gin development. It is for illustration a birthplace of famous world-wide
known London Dry Gin. We can distinguish many kinds of gin; however, it has
usually at least 40% ABV. This spirit is used in many famous cocktails. For
example with tonic served with ice cubes and lemon, with vermouth as Martini
made famous by James Bond and many others. In Britain there are over one
hundred brands of gin, notable brands are for example Tanqueray, Gordon's,
Beefeater, Nicholson's, The Botanist, Bombay Sapphire, etc.

Whisky
Probably the most iconic British beverage is whisky, sometimes called
whiskey. Although there are also some great whisky producers in England and
Wales, the most famous region of whisky is Scotland. The earliest whisky
production in Scotland became in the 15th century and the tradition still
continues. In general whisky is made in copper pot stills from water, grains,
mostly malted barley, and yeast. We can distinguish about 5 types of Scotch
whisky according to the making process and ingredients. Single Malt Scotch
Whisky is produced from only water, malted barley and yeast at a single
distillery. Single Grain Scotch Whisky is also made at a single distillery but
uses other grains like wheat and corn as well as barley. Blended Malt Scotch
Whisky refers to a product of multiple distilleries, made by combination of
different Single Malt Scotch Whiskies. It's very similar with Blended Grain
Scotch Whisky. The name Blended Scotch Whiskey is used for combination of
one or more Single Malt Scotch Whiskies with one or more Single Grain
Scotch Whiskies. Scotch Whiskies, sometimes only "Scotch", are usually
distilled twice, but it can be done multiple times. This is one of the reasons
why ABV varies from 40% up to 68%. The most prominent region are
Highland (with brands like Royal Lochnagar, Oban or Teaninish), Speyside
(Cardhu, Cragganmore, Linkwood) and Islands (Ardberg, Lagavulin, Talisker).
Northern Ireland is also famous whiskey region, mentioning at least The Old
Bushmill Distillery, one of the oldest distilleries in the world founded in 1784.

Beefeater gin

Single Malt
Scotch Whisky

Martin Raka