Tipple Table: Spring Sipping

Whether a repurposed old desk, or a table purchased especially, a tipple table not only adds colour and charm to the corner of a room but will prove a well-stocked asset that is invaluable when hosting guests – showing generosity of spirit with a generosity of spirits.

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.

So, inspired by Katy Campbell's celebration of the 'Tipple Table' in her new book 'English Country House Style: Traditions, Secrets and Unwritten Rules', we thought we’d take the time to highlight some local heroes; a selection of personal favourites that showcase some of the best flavours the Cotswolds and surrounding areas have to offer, and to help you build up a broad, winning range of great wines and spirits for your guests to sip and savour.

Set amongst the rolling hills of the Cotswold countryside; The Cotswolds Distillery have been producing this extraordinarily aromatic dry gin since they opened their doors in 2014. Infused with nine locally sourced Cotswold botanicals, this multi-gold-award-winning spirit is a classic in the making. Unfiltered, it retains an expressive character from the botanicals’ essential oils creating an arresting pearlescent haze when added to ice and tonic. Serve with a fresh bay leaf and a slice of pink grapefruit.

Hilary Blackford started Blackfords in her kitchen in a small village on the edge of the Cotswolds where she lives. This luscious, award winning limoncello has a cleaner, sharper flavour than most. Made using zesty Sicilian lemons that are hand-picked by Giuseppe on the Racalia Estate near Marsala, and Antonio and Margherita on their Azienda on the Costa d’Amalfi. It works wonders as a dash in a glass of sparkling wine, poured over crushed ice and topped with either tonic or soda.

Following 30 years as a moonshiner, Johnny Harper founded The Boutique Distillery in 2018. With notes of toasty bourbon oak, burnt sugar, dark fruit, caramel, vanilla, and premium cold brew coffee, Haka’s Finest Cold Brew Espresso Hakatini Rum is the perfect after dinner treat for rum drinkers and coffee enthusiasts alike. Handcrafted in Gloucester using their original Premium Sipping Rum and the finest Arabica coffee, this winning combination is as rewarding over ice as it is over ice cream.

Farmed, fermented, and distilled in the heart of Cotswolds, Blacklion Rare Sheep’s Milk Vodka is Europe’s first sheep’s milk vodka. Its unique and much-celebrated flavour, including those subtle notes of edelweiss, all come from the fermenting and triple-distilling of the whey left over after cheese-making; sugar-rich whey that would otherwise go to waste. Triple filtered; its clean taste comes from local Cotswolds spring water. Best enjoyed as a sipping vodka, simply serve over ice.

Produced on an arable farm, about 15 miles outside Oxford, Freedom the Press’ range of small batch, English wines are crafted with quality grapes, sourced from selected vineyards in the Essex countryside, primarily the Crouch Valley. Boasting beautiful notes of redcurrant and wild strawberry, a refreshing acidity, and creamy mouth feel, this salmon pink wine can be enjoyed on its own or paired with cold cuts, grilled fish, and summer salads.