Something new for the new year?

If you have had enough of champagne, mulled wine or even freshly squeezed orange juice then why not take a leaf from Del Boy's book and try something far more exotic this New Year's eve?

Only Fools and Horses. (1981 - 2003)

Del “Brandy please, Pamela.”
Pamela “Armagnac?”
Del “Yeah, that’ll do fine if you’re out of Brandy”

Baileys and cherryade

Tea at The Ritz, champagne on the F1 winner’s rostrum and Glühwein on a mountain top in Val d’Isere are all iconic drinks in fabulous places. Del Boy’s choice of both venue and beverage are far less premier league and much more Sunday kick about.

Ordering his drink from Mike, whilst leaning on the bar in The Nag’s Head Peckham, Del makes sure the whole bar can hear his order and his generosity as he orders for Rodney and various others. The only one not to be a recipient of this largesse is Mike. Tabs seem to be paid off with outsized betamax camcorders, watches that run backwards and self igniting car radios. As with most of Derek’s life the actual drink is pretty irrelevant it’s all in the presentation. Baileys and cherryade is the liquid equivalent of the camel hair coat and chunky gold jewellery. Hiding from the Driscoll brothers can often bring on a thirst.

If I was Del Boy and I’d spent the best part of the day selling hooky goods on the market I think my drink of choice would be a hot chocolate or a decent cup of tea. Derek is not like other people, he knows that “next year we’ll be millionaires” so he’s living what he thinks is that lifestyle today. Join him; conjure up The Nag’s Head in your living room and down a Baileys and cherryade. Sit back and listen to Uncle Albert reminisce about life “during the war”.

Mise en scene

Baileys cream liqueur

Cherryade

Cocktail cherries

Pineapple wedges

Cocktail umbrellas

Assorted picks and bendy straws

Its all in the edit….

1. Take a large bowl shaped glass and fill with a generous amount of ice, lovely jubbly.

2. Pour in several measures of Baileys and swirl the glass to ensure the ice is well coated. Plume de ma tante, this is a vitally important stage that cannot be missed out.

3. Drop in several cocktail cherries at this point. Their coating of sugar syrup is just what this combination of Baileys and cherryade needs to lift it from insignificance into the cocktail hall of fame. If you do not want the cherries floating around in the drink you could impale them on a pick. I’d personally go for the ones that have tassels on the end. Bonnet de douche, c’est magnifique.

4. Tilt the glass to a 45° angle and carefully top up with cherryade. Cushty. Return the glass to the upright position and adorn with cocktail umbrellas and stirrers.

5. Voila, place a wedge of pineapple on the rim of the glass and, fromage frais, the drink is ready. Enjoy or as they say in France, Luxembourg nul points!

Voiceover

Mike keeps a huge variety of adornments behind the bar seemingly only for Del’s cocktails. These are essentials if you want to recreate this drink. Readily available in shops and supermarkets buy the wildest you can find. In fact the only thing about this recipe you may want to change is the drink itself!