Alternative Christmas Drinks menu
Christmas is a time to be merry, spend time with friends and family, and celebrate both the year that’s been and gone, and the one that’s close at hand.
What better way to spread good cheer and catch up with loved ones than over a drink or two? But if you’re fed up with fizz and bored of the Bordeaux this festive season, T&R Theakston, the family run brewery based in North Yorkshire, has compiled an alternative Christmas drinks menu that has a selection of whistle wetting options to suit all palates.
Theakston Brewery’s (Old) Peculier Christmas Drinks Menu
Traditional option: The fizz – Champagne or Prosecco
Peculier pairing - Theakston Paradise Gold Dry Vintage Cider
This shimmering gold liquid has already won fans over summer, but its bittersweet apple aroma and crisp, fruity and refreshing taste make it the perfect alternative to a traditional glass of fizz. To ensure your guests get a truly tastebud-tantalizing surprise, make sure to serve chilled in a classic flute glass to create the perfect illusion.
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Traditional option: The wine – a red
Peculier pairing – Theakston XB
It may be on the nose, but Theakston has swapped the traditional red wine with Christmas dinner for its premium strength ruby ale. The XB doesn’t just share a colour with its wine counterpart, but its subtle brandy aroma, rhubarb and apple fruit flavours, and full body, make it a perfect liquid accompaniment - whether you’re tucking into turkey, beef, or a nut roast, this festive season.
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Traditional option: The wine – a white
Peculier pairing – Theakston Pale
Perhaps you don’t want the bold flavours and full body of the red and would rather something a little lighter alongside your Christmas fare? Or you’re looking for something suitable for the vegans in your party? Well, Theakston’s Pale Ale is just what you’re after. A New World Pale featuring zingy grapefruit and tangerine tasting notes, it’s a fantastic accompaniment to almost any dish, including that leftover turkey - or 'tofurkey' - curry you’re planning for Boxing Day!
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Traditional option: Port
Peculier pairing – Theakston Old Peculier
No Christmas dinner is complete without a cheeseboard, whether you’re a stickler for Stilton, a lover of creamy Lancashire, or go gaga for some Goats cheese, we think Old Peculier provides the perfect accompaniment to any cheese course. The rich and fruity flavour coupled with the full-bodied mouthfeel makes this ruby beer a perfect alternative to your traditional port. So with that decided, the only decision left for you to make is what crackers to serve it with for us, it has to be the Theakston Malted Barley Savoury Crackers, topped with a dollop of our Peculier Yorkshire Chutney.
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Traditional option: Coffee cocktail
Peculier pairing: Theakston Barista Stout
Post-Christmas dinner, we all enjoy a good cup of coffee before we settle in for the King’s speech. But whereas some will go traditional, others may opt for an espresso martini. Well not on this menu ladies and gentlemen, as T&R Theakston proudly presents…its Barista Stout. The smooth mouthfeel coupled with coffee and vanilla flavours along with hints of dark berry fruit make this a fantastic alternative to the classic cocktail. Plus with a lower ABV of just 4.2%, you’ll stay sharp for supper. And if you decide not to partake in the drinking, you could always use it in a delicious dessert!
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Traditional option: Whisky hot toddy
Peculier pairing: Theakston Spirit of Old Peculier hot toddy
A hot toddy made with whisky, water and a little sugar, is known to have medicinal qualities – or at least so my Grandma said. As well as being a catch-all sickness cure, it’s the perfect boozy treat for settling round the fire and enjoying the final throes of Christmas day. This one is - perhaps ironically - both the most and the least Peculier of the bunch: simply swap the whisky for Theakston’s beer spirit. The Spirit of Old Peculier’s golden liquor has a subtle cherry and banana aroma, with hints of vanilla extending into the flavour, offering a balanced sweetness alongside a spirit’s classic warmth!
Alternatively, swap out the spirit of your favourite liqueur coffee with the Spirit of Old Peculier to guarantee a legendary brew.