Have you got any before Christmas Parties to host? Are you looking for the perfect drink to have as your aperitif? Well this might just be the blog post for you. Today we are reviewing El Bandarra an aperitif developed and made in Barcelona, that aims to provide you with a taste of holidays in a glass! El Bandarra have sent us their threesome bottles of Aperitif. One is a called Alfresco which is a bitter sweet drink, the next is Rojo a red vermouth with layers of flavour and finally Blanco, a white vermouth with a more refreshing bite.
Aperitif is a tradition on the continent and as a late teen/young adult (over 18 of course) I was first introduced to vermouth, which was accompanied by nibbles before special evening meals. I loved the sweetness of this drink, so trying El Bandarra, has really brought back memories of my summers in France spent with family sipping aperitif and soaking up the sun! Of course, my memories are of France, but here you will be transported to the flavours of Spain, and as well as the traditional and recommended ways of drinking El Bandarra, I will also show you a couple of alternative ways you can enjoy these refreshing pre-meal drinks.
What we thought of El Bandarra Threesome
Firstly we start with the El Bandarra Blanco, this is a traditional style vermouth, but I have to say that El Bandarra has a creamy and somewhat soft taste compared to slightly more recognisable brands, that perhaps have a fresher maybe slightly bitter taste. The perfect way to drink this is with ice, and an olive, served with a dish of nuts or small cracker crisps. We have however also tried this as a longer drink, in our Not so Blanco cocktail, and due to its sweetness I have paired it with a measure of grapefruit juice and a measure of soda water, to make it into a vermouth spritzer (our exact measurements are below). Although I love a long spritzer and think that the paring of grapefruit goes perfectly with the vanilla aspects of the El Bandarra Blanco, I actually preferred it in its traditional form with an olive. A plus being a love olives and it really balances the sweetness of this golden coloured vermouth.
The second drink is the Rojo, this is quite delicious, this you can drink in a short glass over ice with, or as a cocktail, below there is a recipe for our specially invited El Bandarra cocktail called El Inglés. It uses El Bandarra Rojo, with some good old English Gin, and some blackcurrant liquor, and soda water to finish. The Rojo is a sweet, and deep flavoured vermouth. It works really well on its own with ice and a slice of orange, or as our cocktail. The cocktail is good, as it is almost an twist on a Martini, and has a slightly fruitier and sweeter taste.
The third bottle is a El Badarra Al fresco, this is designed as a long drink, to be served with tonic. This is a bitter drink with hints of citrus, mainly from grapefruit. This is taken in a longer glass with 1/3 Alfresco and 2/3 tonic with ice and a slice of orange or lemon, or both if you prefer. I really liked this and decided that it was best kept as is. So you won’t find a third cocktail. This is a really light, and refreshing drink to have with lunch, or before your party starts. You could even have this with your dessert on Christmas Day, as I think it would work so well with the heavy sweetness in a Christmas pud!
These drinks are a great alternative intro drink to a traditional spirit, or a glass of wine, and they also make the perfect gifts for the Holidays too. Each of the bottles come as a 1litre size. They have a cap top for freshness, and then has an airtight resealable – jar like – closing, for when you want to pop it back in the cupboard for another day. Its 15% alcohol, so makes a mild start to the evening, unless you make our El Inglés cocktail. El Bandarra, also have a selection of glassware, which would make a great accompaniment to this Threesome of Vermouth.
Our two Cocktail Recipes
Not so Blanco
50cl of El Bandarra Blanco
50cl of grapefruit juice
Soda water topper
To make this drink pour in the El Bandarra, in a tall glass, over ice, then the grapefruit juice, and top with around equal parts of soda (approx 50cl depending on your glass size), serve this with a slice of grapefruit.
El Inglés
50cl of El Bandarra Rojo
25cl of gin (a Gordons, or a crafted local one will be fine)
25cl of blackcurrant liquor
Soda water topper
In a short glass with ice, pour in the El Bandarra, the gin and liquor, give it a good mix, then top with soda water, enjoy with a slice of orange.
How much is the Threesome of El Bandarra?
The threesome (trio) of El Bandarra is £54.99 which also includes delivery.
Where can you buy your Threesome of El Bandarra?
You can get yours here from their British Shop page on their website.
About El Bandarra
Currently run by the Virgilli brothers, who’s family have owned an aperitif distillery for decades, and was originally owned by their grandfather, and father before. When their grandfather initially started to produce aperitif, it became all the rage and had a steady business until the late 1970’s, however, once the 80’s were in full swing their brand took a decline, due to the decline in popularity of vermouth as a whole.
In 2014 all this changed and the Virgilli brothers said they’d like to bring back and develop a new aperitif, when their father told them that they had been making an aperitif for years. So the brothers tried their family recipe and loved, and decide it needed a come back. But in order to give it a little more wow and bring up to date, they made a few tweaks and voila, El Bandarra was re-born.
The family have been slowly introducing El Bandarra from its birth place in Barcelona, to all the cities around the world, sharing the taste of North Eastern Spain Aperitif, and showing everyone that you can get the taste of holidays in a glass from the comfort of your own home.
Review by: Lex Ward
You may also want to read this:
Review: Everleaf, a Non-alcoholic Bittersweet Aperitif
Review: Bosford Rosé Premium Gin & Dartington Swarovski Glasses
Review: Luxardo Sour Cherry Gin, Limoncello and Maraschino Cherries
*We were sent these bottles in return for a feature. All opinions are our own.
19 comments
These are delicious, i love vermouth…I will try to get these as soon as possible.
Hope you do, let us know what you think of it
These sound like they’d be great for the festive season. We really do love cocktails so will try your recipe x
Hope you do give these Aperitif recipes a go
These look wonderful and will make good gfts for a few people on my gift giving list 😉 lOve it and appreciate your amazing review 😉
Those drinks look so delicious and yummy! I will have to try them soon!
Please do
Never tasted vermouth, but they look good in your blog. And they seem to be great gift choice for this festive season.
They sure are a great gift selection
I love vermouth. My father loved it too and it brings back a lot of memories of the holidays growing up. Beautiful and festive drinks for the season.
So wonderful that you shared that with us, it is a fab drink
I love the design of these bottles, they look so cool! This sounds like a really fun set.
They are perfect to be given as a gift as well
What a detailed review! These drinks look so refreshing and delicious 👌🏻 I will have to try them soon! Love the packaging ❤️
Thank you so much, let me know what you think of it
Oooo I have never heard of this before, but I would love to try them out. I think I’d really enjoy these drinks.
Worth a try, as it tastes delicious
The bottles are branded to perfection. The bottle alone caught my eye!
I agree, perfect as a gift by itself as well, just need to tie a bow on it