Plymouth Fruit Cup & Ginger Ale is a quintessentially summery drink. (Image: Plymouth Gin Distillery)

Plymouth Fruit Cup — Spirits — The Three Drinkers Plymouth Fruit Cup — Spirits — The Three Drinkers

Originally released over a decade ago, for a long time this much sought-after fruit cup was only available at the Plymouth Gin Distillery. Made with a mix of spirits, vermouth and liqueurs, the result is an intense and complex fruit cup that is full of rich fruity notes, dry herbaceousness, and a gentle hint of sweet spice. Deliciously moreish, it has the sheer power of flavour required to make it perfect for producing pitchers of fruit cup and lemonade or ginger ale; a convenient, but flavourful serve on warm, sunny evenings with friends. The original Pimm’s summer punch should be mahogany in colour with aromas of baked strawberry, orange rind, cooking spice and a medicinal herb-like note that finishes with a bitter bite. This is the benchmark bevvy. Now let’s see how the others compare.

Staff (30 May 2011). "Vodka Pimm's – The Mystery of Pimm's No. 6 Vodka Cup". Summer Fruit Cup (blog) . Retrieved 20 June 2012. A fruit or summer cup is essentially a bottled punch that is served by lengthening it with a mixer – typically sparkling lemonade or ginger ale – and garnishing it with various fruits, peels, and leaves. A fruit cup can be made using any alcohol as its base, but the most commonly used spirit is gin. This is often mixed with vermouth or other fortified wines and liqueurs such as ginger wine or orange curacao to add sweetness. Producers may also undertake additional distillations or macerations of botanicals to increase the complexity of the cup’s flavour profile. Having a secret recipe has not stopped others from having a go at making their own versions, however. Sometimes, they nail it. Sometimes, it’s a mess and in some cases, it’s even better than the original. Here’s my verdict on the latest Pimm’s-like plonk for all budgets because you know, someone has to do it! Fruit cups are most popular in the UK, followed by Australia and New Zealand, although it’s worth noting that the drink also has an unexpected foothold in the city of New Orleans, where it has been a signature drink at the Napoleon House since the 1940s.

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Fill a tall glass with ice, pour in a measure of Plymouth Navy gin and top with Aromatic Tonic, give a gentle stir and garnish with a slice of lemon or orange (or both). Whilst originally launched in 2011 as a “summer cup,” the current version from Sipsmith uses their London Dry Gin as a base that is blended with Earl Grey tea, lemon verbena, and borage. The cup has a fragrant elegance to it and the inclusion of the tea neatly balances out its sweetness. It makes an excellent choice for the traditional fruit cup serve with sparkling lemonade. Plymouth Fruit Cup was a concentrated Fruit Cup mixer, discontinued sometime around the start of 2008.Introduced in 2006, produced by the same makers of Stone's Ginger wine it is based on a traditional recipe and retains a traditional ginger note. It is available in 70cL bottles with a strength of 13.5% ABV. Made by the Plymouth Gin Company, it was based on Plymouth Gin, and flavoured with fruit extracts, bitters, Bols Dry Orange Curaçao, Cherry Heering cherry liqueur, Punt e Mes bitters, and vermouth. This cup starts out as a botanical distillate of Taylor’s of Harrogate’s Yorkshire Gold Tea, which is then blended with freshly-brewed Yorkshire Gold Tea and sugar. With the lowest ABV (alcohol by volume, or alcoholic strength) of the fruit cups tried here, this is a first-rate choice for afternoon tea, perhaps served alongside finger sandwiches and a slice of Battenburg. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community.