For many people, comfort eating involves food they enjoyed as a kid. That doesn’t really work with alcohol, for obvious reasons, and indeed the whole idea of comfort drinking sits uneasily with most of us, I imagine. A good, strong cuppa would be as close as I come to a drink I turn to with any regularity.
I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but the drinks I turn to these days are not the first ones I enjoyed (and thank goodness in the case of dodgy sweet Spanish whites). As someone who started drinking alcohol before New World countries such as Australia and Argentina made their mark, my tastes are still rooted in European wines. If you’re 20 years younger than me, however, the reds that might have made the greatest impression on you might well be shiraz or malbec, while prosecco wasn’t even a thing 30 years ago (which may explain why I prefer cava or champagne, though even those have changed due to the lower dosage – AKA added sugar – in most modern sparkling wines).
Wherever your tastes lie, drinks one might class as comforting aren’t by and large expensive, more like familiar friends to whom you turn when you just want a bottle that’s reassuringly the same as the last one you drank. Hence the popularity of well-known wines such as côtes du Rhône and rioja, and of wine brands such as Casillero del Diablo and Jacob’s Creek. Wines that you encounter for the first time, meanwhile, may be intriguing, but they’re also more likely to be daunting, because the knowledge you feel you need to appreciate them can provoke anxiety rather than comfort.
If I’m fessing up to the drinks I don’t care to admit I enjoy in much the same way as that cheesy ballad I belt out when I’m behind the wheel, it’s mainly the sweet stuff. Espresso martinis, say. And cream sherry or, better still, cream liqueurs – Baileys is the obvious candidate there, though there are several own-label liqueurs around that offer better value: Tesco Finest Salted Caramel Liqueur (£13, 17%) is a particular favourite; Marks & Spencer has a couple of crackers coming in at the end of next month, too. Serve nice and cold, on the rocks, on the sofa (where else do you drink a cream liqueur?). And, whisper it, I even like an egg nog come Christmas, ditto a glass of mulled wine. A whisky mac or a hot toddy are great when you’re feeling poorly, too, and are a lot better than Lemsip. In fact, if anything could reconcile me to the onset of winter, it would be hot drinks in general.
Five drinks that might hit the spot
Tesco Finest Côtes-du-Rhône Villages 2022 £8.50, 10.5%. One of the most reliably gratifying reds in the Tesco Finest range.
Lustau East India Solera Sherry £12.99 (50cl) Waitrose, 20%. A step up from basic cream sherry, and really hits the spot.
Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge £17 (50cl) Asda, £20.25 (50cl) Sainsbury’s, 40%. You can keep your cognac: orangey Grand Marnier is just so much more indulgent.
M&S Sloe Gin £18 Marks & Spencer, £19 Ocado, 40%. A full-strength, deliciously bittersweet sloe gin. Perfect for a hip flask.
Akashi Tai Ginjo Yuzushu Sake £23.99 amazon.co.uk, 10%. This yuzu-flavoured sake is my current weakness. If you like a sharp lemon meringue pie filling, you’ll be hooked. I can’t resist sneaking a sip out of the fridge every now and then.
For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com
