The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2020 - Issue 27

bite drinks Images courtesy of Rebecca Abigail PR “Organic apple cider vinegar adds length and freshness to the pal- ate which makes Jukes Cordialities such a great accompaniment to food” - Matthew Jukes I n his over 30 years of experience as a professional and world-famous wine taster and writer, Matthew Jukes has never found a sophisticated, non-alcoholic adult drink that is genuinely satisfying. The idea of creating his own occurred when he and longtime friend Jack Hollihan who usu- ally talks about amazing new wines and great restaurants, mo- mentarily strayed off the two subjects and mused about the lack of seriously rewarding, non-alcoholic drinks available. From there, they decided to go on a unique and fascinating journey of discovery and invention. The result was Jukes Cor- dialities, a series of drinks that do everything that wine does on the nose, palate, and finish but without any alcohol involved, containing extremely low calories as well. Together Matthew and Jack formed a company that develops and owns Jukes Cor- dialities: complex, sophisticated ‘white’ and ‘red’ cordials for mixing with sparkling and tonic water. As tasting and blending is part of Matthew’s everyday life, he designed a long, smooth, delicate technique to make Jukes Cor- dialities engender the same satisfying perfume, mouthfeel, and aftertaste of fine wine. The wine expert who started his career in 1987 at the Barnes Wine Shop in London has written 13 wine books and a highly acclaimed weekly wine article for Money- Week for over 13 years. He travels widely delivering wine talks, dinners, and masterclasses all over the world. He was the wine buyer for Bibendum Restaurant & Oyster Bar in Chelsea from 1990 to 2016 and has won awards for his wine lists. He also worked on a weekly radio slot for the BBC for three years and was then approached by Channel 4 to host their TV series, Wine Hun t. He wrote The Wine Book which was later serialised by the Daily Mail and led to an opportunity to write the most widely read wine column in the UK, the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine, with over 9 million readers each week. Jukes Cordialities is made from carefully developed recipes us- ing all of Matthew’s olfactory and sensory expertise designed to take your senses to an entirely new and soothing flavour desti- nation. It shows exquisite, complex, aromatic characters as well as uncommon texture, flavour, and richness on the palate. The creative found that most non-alcoholic drinks are sweet, con- fected, or high in calories. “So my two Cordialities are dry, tart, refreshing, and perfectly suited to everyone conscious of their own well-being.” There are two variants - Jukes 1 which represents the ‘white’ cordial and Jukes 6 the ‘red’ packaged in a beautifully designed gift box with 9 x 30 ml bottles. Jukes 1 and 6 both blend natural fruit, vegetables, herbs, and spices carefully with organic apple cider vinegar. Although Jukes 1 is centred around a citrus and herb theme designed to be uplifting, clean, and bright, it has fruity ingredients of peach, plum, apple, and pineapple along with water, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and cucumber. Jukes 6 is said to have a fruitier, deeper, and spicier style with a mellower, earthy flavour. It has ingredients of blackberries, blackcurrants, raspberries, strawberries, and plums in addition to the standard content of water, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar. Out of the two cordials, I preferred Jukes 1 which, to me, had a slightly sweet yet tangy and herby taste. I had it with tonic water which seemed to give it a bit of a kick and enhanced the flavour. I tried Jukes 6 with sparkling water which was quite smooth and fruity. There was a slight taste of the apple cider vinegar but not enough to make a big impact on the mix of flavours. It had a nice embodiment of how red wine would be and I could imagine people who wish to maintain their high standards of taste and pleasure appreciating this drink. To enjoy the cordials, simply take a large glass - wine, highball, or tumbler and fill it with ice and 250 ml of chilled water of your choice - still, spar- kling or tonic, and then add in Jukes 1 or 6. Using natural ingredients, Jukes Cordialities view sustainability as vitally important so they use limited planetary resources as carefully and thoughtfully as possible. They produce their cor- dialities solely from all-natural, self-producing vegetables, fruit, and natural flavourings. “Nothing is wasted; all of our by-prod- ucts are edible consumables (husks, fibres, pith, skins, and the like) that we recycle.” Jukes Cordialities are available online and at stockists includ- ing Core by Clare Smyth, Portland, 5 Hertford Street, Oswald’s Club, Frog by Adam Handling, Tate Britain & Modern, Dinner by Hester Blumenthal, 67 Pall Mall, M Restaurant in Victoria, Trinity in Clapham, The Swan in Chiswick, and The Anglesea Arms in Hammersmith. https://jukescordialities.com