There is a particular face people pull when you say ‘pickle soda’. It’s the one usually reserved for a colleague’s reheated fish. I know, because I pulled it myself, roughly four seconds before I tasted the thing.
Let me put this gently, though: it works. Savoury, sharp and cheerfully odd, it’s the sort of mixer that makes a drink taste like somebody had an idea. And in the hands of Three Cents, the sodas and tonics favoured by discerning bartenders, it’s not a gimmick so much as a very well-organised bit of mischief.
Theirs is a classic origins story. The brand was founded in 2014 by a group of bartenders in Athens who went looking for the perfect cocktail mixer and, finding it wasn’t on the shelf, made it themselves. I mean, if anyone’s going to know what works best, who better than the experts, eh? Delightfully, their inspiration was the Depression-era soda fountains, where punters could walk into a pharmacy (of all places), and order a ‘Two Cents Plain’ (sparkling water) or add a flavoured syrup, for Three Cents. Geddit?
The result is a range of premium mixers designed to balance a drink rather than bully it, with enough flavour to hold its own and an intense fizz that lasts to the last sip. It’s a sensible idea, sensibly executed, and it has collected awards along the way.
It’s an intriguing range, too. There are tonics (Aegean, Tonic Water and a Dry), and sodas from Pink Grapefruit and Mandarin & Bergamot to Cherry, Pineapple and Sparkling Lemonade, plus a Ginger Beer, a Ginger Ale and, of course, a Two Cents Plain. But it’s the Pickle and Fig Leaf sodas that are causing the stir, and they now star in a new aperitivo hamper that will make hosting this cosy season rather less of a chore.
Because here’s the thing: the aperitivo moment doesn’t have to clock off in September. Autumn and winter are, if anything, better suited to it, when the pre-dinner drink becomes less a poolside fling and more a ritual with a cardigan. And the hamper pairs the sodas with some fine company – again, each recommended by our heroes, as artisanal drinks:
- Sipello, a bittersweet British aperitif handmade in the Surrey Hills, built around gooseberry, rhubarb and the little-known chuckleberry (a berry with an excellent name), balanced with wild-harvested botanicals such as gentian, wormwood and sandalwood.
- Asterley Bros, a modern British take on Italian aperitivo made in South London. Their range spans English vermouth, amaro and aperitivo, including the signature Dispense Amaro (24 botanicals, blended with their British Pinot Noir vermouth, for a spirit that’s part London, part Sicily). The hamper serves use the Bartender Series Red Vermouth.
- Fiorente Elderflower Liqueur, a light Italian liqueur from Piemonte, made with wild Alpine elderflowers infused with mint, lemon and lime. It’s named for Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, and is deliberately lower in sugar than most elderflower liqueurs, so it stays bright and floral rather than syrupy.
Put them together and you get two serves worth clearing a Friday for. The Pickled Hugo Spritz marries two of the year’s biggest trends and asks only that you keep an open mind. The Fig Leaf Americano is the grown-up option, aromatic and autumnal, a classic in a warm jumper – or, better yet, tested by this author (twice) over kitchen duties on Saturday night. So, here, dear reader, are the recipes for you…
Pickled Hugo Spritz
- 8 fresh mint leaves
- 45ml Fiorente Elderflower Liqueur
- Three Cents Pickle Soda, to top
Chill a wine glass and fill with the mint leaves and ice. Add the elderflower liqueur and top up with Three Cents Pickle Soda. Garnish with a mint sprig.
Fig Leaf Americano
- 30ml Italian bitter
- 50ml Asterley Bros Bartender Series Red Vermouth
- Three Cents Fig Leaf Soda, to top
Add cubed ice to a chilled glass. Pour in the Italian bitter and red vermouth, then top up with Three Cents Fig Leaf Soda. Garnish with a small fig leaf.
So, back to that face. The next time someone pulls it at the mention of pickle soda, hand them a Hugo, say nothing, and wait. They’ll be asking for a second before the mint has settled.
For more information, including details of stockists, visit www.threecents.com or follow @threecents_official on Instagram.
