Lady’s 9 English Drinks That Will Give You a Taste of Britain

Today I want to share my favorite English drinks with you. Given my last blog post was about classic English dishes, I thought it would make sense to bring you some beverages to pair with the foods. So read on for A Lady in London’s guide to traditional English drinks.

English Drinks

These classic English beverages range from breakfast favorites to signature London cocktails. Whether you want something to pair with your Sunday roast or your Eton mess, there’s a drink for you.

These drinks will give your taste buds a tour of England from the comfort of your kettle, your cocktail shaker, or your bottle opener.

From the vineyards of Kent to the distilleries of Yorkshire, from the members’ clubs of London to the pubs of Newcastle, they’ll show you the best of England.

Books about English Drinks

If you want a cocktail recipe book to help you make some of these English drinks, I recommend The Official Downton Abbey Cocktail Book: Appropriate Libations for All Occasions.

This collection is inspired by the characters and traditions of the popular TV show and movies Downton Abbey. If you’re in the UK, you can get it here. If you’re in the US, you can get it here.

1. Pimm’s

Given my favorite English drink is Pimm’s, I’ll start my list here. I had never heard of Pimm’s before I moved to London, but now it’s my favorite British summer drink.

But what is Pimm’s, you ask? Officially called Pimm’s No. 1, it’s a gin-based liqueur flavored with herbs, spices, and caramelized orange.

The cocktail of the same name is a blend of Pimm’s No. 1 and lemonade (that’s carbonated lemon soda for non-Brits) poured over ice. It’s finished with generous helpings of mint sprigs, cucumber, orange slices, and strawberries.

It’s sweet and refreshing, and perfect for a summer day. I love drinking Pimm’s outside on a terrace or at a riverside pub when the sun is out.

Oh, and a word to the wise: don’t call it Pimm’s Cup or Pimm’s and Lemonade unless you want to look like a foreigner. Trust me. I know this from firsthand experience.

2. English Cider

If you want something you don’t have to mix, make, or brew yourself, cider is one of the best English drinks. There are lots of different kinds of cider around, and it’s a great alternative to beer if you’re at a pub.

One of my favorite travel memories in England was a trip I took to go wine, cider, and beer tasting in Kent. I spent a couple days touring wineries, cider makers, and breweries to learn about the area’s famous English alcoholic drinks.

Given I’ve toured a lot of wineries and breweries in my travels, the cider element particularly fascinated me. It was fun to learn about the process of cider making and sample the surprisingly wide variety of flavors cider can come in.

So whether you prefer sweet or dry, classic or flavored, it’s worth trying English cider if you want to experience a taste of the countryside.

3. Martinis

Next on my list of English drinks is the martini. Everything from the Breakfast Martini to the Espresso Martini was invented in London, and no list of classic British cocktails would be complete without it.

The Breakfast Martini was invented by cocktail legend Salvatore Calabrese while he was working at the Library Bar at The Lanesborough hotel in London in the 1990s.

Made with gin, triple sec, lemon juice, and a spoonful of English marmalade, it makes me think of something a grown-up Paddington bear would drink.

The Espresso Martini was created by famous mixologist Dick Bradsell while he was working at the Soho Brasserie in the 1980s.

Made with vodka, a shot of espresso, sugar syrup, and splashes of Tia Maria and Kahlua, it’s the perfect cocktail to get the party started.

Rounding out the martini selection, the Vesper Martini is said to have been created by writer Ian Fleming and was influenced by his trips to Dukes Bar at Dukes hotel in St James’s in the 1950s.

Made with three shots of gin, one shot of vodka, and half a shot of Lillet Blanc, it’s the classic James Bond cocktail.

Whichever martini you prefer, these English drinks will take you on a tour of London’s best cocktail bars from the comfort of your home.

4. English Sparkling Wine

Back to drinks you can enjoy without having to mix them, one of my favorite English drinks is sparkling wine. I know, I know. English wine? But it’s a thing, and it’s actually pretty good. The sparkling kind, anyway.

The chalk soil in the south of England is similar to that in the Champagne region of France, and English sparkling wines have taken off over the last decade. It’s even rumored that some of the finest were served at the Royal Wedding in 2011.

From Kent to Cornwall, wineries have popped up all over England’s south coast. I’ve gone tasting at a few of them and have enjoyed sampling the variety on offer.

English sparkling wines aren’t cheap, but it’s worth splurging every once in a while to get a taste of the British terroir. From Chapel Down to Camel Valley, there’s no shortage of them on offer.

5. English Ale

I’m not a big beer drinker, but I couldn’t write a blog post about English drinks without including ale. It’s a staple of many English people’s diets, and the drink of choice at a lot of pubs.

I could write a book about English ales, but since I have limited space I’ll stick to a few of the most famous. Popular ones include the award-winning Greene King IPA. This easy-drinking session ale has a hoppy taste and aroma.

There’s also St Austell Proper Job, an award-winning modern IPA made with a blend of imported American hops. This refreshing ale has notes of citrus and pineapple, and a crisp bitter finish.

There are also special brews like Shepherd Neame’s Spitfire Premium Kentish Ale. It was created in 1990 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Drinking English ale is a great way to virtually transport yourself to a cozy British pub even if you can’t travel in England.

6. Gin and Tonic

While technically not invented in England, the British Gin and Tonic is such a classic English drink I can’t help putting it on my list. This quintessential cocktail is up there with Pimm’s when it comes to being a drink of choice on a summer day.

And given the explosion of gin’s popularity in recent years, there’s no shortage of English gins to pair with your tonic.

From Plymouth to the City of London, distilleries across England mix and match botanicals to please people’s palates.

And that’s to say nothing of tonic water. From tried-and-true staples like Fentimans in Northumberland to newer names like Folkington’s in East Sussex, there’s no shortage of companies putting the “T” in G&T.

So whether you like your gin heavy on the juniper or your tonic packed with garden varietals, you can mix and match your perfect blend to taste the best of England.

7. Buckfast

Okay, so this is not one for the faint of heart. Or refined of palate.

But friends jokingly introduced me to it on a train from Newcastle to London ages ago, and it’s such a bizarre one that I can’t help but include it on my list of English drinks.

So what is Buckfast? It’s a caffeinated fortified red wine. It tastes pretty much what you’d expect a caffeinated fortified red wine to taste like. Which is to say pretty bad.

Originally made by monks at Buckfast Abbey in Devon in the late 19th century, it’s based on a traditional French recipe.

Initially marketed as a medicinal product, today it’s better known for its associations with students, Scottish football hooligans, and nonconformists.

Whether you self-identify as any or all of those things, tasting Buckfast is a cultural experience you won’t forget. Just make sure to have something nearby to wash the flavor out of your mouth after your first sip.

8. Squash

If the idea of Buckfast turns your stomach, I’ll gently introduce you to non-alcoholic English drinks starting with the oh-so-benign squash.

This is a drink that has confused me since I first moved to London, but since it’s such a staple I have to include it in my list.

Squash is a flavored concentrated syrup made from fruit juice, water, and sugar. Popular squash drink flavors include orange, apple, blackcurrant, and citrus. There are also blends.

Squash is usually mixed with water to make a diluted drink, and I always associate it with tricking children into getting hydrated.

But most of my adult friends drink it, too. Maybe it’s a childhood comfort food thing. Maybe Brits have a different set of taste buds than I do (although almost all my ancestry is British, so that theory might not hold up in a lab).

Either way, I struggle to get on board with squash. It always tastes like it can’t decide whether it wants to be water or juice. But at least it’s better than Buckfast.

9. English Tea

Given the Camellia sinensis plant isn’t traditionally grown in England, I debated whether to put tea on my list of English drinks. But it’s such a staple part of the culture that I couldn’t very well leave it off.

That’s not least because there are a lot of great English tea companies that pride themselves on sourcing the highest quality tea leaves from around the world and putting their stamp on the product before it goes to the consumer.

From Hampstead Tea with its organic and biodynamic offerings to Tea Pigs with its whole leaf tea, there are a lot of English companies focused on quality.

Some of my favorite teas are from Fortnum & Mason, one of London’s most beloved department stores. The ground floor of its Piccadilly shop is a tea lover’s heaven.

Fortnum’s has an endless selection of teas and herbal infusions from around the world. There are biscuits galore, too.

And speaking of biscuits, one of the first things I learned when I moved to London was the importance of the biscuit in British tea culture. And the fact that you should never call it a cookie. Even though it is. There. I said it.

No cup of tea would be complete without an accompanying sweet treat, and the best biscuits are a topic of great debate in Britain.

Seriously, if you’re ever struggling to make conversation with an English person, just drop in something about how you think Hobnobs are superior to chocolate digestives and brace yourself for the onslaught.

Traditional English Drinks

But this blog post is about English drinks, not English food. So I’ll leave off the biscuit chat for now and wish you a happy journey into discovering your favorite quintessential British drinks. Cheers!

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