Jubilees are rare and remarkable to behold. George III was the first British monarch to observe one. In 1809 he celebrated his golden jubilee. Queen Victoria celebrated her golden jubilee in 1887. More than 30 foreign kings and princes paid homage to her along with a parade of military troops. Novelist Mark Twain noted they "stretched to the limit of sight in both directions".
When George V celebrated his silver jubilee, in 1935, bartenders in the finest establishments from Piccadilly to Mayfair invented liquid tributes, as documented in William J Tarling's Café Royal Cocktail Book, while the rest of his loyal subjects celebrated with official receptions, public addresses, street parties and a thanksgiving service at St Paul's. The King reportedly said, "I am beginning to think they must really like me for myself."
Only the second to reach a diamond jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II seems likely to surpass Queen Victoria's 63 years and seven months. At that point she will become Britain's longest reigning royal and history's longest reigning female monarch. This calls for a toast.
Her Majesty, like the Queen Mother, has raised many glasses of Gin and It (the "It" is Italian vermouth) as well as gin and Dubonnet. This is a lovely drink when the vermouth or Dubonnet is fresh, as both are wine-based and spoil once opened. Yet this is not quite festive enough for the diamond jubilee.
To add a touch of the quintessentially British drink, we infused the gin with tea. While this might sound complicated, it is actually simpler than making a cuppa as it does not require a kettle. Place half a bottle of gin into a pitcher. Add a teabag or a spoonful of loose tea. We had good results with the Rare Tea Company's RAF tea, as well as Twinings' Earl Grey, Lady Grey and Darjeeling. Let the tea infuse into the gin for about 10 minutes, then remove the teabag or strain the gin off the leaves.
Topped with champagne and garnished with a nibble symbolic of British summer at its best – strawberries and cream – our twist on a traditional aperitif takes a festive air, a jubilee air, perfect for raising in toast: "The Queen! Long may she reign."
Jared Brown is master distiller at Sipsmith, London W6
OFM jubilee cocktail
strawberry 1
crème fraîche
tea-infused London dry gin 20ml
Dubonnet Rouge or Martini Rosso vermouth 40ml
champagne 150ml
Chill a champagne coupe or large cocktail glass. Slice the top off a strawberry, and cut a notch into the base so that it will perch on the edge of the glass. Top it with crème fraîche and set it on the glass. Combine the gin and Dubonnet or vermouth in an ice-filled mixing glass. Stir for 20 seconds. Strain the mixture into the chilled glass. Top with champagne.
