The Banterists

Kocktail Kev - Sparkling Wine Cocktails and the Venetian Sgroppino

Sparkling Wine Cocktails and the Venetian Sgroppino Kevin discusses sparkling wine in cocktails, explaining Champagne’s strict French production rules and suggesting less expensive alternatives such a Prosecco and Cava. He outlines how bubbles are captured and compares three main production methods—ancestral (fruit-driven), tank/charmat (used for Prosecco), and traditional (used for champagne, cava, crémant, and English sparkling wine, producing a complex biscuity flavour). He also compares perceived sweetness: champagne’s acidity masking added sugar, cava’s drier style with no added sugar, and Prosecco’s sweeter, floral profile. After noting classic champagne cocktails (Champagne Cocktail, Kir Royale, Bellini/Rossini, French 75) and spritzes, he focuses on the 16th-century Venetian sgroppino (iced lemon and Prosecco), sharing a modern version using lemon sorbet, St-Germain (or elderflower syrup), and sparkling wine, plus non-alcoholic options. He then listens to Sunday Best by Surfaces at an English summer garden party. Link to Sunday Best by Surfaces https://open.spotify.com/album/2duDpY4Uajd6AeeFK7bW77?si=7l1X6bisSFG7tQHWhc6x4w Kocktail Kev Music is called Velvet shadows full version by Kaazoom on Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164472] The Banterists music is called  ‘The best jazz club in New Orleans’ Music by Paolo Argento [https://pixabay.com/users/paoloargento-38603296/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164472] from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164472]

Literature

Phil and Jo host The Banterists without Lily, share a listener recommendation for Tuscany’s Tarot Garden by Niki de Saint Phalle, and discuss literature. Jo highlights spoof/parody books, including the 2014 self-published Ladybird-style Go to the Gallery that inspired Penguin’s 2015 grown-up Ladybird spoofs (over five million sold) and mentions legal action, plus Sean Lock’s The Tiger Who Came for a Pint. They share words and origins: “petrichor,” “apricity,” and “Svengali” from George du Maurier’s Trilby. Jo recommends biographies, focusing on war correspondent Martha Gellhorn and her links to Lee Miller, and they discuss actor autobiographies and adaptations. Quick-fire questions cover favorite books/authors and trivia (Shakespeare’s coined words; Guardian’s top novel Middlemarch; Lily’s favorite, Daphne du Maurier’s The House on the Strand). Recommendations include The Christopher’s, Two Weeks in August, The Playboy of the Western World, Netflix’s The Boroughs, and a Kylie documentary. Links Guardian Top 100 Novels: https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/the-100-best-novels-of-all-time [https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/the-100-best-novels-of-all-time] Great essay on Martha Gellhorn: https://granta.com/products/granta-62-what-young-men-do/ [https://granta.com/products/granta-62-what-young-men-do/] And an old article on Martha Gellhorn from the Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/a-life-less-ordinary-1168141.html [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/a-life-less-ordinary-1168141.html] Phills Authors  Patrick Gale  https://galewarning.org [https://galewarning.org] Armistead Maupin https://www.armisteadmaupin.com [https://www.armisteadmaupin.com/] Jo’s books she has read and recommends  Autobiography – Travels with myself and another - Martha Gellhorn Biography - Martha Gellhorn: A Life by Caroline Moorehead Lily’s favourite book: House on the Strand – Daphne Du Maurier Recomendings  The Boroughs - on Netflix Two Weeks in August - BBC I Player Our podcast music is called  ‘The best jazz club in New Orleans’ Music by Paolo Argento [https://pixabay.com/users/paoloargento-38603296/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164472] from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164472]

Kocktail Kev - Negronis

Kevin thanks listeners who contacted the Banter Trust email and answers Charlotte in Boston’s question about what music and places he associates with each cocktail, pairing a whisky mac with a Scottish ceilidh and Wolfstone, and a margarita with an elegant oceanfront bar in Tijuana and Catrell and Paco Amoroso. This week’s drink is the Negroni, which he describes as a balanced sweet-bitter cocktail made with gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, sharing a favored origin story involving Count Camillo Negroni and the evolution from the Milano-Torino to the Americano. He explains Campari and vermouth backgrounds, then gives his recipe (2 gin, 2 Campari, 1 sweet vermouth, stirring and serving over a large ice cube with orange peel), plus variations like Americano, sbagliato, or using Aperol. He would enjoy the Negroni in a dim, velvet underground New York bar with trumpet jazz, previews champagne and Prosecco cocktails next, credits “Guilford’s Guide,” and shares contact and rating details. 00:00 Welcome and Listener Question 00:46 Cocktail Vibes Whiskey Mac 01:12 Margarita Travel Daydream 01:40 Meet the Negroni 02:08 Negroni Origin Story 03:07 Ingredients Deep Dive 04:41 Mixing the Classic Recipe 05:18 Garnish Tips and Variations 06:12 Where to Drink It 06:31 Wrap Up and Next Episode 06:49 Podcast Outro and Contact Kevs music recomending Ibrahim maalouf playing True Sorry  https://open.spotify.com/track/5EzGOkUwkRUXYAyvjlEHah?si=ecbd8a49028a4946 [https://open.spotify.com/track/5EzGOkUwkRUXYAyvjlEHah?si=ecbd8a49028a4946] Kocktail Kev Music is called Velvet shadows full version by Kaazoom on Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164472] The Banterists music is called  ‘The best jazz club in New Orleans’ Music by Paolo Argento [https://pixabay.com/users/paoloargento-38603296/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164472] from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164472]

Kocktail Kev - Margueritas

Margarita Origins, Tequila vs. Mezcal, and a Chilli-Ginger Syrup Twist Kev recounts discovering a chilli and ginger margarita about eight years ago in a Worcester, UK restaurant whose manager later emailed cocktail recipes, and uses it to introduce this week’s drink: the margarita. They trace its roots to Northern Mexico around US Prohibition and explain the “daisy cocktail” template of spirit, citrus, and sweetener, noting margarita means daisy in Spanish. The episode compares tequila (steamed blue agave from regulated Mexican regions) with mezcal (any Mexican agave, often roasted underground for smokiness) and suggests splitting tequila with mezcal for a smoky margarita. They cover limes and Triple Sec, then give a classic ratio (2 tequila : 1 lime : 1 Triple Sec) and instructions to shake on ice and strain. Finally, they show how to make chilli-ginger syrup (sugar, water, ginger, chilli flakes) and suggest a chilli-salt rim, teasing next week’s trip to Italy for a “Negroni” origin story. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 00:28 Margarita Origin Story 01:15 Tequila vs Mezcal 02:02 Lime and Triple Sec 02:58 How to Mix It 03:21 Chilli Ginger Syrup 04:30 Chilli Salt Rim 04:45 Serve and Next Week Kocktail Kev Music is called Velvet shadows full version by Kaazoom on Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164472] The Banterists music is called  ‘The best jazz club in New Orleans’ Music by Paolo Argento [https://pixabay.com/users/paoloargento-38603296/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164472] from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164472]

SE01 E8 Kocktail Kev - Whisky Mac

Phill, Lilly and Jo are taking a break this week but Kocktail Kev is with you and introduces a new weekly short segment on Banterists about cocktails, including their stories, how to make them, and tasting along with readily available ingredients and straightforward proportions using a 25 ml/50 ml measure. He defines a cocktail as a combination of two or more drinks with at least one alcoholic, and notes mixed drinks like gin and tonic also qualify though are often distinguished from more complex bar cocktails. He shares two 19th-century origin theories for the word “cocktail,” including New Orleans egg cups and docked horse tails indicating mixed breed. He then presents his first featured drink, the Whisky Mac, named for Colonel Hector McDonald (“Fighting Mac”) in India in 1899, made from Scotch whisky and ginger wine; he prefers a 2:1 whisky-to-ginger-wine ratio over the pub-standard 1:2 and gives a simple mixing method. He previews next episode on margaritas and making syrups. 00:00 Welcome to Cocktails 01:42 What Is a Cocktail 02:04 Cocktail Name Origins 02:40 Meet the Whiskey Mac 03:04 History Behind the Drink 03:17 Ingredients and Ginger Wine 04:06 Finding the Right Ratio 04:46 How to Make One 04:56 Next Episode and Goodbye Our podcast music is called  ‘The best jazz club in New Orleans’ Music by Paolo Argento [https://pixabay.com/users/paoloargento-38603296/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164472] from Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164472] Kocktail Kev Music is called Velvet shadows full version by Kaazoom on Pixabay [https://pixabay.com/music//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164472]