We were given a present by a friend who visited for dinner just before Christmas, some VEP Green Chartreuse. For those who don't know Chartreuse is a herbal liqueur made by monks near Grenoble in France. The 'VEP' stands for Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé which means it has been aged in cask for an extended period of time before bottling. Normal green Chartreuse is really quite fiery, but this, whilst being 54%, seems a lot more mellow and refined. It is an excellent drink to sip on a cold winter's day and I am grateful to our friend for giving it to us. You can read more about Chartreuse here.

A winemaker friend has some yellow Chartreuse that has been aged in cask and bottle for approaching one hundred years. I hope he doesn't run out as it is a really special drink, mellow, smooth and herbal. After a long day tasting wine it is a treat to have a few sips of this magic essence.

Alcopops might be known as 'tart fuel', but one cannot drink Grand Cru Burgundy all of the time. My favourite are the Quinns brand. These are made from fermented fruit juice with extra fruit juice added after the fermentation has finished; they are made from 100% fruit juice rather than having extra alcohol added. Even though they are very fruity they are not overly sweet, there is a nice balance between the fresh fruit flavours and lively acidity. They are also only 4% alcohol so are not tiring to drink of an afternoon. My favourite flavour is the pressed raspberry and blueberry. You can get them from the supermarket Waitrose and their online operation. Since it is approaching midday I might well pour myself one now.