Introducing The Orchard Spritz
We always love seeing our juices used in different ways, and this one is a particularly good example.
For the latest cocktail competition at Dunkertons, bartenders were challenged to create a serve using Bensons. Ollie Long took the top spot with The Orchard Spritz, combining our Raspberry & Apple Pressed Fruit Juice with Sarti Rosa and Double Dutch Pink Grapefruit Soda.
It also feels like a very natural fit for Bensons, with proper fruit flavour sitting right at the heart of the drink.
What goes into The Orchard Spritz?
The drink starts with a double shot of Sarti Rosa, an Italian aperitivo with blood orange and tropical fruit notes.
That gives the cocktail its slightly bittersweet base and adds a little more depth than a straightforward fruit spritz.
Next comes a splash of Double Dutch Pink Grapefruit Soda, bringing fizz and a sharper citrus note.
Then comes a generous pour of Bensons Raspberry & Apple Pressed Fruit Juice.
The apple gives the drink freshness and body, while the raspberry adds a softer fruitiness and a little extra brightness.
Together with the grapefruit and Sarti, it creates a drink that feels fruity without becoming too sweet.
A Cotswolds cocktail challenge
The idea behind the competition was to put Bensons at the heart of the drink and see how it could be used behind the bar.
Ollie’s winning serve does exactly that. Our Raspberry & Apple Pressed Fruit Juice brings real fruit flavour and body, while the Sarti and pink grapefruit add bitterness, citrus and fizz.
With the competition taking place at Dunkertons here in the Cotswolds, it was also a great chance to see local bartenders getting creative with a Bensons juice in a completely different setting.
Bensons behind the bar
We are used to seeing Bensons juices served in cafés, hotels, farm shops and at breakfast, but pressed fruit juice works brilliantly behind the bar too.
It can bring proper fruit flavour to cocktails without relying on lots of syrups or very sweet mixers.
Our Raspberry & Apple Pressed Fruit Juice works particularly well here because it has enough flavour to stand up to the aperitivo and grapefruit, while still keeping the drink light and refreshing.
It is a good example of how pressed juice can be used as a proper cocktail ingredient in its own right.
The Orchard Spritz
Ollie’s winning serve is refreshingly simple:
- A double shot of Sarti Rosa
- A splash of Double Dutch Pink Grapefruit Soda
- A pour of Bensons Raspberry & Apple Pressed Fruit Juice
- Plenty of ice
The result is fresh, fruity and bright, with apple and raspberry balanced by grapefruit and the gentle bitterness of Sarti.
Simple, fruity and very drinkable.
And for us, it is a great example of just how versatile a bottle of Bensons can be.
Congratulations to Ollie on a brilliant winning serve.