Buckfast cocktails
The producer's own serves, plus a few of ours, with the alcohol units for every drink.
Buckfast is sweet, dark and caffeinated, so it works best with ingredients that add freshness or bitterness: citrus, sparkling wine, ginger or a bitter aperitif. The first three serves below are the ones the producer recommends. The last two are our own.
About Buckfast Tonic Wine15% ABVProducer serve
Buckfast over ice
The simplest serve, recommended by the producer.
- Glass:
- Rocks glass
- Alcohol:
- about 0.75 units
Ingredients
- 50 ml Buckfast
- Ice
- A strip of orange peel
Method
- Fill a rocks glass with ice.
- Pour over the Buckfast.
- Twist the orange peel over the glass to release its oils, then drop it in.
Producer serve
Buckfast and lemonade
The producer's long drink: one part Buckfast to two parts lemonade.
- Glass:
- Highball glass
- Alcohol:
- about 0.75 units
Ingredients
- 50 ml Buckfast
- 100 ml lemonade
- Ice
- A slice of lemon
Method
- Fill a highball glass with ice.
- Add the Buckfast, then top with lemonade.
- Stir gently and garnish with the lemon slice.
Producer serve
Buckfast Royale
The producer's sparkling serve: one part Buckfast to four parts sparkling wine.
- Glass:
- Flute
- Alcohol:
- about 1.6 units
Ingredients
- 25 ml Buckfast
- 100 ml chilled sparkling wine
Method
- Pour the Buckfast into a chilled flute.
- Top slowly with the sparkling wine.
Our recipe
Buckfast Negroni
Our twist on the classic, with Buckfast in place of sweet vermouth.
- Glass:
- Rocks glass
- Alcohol:
- about 2 units
Ingredients
- 25 ml gin
- 25 ml Campari
- 25 ml Buckfast
- Ice
- A strip of orange peel
Method
- Add the gin, Campari and Buckfast to a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir for 20 to 30 seconds until well chilled.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with orange peel.
Our recipe
Buckfast and ginger
Our longer, spicier serve. Ginger cuts through the sweetness.
- Glass:
- Highball glass
- Alcohol:
- about 0.75 units
Ingredients
- 50 ml Buckfast
- 125 ml ginger ale
- Ice
- A lime wedge
Method
- Fill a highball glass with ice.
- Add the Buckfast and top with ginger ale.
- Squeeze in the lime wedge and stir gently.
- Buckfast contains caffeine: 30 mg per 100 ml on the current UK label, so a 50 ml measure has about 15 mg. Do not mix it with energy drinks.
- Units are calculated as ABV x volume in litres, assuming 40% gin and rum, 25% Campari, 12% sparkling wine and 4.2% stout. Check your own bottles.