23/11/2025
Popcorn Lambswool cocktail bar next to the ivy. One of many hot winter cocktails.
Lambswool has deep roots in British midwinter tradition – long before cocktails, menus or mixology.
The original was simple: baked apples beaten into hot ale or cider with cream, sugar and spice until the surface turned pale and woolly. Comfort in a cup.
It’s also bound to wassailing, the West Country ritual of waking the apple trees in the dead of winter. In Devon, communities gathered in orchards with singing, shouting and clattering pots to chase off spirits and bless the coming harvest. A shared bowl of Lambswool sealed the ceremony – warmth, luck and orchard folklore in every sip.
This modern version keeps the soul but sharpens the craft:
popcorn-infused rum, Westcountry cider, Devon apple juice, mountain-grade maple syrup and Christmas spices, topped with a generous cap of foam and a hint of nutmeg.
A 21st-century Lambswool: rooted in heritage, bold in flavour, and unmistakably West Country.
