Hot Vimto

The good people at Vimto would like to suggest that hot chocolate should move along and out of the way… and that we should replace it with a mug of hot Vimto this winter.

Vimto have seen that all things North are the talk of the town at the moment – Agyness Dean and Henry Holland setting the fashion agenda, the BBC putting Manchester in the spotlight, and more.  Hot Vimto is apparently becoming the stylish drink this winter for those in the know.  Celebrities like Steve Coogan and Peter Kay have been spotted sporting the “it’s hot up North” tshirts that go alongside the new Vimto campaign.

And to prove to me it’s a tasty alternative to hot chocolate, Vimto sent me a hamper of drinks.  They gave me just one instruction – make sure I try the Vimto cordial hot.  And to be honest I wasn’t really looking forward to it… only because I can’t drink fruit teas because they’re all scent and no taste, and I struggle with lemsip unless it’s made incredibly strong.

But of course I did as I was asked and tried it.  More about that in a bit.

First, though, I tried the fizzy stuff.  I love coke and lemonade and pretty much anything fizzy.  There are now three varieties of Vimto fizzy – original, diet and cherry.  Ooo cherryaid yummy!

I don’t normally drink “full fat” fizzy drinks but I did enjoy the original Vimto and the cherry one… in fact the cherry one went down very well, a really nice flavour.

I will most certainly be buying that as a treat in the future!

The no added sugar Vimto, which let’s face it is much better for my calorie intake, was also very good.  A lot of flavour, it doesn’t lose out because it’s not quite as sweet.

But Vimto isn’t just fizzy of course.  I was recently introduced to Vimto cordial when staying with my brother-in-law before Christmas, and I enjoy it very much.  You need a lot of the cordial when you mix it with water because the flavours work best when they’re strong.  Still Vimto comes in bottles of cordial or pre-mixed cartons which are perfect for lunch boxes.

So on to the point of the exercise – the hot Vimto.  Knowing I like it strong when it’s cold I decided to use the same ratio with the hot version. I boiled the kettle but didn’t make the drink until the water had come off the boil.  And then I tasted…

And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.  In fact, despite being in the house alone, after swallowing my first sip I said outloud: “Oh actually that’s really nice”!  And I went back for a second sip, more confidently this time, and a third, until the whole mug was empty.  If you knew the face I pulled when I tried fruit tea you would understand what an achievement that is!  The flavour was very good – good and strong and sweet.

Now I’m not sure if this would replace the need for a nice luxury proper hot chocolate made with milk on a very cold evening when all I want is a hug inside.  But I could see myself choosing a mug of hot Vimto over an Options or similar hot chocolate when the mood takes me.  I’m certainly not ruling out more hot Vimto in the near future.

If you’ve never tried hot Vimto you should at least give it a go.  I’m told that Rosie’s Delhi in Brixton Market and Cafe 1001 in the heart of the East End, both boutique tea and coffee shops, have started to sell hot Vimto as an alternative – so maybe it is becoming THE drink of the season.

Oh and the lollypops are a very nice treat too!