#extendametaphortobreakingpoint

[plungermusic]

As if NYE wasn’t depressing enough normally…

Unrealistically high expectations for the event itself (and for the year to come) usually make New Year’s Eve a pretty grim occasion at the best of times, but bidding farewell to a year like we’ve just had with any fondness while in Tier 4 is going to need something special…

In that spirit we’ve asked four of Plunger's favourite sloshed chefs to cast their pie-eyes over what 2020 had to offer and give us their take on what’s best to give your party popper a tug to.

Plungella Lawson

If like me you’re celebrating with a noshtastic blow-out, the perfect accompaniment to my soft floury baps, juicy moist clam, and cream-filled ring would be something to caress the tongue, titillate the taste buds and arouse the senses:

Cafe Brulot - the spicy sensual New Orleans specialty is epitomised by the hip-swinging, irresistible throb of Maceo Parker’s Soul Food.

Irish Coffee - taking something commonplace and domestic and adding a splash of wild Celtic abandon topped with a large dollop of creamy sauciness is exactly what Mary Coughlan does in Life Stories.

Double Shot Espresso - no frills, no airs and graces, The Marriage’s Imagining Sunsets is the perfect pick-me-up to perk up your jaded spirits

Bailey’s Cream Liqueur - sumptuous, sensuous and intoxicating, Evangeline Gentle’s eponymous debut will raise your pulse and tingle your tingly bits

Coming top though is Black Velvet - appropriately austere but seductive, the mix of dark strength, dry wit and bubbly effervescence in Lynn Hanson’s Just Words will leave you reeling.

Jamie Plungiver

Being from Essex I love America and all things American an’nat, I even pretend I’m American half the time, so here’s some dawgawn doozy drinks with a Stateside flavour, innit bruv?

Jack Daniels - for an unmistakable taste of the South, brimming with swagger and confidence try Allman Betts Band’s Bless Your Heart.

Southern Comfort - although actually distilled here in Europe, Bad Touch’s Kiss The Sky still captures that spirit of Dixie amazingly faithfully.

“One bourbon, one scotch, one beer” - everyone loves a shot of old time blues (just a quick nip, mind, and preferably down in one) and Solomon Hicks’ old time juke soundtrack Harlem covers all the expected bases.

My A-number 1, king of the hill is Californian Moonshine - a heady brew, but not hailing from where you’d expect, Robert Jon & The Wreck’s mind-blowing Last Light On The Highway will knock your socks off, and leave you staggering and not quite sure where you are…

Jilly Plungedin

As queen of the “…blackberry aromas with hints of hornbeam, a smidgeon of old sock, and a Duckhams Hypergrade finish” tasting note, flavours are key for me.

Home Made Fruit Punch - in the spirit of ‘throw whatever’s in the cupboard in and stir’ Larkin Poe’s Self Made Man has everything they had to hand stirred in a large bowl and topped with incongruous fruit. And those little umbrella thingies. And sparklers.

Fruit Flavoured Ciders - as beloved by youngsters at festivals, Harrow Fair’s Sins We Made embodies the same “apples are a bit samey, let’s bung in some boisenberries” ethos, with layer upon layer of surprise additions.

Budget Supermarket Lagers - with labels looking (completely coincidentally) like old favourites you know and love, Larkin Poe’s Kindred Spirits might prove a little disappointing once you actually pour it out…

Southwold Bitter - perhaps for more sophisticated palates, clean, complex and with a salty coastal tang Kev Walford’s Americanarama will hit spots you didn’t know you had.

Top of the shop in many ways for me is Dom Perignon Vintage - sparkling, heady and invigorating, Terra Lightfoot’s Consider The Speed will prove to be the perfect celebration offering this year.

Keith Floyger

With everything monstrously changed this year there’s a real nostalgia for nostalgia as we ring out 2020, and there’s nothing more nostalgic than a dead chef recommending retro grog:

Colt 45 Malt Liquor - for that authentic, ballsy taste of mid-70s in-his-pomp Springsteen, you can’t do better than The Blue Highways’ Long Way To The Ground.

Snowball / Eggnog - for a soothing visit to Yules of Yesteryear these two are perfect: whether the cool fizz of Ned Roberts’ Dream Sweetheart, or the fireside glow of The Ridge from Julian Taylor… cosy!

Snakebite & Black - sweet, syrupy but still with quite a hefty punch, King King’s Maverick will have you yearning for the 80s school disco (even if you weren’t there first time round).

But you can’t get more zeitgeistily nostalgic than a Martini - chilled, classy and powerful, Michael Landau’s Liquid Quartet Live has all the suave savoir faire and what-are-you-looking-at oomph of the timeless cocktail that’s been in fashion since prohibition.

After all of that it’s not surprising that the pièce de résistance of our pièce artists, the sine qua non of New Year beverages as recommended by all our experts… the only way to end 2020 and start 2021 with a clear head is the cobweb-blowing, toxin-flushing, hangover-busting, reassuring plink plink fizz of Mike Ross’ The Clovis Limit Pt 2.

Bottoms up!