12 must-try Cornish drinks

Here in Cornwall, we are lucky to have a variety of locally brewed, batched and bottled beverages from award-winning beers to premium spirits. With so many to choose from, here are just a few of our favourite Cornish tipples!

Copperfish Distillery

Based on Buller Quay in the coastal town of Looe, Copperfish Distillery specialises in small-batch gins, moonshines, rums and whiskeys with delicious flavours like Cornish quince marmalade and salted caramel. The team sample and taste all their drinks to ensure a great flavour and source local ingredients where possible to create an authentic product.

Crusty Juggler

If you are after a barrel-aged black spiced rum, or perhaps a twist on the classic with black strap pineapple rum, then Crusty Juggler is the place to go. They have perfected this versatile drink ready for you to enjoy in their pre-packaged Crusty and Cornish cola cans, with your own mixer, or simply from a glass with ice.

Elemental Cornish Gin

Elemental Distilling Co. has been producing premium, beautiful-in-its-simplicity gins for the last seven years with a range of seven flavours from apple and elderflower to summer sunshine. They even created NORVYS vodka, their own exceptionally smooth, pure and creamy tipple, triple-distilled from organic grains and charcoal-filtered for extra purity. 

Mounts Bay Distillery

Paired with spices, seaweed and honey from the wilds of Cornwall, Mounts Bay Distillery has created honey rum and Cornish gin for the ocean-goers, sailors and watermen with salt in their veins and a love of the sea. Their passion for the sea is reflected in their ethos, with an absence of plastic packaging and a portion of profits going to plastic–free seas charities, making for ethical and environmentally-friendly drinking.

Cornish Rock Gin

Cornish Rock rum and gin is available in a range of stunning flavours and colours like their bright yellow lemon verbena and Blue Angel, one of the few genuinely blue gins on the market without artificial colours or flavours. Their team of artisans meticulously test every batch before hand-bottling, stamping and inspecting each release so you are guaranteed sublimity in every sip.

Fowey Valley Cider

Fowey Valley produces a range of delicious Cornish tipples from oak-aged cider brandy and eau de vie to handcrafted gins and juice! Their range of cider is particularly crisp; if you are after a free bottle to try, simply participate in their apple swapping scheme and receive a bottle with every 15kg bag of apples you donate.

Black Rock Gin

Crisp and fresh with lemon verbena and eucalyptus, the perfect G&T (and winner of the Best Classic Gin at the World Gin Awards 2023) from Black Rock Gin awaits. For something stronger try their smooth 57% navy gin or their new Tall Ships gin, delicious with premium Indian tonic and a fresh lime garnish.

St Austell Brewery

St Austell Brewery has over 180 pubs dotted across the south west where they supply their iconic range of beers from the dark oak-smoked Mena Dhu to the citrussy IPA, Proper Job. Family run for over 150 years, the longevity and fame of St Austell Brewery’s beers is a testament to the success of these Cornish tipples.

SC Dogs

Distilled from centuries of island life on the Isles of Scilly, SC Dogs delicately balance their premium rums, vodka and brandy with a clean, rounded finish and a tang of the sea. If you happen to be on St Martin’s, you can even have a tour of the first and only rum distillery in the Isles of Scilly and sample their delicious Cornish tipples.  

Rosemullion Distillery

Rosemullion Distillery is an award-winning distillery set in the rural Cornish countryside, producing artisan spirits with a focus on flavour, quality and authenticity. Their delicious summer gin has a kick of citrus paired with Cornish fruits like raspberries and redcurrants while their rums are fermented, distilled and aged in oak on location.

Moorland Distillery

If you are looking for unique artisan spirits like cherry brandy and apple schnapps, family-run small batch producers, Moorland Distillery is the place to go. They use the very best natural raw ingredients heated in copper stills to make the most of their delicious aromas and flavours, providing you with the ultimate Cornish tipple.

Keltek Brewery

Keltek Brewery is a family-owned brewery that adheres to the age-old traditions of brewing by hand using the finest whole hop flowers, British malts and hand-pitched yeast. With several award-winning beers like their 7.5% strong ale, Beheaded and King their 5.1% premium bitter, Keltek offers a great selection of thirst-quenching innovative craft beers.

There is something for everyone across this delicious range of Cornish tipples, from crisp ciders and dark rums to citrussy gins and smooth vodkas. Explore the taste of Cornwall and everything it has to offer, from its history to its land, all embedded in your drink of choice.