At last a summer worthy of the name. We can plan picnics with confidence. The basic essentials are good companions, great weather, a pleasant spot without ants or midges. Then comes the food which must enhance the outdoors experience. And lastly the drink, which must enhance food, complement weather, and please companions. Not easy, so a few tips may help.
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Firstly, no single drink can satisfy every taste in a party of any size. Not even champagne. Know your drinkers and what they’ll be eating, and adapt accordingly. Secondly, remember that it’s a special occasion, so try to interest and amuse people as well as slaking their thirsts. Thirdly, quality not quantity – which doesn’t have to mean expensive - it’s about enjoyment not getting blitzed. Lastly, think about chilling (the drink as well as yourself): ice; freezer elements; thermos flasks; a handy stream; pre-cooled bottles: luke-warm won’t do.

Sparklers

Fizz is going to be appreciated by most picnickers. Aperitif, accompaniment to lighter foods, and in some cases a good pairing with sweet things, a bottle of something bubbly should feature in every hamper. A surprising star that won’t break the bank is Spar’s (yes, Spar) Donacella Cava, methode traditionelle quality with a lovely biscuity edge that could almost pass for champers, and at 11.5% is not mind-numbing either. On the demi-sec edge of its labelled brut style it works before and after savouries.
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Rather higher up the social scale (and more elegantly packaged) is Balfour Brut Rosé, Hush Heath Estate, 12.5%. This is not damning with faint praise, but the most beautiful thing about the wine is its colour: the blush on a ripe apricot. It has proper champagney bubbles, and lovely strawberries and vanilla on the palate. A celebratory tipple and extremely well made, it’s an English sparkler a million miles from some of its mouth-puckering rivals.

There’s currently a happy trend towards lower alcohol wines. Two fizzy examples to consider for the hamper, both 5.5%, are the White Moscato from the ever-reliable Brown Brothers, gently frizzante, tiny bubbles mitigating its sweetness; this is alcoholic grape juice, fruity and refreshing; and from California Sovio Sparkling White Zinfandel, perversely pink of course and decidedly sweet – is it risking imprisonment to suggest this would be a good (supervised) introduction to the joys of sensible wine-drinking for teenagers? And for adults it goes nicely with pudding and contrasts well with sharply-dressed salad.

Beers

Beer is a bubbling alternative to fizzy wine, and often satisfies the thirst better. Makes the picnic feel a bit D.H. Lawrence too. In the sunshine a golden ale like Young’s London Gold, 4.8%, round and hoppy and lively (and a bottle-conditioned beer whose flavour doesn’t suffer if the yeast gets shaken in en route) is a much better option than lager in that it’s pleasant even when losing its chill.
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But what about something a bit different in the beer line? You could stay British and opt for Badger Golden Champion, 5%, its use of elderflower somehow making it a sunshine tipple, and no gimmick – it is thirst quenching and delightful. Or from Otley Brewing Company in Wales their cheekily-named O-Garden, 4.8%, a wheat beer that’s very clean tasting with coriander and orange peel giving it a lift – it’ll suit the ham and pâté too – and a good weighty feel in the mouth.

If you really want to get fruity with your beer the Belgians have long been the kings: Liefmans Fruit Beer, 4.2%, is packed with cherry flavour backed up with various berries, and the brewery has a bit of experience – around since 1679. Something to sip before battling with pies.

Beer lovers are starting to explore brewing traditions beyond the well-known German, Belgian and British frontiers: the Danes make stuff with more character than the branded lagers that generally spring to mind: Ørbaek Brewery’s Peach Beer, 5%, has the flavour to stand up to puddings, and for obvious reasons will particularly match fruit salad or tart at the meal’s end. And it’s organic. If the weather starts to grey a whiff of this will help the summery feel.

Most of our picnics will not involve crowds of friends, but just two adults. If the transport is taken care of (there are ways to travel that don’t involve driving) then you’ll want one bottle to share that goes with every bit of the meal, is an aperitif too, and if any remains can be sipped with pleasure afterwards. Two suggestions here, and no apologies that they are both French.

Wines

From the South West Le Roc Fronton rosé (13%), with the regional Négrette grape helped along by Cabernet Franc and a touch of Syrah: it has raspberry and sweet cherry and a touch of bilberry on the nose and the taste buds. It will get along with savoury and sweet without overpowering anything. Do serve it very well chilled.
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From the Gilbert estate in central Loire’s Menetou-Salon appellation via online merchants Artisan Wines comes their Domaine White 2007, 13%. Sauvignon Blanc 100%, this goes far beyond the basic cat’s-pee-on-a-gooseberry bush, with a hint of apricot, a dollop of pineapple, meadow-herbs and an indefinably refreshing elegance; as crisp as the white table-linen it conjures to mind.

Finishing Touches

What else would enhance the picnic drinks hamper? Mention must be given to Tio Pepe; the Spanish drink fino with seafood, and it’s much sipped in tapas bars there, proof it stands up to spicy, rich and subtle flavours alike. Tio Pepe has several advantages: it is readily available; at 15% is not the strongest sherry around; and manages to be at once robust and sophisticated without costing a fortune.
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How about long drinks? A little Tanqueray No. 10 (and at 47.3% it should be a little) with lashings of tonic is a British classic, and this gin has the citrus edge to mean you can forget the lemon, if not the ice. Even drowned in tonic No. 10 has the complexity to delight the discerning drinker. Or the whisky and herby-spicy liqueur Southern Comfort (35%), adaptable in a multitude of ways – though many with names too coarse for polite company. Simply with soda and ice it makes a thirst-slaker known as An Old Woody; let’s think they’re referring to Mr Guthrie. Pair it with iced water and Pixley Berries not-from-concentrate Blackcurrant and Ginger Cordial for an instant fruit punch – and one you can make in the thermos in advance to boot. Leave out the Southern Comfort and the designated driver has an adult drink without risking sanctions.
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The kids will love the same maker’s artificial-additive free Blackcurrant Cordial by the way – the bottle will make them feel more grown up than their usual choice; and quite by coincidence its full-on fruitiness will go with the Menetou-Salon to make a top-class Kir; or the Donacella Cava to make a more than passable Kir royale. Good picknicking.