Bulmers No.17

Word of mouth is a great tool in this Business we call Booze and I love getting leads off friends, family and readers. The most recent one was a "new type of Bulmers" or a "Pink Bulmers"and when I heard that their new marketing campaign was "Experimenters Wanted" the IAE seemed like a perfect place to feature it.

Bulmers No.17* is a summer variety of their drink and follows hot on the heels of Bulmers Crisp Apple and Bulmers Red Apple. With this new flavour they have been a little more adventurous with a combination of cider, red berries and lime.


Look: Light Pinky Red
Taste: rather refreshing, strawberries, apple and then some tartness, courtesy of the lime. Reminds me a little of Strawberry and Apple Crumble. Although sweeter than most ciders and not really dry it was nevertheless quite refreshing.
I must state that although I am not usually a fan of cider on ice I thought that No.17 improves when served this way. Essentially it becomes more refreshing and easier to drink.

Given its pudding-like qualities I decided to "experiment" with it in a cocktail.

Summer Crumble Fizz

Toa champagne flute I added 20ml of the Fabulous Vodka Company's Caralicious I then topped this up with Bulmers No:17

Depsite the caramel vodka having it's own sweetness when mixed with the Bulmers it does not overwhelm the drink, instead the Caralicious adds a buttery, caramel twist to the drink. It furthers the whole apple crumble effect somewhat. The odd thing is that although it reminds you of something warm and comforting it is actually cool and refreshing, a veritable feast for the mind and senses.

In conclusion, I really like Bulmers No.17 and it's probably the best Bulmers I have tried.

Bulmers No.17 is available from (among other places) Tescos for around £2 for 568ml.

* It seems that Bulmers number each of their products although I'm not sure that all numbers make it to market:
No.9 Original Apple
No.10 Pear
Although I'm not sure of the assigned number, Bulmers have released an Apple and Pear Blend and a Red Apple Variety which sits somewhere in between 11 and 14.
No.15 Crisp Blend
No.17 Red Berries & Lime