King Charles has been getting into the swing of this social media thing – the latest post on his official accounts includes tips on how to make the perfect cocktail in the run up to Christmas.
As The King and Queen welcomed German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to Windsor for a State Visit, their Instagram came alive with a how to reel for a cocktail created just for their guest. And someone has clearly been on TikTok and absorbed the must have festive trend of tacky Christmas as the royal pick was a black forest gateau inspired drink.
Yes, the dessert that style forgot has been made into a right royal confection to mark this major diplomatic effort. It does actually look far classier than the wonky layered cake that has slid its way across the buffet table at many a Christmas party.
Just in case they were accused of being too much on trend and not focused enough on their guests, King Charles and Queen Camilla gave the drink a German name. While Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother were all about gin and Dubonnet, this generation of the House of Windsor is proud to present ‘Der Scharzwald”.
It’s a martini, natch, and you’ll need a dark chocolate version of that drink and some Grants Morella Cherry Brandy to achieve the same result.
The whole point of this drink is the layers so you can only make it before you’ve drunk one or the end result might be slightly more mixed.
The instructions in the Insta video involved dipping the rim of a glass in melted dark chocolate, pouring in the pre mixed martini and then adding cherry brandy over the back of tablespoon so that it sinks to the bottom. The final product should be a layer of deep red, topped with ice clear martini and finished with the depth of dark chocolate at the top.
It was served to the guests at the State Banquet we can only imagine that some, including Princess Anne, stayed well away given that she had turned up in a white dress with a massive collar which looked like a chocolate and cherry magnet it ever there was one.
The drink was showcased on social media in front of one of the many sparkling Christmas trees that now dot Windsor Castle, a festive lifestyle show if ever there was one.
