SOUTHWOLD-based Adnams has added to its range of seasonal spirits with the launch of a Morello Cherry Liqueur.

The new product, targeted at the Valentine’s Day market, follows the company’s introduction of Sloe Gin and Winter Spiced Liqueur last year.

To mark the launch of its latest creation, Adnams invited mixologist and cocktail expert, Max Riesebieter, from the Hawksmoor Bar in London, to visit the team at one of its hotels.

Max, best known for teaching the tricks of the drinks trade on the BBC television show Something for the Weekend, ran a master class alongside Adnams’ own mixologist. Lukasz Juszczak, at The Crown in Southwold.

Together, they trained staff on how to mix and serve cocktails using the new liqueur, with recipes including the Morello Zest, a citrus drink made with cherry liqueur, cloudy lemonade and vodka, and the Sole Bay Sling, a fruity cocktail based on the classic Gin Sling.

John McCarthy, head distiller, at Adnams, which launched its own distillery in 2010, said: “To make the cherry liqueur we soaked a mixture of Morello and whole sweet cherries, with a little sugar, in our award-winning Copper House Barley Vodka and left it to mature for a full five weeks.

“Keeping to traditional methods, and monitoring the process at every stage, we have produced a luxurious, sweet and fruity cherry liqueur that’s retained the essence of the sour Morello cherry.”