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Maybe Granny was right when she said 鈥榠f you keep it long enough it will come back into fashion鈥�.

The high street is in the midst of a 90s revival, chicken kievs can be eaten without (too much) irony, and even the smartest bars are listing Lambrusco, Beaujolais and sherry. So why are these drinks that were once so desperately uncool enjoying a comeback? We spoke to Christina Schneider at Som Saa* to find out more.

鈥淧eople are becoming more educated about what they eat and drink,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd more importantly, they want to be seen to be making those informed choices. It just doesn鈥檛 cut it any more to post a picture of a Pinot Grigio or Malbec on Instagram; it鈥檚 got to be something different, something undiscovered.鈥� And it seems these 鈥榦ld fashioned鈥� drinks fit right into that category.

1. Vermouth

When the eighties were over, so too were the days for that bottle of Cinzano in the back of the drinks cabinet. But vermouth is back with a vengeance. For Ian Bayliss at Belsazar this is down to the huge amount of growth and interest in the aperitif category 鈥� 鈥渕ost likely off the back of the popularity of gin and the number of classic cocktails calling for vermouth鈥�. This surge in popularity as a cocktail ingredient 鈥� particularly in the ubiquitous Negroni 鈥� has also increased its visibility as a product in its own right. Ian likes to keep it simple when enjoying a good quality vermouth: 鈥淛ust mix 50ml Belsazar Ros茅 Vermouth, 100ml of good tonic water and garnish with a slice of pink grapefruit. Refreshing, balanced and full of flavour.鈥�

2. Lambrusco

Often dismissed as too sweet, customers who thought they knew Lambrusco are starting to discover what a delicious, versatile and high-quality category this can be. A lot of people still won鈥檛 order it from the list because of their preconceptions, but once they do try it, they鈥檙e pleasantly surprised. Brett Sutton from the White Post in Somerset recently held a cheese and wine evening which featured a Lambrusco. 鈥淚t went down astorm,鈥� he says. 鈥淩eal bygone era stuff, but people really got it. I'm not sure it will be the go-to bottle when on a shelf among others, but it definitely struck a chord!

3. Sherry

While the cheap, sweet sherry beloved of the proverbial grandma at Christmas is admittedly still in decline, it鈥檚 the premium end of the market that is showing signs of growth. With increased interest in high-quality fino, manzanilla and unfilterd en rama sherries, it鈥檚 wine lovers in particular that are driving this trend. Sid Singh from Kensington鈥檚 Romulo Caf茅 stocks La Ina Fino sherry and has been impressed with the response to it, particularly when it comes to food pairing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very dry, but very fruity at the same time,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t works well with lots of our dishes. For example we have a crispy squid, which is very crunchy, with a honey-glazed sauce 鈥� the fino goes very well with that.鈥�

4. Beaujolais

Much like Lambrusco, Beaujolais has suffered from an association with a cheaply-produced version of the product 鈥� the infamous Beaujolais Nouveau. Tasty and fun in the right context, it doesn鈥檛 compare to some of the exceptional-quality Beaujolais you can find today, which has more in common with good Burgundy than its bubble gum-flavoured cousin. Christina has memories of drinking Beaujolais Nouveau as a student in Saarbrucken, so was sceptical when her 黑料网 Account Manager brought in a sample of Marcel Lapierre Morgon. But when she tried it she just had to list it. 鈥淭his was a completely different style of Beaujolais,鈥� she says. 鈥淢uch less carbonic maceration and very Burgundian in style. Producers like Lapierre are doing wonders for the reputation of Beaujolais.鈥� And when it comes to food matching, it鈥檚 great too. 鈥淏eaujolais has low tannin and relatively low alcohol, which works great with our menu of Thai food,鈥� Christina says.

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