Fresh crab and a citrussy spritz

Even wine writers have to take a day off occasionally, especially if they’re lunching with a teetotaller, but it’s always a bit of a challenge finding a drink that goes as well with food as wine

A crisp dry white would always be my first choice with crab (see my list of pairings here) but I had ordered a 'temperate' cocktail, the Mellow Yellow Spritz, with my crab on toast at Hawksmoor Guildhall and it went really well

It’s based on an aperitif called Botivo which admittedly sounds a bit like a tropical disease you might want to inoculate yourself against but it made a refreshingly citrussy spritz along with lemon, elderflower and soda water. It’s actually 0.1% so not totally alcohol-free but so long as you're not avoiding alcohol on principle or for health reasons, as near as makes no difference

The crucial thing - for me at least - was that it was refreshingly dry and in no way interfered with the delicate flavour of the crab. You can find a similar spritz on their website.

I ate at Hawksmoor (with my daughter) as a guest of my son!