Instagram story viewer> @ridleydrinks> Posts
Neil Ridley(@ridleydrinks)'s profile avatar HD Profile

Neil Ridley

@ridleydrinks

6.9K
followers
4308
following
Award-Winning ✍️, Crisp Sommelier and 📺 presenter: @sundaybrunchc4 + @wallpapermag @worldoffinespirits @redwinewithfishpodcast DM for collaborations
POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED
Download All
Maybe filming back to back episodes is not such a great idea... New episode with the fabulous @ridleydrinks is out NOW! More Bottoms Up! chaos lives on YouTube. Come join us for a drink there and hit subscribe 🍷 #bottomsup #alancarr #leepeart by @ridleydrinks
87
a month ago
Download
It’s Here!! First copy of ‘The Picky Bits Sommelier’ has arrived and I’m absolutely stoked to share it with you! • The book, is once again published by @bloomsburycooks and is the sequel to the No.1 best-seller, The Crisp Sommelier. 161 different picky bits, 99 drinks and 165 different pairings! • This time, I’ve looked at the world of savoury snack and drink pairings and included everything from pork pies, scotch eggs, tempura prawns, spring rolls, tapas classics, samosas, onion bhajis, stuffed olives and sausage rolls- there’s quite literally a smorgasbord of delight to explore, alongside the best red, wine, sparkling and fortified wines, light and dark beers, ciders, cocktails (all the classics plus plenty of new creations too) as well as soft drink pairings. I’ve even reimagined the nostalgic classic, the Cheese & Pineapple Hedgehog and brought it snuffling back to life! • Perhaps the most fun thing is that I’ve created a Picky Bit Matrix: a pretty comprehensive chart of where our favourite snacks sit on the flavour spectrum, making it even easier to pair with your favourite drinks. There’s also an ‘Ultimate pairing Menu’ for festive picky bits and one for the summertime picnic too! • The book is officially published on the 23rd October and there’s plenty of cool stuff happening around the launch and into next year, so I can’t wait to get your thoughts on it, and hear which pairings you like the best. Cheers! x • • #pickybits #nationalpickybitsday #marksandspencer #crispsommelier #neilridley #pickybitssommelier #bloomsburypublishing by @ridleydrinks
41
a year ago
Download
Just been updating my website neilridley.co.uk and it’s funny seeing all these covers together that represent over a decade of book writing. Feeling incredibly lucky to work in such a fun, hugely entertaining and constantly evolving industry as a food and drink author. Here’s to the next decade! Bon weekend, everyone x • • #authorsofinstagram #drinksbook #crispsommelier #infinespirits #distilled #60secondcocktails #worldatlasofgin #hotsaucelover by @ridleydrinks
5
2 years ago
Download
The story behind the theme tune ➡️. Swipe to hear from co-host of the 'Red Wine with Fish' podcast's theme, @ridleydrinks, on how he composed it! #themetune #007 #jamesbond #podcast by @ridleydrinks
3
2 days ago
Download
Introducing our very own theme tune from resident composer and musician, Neil Ridley: “I was toying around with the idea of how great it would be to write a Bond theme for years and finally the perfect opportunity arose, albeit on a much smaller scale! "The beauty of all the great Bond themes, especially the incredibly broad work of John Barry, David Arnold and especially George Martin on the 'Live and Let Die' soundtrack, is that mix of classic cinematic orchestra sizzle and something contemporary. "It's all in how to underpin drama and tension with utter bombastic joy: every explosive blast of brass, the romance of the strings, orchestral percussion, harp, and, of course, that unmistakable guitar chord at the end - to get geeky a Em(Maj9)… I had a big smile after playing that. I built up the track from scratch, with guitar, bass and drums, then orchestrated the other parts over the top, getting a friend to play some trumpet on the crescendos. "I hope it makes you want to dive in, Martini in hand!" Head to Spotify to listen and download the full track. #themetune #jamesbondtheme #thememusic #podcastheme by @ridleydrinks
8
3 days ago
Download
I’ve had this dinner suit for about over 30 years now. It has never failed me. ❤️ by @ridleydrinks
2
4 days ago
Download
Introducing your co-host... Neil Ridley. Neil Ridley (@ridleydrinks) is an award-winning professional drinks writer, broadcaster, consultant, host and presenter with over 15 years of food and drink industry experience. He has been shortlisted four times as a Communicator of the Year by the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) and his first book, co-written with Joel Harrison, 'Distilled: A Guide To The World's Best Spirits' (Octopus Publishing), was awarded Best Drinks Book in the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards in 2015. To date, it is the biggest selling book globally on pan-spirits, now published in 14 different languages. Other books include '60-Second Cocktails', 'Hot Sauce: A Fiery Guide to 101 of the World’s Greatest Sauces', 'The Crisp Sommelier' and, most recently, 'The Picky Bits Sommelier'. Ridley is also an experienced TV host and presenter, serving as a resident drinks expert on Channel 4 Sunday Brunch for the past 9 years. “There’s something so deliciously alluring about the way Fleming intertwined food and drink into Bond’s escapades. Whether it’s his wonderful description of Suntory Japanese whisky in 'You Only Live Twice', or pairing tankards of 1950 Pommery rosé Champagne with stone crab with lashings of butter, in 'Goldfinger', I was immediately hooked from the first sentence. To delve into these moments in the podcast has been fabulous.” Swipe to discover Ridley's codename, favourite Bond food and drink, and more! #jamesbond #redwinewithfishpodcast #jamesbondpodcast #007 #podcasthost by @ridleydrinks
1
19 days ago
Download
Louis XIII is considered the pinnacle of cognac assemblage, and Black Pearl draws on some of the oldest and rarest eaux-de-vie in its cellars. You'd think that would call for a traditional, room-temperature pour. But no. The new edition ships in a temperature-controlled "cooling cellar" that keeps the decanter at 13°C (55°F), the same chill as the Le Grollet cellars where cellar master Baptiste Loiseau blends it. Pour it cold, and it's closed, waxy, earthy. Let it warm in the glass, and it opens into cinnamon, milk chocolate, and white flowers. Absurd? Yes, but there's method behind the madness. Contributor Neil Ridley went to the Le Grollet cellars, ironically in the blazing heat of summer, to get to the bottom of it. Visit The World of Fine Spirits for the full story. Link in bio by @ridleydrinks
2
21 days ago
Download
There are drinks experts. And then there are Crisp Sommeliers. Meet Neil Ridley. @ridleydrinks Award-winning drinks writer, broadcaster, Sunday Brunch drinks expert. And, yes… The Crisp Sommelier. And quite frankly, that might be one of our favourite titles EVER. 😅 Salt & Vinegar and Sauvignon Blanc? Scampi Fries and smoky Scotch whisky? Pickled Onion Monster Munch and a gin-based Gibson? 🥃 No, we haven’t lost the plot. We’ve just been reading Neil Ridley’s latest book. Neil has taken some SERIOUS drinks knowledge and applied it to the humble crisp, creating more than 100 pairings with wine, beer, cider, spirits, cocktails and more. And this September, he’s bringing that expertise to Truro Food Festival – with his sights set on something equally important… Picky Bits! Popularised recently by M&S – who even created National Picky Bits Day, no less – Neil will be putting some much-loved picky bits to the test and showing us what we should REALLY be drinking with them. Suddenly, choosing the picky bits is only half the challenge. 😅 You’ll have to catch Neil’s live demo to find out. So, important question… What’s the ONE picky bit that always makes it into your basket? 👇 taken in Lemon Quay Truro by @ridleydrinks
3
25 days ago
Download
Launching on James Bond Day, 5 October 2026, Red Wine with Fish is a brand new podcast from award-winning drinks writers and 007 enthusiasts Millie Milliken, Neil Ridley and David T Smith, exploring the food and drink history of the James Bond franchise. Taking its name from one of the most pivotal film scenes between Bond and one of his adversaries (namely Red Grant in 'From Russia with Love') Red Wine with Fish is a celebration of the hosts’ love for all things 007 through their expert lenses of spirits, wine, gastronomy and travel. Using each book and film from Fleming’s canon (and beyond) as a starting point, Red Wine with Fish takes a historical and cultural look at what the characters in Bond’s myriad missions are eating and drinking. Sourcing vintage bottles from around the world, as well as recreating recipes, reviewing drinks on air and comparing old versus new versions of some of the original dishes and beverages portrayed on the page or the screen, your hosts give their unholstered opinions on some of Fleming’s most famous inclusions, while also unearthing some lesser-known gems and dispelling myths along the way. From the Stinger to Blofeld’s poison, solera sherry to Irish Coffees, oysters to hamlets and much, much more, this is an unserious romp through one of the most-loved bodies of work for enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Want to know more? An introductory episode is now LIVE on Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. Head to the link in our bio and subscribe! #jamesbond #007 #jamesbondpodcast #foodanddrink #podcast by @ridleydrinks
32
a month ago
Download
It’s not often that you get to say there’s a new permanent release in the already bejewelled collection of core Ardbeg expressions: but today is such a day… • It comes in the form of Trudernish: the first permanent 15-year-old whisky in the distillery’s illustrious history… and it’s a cracker. • 15 years has always been an age statement which has intrigued me: it’s that mid-point between where we usually enter the story of a brand we fall in love with (perhaps a 10 or 12-years-old,) and something really exceptional: historically 18, 21, or, if you have deep pockets, 25-years-old+. 15 years is really where a whisky enters another, unique dimension in its complexity and appeal: there’s nuance, elegance and shades of youth, but softer, more meaningful oak age emerging. The spirit loosens its grip and allows the first deep rays of wisdom to shine through. With some distilleries, where the cliff edge emerges on the horizon all too quickly (and there are many,) that youthful zeal is replaced by an over-maturity: a step into the oaky unknown, where you end up missing the punch, the grit and the sheer exhilaration of a characterful, playful spirit. • Fortunately, Ardbeg isn’t a distillery where these criticisms apply. From the glorious no-age statement richness and power of Uigeadail, the youthful, raw bite of Wee Beastie at 5-years-old, the stone-cold classic 10-year-old, to the softer, silkiness of the 25-year-old, there’s a commonality running through each one: a character and drinkability which just works every time. • Trudernish establishes its place in the pecking order quickly: at 48.8% it has plenty of punch and earthiness, but then comes a softer, less aggressive smoke: think campfire embers, a surprising fresh fruitiness (ripe pear,) herbaceous pine, thick dairy ice cream and vanilla fudge. It does it in such an elegant fashion, without abandoning its cheekiness and sass. • This could easily become everyone’s favourite new Ardbeg: even ahead of the 10yo. Available 15/9 RRP £80. • What’s your favourite Ardbeg expression? Let me know in the comments. • • #Ardbeg #trudernish #newwhisky #Islay #Ad taken in Paid Partnership by @ridleydrinks
2
a month ago
Download
In the age of AI, it's easy to consign the antiquated craft of traditional whisky-making to the scrap heap: locally farmed barley, floor malting, direct-fired stills, abnormally long fermentations, spirit cuts judged by the hand and eye of the distiller alone, and dunnage warehousing. But in the quest for efficiency, some distilleries have lost their sense of character. Fortunately, there is an emerging counterculture, quietly going about its business — smaller operations whose concern is not what the boardroom thinks, but what the drinker actually enjoys. In this week's newsletter, Neil Ridley explores the distilleries offering a snapshot of the past. Sign up through the link in bio. by @ridleydrinks
2
a month ago
Download
×

Download all media on this page

Photos Videos
back to up