Liquid optimism: why Babycham is ripe for a revival
Although the past is rarely ever as simple or as delicious as we remember it, it seems that culinary nostalgia is very much in vogue. Take the gelatinous success of Instagram accounts such as 70s Dinner Party or the unfathomable cool-ification of devilled eggs. Another thing that's deserving of a prance back into popularity is Babycham. It's kitsch in a bottle. Liquid, postwar optimism. And it's potentially up for a modern revival. Or at least I want it to be, so I'm writing a column about it. It's called manifesting.
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For those who didn't live through its heyday, Babycham is a sparkling perry, which is like cider, except made from pears. Originally named Champagne de la Poire, Babycham was created by the Showering cider family from pears they saw going to waste when they were buying from local apple orchards. In a postwar world, Herbert Showering saw the changes in drinking habits among women, and an opportunity to create a drink targeted specifically at them.
And so Babycham sparkling perry was born. Dinky glasses, handsome men and extremely flammable dresses painted a picture of glamorous, feminine and moderated drinking. Back then, it was an aspirational picture for an emerging middle class; today, however, the obvious attempt to market to women by men feels dated and cynical. If you'd like some further reading on this, drinks writer Rachel Hendry wrote a sparkling deep-dive on Babycham as a precautionary tale about heavily gendered marketing and the part it had to play in the drink falling out of favour with a 21st-century audience.
But a modern Babycham is more than deserving of a revival. In 2021, some 70 years after its launch, the sons of the original Showering brothers bought back the brand from Accolade Wines, with the aspiration to 'modernise' it to 'new and familiar customers' (if they're looking for a new Babycham girl, my DMs are open). At 6% ABV and with a sweet, fruity palate, it makes a lot of sense in the current market, where low-alcohol and storied drinks are favoured among a younger generation. If you like the sweet, soft fruitiness of prosecco, for example, you'll probably like Babycham.
Other than drinking it straight, try treating it as you would sparkling wine in a cocktail. Anywhere you'd pop prosecco, use Babycham. Mix it into a sgroppino. Pour it into a bellini. Serve it alongside a pornstar martini. I even once had it at an underground bar mixed with eau de vie and raspberry syrup, though I don't remember a great deal after that.
Babycham Sparkling Perry £3.50 (4 x 200ml) Tesco, 6%. Original-recipe, uncut Babycham. Fresh, light and ripe.
Lockdown Liquor & Co Passionfruit Martini £25 (500ml) Lockdown Liquor & Co, 14%. Serve a chaser of Babycham with your martini.
Funkin White Peach Purée £11.20 (1kg) Ocado. Baby bellinis, anyone? There's a kilo of the stuff in this pouch, but it'll last for a week (maybe more). One for birthday celebrations, perhaps.
Vault Aperitivo Bitter £35 (700ml) Vault Aperitivo, 29.6%. Mix this British vermouth with Babycham to make a baby sbagliato (or should that be a babliato?).
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