The dream of a Babycham revival is a dream too far

Natasha Pszenicki
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

What’s in a name? Well, actually, I think quite a lot. While roses might smell just as sweet by another name, I think a perry (that’s pear cider, to the uninitiated) might sell better if it wasn’t called something ridiculous.

The makers of Babycham, though, clearly disagree. The drink — a sparkling perry sold in a dinky half-size bottle complete with a prancing fawn logo — is making a comeback. The original brewers, the Showering family of Shepton Mallet in Somerset, last year bought the brand back and have big plans for its revival.

I’m sceptical. Not because I hate nostalgia, or anything like that. I know all about harking back to the good old days: at university I studied long dead languages not spoken for thousands of years. That was a bit weird, though. And this is, I think, a bit weird and a bit bad. Not an ideal combination.

But let’s look at the proposition more closely. On the plus side of the ledger there is a fair bit going for Babycham. Perry can be delicious, crisp and flavoursome – a more exotic cider. The bottles are indeed shapely. In a cost-of-living crisis, any cheap fizz as an alternative to champagne is manna from the gods of booze.

On the minus side… it’s the name, isn’t it? For those who weren’t personally present for Babycham’s heyday in the Sixties and Seventies, the name is still a byword for naff. It feels very tweenage. Originally Babycham was marketed (very successfully) as a drink women could have in the pub. But the world has moved on a long way since then. Happily, there isn’t quite the same bifurcation of drinks into his and hers. Few women I know would be happy to be caught clutching a miniature bottle of sweet fizz with a baby deer on it. Nor do I think I know anyone who would not rather die than at the bar utter the old catchphrase “I’d love a Babycham!”

Revivals can often be good things — but sometimes the emotion that drives them can cloud judgment. “It’s very special, as it almost defines our family. It changed everything,” says brewer Matthew Showering. I don’t doubt that. Nor do I doubt his and his relatives’ skill — they come from generations of drink makers and own the successful cider brand Brothers. If anyone can do it, they can. Then I look at that name again and I think: Babycham, really?

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT