Here’s What They Drank At Royal Ascot This Year

With cocktails ordered by the jug and champagne guzzled at an impressive rate of one bottle for every two bottles of water, Royal Ascot is, and always has been, an unapologetically indulgent affair. Beau Brummell, the Regency-era style icon and confidant of the Prince Regent, once even declared that ‘boots should be polished with champagne’ in preparation for the occasion. More than two centuries later, Ascot’s drinking traditions remain as lavish as ever.

Whether you’re unpacking a picnic hamper in the more casual Windsor Enclosure, taking an indulgent lunch in the Queen Anne Enclosure, or sipping Moët & Chandon at The Caviar Club within the Royal Enclosure, a handful of libations have become as synonymous with Royal Ascot as top hats and thoroughbreds. Yet while many of the same drinks can be found across the racecourse, the experience of enjoying them varies dramatically depending on where you’re standing. From litres of Silent Pool gin’s signature Royal Ascot Blushes to the bubbly that fuels much of the week’s revelry, there are a few signature serves that define a day at the races. Consider them an introduction to a drinking culture that reaches its most refined expression inside the invite-only Royal Enclosure – a world of high-society pageantry, fine drinking and traditions best experienced firsthand. 

The Unofficial Trinity Of Royal Ascot Cocktails

Pimm’s No.1, the Royal Ascot Blush and the Ascot Spritz form the unofficial trinity of Ascot cocktails. You’ll find them in most corners of the racecourse – from bustling bars in the Village Enclosure to the manicured lawns of the Royal Enclosure – and together they offer a snapshot of Britain’s enduring love affair with long, refreshing summer drinks.

All are available by the glass or jug – the latter holding around 1.5 litres and setting racegoers back a respectable £43. Pimm’s, the famous boozy fruit salad needs little introduction. An enduring staple of English garden parties, its annual ascent to ubiquity begins with Royal Ascot and continues through to the final days of Wimbledon.

A jug at Royal Ascot 2026 will set you back a ‘respectable’ £43

The Ascot Spritz is the newest addition to the drinks offering. It’s a cocktail that rose to popularity in May 2025 when Schweppes was named the Official Mixer of Ascot and Royal Ascot (as it happens). Admittedly, you won’t see as many of them being drunk around the grounds compared to the more traditional serves – Brits, indeed, are creatures of habit and comfort – but the simple mix of vodka, bianco vermouth, Rose’s lime cordial and Schweppes tropical soda, which is vibrant purple in hue, has appealed to younger racegoers.

However, the tipple you can’t depart without tasting, which is also the event’s official signature cocktail, is the Royal Ascot Blush. While the recipe has gone through various iterations since the drink was first introduced in July 2011, today’s version, which became the standard in 2022 and is made with Surrey Hills-based Silent Pool gin, has the hallmarks of a modern classic. The gin is accented with strawberry cordial or syrup, topped with Schweppes lemonade, and garnished with slices of strawberry. Like the rest of the signature serves, it skews sweet. But it’s nothing a squeeze of fresh lemon juice can’t sort.

Of course, what you drink is only part of the Ascot experience. Where you drink it matters just as much. While various labels of bubbly and pints of Peroni flow freely across the racecourse, nowhere are these rituals more refined than within the Royal Enclosure. Reserved for members and invited guests, it is here – amid dapper morning dress, accoladed dining venues and a centuries-old code of etiquette – that Royal Ascot’s reputation for luxury truly sparkles. I was lucky enough to get an inside look on the action this year.

Imbibing In The Royal Enclosure

Drinking in the heart of one of Britain’s most prestigious sporting and social events is pretty spectacular, I must admit. If the Windsor Enclosure is akin to flying economy, the Royal Enclosure is like flying first class. As for private box access in the Royal Enclosure? Consider it your own private jet (typically shared in esteemed company, of course).

As luck would have it, my first visit to Royal Ascot came with the privilege of ‘flying private’. Beyond exclusive viewing areas and hospitality spaces, it also opened the door to dining experiences unavailable to most racegoers. Among them was the newly debuted Beaverbrook Balloons, an alfresco dining concept overlooking the Straight Mile, where whimsical hot air balloon-inspired seating lends the Lavender Courtyard a distinctly storybook feel.

The writer (left) takes a photo with another attendee at Royal Ascot 2026

Compelling, Instagrammable and undeniably charming, the installation immediately caught my eye. So too did a detail that speaks volumes about the calibre of hospitality on offer: proper glassware. Despite being, in essence, an ultra-refined picnic, drinks were served in real glasses rather than reusable plastic cups.

It’s a small touch, but one that neatly illustrates the hierarchy of Ascot’s enclosures. While glassware can be found in parts of the Queen Anne Enclosure, primarily within its restaurants, it is far more prevalent in the Royal Enclosure, where even the most casual drink feels a little more ceremonial.

Beyond the gardens lies the grandstand, a six-level hive of betting stations, bars, restaurants, viewing terraces and private boxes that feels more akin to an upscale shopping arcade than a traditional racecourse facility. Once the Royal Procession concludes (another privilege of the enclosure is watching members of the Royal Family pass below on their way to the Royal Box) the atmosphere shifts. The racing may be the main event, but the socialising is a close second.

I began the afternoon at Silent Pool gin’s fifth-floor box, where bartenders from The Coral Room at The Bloomsbury Hotel were serving elevated takes on Ascot classics. Their version of the Royal Ascot Blush replaced the standard strawberry syrup with a fresh strawberry and lemongrass cordial, resulting in a cocktail that felt brighter, more balanced and considerably more sophisticated than the standard serve available elsewhere on the grounds. It was also an early indication of how personalised the drinking experience can become at this level of hospitality.

While pints of Peroni and bottles of Chapel Down disappeared at a healthy pace throughout the afternoon, the cocktail offering felt virtually endless. The familiar Ascot trinity could be found at most bars, albeit served in proper glassware and with a more generous helping of ice than racegoers might find in other enclosures (temperature matters!). Alongside them sat a Lavazza Espresso Martini, a Paloma Rosa made with tequila, lime, Aperol, grapefruit and soda water, a Lychee & Elderflower Mojito Royale, and a rotating cast of other Ascot-inspired serves – many of which were only available by the glass rather than a jug.

What became apparent over the course of the day was that, within the Royal Enclosure, cocktails are treated as more than refreshments between races. They form part of the wider ritual of Ascot itself – a world of top hats, aristocratic pageantry and carefully observed traditions where hospitality remains every bit as important as the racing. The drinks may not differ dramatically from those poured elsewhere on the grounds, but the access, service and sense of occasion surrounding them certainly do.