The Gazette this week went behind the scenes at the Mare Street brewery behind a “mojito beer” dreamed up in solidarity with Diane Abbott.

After the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP was snapped indulging in a can of Marks and Spencer mojito on the London Overground, The Cock Tavern decided to concoct a beverage in her honour. Ms Abbott, also the shadow home secretary, has visited the Mare Street pub “several times”.

Head brewer Tim O’Rourke said the drink was a “bit of fun” in response to the hysteria surrounding the politician’s solo swill.

Inviting the Gazette into the basement brewery, he said: “I was blown away by people being up in arms about someone drinking a mojito on a train.

“I don’t want to incriminate myself but I may have had a drink on a train before. I think a lot of people have.

“Our response to this ridiculous thing is to likewise do a ridiculous thing.”

As for the make-up of the drink, Tim explained: “It’s a combination of pilsner malt, tap water, hops and yeast. Those will all be brewed for about four or five days.

“Once that’s done we’ll then trial the mojito ingredients like lime, mint tea, zest, dark sugars and citrus, and then bring it all together.”

Customers at The Cock Tavern can expect to see the Solidarity Mojito Pale on tap within a fortnight.

About 500 pints of the 6 per cent brew will be available – expected to last for a week – and can be bought as a half pint, 2/3 or pint.

Despite Tim admitting the Solidarity Mojito Pale is less profitable to the pub because of its more expensive, quirky flavours, manager Christian Campbell believes he’s sniffed out a gap in the market for “solidarity” drinks.

Thinking out loud, he said: “Maybe we can brew an Extinction Rebellion beer.

“We could catch the CO2 that’s produced when a beer is brewed and use it to create bubbles.

“It could be dry hopped with hemp which would give it a bit of a green tinge.

“It would be a green beer in more ways than one.”

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