Tom Parker Bowles has illuminated a little-known drink that the late Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mother once enjoyed. While the 50-year-old stressed that his family were not, and still aren't, 'great drinkers', the pair liked to sip one beverage before lunch.

Writing in his recently published book, Cooking & The Crown, Tom said: "Despite the vast and magnificently stocked cellars at both Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, the monarchs, from Queen Victoria to King Charles III, were not (and are not) great drinkers.

"...And while the Queen Mother is affectionately remembered for liking the odd tipple - you'd certainly never go thirsty at one of her splendid lunches - it was more about being a generous host."

Dubbed 'The Queen Mother's Gin & Dubonnet', Tom explained that such a beverage contains just four key ingredients. Most crucially, this includes Dubonnet - a sweet red-wine-based quinquina - in addition to gin, lemon and a good amount of ice.

Tom, son of Queen Camilla, said combining these ingredients creates a delicious, sweet but bitter and vaguely herbal flavour. He added: "And certainly put a spring in one's step."

His assertion that the Royal Family aren't big drinkers also comes after an array of contentious public rumours that Queen Camilla is a heavy drinker and smoker. Before Tom's book was published last year, he insisted that this image is entirely 'inaccurate' and perhaps even came from The Windsors, a Channel 4 comedy show.

"Never drunk a glass of gin in her life," he told The Times in September. "Doesn't smoke... Never seen her so much as tipsy." Although it's reported that Queen Camilla once smoked cigarettes, a personal trainer recently told The Express that she now generally leads a very healthy lifestyle.

King Charles and his wife particularly enjoy 'eating hearty meals using fresh produce', which is often grown on the estate. Tom's book, which is a culinary homage to over a century of Royal dining, from Queen Victoria to our present monarch, reveals insights regarding their dietary habits.

It includes more extravagant meals like 'Pommes Elizabeth' and 'Pudding au Pain et aux Cerises', while also featuring an array of classic yet straightforward dishes you can try at home.

Besides the cocktail, Tom also stressed that other drinks like iced coffee and lemonade are among the Royal Family's classics. He details their personalised recipes in the book, too.

More information can be found here.

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