Newsletter – Friday 25th October
Happy Friday Team!
So how has your week been? Are you missing us? We’re certainly missing you! Well never you fear, our team have been beavering away behind the scenes to keep things running and next week we’re back! And we’re in Norwich!
That’s right, we’re bringing the party to St Andrew’s Hall. The grade 1 listed friary church and convent date back to the 14th century and make up the most complete friary complex surviving in England. It has witnessed an amazing history. During the reformation it was saved by the City Corporation, which bought it for use as a ‘common hall’. Since then it has been used as a workshop, a mint and a workhouse. And next week, it’s going to host the Gin and Rum Festival!
And today it is officially Sourest Day! A day when you don’t have to make lemonade with life’s lemons. A day to be openly grumpy. Nowadays, we’re under so much pressure to keep calm and stay positive, I think it’s quite nice to have day where you can take off that mask and chill with a frown.
In the name of spirits, I thought I’d share a recipe with you. Some of you may know the Whisky Sour. Well did you know you can also make it with gin and rum? For gin I would suggest starting with dry gin in a shaker then adding lemon juice, sugar syrup, aromatic bitters and egg white. Give it a good old shake, strain and serve. For rum the recipe needs a little bit of a twist. Start with rum and then add a little orange and/or lime juice rather than lemon. Add sugar syrup and egg whites and bitters if you choose.
And let’s not forget Halloween! Halloween is fast approaching this Thursday. Falling on a Thursday, I’m guessing more people will be celebrating it next weekend, so keep an eye out for next week’s newsletter, for a bit of spooky fun.
Hope you have a fabulous weekend!
Bernie & The G&R Team
Newsletter – Friday 18th October
Happy Friday team!
How has your week been? Hope it’s been full of all the good stuff. Happy, productive, lots of self-love and good socials with your loved ones too.
There may be a gap in the festivals right now, and the events staff may be getting to put their little tootsies up for a well needed rest. However, the wheels of the Gin and Rum Festival are still turning and lots of work is happening behind the scenes to sustain and improve our events.
I hope you’re keeping wrapped up, all warm and dry. It’s that time of year where the change in the weather can bring out all sorts of nasties with coughs and colds and flus. If you get struck down whilst your busy, the main concern can be that you don’t have time to be ill. Well, I say relish it. Have a hot bath to sweat it out, get yourself comfortable under a blanket on the sofa. And, if you’re anything like me, a hot toddy is a remarkable comforter.
Now, I need to advise you first and foremost that this is not medical advice by any means. I’m not saying a hot toddy will make you well. And, as always, it is alcohol so do be careful. However, I find nothing hits the spot quite like a hot toddy when I’m feeling rough around the edges.
Although originally whisky was the spirit most associated, you can make them with most spirits. Gin is a big contender and rum works really well too. The ingredients in them can work wonders to help give you a little boost.
So lets keep it simple to start. Take a couple of slices of lemon, with antibacterial properties, and pop it into a cup. Add a dollop of honey, which is great for soothing a sore throat and add a little hot water. Stir, let it steep briefly and add a healthy glug of your favourite spirit. Voila! You can then customise by adding extra things as much as you like. Spice is popular, a dash of chilli or ginger can help open up a congested chest and I quite like turmeric as it has a wealth of interesting properties, one of which is as an antidepressant. So if you’re feeling a little low, this could be the drink for you!
Feel free to experiment. My basic guide is citrus – antibacterial, honey – throat, spice – congestion. I’d love to see some of the ones you make so feel free to send in any pictures to bernadette@ginandrumfestival.com and I hope you feel better soon!
Look after yourselves and have a great weekend.
Bernie and G&R
Newsletter – Friday 11th October
Happy Friday!
Well here we are! The definite change in the air is signalling cosier times. I love Autumn. I love all that stuff, the spicy drinks, the big jumpers, the naps inside on a cold day. And, hey! What a great opportunity to wrap up and get inside into the cool, crisp air! To take a dawdle somewhere beautiful, to watch the leaves cycle through their gorgeous array of colours before spinning down to land on the ground, ready for boots to come wading through the rustle piles.
How was Sheffield? I hope that you had a good time. How did the team treat you? Was there anything that you were surprised to see? Anything that you weren’t expecting?
Now then, this is the point where I would normally, tell you where we are today and give you a little history of the venue and the area. Well, today’s a little different as we have a small gap in the festivals. Yes, the team does need to take a little rest sometimes! So for the next 3 weeks we’ve got a little less to say in the newsletter.
And what day is it today? Well there are a few different options but they’re all rather difficult to relate to gin or rum! So, let’s do something completely different and look at some easy to make Autumn themed drinks:
Rum and Hot Chocolate – It doesn’t get easier than this. Put a little spiced rum in your hot chocolate. It is the ultimate in cosy comfort and it’s absolutely delicious.
Apple Cider Mojito – This is a lovely Autumn Twist on a summer classic! Fill 2 glasses with ice. Add the juice of half a lemon to each glass. Add rum, then top fill with apple cider. Top with soda stir then finish with mint, thyme and a slice of apple.
Hot Buttered Rum – I stumbled across this recipe today. What an incredibly indulgent thing it is! Firstly, you need to make the rum batter. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in some brown sugar and heat until it has been dissolved. Then, remove from the heat and add cinnamon, orange zest, ground clove and nutmeg, vanilla icecream and salt. Oohlala! Once you’ve got your batter, it’s time to make the drink! Add the rum and hot buttered rum batter to a mug, fill with hot water and wait for batter to melt, stir and add a cinnamon stick.
So, there we go! If you like these then you crack on and do some research. There are so many fantastic recipes around for cocktails. It’s a great time of year too for a little more indulgence so go on, treat yourself!
Have a great weekend!
Bernie and G&R
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Gin and Jazz have a relationship stretching back a whole century. Well, gin is more well know. However, any spirit has it’s place in the time of prohibition. There are some that say jazz was indirectly fuelled by prohibition. When I first read the Great Gatsby, set in that amazing era, I was enamoured by the glitz and glamour of prohibition parties.
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“The bar is in full swing, and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside, until the air is alive with chatter and laughter, and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot, and enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each other’s names.”
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Some things are timeless. Prohibition has such a profound effect on our creation of cocktails. To celebrate I thought I share a few you could try at home. Just make sure you crank that jazz up before you get started.
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The Mint Julip
The Mint Julip is a landmark cocktail. Born in the US in the 18th century, the cocktail itself is mentioned in Gatsby and is both simple and beautiful. Originally bourbon based, it adapts fantastically to gin or rum. Ideally, it’s made in a pewter cup, although a highball glass is suitable. All it takes is a teaspoon of sugar mixed with a splash of water. Add a handful of mint and give it a gentle squish and add your spirit. Simple and full of flavour.
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The South Side
Although the history of this cocktail isn’t very clear, there is speculation that the drink may have been a favourite of Al Capone’s. The gin that his gang importer had a rougher finish to the smoother gin of his rivals, so it needed a little sweetening and the story goes, that’s how the South Side was born. This cocktail works with gin, vodka or white rum. Mix your spirit with lemon juice, 2 tsp or sugar and 4 mint leaves. Give it all a good shake and strain. You can garnish with mint, or lemon, or maybe add a twist to it with a little rosemary.
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The Bees Knees
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The Bees knees a beautiful cocktail and slightly more honey yellow colour than what I’ve shown here. The sweetness of the honey and the sharp citrus would have done a good job at masking any bad quality prohibition spirit, although I’m not certain that was the purpose. Easy to make. Pop a big dollop of honey and a splash of room temperature in a cocktail shaker, add gin lemon juice, ice and shake. That’s all it takes! Perfectly served in a French martini glass, it’s a fab little cocktail.
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So, there we have it. 3 to get you started. I’d love to see some photos of your efforts. Feel free to get in touch with a photo or two and tell me about how it went. Bonus points for a group photo!
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