Easter is nearly here! Spice up your Hot Cross Buns with this amazing Spiced Rum recipe ????
You can stock up on all of your spiced rum needs at our online shop: www.ginandrumfestival.com/shop Have you tried this one yet? Let us know in the comments below!
Ingredients (Makes 16)
300ml Whole Milk
50g Unsalted Butter
575g Plain Flour Table Salt~
75g Caster Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 Organic Egg
Spiced Rum
1 Orange
75g Sultanas
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
2 tbsp Golden Syrup
Method
Boil 300ml of milk on a low heat
In a separate pan, place 50g of butter over a low heat until melted
Add the warmed milk and melted butter into a bowl, mix and leave to cool until mixture reaches room temperature
Separately, mix 500g of flour, 1 tsp of salt, 75g of caster sugar and 1sp of baking powder into a bowl
Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture and add 1 beaten egg
Add in a splash of Spiced Rum
Combine the ingredients together to form a sticky dough and place onto a floured surface
Knead until the mixture becomes smooth and springy and then place the dough into a flour-covered bowl
Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hour until the mixture has doubled in size
Once the dough has risen, place the mixture back onto a floured surface
Tip in 75g of sultanas, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon and grated orange zest (optional), and knead this into the dough
Divide the dough into 16 squares and on a floured surface, roll these squares into balls
Line these balls onto a baking tray and cover with a damp tea towel to allow the balls to prove for an additional hour until they have doubled in size
Add 5 tbsp of water, 1 tbsp at a time, to 75g of plain flour to make the paste for the cross
Use this mixture to then pipe two lines across the top of the buns to make a cross on each, using a piping bag or a spoon
Place the buns in the oven at 200c/gas 7 for 20 minutes
Melt 2 tbsp of golden syrup in a pan and brush over the top of the buns whilst they’re still warm
Set aside to cool on a wire rack and then enjoy!
(Credit – https://bit.ly/3dPBEUI)
Newsletter – Friday 3rd April
Happy Friday Team!
So here we are! The end of another week. How are we all doing? Surviving with a smile I hope?
And today it’s Chocolate Mousse Day! Hooray! As if we need another excuse for whipping up some deliciously indulgent puds! As always I’ve got a few recipes with a boozy twist to share with you.
Also, I thought all things considered, I should share a few gardening tips with you. For those of us lucky enough to have gardens, we’ve now got a little more time to spend on them. I don’t know about you but I’ve been busy planting up some easy bits, fruit and vegetables and I’m shortly going to put up a lot of herbs. Food is one thing, but I’m also thinking garnish! So stick with me and I’ll give you some top tips for keeping your drinks full of flavour.
So first up! Chocolate Mousse! Chocolate mousse is such an easy thing to put together and it’s also incredibly easy to make some boozy versions. As usual, I’ve been busy scouring the internet for the finest recipes and once again the internet has not disappointed!
First up, a simple but effective recipe care of Food So Good Mall. Why do I like this recipe? Well it’s get something a little extra to offer with coffee, but it’s also quick, with a 4 minute prep time. So, what are you waiting for?
https://foodsogoodmall.com/recipe/201308chocolate-rum-mousse-html/
With the above recipe, what rum you use is going to make a difference to how the mousse comes out and I’d say it’s a great opportunity to experiment with some flavoured rums to give the taste a tone of extra flavour. Here at G&R, we’ve got three that would certainly give your mousse some extra vavavoom…or you could pair these with your chocolate mousse for a real taste sensation:
Rum Java Cacao’Mon: RumJava Caco’Mon is infused with Java’Mon coffee chocolate blend for 30 days, then cacao nibs are added. The spirit is packed with flavours of freshly roasted coffee beans, smooth rum sweetness and rich, bittersweet dark chocolate.
Buy Rum Java here
Blue Monkey Banana Rum: A delightful rum with the undertone of banana distilled from sugar cane sourced from the Caribbean.
Buy Blue Monkey Banana
Unconventional Distillery Time Machine Vanilla and Toffee – Well, how’s that for a title?! Using technology to rapidly age the rum, the newly distilled rum is turned into the equivalent of an 8 year barrel aged rum in 6 days.
Buy Unconventional here
Also, I found something for you gin drinkers out there. I must confess, I’m a big fan of rum with chocolate but there is certainly a place for gin. And, if you fancy something a little more complex and no doubt rewarding, here is a fantastic recipe from I Love Gin that includes marshmallow and a recommends a floral gin.
https://www.ilovegin.com/easy-gin-chocolate-mousse/
And it’s only fair that I recommend some floral gins for you too!
Agnes Arber Premium Gin: The savoury, earthy notes of juniper, coriander and angelica are complemented by the warm and spicy tones of cassia. Sweet acidic flavours of lemon, orange and grapefruit combine with a twist of liquorice.
Buy Agnes Arber here
Empress Gin: An impossibly lush and vivid indigo blue, with a stunning secret to reveal, with the addition of tonc, this beautiful gin is transformed from its breathtaking indigo to a soft pink gin.
Empress Gin
Glendalough Rose Gin: Wild Rose from the Wicklow mountains, large fragrant Heritage Roses and the ancient prized Damask Rose make up this rose gin. All of which come together to make a naturally pink and very floral gin.
Buy Glendalough Gin
Now then, all this time at home has got me firmly fixated on the garden. I’ve been planting up various fruits and veg to bolster the cupboards and it got me thinking about what garnish I could produce for myself to keep my drinks fresh and flavoursome. Now, I wanted to suggest something that could benefit all of you out there, so rather than go straight into gardening, I thought a few windowsill plants for those of you who don’t have outdoor space, so get yourself a few pots together and get growing.
Mint – Mint is a great plant. It’s a crazy grower, smells fantastic and goes in a wide range of gins, especially those of the berry variety.
Sweet Basil – Sweet basil is a great little herb. It goes well with berry flavours and also lends itself to more herbaceous gins as well as cooking.
Rosemary – Now, I’m a fiend for garlic and rosemary roasties on a Sunday. However, rosemary has really come into its own as a garnish, especially with grapefruit.
Strawberries – Strawberries are relatively easy to grow and although they are mostly know for being grown outdoors on farms, they can easily be grown inside. Just keep it in a sunny spot and keep the soil damp.
So off you go! Get growing and with a little bit of patience, you can be sorted for summer. Hope you all have a good week. Stay safe and see you next Friday.
Big love, Bernie and G&R
Newsletter – Friday 27th March
Happy Friday Team!
And here we are! Not quite the Friday we were expecting, I’m sure that you’ve seen that we’ve postponed some of our upcoming events in the interest of public safety. However! This is not the end of the party, oh no! Let’s keep that party going at home. I’ve got a few tips and tricks for you to do just that.
When we are back up and running with the events we’ve got a fantastic new bar at our events for your to check out. The Halewood bar brings to you a wonderful collection of Halewood spirits including the JJ Whitley gin range and Dead Man’s Fingers range.
JJ Whitley – JJ Whitely have created an award winning range of gins and vodkas. London Dry, Bramble, Elderflower, Violet and Pink Cherry gin make up their wide range of fruity, easy to drink gins.
Dead Mans Fingers – Based in Cornwall, Deads Mans FIngers are on mission to make rum their own way and they’ve got a fabulous range of inventive twists to show for it. As well as their Spiced rum, expressions like pineapple, hemp, coffee and coconut give rum that little bit extra for the modern world.
And hey, for now what’s stopping you from partying with your besties? Staying in doesn’t mean you can’t see their lovely faces! There are some great programs out there including Skype, Zom and Houseparty, where you can call multiple people on video call. I’ve been busy setting up some coffee mornings and happy hours with my nearest and dearest and it’s super easy. So, get a little group going for a Friday night get together. You can raise your glasses and toast to getting back into the outside world, all from the comfort of your own living rooms. And remember, right now we’re still selling and, we’ve got a clearance sale on with some great products at reduced prices so if you fancy a bottle of something special then hit us up at https://ginandrumfestival.com/product-category/clearance-sale/, for example, we’ve got Old J Dark rum on there for £24 which is a bargain if you ask me.
At times like this, you don’t want to lose out on your garnish. So, it’s a good time to freeze it. Simply cut your citrus, berry, whatever you fancy, slip it into a freezer bag or wrap it and pop it in the freezer. Not only does it keep your garnish fresh for ages, but it also cools your drink which is fab for if you’ve run out of ice.
And, as promised I went on a little research mission online to find some recipes that you can make from ingredients in the cupboards and I came across a fantastic little tool that allows you put in the ingredients you have and it will give you a recipe for a cocktail you can make, huzzah!
https://makemeacocktail.com/mybar/
And hey, if you’re not savvy on whipping up a cocktail, now is a fantastic time to learn! So, to get you started here’s a link to a great little article, care of First We Feast, giving you instructions on 10 easy cocktails you can make at home.
https://firstwefeast.com/drink/10-easy-cocktail-recipes/
So, there we are! So stay safe, stay inside and set up some soirees with your nearest and dearest. Have fun and see you next Friday!
Big love, G&R
Happy Friday Team!
How are we doing this week? Hope everyone is keeping well and looking after those around you.
Lots on this week! Do keep with me as I want to share some recipes and give you a heads up – today it’s Ravioli day! A day to celebrate some delicious Italian food. And with that, I’d like to share a recipe with you. As always, I love to take something and make it a little bit boozy. Now, some of you may well shake your fist at me and say ‘you leave that pasta alone!’. However, I will have you know that vodka is actually an age old additive to tomato, just look at the Bloody Mary and tomato vodka soup (yes, that’s a real thing).
So, it got me thinking that there must be some recipes out there for boozy ravioli so I did some searching and found some wonderful recipes that I just have to share with you:
First up, it’s a biggy. We’re starting at the top. This recipe, care of Inside the Rustic Kitchen, requires some skill in the kitchen. This isn’t your normal chuck a few things together recipe that I like to share. However, it’s just so spectacular that I had to share it. I would just love it if some of you gave this a go! To be fair though, for the rest of us that don’t quite have that skill, it can easily be simplified. I might not be brave enough to make the ravioli, but I could buy some pre-made ravioli and then knock up the sauce from the recipe. And, what’s stopping you from making the sauce and using it elsewhere?
https://www.insidetherustickitchen.com/lobster-ravioli-vodka-sauce/
And, during my search, I stumbled across something I hadn’t even thought of, sweet ravioli! And, not just sweet ravioli, but ravioli with rum! Boozy food for pudding? I do think so! Check out this recipe here from Academia Barillia. Pasta with a sweet filling of ricotta, cinnamon and rum. Let me at it!
https://www.academiabarilla.it/en/ricetta/sweet-ravioli-with-ricotta/
And what would you pair with ravioli? Here at Gin and Rum Festival, we love Malfy Con Limone, an Italian gin with an infusion of Italian coastal lemons, enjoy!
Now then, I always like to highlight local distillers and this week we’ve got some great ones close to Manchester.
Shelleys. Shelleys is a good friend of the Gin and Rum Festival and we’ve been selling their products for a long time. They have a fantastic range of really creative products. Rumbutt, which is a rum liqueur with earthy peanut notes. They also make Rumbarb, which twists rhubarb with rum, and a raspberry ripple spirit drink. We’re a big fan of the Manchester tart and I’ll be giving you a little more on that and some great cocktails to make with it next week.
Kuro gin are rocking it at the moment! From humble beginnings in 2017, they now have an array of awards to show off including gold and silver medals at the IWSC. They have a London Dry and two really beautiful expressions, a cherry blossom and a soft peach, lovely stuff.
Cheshire based Jones Distillery have two great spirits on offer. They’re big on sustainability with the distiller foraging for ingredients in the Weaver Valley to give the gin it’s own character. Their London Dry contains 14 botanicals, 5 of which are hand foraged and for a flavored expression they’ve made a fantastic raspberry and lime including hand foraged raspberries to make a fruity gin with a zesty finish. Go check them out!
So, there we have it! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Big love, G&R
Covid-19 Statement from the Gin and Rum Festival
Here at The Gin and Rum Festival, we would like to thank you for your continued support throughout this difficult time. As you will appreciate, we have been working very hard over the last 12 months to prepare for our festivals, working alongside local and national distillers to bring our customers the best possible gin and rum experience.
It is with deepest regret that The Gin and Rum Festival have decided to take all necessary precautions for our staff and customers and as a result have postponed the following festivals until later on in the year.
Manchester 27th/28th March 2020 – NEW DATE 4th/5th September 2020
Norwich 3rd/4th April 2020 – NEW DATE 3rd/4th July 2020
London 17th/18th April 2020 – NEW DATE 23rd/24th October 2020
Derby 6th June/13th November 2020(Derby Cathedral) – NEW DATE 7th November 2020 (Derby Roundhouse)
Swindon 6th/7th November 2020- NEW DATE 5th/6th March 2021
Nottingham 4th July 2020 – NEW DATE 20th February 2021
Any delay in notifying customers has been purely to ensure we have everything in place and are following the most recent government guidelines before notifying the public of our plans moving forward. As you will appreciate, this has caused a number of complications regarding venues and traders, and we have not taken this decision lightly.
All tickets will be automatically transferred to the newly scheduled 2020 dates. In the event that you cannot attend this new date, then your ticket can be transferred to a different location entirely for all 2020 and future 2021 festivals (2021 dates TBC).
As a small business, these are uncertain times to navigate and we ask for your kindness and understanding at this time.
Many kind regards
G&R Festival Team
If you have any questions please email us at info@ginandrumfestival.com
Newsletter – Friday 13th March
Happy Friday Team!
And how are we doing this week? Still not much improvement on this weather, huh? Well, for those of you up North, we’re bringing the Sun with our first Gin and Rum Festival of the year in Northampton tomorrow night.
And what special day is it today then? Well according to Days of Year, where I source all of my strange holiday info, today is Coconut Torte Day! So I’ve got a lovely boozy Coconut Torte recipe for you guys to try out. Plus, naturally, I’ve got some cocktail recipes too, focused around the rather delectable Dead Mans Fingers Coconut Rum.
Dead Mans Fingers is a rather delicious range of spirits from. The Coconut rum is exactly what you’d expect, with sweet coconut. Their spiced rum was invented in Cornwall and using flavours like Cornish Saffron cake and Pedro Ximenez ice cream, they prize themselves on being a little different. True to form, their Coconut Rum has a bit extra going on in there too. There are elements of mango, raisins, caramel, coconut ice and lime peel balance with vanilla and a hint of clove.
So, how are we going to use this in a Chocolate Coconut Torte? Easy. Firstly check out this awesome recipe from Taste of Home. I did a little sifting around and found recipes. There are some great variations online. I found this one particularly good because of the filling. There’s a lovely can of coconut milk here and it’s a very easy switcharoo to leave out some of that milk and replace it with the coconut rum. Do make sure you replace the milk with the same amount of rum or it could affect the texture of the filling.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chocolate-coconut-cream-torte/
And yes, I did find some rather delicious variations of cake online. Here’s one of my favourites in case you fancy trying your hand at something different. This one, care of Gimmie Some Oven, whilst not claiming coconut in its name, is made using coconut milk, so I think if you were to put a couple of tablespoons of rum in the filling, it would work really well.
https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/amazing-salted-dark-chocolate-tart/
And a cocktail? It would be a newsletter without a cocktail to try at home right? Well, I thought I’d keep things a little simpler this week. It’s still a bit cold out there and I don’t know about you, but I’m still loving my boozy hot chocolates. This week I’ve found a great little recipe for a super simple hot choc indulgence, care of the Spruce Eats:
https://www.thespruceeats.com/mound-bar-cocktail-recipe-760544
Have fun!
And just before I go, I wanted to drop a little hint about Mothers Day. It’s coming up guys! It’s the 22nd March, which is soon! If you’re still hunting for the ideal gift, do check out our online shop. We’ve got some really special bottles that do make great gifts for your nearest and dearest.
So, there we are! Have a wonderful time in Northampton all of you lovely lot that are going! Give the staff there some love, remember to check out Hustle and Two Birds and I’ll see you in a week!
Big love
G&R
We’ve got a very special them this week, and one that’s important to me. It’s International Women’s Day. On the 6th March, all around the world we celebrate women. Now gentlemen, don’t feel left out. Research shows that International Men’s Day is only ever really googled on International Women’s Day. Now, we all know it’s you guy’s wondering when your day is, so to save you the job, that falls on the 19th November. Now, with that out the way you can stop worrying and focus on giving us ladies the recognition we deserve. There are some amazing women out there in the world, and there always have been. I’d like to tell you about one, Agnes Arber.
Agnes Arber lived between 1879 and 1960. She was a British plant morphologist and anatomist, historian of botany and philosopher of biology. Now, how’s that for a title. One of the many things that makes her a great showcase of female accomplishment is that she was the firt woman botanist to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, back in 1946 and at this point only the third woman at all. Following this, she was the first woman to receive the Gold medal of the Linnean Society, which is a world famous institution dedicated to the study of natural history.The sciences were heavily dominated by men and breakthroughs like this were paving stones in the path towards equality. What’s this got to do with spirits? I hear you cry, raising your empty glasses, well, her botanical supremacy has been acknowledged and given tribute in the form of a rather fantastic gin, named simply Agnes Arber Gin.
The bottle is absolutely beautiful, labelled with a colourful sketch of the botanicals found in the gin. There is a lovely burst of sunshine citrus with orange, lemon and grapefruit and Iris as a nod to the world of momocotyledon plants, the plants that were the primary focus of Arber’s scientific work. The gin has a character that is earthy and herbal and again, this is so in keeping with the concept. Naturally, we carry this amazing gin and you can find it on our stalls and also in our online shop, so let’s all pour a glass of that and make a toast to Agnes Arber.
– Bernie @ G&R Team
Agnes Arber is available now on our online shop!
BUY AGNES ARBER PREMIUM HERE: https://ginandrumfestival.com/product/agnes-arber-premium-gin/
BUY AGNES ARBER PINEAPPLE HERE: https://ginandrumfestival.com/product/agnes-arber-pineapple-gin/
Newsletter – Friday 6th March 2020
Happy Friday Team!
It’s March! Despite the awful weather we’ve been having, the days are starting to stretch out into light before and after the working day. It’s strange to see daylight in the week and it’s got me thinking of spring and the potential of summer. A little heads up for those of you attending Northampton next week. I wanted to let you in on a couple of stalls at this event that will be rather special. They are two local distilleries and ones you really want to check out. First up, we’ve got Hustle Gin. Now, Hustle, make ‘Fine Botanical Gin’, they’re signature gin launched in 2017 and is made in small batches of 250 a time, checked by hand. They describe the aroma and taste as “Piney Juniper and nuttiness lifted by fragrant cut grass, with pear and floral aromas”, which sounds exquisite, if you ask me. Not only this but they’ve also got a Pink Grapefruit and Raspberry Gin and a really interesting Cubeb Pepper & Orange Blossom Gin too, which is a super interesting botanical mix. They’re also a Mother and Daughter combo who support organisations helping vulnerable women and children. Well done ladies, Happy International Women’s Day to you.
And, as for Two Birds, well they’re a local company doing very well for themselves. They’ve been on the scene for a little while, since 2013 in fact, and have a huge range of products. For example, London Dry, Old Tom, Cocktail, Sloe, Strawberry & Vanilla, Rhubarb, Lemongrass, Watermelon, Palma Violet, Winter Fruits are just a few of the gins they make and they make rums too! Their creativity is something that really stands out and is one of the many reasons they’ve carved themselves such a great place in the market. Do make sure you stop by to say hi.
And just to tie things up, because you know I like sharing a recipe or two, it’s ‘Frozen Food Day’ today and it’s got me thinking about drinks we can make with frozen fruit. Not only is it a very convenient way to get some vitamins into your system to protect against the cold at this time of year, but it’s also a great way for making an easier and quite frankly delicious drink. This really is as simple as it gets and you’ll find that most recipes follow the same technique. You get all of the ingredients and you stick them in a blender. This idea is ludicrously versatile. Chop and change the fruit or the spirit to make all manner of incredible drinks. So here are three little treats I’ve searched out online just for you.
From the Taming Twins, a Raspberry Gin Frozen Cocktail. I like the simplicity of the ingredients list here and the tartness of raspberries is a real winner for me. This article also has a little info on some gins and what ones work, which I find quite helpful:
https://www.tamingtwins.com/raspberry-gin-frozen-cocktail/
Who doesn’t love a daiquiri? Frozen daiquiris are big business. But what’s the point of faffing with ice when you can just use frozen fruit? Much easier. Check it out at Simply Recipes:
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/frozen_strawberry_daiquiri/
And now for the grand finale! There’s a little more effort involved in this but well worth it, I say. How’s about some triple layer pina coladas for something extra special? Delish know’s what’s going on and I am not waiting for summer to make some of these.
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a43153/triple-layer-pina-coladas-recipe/
Well there we are! I hope you like this week’s newsletters. I’m going to be focusing on trying to give you a little more each week as you guys totally deserve it. As always, feel free to let me know how you get on with the recipes. You can get me at bernadette@ginandrumfestival.com. Hope you all have a fantastic few days and I’ll be back next Friday.
Big love, Bernadette and G&R
Newsletter – Friday 28th February
Happy Friday Team!
I hope that you’re all good and have enjoyed the slow march towards, well March. February may have been some of the wettest and most miserable weather we’ve seen for some time. Thank goodness Spring is on the way and we will (fingers crossed) be seeing an improvement on this horrendous weather!
So, this week we’re celebrating Floral Design Day! A lovely day of the year for celebrating the beauty of flowers and the craftmanship of design. Now this really does go hand in with a rather special gin that we have here at the Gin and Rum Festival. It’s available to buy from our online shop as well as events themselves, and it’s a gin with a little bit of magic. May I introduce to you, Empress 1908 Gin.
Empress 1908 Gin is made by Victoria Distilleries in British Columbia. And, is inspired by the Fairmont Empress Hotel. The idea was to make a traditional gin with a modern twist, akin to the hotel, and they have certainly done that. A strong juniper led base also carries botanicals such as ginger, tea and a little bit of magic in the form of butterfly pea flower, a botanical added after distillation that gives the gin it’s beautiful indigo hue. The magic comes with a little bit of citrus, so in G&T, the addition of tonic water changes the PH and changes the colour from that deep indigo to a luscious pink. As well as being a showstopper for colour, it’s a great all rounder for a gin. Ticking 3 important boxes it works in Martinis, G&Ts and other cocktails too.
You’ll find this gin on our World Gin Bar and at our shop here:
And just to really showcase this gins capability, I’ve hunted out some of my favourite cocktail recipes from the gin’s website. The links are below, but to be honest, I would urge you to look through them all, they really are quite beautiful.
First up, the Empress Lavender Lemonade. With a beautiful fade from blue, purple, pink to orange then yellow, this is a front cover thing. It combines floral lavender honey along with old school lemonade. I can imagine these flavours smooth out the juniper forward notes into something quite spectacular.
https://www.empressgin.com/our-cocktails/lavender-lemonade/
Secondly, the Cucumber Blue. This is a smooth, cool cocktail, perfectly displayed by its blue green hue. Made with cucumber, basil and mint, this will be heaven sent in the summer months so you keep this recipe safe, or just knock up a few now.
https://www.empressgin.com/our-cocktails/cucumber-blue/
And last, and by no means least, the Royal Treatment. As if the gin wasn’t special enough, this cocktail, made with white cranberry juice, sparkling wine and generous fruit garnish gives it that little bit extra for those who need some pampering.
https://www.empressgin.com/our-cocktails/royal-treatment/
So there we have it for Empress 1908.
Another gin that we carry that I’d like to introduce you to is Highfield Bramble Gin. Highfield are a family run business located in South Derbyshire. Their Bramble Gin is lovely, a really good blend of sweet and sour, which is just want you want with bramble. Bramble is a really popular flavour with gin lovers, being the namesake of popular cocktail, the ‘Bramble’. Brambles are ultimately comprised of gin, crème de mure, lemon and sugar syrup. So the basis of the cocktail is that twist between sweet and sour. With Highfield Bramble a gin and tonic with a lemon garnish is going to be very like and much simpler to make, so if you’re a fan of a Bramble, then perhaps Highfield Bramble Gin is the one for you!
Happy last day of February everyone! And Happy Floristry Design Day too! Hope you have a fab weekend and I’ll be seeing you next week for some frozen fruit specials and some info on the local brands you’ll be seeing at our Northampton event.
Big love, Bernadette and G&R
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