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
Shellys Rumbutt is exactly what it says in the bottle. This is incredible refreshing, seeing as there has been issues in the spirits industry with drinks making out they’re something that they’re not, such as gins when actually liqueurs. My stance is that I am up for experimentation, but there should be a sense of transparency. Drinks should be labelled with what they are, rather than playing on the popularity of a spirit, when technically it’s not that.
Shellys are keeping it simple. Their Rumbutt is clearly labelled as ‘Peanut butter flavour rum based spirit drink’. Although this may sound like a mouth full, it is the correct label. As, with the spirit being 29% ABV, it’s under the amount to qualify as a rum, but rather high for a liqueur, which normally sits around the 20-22% range. It’s essentially bridging the boundary between the two types of drink. By doing this, they have created a space free fro the rules and regulations of existing spirits. And, where anything goes when it comes to flavour. So, Rumbutt is a great example of the potential for experimentation in spirits.
On the nose, the savoury salted peanut offsets the sweetness of rum in a well-balanced harmony. It alludes wonderfully to coffee and walnut cake. On the palate you’re taken through a journey beginning with a rich sweetness that opens into a strong and sturdy nutty note. The rum comes dancing in before the peanut steps out and leaves it on the finish. Being a lower ABV, it’s very palatable, never being too sweet or two punchy. It’s a great sipping drink for those that like that.
With a mixer, the bottle suggests two serves, one with cola and one with cranberry or raspberry juice, to give an adult ‘peanut butter jelly vibe’. Both of these options work nicely. The cranberry juice ‘peanut butter jelly’ is a wonderfully simple but inventive serve, which goes to show how creative we can be with mixers.
I decided to a play myself and tried it with Schweppes Muscovado Dark Spirit mixer. The muscovado really opens the drink up with darker, more chocolatey notes, which work beautifully with the peanut. I’d suggest if you’re doing this, go half and half and taste that to see if you need to add more. The lower ABV means that the Rumbutt doesn’t have the weight to punch through mixers as well as 40% spirits so in my humble opinion, a little less mixer is needed for the right balance.
Rumbutt is the latest in a series of Shellys creations. It follows on from the Rumbarb, a blend of Caribbean dark rums with natural rhubarb, demerara and vanilla. There are also other spirits, with flavours such as Raspberry Ripple and Manchester Tart. All of these are available through our shop. Shellys is a company full of interesting idea and they’re labelled correctly. This hybrid, stepping stone of spirits seems to be proving quite popular with today’s drinkers, who seem to prefer an easier drink. It is a delicious little tipple. And it’s well thought out, with the savoury nutty notes downplaying an obvious sweetness to really balance it out overall. Excellent work. So my recommendation? Grab yourself so ice and a glass and off you go!
Friday 16th August was National Rum Day! I had compiled this to post on the day to celebrate. But, unfortunately due to a technical hitch, was unable to. So, let us delay no further, let’s all sit down and learn a little of the history behind this delicious spirit. Now, I must acknowledge the fact that history isn’t always pretty, in fact, it’s often the opposite. And, I think it’s important to open our eyes and understand history, as it’s what has led to everything that is now. Anyway, let’s crack on!
The Etymology of Rum
Where does rum get it’s name? Well, it’s origin isn’t the clearest of things. In an 1824 essay, Samuel Morewood, who was a British etymologist suggested it might derive from the British slang term for “the best”, as in “having a rum time”. Early rum tasted rather harsh though, so nowadays we’re not sure how accurate that idea is. There was another suggestion by Morewood that the word was taken from the last syllable of the Latin word for sugar, saccharum. This is today’s more commonplace view. Either way, rum was being commonly used by 1654.
Origins
There are lot’s of ear;ly stories document spirits very similar to rum. I suppose in theory such a lovely thing would be discovered and enjoyed in various places. According to one Maria Dembinska, the King of Cyprus, Peter 1st or Pierre I de Lusignan, brought rum with him as a gift for the other royal dignitaries at the Congress of Krakow, in 1364. Although this drink was named rum, it was likely not have been much like modern rums.
Another early rum-like drink is something called brum. Produced by the Malay people, brum dates back thousands of years. There is also an instance when Marco Polo also recorded a 14th-century account of a “very good wine of sugar” from the area that became modern-day Iran.
The first distillation of rum in the Caribbean happened at sugarcane plantations there in the 17th century. Plantation slaves discovered that molasses, leftover from the sugar refining process, could be fermented into alcohol. Later, distillation of this concentrated the alcohol and removed impurities, creating the first modern rums. There is some idea that this first happened on the island of Nevis. However, in the decade of the 1620s, rum production was also recorded in Brazil.
A 1651 document from Barbados stated, “The chief fuddling they make in the island is Rumbullion, alias Kill-Divil, and this is made of sugar canes distilled, a hot, hellish, and terrible liquor. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with that!
Colonial North America
After rum’s development in the Caribbean, the drink’s popularity spread to Colonial North America. To support demand, the first rum distillery in the British colonies of North America was set up in 1664 on Staten Island. Only 3 years later, Boston, Massachusetts, had a distillery. Rum was soon early Colonial New England’s largest and most prosperous industry. Rhode Island rum even joined gold as an accepted currency for a period of time. Estimates of rum consumption in the American colonies before the American Revolutionary War had every man, woman, or child drinking an average of 3 imperial gallons of rum each year.
To keep up with demand for molasses and sugar in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, labour was needed for the plantations. A triangular trade in rum, molasses, and slaves was established between Africa, the Caribbean, and the colonies. In the slave trade, rum was also used to exchange. For example, the slave Venture Smith, whose history was later published, had been purchased in Africa for four gallons of rum plus a piece of calico.
The popularity of rum continued after the American Revolution, with George Washington insisting on a barrel at his 1789 inauguration.
Rum started to play an important role in the political system; candidates attempted to influence the outcome of an election through their generosity with rum. The candidate was expected to drink with the people to show he was independent and truly a republican.
Colonial Australia
Rum was important for trade in the early period of the colony of New South Wales. It was a prized object as the area was quite poor and people wanted to forget their troubles. The value of rum was such that convict settlers could be induced to work the lands owned by officers of the New South Wales Corps. Due to rum’s popularity there, the colony gained a reputation for drunkenness, though they were drinking less than the English at the time.
Australia was a long journey away from Britain. So much so that that the convict colony, established in 1788, faced severe food shortages, compounded by poor conditions for growing crops and the shortage of livestock. To solve this, the colony of India supplied the settlement of Sydney instead. By 1817, two out of every three ships which left Sydney went to Java or India, and cargoes from Bengal fed and equipped the colony. Casks of Bengal Rum were brought back in nearly every ship from India. The cargos were delivered quietly before the ships docked, by the British Marines regiment who controlled the sales.
Rum was intimately involved in the only military takeover of an Australian government, known as the Rum Rebellion. When William Bligh became governor of the colony, he attempted to remedy the perceived problem with drunkenness by outlawing the use of rum as a medium of exchange. Well, we all know that outlawing things doesn’t always work if people still want to do it, just look at the American prohibition era. In response to Bligh’s attempt to regulate the use of rum, in 1808, the New South Wales Corps marched on Government House and placed Bligh under arrest. The mutineers continued to control the colony until the arrival of Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1810.
Naval Rum
Rum became associated with piracy as it was a valuable item, and a commodity worth having. As some of the privateers became pirates and buccaneers, their fondness for rum remained, the association between the two being strengthened by literary works such as Stevensons’s Treasure Island. The association of rum with the Royal Navy began around 1655, when the British fleet captured the island of Jamaica. With the availability of domestically produced rum, the British changed the daily ration of liquor given to seamen from French brandy to rum.
While the ration was originally given neat, or mixed with lime juice to help diseases like scurvy, rum was watered down from around 1740. A chap called Admiral Edward Vernon had the rum ration watered as he was worried about his crew being a little to jolly to sail. This is what we know today as grog. The Royal Navy continued to give its sailors a daily rum ration, known as a “tot”, until the practice was abolished after 31 July 1970. Even now, the Navy has Rum Tot Day as an annual acknowledgement of this well known and popular naval tradition.
After the Battle of Trafalgar, Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson’s body was preserved in a cask of rum to travel home to England. Upon arrival, however, the cask was opened and found to be empty. The pickled body was removed and, upon inspection, a hole was discovered from which sailors had been sipping away at the liquid. “Nelson’s blood” is now another term sometimes used to describe rum. There is a little hearsay to this story, but it’s still a very interesting one.
Navy Strength Rum is often found nowadays. Many companies sell Navy Strength versions of their rums. Navy Strength needs to be 57% or above, as set light to gunpowder with rum would burn over this abv. This was a trick to tell if the spirit wasn’t watered down, as there was no equipment to measure abv at the time. And, it was not uncommon for either the distillery, or the purser, to take advantage of that.
Well, there we are, just a few tit bits to make up a small base knowledge. There is a wealth more information out there! If you’re interested in it then get out there and start learning!
Cheers!
Today marks World Baking Day! Now, it doesn’t matter if you’re a Mary Berry or a James Acaster, World Baking Day is all about rolling up your sleeves, rolling out your mix and having a bit more fun. And what’s fun? Baking with booze! I’ve been scouring the internet for a few recipes to share with you today in case you fancy having a go over the weekend. Unless of course you’re off to Leeds for this weekend’s festival, which is promising to be a gooden. Leeds is a great place and when I’ve visited festivals there before, it’s always been a blast!
A little birdy tells me they’ve got 2500+ attending at the Town Hall. Food from The Street Food Guy and a wonderful array of stalls, including: Brockmans, Rascal, Kuro, Schweppes, Soul, Agnes Arber, Old J, Empress gin, Shelleys, Nelson, Manly and Normindia! Ooderlally! With those, as well as the bars, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Bring it on!
Now then, back to the baking! Let’s start off with the gin:
Gin Lemon Drizzle Cake
A Ginny Lemon Drizzle Cake is surely the starting point on any gin baking journey. Lemon drizzle cakes are a popular choice and the citrus flavours lend themselves to gin effortlessly. Whether you want to keep it simple with a recipe from the Sainsburys site: https://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/alcoholic/gin-and-lemon-drizzle-cake?
Fancy stepping it up a gear? You can with this great recipe for Mediterranean gin and tonic drizzle cake, using oranges and limes rather than the go to lemon. The recipe can be found on the Sharkett Sisters site: http://sharkettsisters.blogspot.com/2017/05/mediterranean-gin-and-tonic-drizzle-cake.html you can create something that’s show stopping and delicious.
Gin Cheesecake
More of a cheesecake person? We’ve got you covered. There are plenty of recipes online for gin lemon cheesecakes. Just to try something different, you can make this lovely sloe gin cheesecake. Being more of a liqueur, you could try this with one of the various gin liqueurs out there so there is huge scope for experimentation! You can find the recipe from Good Housekeeping here: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/a574229/sloe-gin-cheesecake/
And if you’re feeling pretty confident in the kitchen, I would suggest this recipe for one of the most beautiful gin cheesecakes I’ve ever seen. It’s a Strawberry and Lavender Gin cheesecake by Liquid Culture at: https://www.liqculture.com/strawberry-lavender-gin-cheesecake/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_smartloop&utm_content=smartloop&utm_term=13409580
Now for the rum fans, there are some very special treats here.
Again, let’s start simple with a Rum Cake. Rum cakes are traditional, holiday season desserts from the Caribbean. Their usually formed as a bundt cake and can contain fruit which has been soaked in rum. However this receipt is incredible simple and uses a packer of cake mix as the base, so if you’re only so skilled in the kitchen, then this is the one for you! You can find the recipe from allrecipes here: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17456/golden-rum-cake/?lnkid=pin14514
And those sweet, spiced rum flavours go great in chocolate, so you could use chocolate in there too. You could do this by adding cocoa powder, or as in this recipe, devils food cake mix. Phoar! Here’s a simple recipe for that from Big Oven: https://www.bigoven.com/recipe/worlds-best-chocolate-rum-cake/169467/amp
Now, something really rather special for you more ambitious bakers out there. This ridiculous and incredible Pecan Caramel Rum Cake from Salted Mint. It looks absolutely divine and would be wonderful with a little coffee, or rum on the side? Maybe stick to coffee. Still, you can find the recipe here: https://www.liqculture.com/strawberry-lavender-gin-cheesecake/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_smartloop&utm_content=smartloop&utm_term=13409580
I hope that’s sparked off a few ideas for you! These are some of my favourites. But, there are so many recipes to be found online! If you fancy sharing any of your creations you can email them to me and I’ll include them on the blog, or for a bit of instant gratification, you can upload photos to your social media including the handle @GinFestival and the #worldbakingday.
And as for you lovely lot heading out to Leeds this weekend, I hope you have a wonderful time! Remember to share your photos and experiences! You can write to me at bernadette@ginandrumfestival.com and tag us on your social media too. Have fun!
Hope you have a great weekend and week people! Over and out!
Bernadette
I received the most wonderful email recently from Colin.
Colin is based in South Africa and wanted to share his collection with us. Not only share his collection but the scores that him and his wife have accumulated over the years, finally completing scores on their entire collection!
Colin first got in contact to say:
“Not sure whether you will find the information on the attached list useful or not ?
My wife and i have just finished tasting all of our 142 gins and did decided to
keep a record of the scores for each bottle tasted, and as in most things in life our
comments are very much our personal taste but we thought the findings could
make some good reading and should be self explanatory.”
Well, firstly. I wanted to see their home bar. And this is what they sent:
And naturally, I asked for a picture of Colin and his good lady:
Look at that love! Absolutely amazing!
” The bar is at home as the additional attached photo’s will confirm [We live in
a little place called Marina Beach in KwaZulu Natal South Africa [South of Durban]
The history of the “my bars” go back to my time in the UK beginning in the early
70’s as once I had completed my apprenticeship and started working overseas I then
had enough disposable income to have a bar at home. The one you see now is a
joint design and hand made specifically for the house in solid red wood and is a far
cry from my original slated pine one. I even met my second wife over my bar with a
40 oz bottle of Tanqueray that I had just brought back from Bahrain. When I asked
her what she would like to drink she said “I would love a G & T.” A lady of class I said,
which she replied, lots of class but no cash !!! [I even asked her husband if I could take
her out for dinner !!!, 45 years later we are still married] So my personal bar is really part
of who I am and it seems to me to be very much a part of my English upbringing. I still
remember my father telling me that the British Empire was built on G & T’s, the gin to
make you forget where you were and the quinine to keep the malaria down!!
Now, there will be mixed opinion on sharing the scores. Some people like to go it alone, to find what they think before they find out what others think. Others, well, they’re researchers. They like to know as much as possible before trying something, to get that full understanding of it. If you’re the first type, don’t read on. If you’re the second, well, you guys, this is for you. Before I go, let’s just say a big thank you to Colin for getting in touch! If you’d like to share photos of your home bar, spirit collection or personal scorings then email me at bernadette@ginandrumfestival.com
| NAME | DATE | TASTE | AROMA | TASTE & TONIC | REMARKS |
| A MARI OCEAN @ 43% | 26/12/18 | 3.25 | 3.5 | 4.25 | Sippable use cucumber [South African] |
| BATHTUB @ 43.3% | 19/10/18 | 2.75 | 3.0 | 3.5 | [English] |
| BEEFEATER LONDON DRY @ 47% | 11/01/19 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 | [English] |
| BEEFEATER # 24 @ 45% | 19/10/18 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | [English] |
| BEEFEATER PINK @ 37.5% | 27/01/19 | 3.0 | 3.0 | N/A | [English] |
| BELGRAVIA @ 43% | 29/09/18 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | [South African] |
| BIG BEN LONDON DRY @ 43% | 03/11/18 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | [Indian] |
| BIOSTILLA ORGANIC DRY @ 43% | 03/11/18 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 | [Italian] |
| BLAAUWKLIPPEN 3X BOTANICALS @ 43% | 03/02/19 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 | [South African] |
| BLAAUWKLIPPEN 3X CITRUS @ 43% | 26/01/19 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | [South African] |
| BLAAUWKLIPPEN 3X JUNIPER @ 43% | 12/10/18 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | [South African] |
| BLACK HORSE @ 43% | 29/09/18 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | [South African] |
| BLAK MOUNTAIN KAROO DRY @ 43% | 27/01/19 | 2.0 | 2.25 | 3.5 | Sippable [South African] |
| BLACKWOOD VINTAGE @ 40% | 29/09/18 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | Sippable [Scottish] |
| BLIND TIGER @ 46 % | 29/12/18 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | [South African] |
| BLOEDLEMON @ 43% | 13/10/18 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | [South African] |
| BLOOM @ 40% | 05/10/18 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | [English] |
| BOMBAY EAST @ 47% | 03/11/18 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | Sippable & use less tonic[English] |
| BOMBAY ORIGINAL DRY @ 43% | 05/10/18 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.5 | [English] |
| BOMBAY SAPPHIRE LONDON DRY@ 47% | 20/01/19 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 4.0 | Sippable [English] |
| BOMBAY STAR OF BOMBAY @ 47.5% | 15/09/18 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | Just about sippable [English] |
| BOPLASS LONDON DRY @ 43 % | 26/12/18 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | Sippable with cucumber[South African] |
| BOTANIST @ 46% | 18/08/18 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | Sippable but use no Lemon [Scottish] |
| BOTTEGA BACUR @ 43% | 07/09/18 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 | Sippable [Italian] |
| BULLDOG @ 40% | 22/09/18 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | Sippable [English] |
| CAORUNN @ 43.8% | 18/08/18 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | [Scottish] |
| CAPE TOWN CLASSIC DRY @ 43% | 26/10/18 | 2.75 | 3.0 | 4.25 | Sippable [South African] |
| CAPE TOWN THE PINK LADY @ 43 % | 05/01/19 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.25 | [South African] |
| CAPE TOWN ROOIBOS RED@43% | 16/01/19 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.25 | [South African] |
| CLEMENGOLD @ 43% | 06/10/18 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | [South African] |
| CONSULATE @ 43% | 29/09/18 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | [South African] |
| D’ARIA RENOSTERBOS@43 | 09/11/18 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | Sippable [South African] |
| DEEP SOUTH CAPE DRY @ 43% | 04/01/19 | 1.75 | 3.0 | 3.5 | [South African] |
| DIE MAS KHALAHARI DRY @ 43% | 27/01/19 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | Sippable [South African] |
| DIPLOME @ 44% | 07/10/18 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 | [French] |
| DISTILLARY 031 DURBAN DRY@ 43% | 25/01/19 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.75 | [South African] |
| DURBANVILLE @ 43% | 03/02/19 | 1.75 | 2.0 | 2.5 | [South African] |
| EDGERTON DRY GIN @ 40% | 26/10/18 | 1.75 | 2.0 | 3.0 | [English] |
| ELEPHANT GIN @ 45% | 02/11/18 | 3.25 | 3.5 | 3.75 | [German] |
| FLOWSTONE BUSH WILLOW @ 43% | 03/11/18 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.75 | Just about Sippable [South African] |
| FLOWSTONE WILD CUCUMBER @ 43% | 06/01/19 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | Sippable [South African] |
| FLOWSTONE MARULA @ 43% | 09/11/18 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.75 | [South African] |
| FINERY GRAPEFRUIT @ 43% | 09/11/18 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.75 | Just about Sippable [South African] |
| GABRIEL BOUDIER SAFFRON @ 40% | 26/10/18 | 1.75 | 2.5 | 2.5 | [French] |
| GILBEY’S DRY@ 43% | 12/01/19 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | [English] |
| GILBEY’S APPLE LIQUER @ 20% | 12/01/19 | 2.5 | 2.5 | N/A | [English] Do not buy |
| GILBEY’S BERRY LIQUER @ 20% | 27/12/18 | 1.0 | 1.0 | N/A | [English] Do not buy |
| GILBEY’S BITTER ORANGE @ 20% | 27/01/19 | 2.0 | 2.0 | N/A | [English] Do not buy |
| GIN FACTORY @ 43.8% | 11/08/18 | 1.25 | 1.5 | 2.5 | [Scottish] |
| GINIFER CHILLI INFUSED @ 43% | 04/02/19 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | [South African] If you like chilies then this is the one for you !! |
| GINIFER JOBURG DRY @ 43 % | 13/01/19 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 | [South African] |
| GINMG LONDON DRY @ 43 % | 12/12/18 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.25 | [Spanish] |
| GINOLOGIST CITRUS @ 43 % | 03/02/19 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 | [South African] With Lime |
| GINOLOGIST FLORAL @ 43% | 07/10/18 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 | [South African] |
| GINOLOGIST SPICE @ 43 % | 05/01/19 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | [South African] |
| GORDON’S LONDON DRY @ 43% | 11/11/18 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 4.0 | [British] |
| GREENHALL’S LONDON DRY @43% | 20/01/19 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 4.0 | Sippable [British] with lime |
| GREY HAWK SINGLE GRAIN @ 43 % | 12/01/19 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | [South African] |
| HAYMAN’S LONDON DRY @ 43 % | 19/04/19 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.5 | Sippable with lime [British] |
| HENDRICK’S DRY @ 44% | 18/01/19 | 3.25 | 3.5 | 4.25 | Sippable [Scottish] |
| HENLEY’S TRADITIONAL@ 43% | 01/02/19 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | [South African] Do not buy |
| HOPE LONDON DRY @ 43% | 12/10/18 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | [South African] |
| HOPE MEDITERRANEAN @ 43% | 26/12/18 | 2.5 | 2.75 | 3.0 | [South African] |
| HOPE on HOPKINS WINTER WARMER @ 43 % | 19/01/19 | 0.75 | 0.75 | 1.0 | [South African] Do not buy |
| HOPE SALT RIVER @ 43 % | 04/01/19 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.75 | [South African] |
| HOWLING OWL @ 43 % | 24/12/18 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.2 | Sippable [South African] |
| HUNTLEY COOPER LONDON DRY@ 43% | 11/01/19 | 3.75 | 3.75 | 4.25 | Sippable [French] |
| ICEBERG LONDON DRY @ 43% | 27/10/18 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | [Canadian] |
| INVERROCHE AMBER @ 43% | 01/09/18 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 4.0 | Sippable [South African]
Not a classic style gin |
| INVERROCHE CLASSIC @ 43 % | 06/01/18 | 2.75 | 2.75 | 4.0 | [South African] |
| INVERROCHE COCO CARISSA @ 43 % | 07/02/19 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 | [South African] No lemon or Lime |
| INVERROCHE VERDANT @ 43% | 29/12/18 | 3.0 | 3.25 | 4.25 | [South African] |
| JAMES ENGLISH LONDON DRY@ 43% | 11/11/18 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 3.0 | [Scottish Good Bye ] |
| JAWBOX @ 43% | 15/09/18 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 | [English / Belfast] |
| JENEVER MONTANE FYNBOS DRY @ 43% | 03/11/18 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | [South African] |
| J.J WHITELEY LONDON DRY@ 43% | 12/01/19 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | Sippable [English] |
| JODHPUR @ 43% | 11/08/18 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.0 | Sippable [English] |
| JORGENSENS @ 43% | 03/02/19 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | [South African] Do not buy |
| JORGENSENS HIBISCUS @ 43 % | 13/01/19 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | [South African] |
| JUNIPER MOON @ 43% | 07/10/18 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 3.0 | [South African] |
| KAAPSE BUCHU @ 43% | 19/01/19 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | [South Africa] Do not buy |
| KWV CRUXLAND @ 43% | 27/10/18 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | [South African] |
| LANGLEYS OLD TOM
@ 47% |
22/09/18 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 3.5 | [English] |
| LONDON GIN CO # 1 @ 40% | 14/10/18 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 | [English Blue] |
| LIVERPOOL @ 43 % | 29/12/18 | 2.75 | 3.0 | 4.0 | [English] |
| MALFY @ 43% | 20/10/18 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.25 | Sippable but use less tonic[Italian] |
| MASTERS LONDON DRY @ 43% | 01/02/19 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 4.0 | [Spanish] |
| MELBOURNE GIN COMPANY @ 42% | 25/08/18 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | [Australian] |
| MIRARI BLUE ORIENT @ 43% | 18/01/19 | 3.25 | 3.25 | 4.25 | [South African] With lime |
| MIRARI PINK DAMASK @ 43% | 19/01/19 | 3.25 | 3.25 | 4.25 | [South African] With lime |
| MONKEY 47 @ 47% | 25/08/18 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.25 | [German] |
| MUSGRAVE PINK @ 43% | 01/02/19 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 | [South African] |
| MUSGRAVE SPECIAL @ 43 % | 20/01/19 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | Sippable [South African] With lime |
| NEW HARBOUR ROIIBOS @ 43 % | 04/02/19 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | [South African] Do not buy |
| N1 DISTILLERY @ 43% | 26/01/19 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.25 | Sippable [South African] |
| NUMBER 3 @ 46% | 25/08/18 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | Sippable [English] |
| OLD BUCK @ 43% | 13/10/18 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | [South African] |
| OPIHR @ 40% | 01/09/18 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 | [English] |
| 0URA LONDON DRY @ 43% | 21/10/18 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.25 | Sippable but use less tonic [French] |
| OXFORD DRY @43 % | 23/12/18 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | [South African] Do not buy |
| OXLEY LONDON DRY @ 43% | 22/12/18 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | Very Sippable [English] |
| PIENAAR & SON EMPIRE @ 43% | 04/11/18 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | [South African] |
| PIENAAR & SON ORIENT @ 43% | 11/11/18 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.75 | [South African] |
| PLYMOUTH NAVY STRENGH @ 57% | 15/09/18 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.5 | [English] |
| Q | |||||
| RED STONE @ 43% | 29/12/18 | 1.75 | 2.0 | 2.5 | [South African] |
| RED STONE CLASSIC @ 43% | 11/01/19 | 3.75 | 3.5 | 4.0 | Sippable [South African] |
| ROKU @ 43 % | 15/12/18 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | [Japanese] |
| ROTTCHER SLOWVELD CLEMENTINE @ 43% | 11/08/18 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 2.0 | [South African] |
| ROYAL FLUSH @ 43% | 25/01/19 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.75 | [French] |
| ROYAL NAVY @ 43% | 29/09/18 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | [Mauritian] |
| SEAGRAMS @ 43% | 14/10/18 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 | [American] Good Buy] |
| SINCLAIR LONDON DRY @ 43% | 26/01/19 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | [South African] Good Bye] |
| SIPSMITH @ 43.3% | 01/09/18 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 | [English] |
| SIXDOGS KAROO BLUE @ 43% | 21/10/18 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 | [South African] |
| SIXDOGS THORN & LAVENDER @ 43% | 25/01/19 | 2.25 | 3.25 | 4.5 | [South African] |
| STEP 5 @ 43% | 15/09/18 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 | Very Sippable [South African] |
| STRETTONS DOUBLE CUT @ 43% | 22/01/19 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | [South African] Good buy |
| STRETTONS LONDON DRY@ 43% | 28/10/18 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | [South African] Good Buy] |
| STRETTONS ORIGINAL @ 43% | 22/09/18 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | [South African] Good Buy] |
| SUGARBIRD CAPE FYNBOS @ 43% | 19/10/18 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 4.25 | [South African] |
| TANQUERAY LONDON DRY @47.3 | 13/01/19 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 4.5 | [English] |
| TANQUERAY MALACCA @ 41.3% | 22/12/18 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | Very Sippable [English] |
| TANQUERAY No 10 @ 47.3 % | 04/01/19 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 4.5 | [English] |
| TANQUERAY RANGPUR @ 41.3% | 07/09/18 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | Very Sippable[English] |
| THE GENERALS @ 43 % | 04/02/19 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 | [South African] |
| THE LONDON No 1 @ 47% | 07/09/18 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | Sippable [English] |
| TIME ANCHOR LONDON DRY@ 43% | 28/12/18 | 1.25 | 1.25 | 2.0 | [South African] |
| TIME SQUARE LONDON DRY@43 % | 23/12/18 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | [South African] Do not buy |
| TOWER BRIDGE LONDON DRY@ 43% | 25/01/19 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | [South African] Do not buy |
| TROUVAILLE BLOSSOM & HOPS @ 43% | 11/11/18 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.75 | [South African] |
| U | |||||
| V | |||||
| WESTCLIFF JOBURG DRY @ 43% | 04/11/18 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 | [South African] |
| WHITELY NEILL ALOE & CUCUMBER @ 43 % | 14/02/19 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 4.0 | [English] |
| WHITELY NEILL DRY @ 43 % | 24/12/18 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.25 | Sippable [English] |
| WHITELY NEIL [Protea & Hibiscus] @ 43% | 22/09/18 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | [English] |
| WILDERER FYNBOS @ 43 % | 16/01/19 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 | [South African] With lime |
| WILLIAMS GB @ 40% | 18/08/18 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 | Sippable, Use Lemon zest & fresh ginger [English] |
| WILSONS LONDON DRY @ 43 % | 13/01/19 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | [South African] Do not buy |
| WIXWORTH RENOSTERBOS@43 | 05/01/19 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.25 | [South African] |
| WOODSTOCK BEER INCEPTION @ 43% | 26/01/19 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | [South African] |
| WOODSTOCK HIGH TEA INCEPTION@43% | 03/02/19 | 2.75 | 2.75 | 3.0 | [South African] If you like tea then this is the one for you |
| WOODSTOCK WINE INCEPTION @ 43% | 26/10/18 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | [South African] |
| X | |||||
| Y | |||||
| Z | |||||
| TOTAL TO DATE 142 on 17/04/19 |
I’m so pleased that I’m starting to get emails from you lovely lot! I wanted to share one of the first ones with you. I recently received a question from a friendly looking chap called Terry. Terry says:
Hi Bernadette, what have you got against the South West?
All the festival for 2019 all over the country but nothing in either Devon
or Cornwall, why are we deprived of a festival, especially when so many
small batch craft gins are distilled here.Take a look at Torquay, an amazing place for an event.
Terry
I did respond to Terry, explaining that the first festival I worked at for Ginfestival.com was in Torquay and we had a great time there. I think it’s an important question that needs addressing and he has kindly said we can share the question on the blog. Also, he’s absolutely right. The South West have really been making a name for themselves in gin in recent years and there are some fantastic brands that way, Tarquins being one of my personal favourites.
Gin and Rum Festival took on quite a large expansion last year, picking up a lot of the festivals cancelled by Ginfestival.com and offering free entrance to customers who already had tickets to the cancelled event. As you can imagine, a festival takes a lot of work. The logistics of organising and transporting everything, setting up, running and packing down is no easy task, especially when crammed into a weekend, and that’s just the back end stuff! So it was important for us to take the time this year to ensure we are working efficiently to bring an event that we are really passionate about to our customers. Saying this, we are well aware that there are some ‘gaps on the map’ so to speak, and we are very keen to bridge them!
So, Terry, I hope that you’ll be pleased to hear that Torquay is now on our list for new festivals. And, we’d like other suggestions for where you would like to see a festival too! Tell me where you want to see a festival and why, and as soon as we’re ready to start adding dates we’ll be getting on the case.
Thank you for your question Terry! More like that please!
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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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