Newsletter – 17th June 2020
Happy Wednesday Team!
Four days on, the dust is beginning to settle on World Gin Day. What a wonderful event! The spirits industry is such a fantastic community of vibrant and interesting people sharing a real passion for their product. It’s a very special thing. Emma, or Gin Monkey, the event organiser, really pulled it out of the bag with a whole host of events, covered all around the globe. And whilst the world may feel more segregated by Covid-19, Saturday’s effort reminded me just how connected we all still are.
If you missed out on the day, please don’t worry! There is still so much you can find online. There has been a whole host of distillery tours, pane discussions, tastings. So head onto social media (Twitter is a good option) and sech #WorldGinDay.
“So what are we celebrating this week?” I hear you cry! Well team, it’s only National Apple Strudel Day in the US, and that got me thinking about the humble apple. There is so much you can do with those tasty little morsels. So I’ve not only got some cocktail recipes for you, I’ve also got a recipe for a rummy Apple Strudel too.
Care of ChefSteps, we have a gimlet with a difference! This recipe could be as simple as they come, but there is the clever twist of lemon foam. It’s a genius twist on a classic. Not only that but this page also includes a lovely bit of history on the gimlet, one of gin’s great historic cocktails.
https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/apple-gin-gimlet
And what gin would you use for this? The recipe suggests an Old Tom, a gin with a sweeter style than London Drys. Sacred Old Tom: This high-strength interpretation of the 18th-century staple, with bold notes of Juniper and naturally sweet Liquorice Root, alongside a modern flourish of vacuum-distilled Spanish Sweet Orange Peels, which accentuate this classic sweeter gin.
Next up, not quite an apple strudel cocktail, this apple crumble cocktail was too good not to share. Sugar and Soul have created something really wonderful with this little drink and it is a glorious example of the beautiful combination of apple and rum.
https://www.sugarandsoul.co/apple-crumble-cocktail/
And a great cocktail like this deserves a great rum. Luckily we’ve got a spiced rum that fits the bill and it’s on special offer in our shop too! Rebellion Spiced Rum. The spicy figurehead of the Rebellion rum range – packed full of spice and great as the foundation of a tasty Cuban. Interestingly, this rum comes from a distillery founded in 1824.
And lastly on the cocktail front, this snazzy little number. Bon Appetit have really knocked it out the park with this, their Holiday Rum Sparkler. It sounds like pure heaven in a glass, deep, sweet, yet fresh and fizzy. Pick me a winner!
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/holiday-rum-sparkler
One rum from our collection stood out for this cocktail, Cana Y Colema Honey Rum. It’s made from a blend of quality aged rums and the finest honey, which are combined to make a drink with a fine body and an exquisite flavour. If you are going to use this I’d maybe lessen how much honey you put in to the cocktail. Let the spirit do the work wherever you can.
How do you get rum into an apple strudel? You soak the raisins, of course! No problems if you’re not too hot on the original recipe, here’s a recipe that tells you how to do the whole thing.
https://www.food.com/recipe/apple-strudel-with-rum-189303#activity-feed
I am almighty hungry for apple strudel now. I might have to scratch that itch and make one over the weekend. If you have a go do let me know, and if there’s anything you wanted to share you can always find me at bernadette@ginandrumfestival.com
Newsletter – Wednesday 6th June 2020
Happy Wednesday Team!
Strap yourselves in. This week is something special. Because on Saturday, we all get to celebrate WORLD GIN DAY! Woooooo!!!
World Gin Day was set up some 6 years ago by a top notch lady called Emma, otherwise known as the Gin Monkey. You can find her on this handle on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as her blog at http://www.ginmonkey.co.uk/. She is one of the leading gin bloggers and she knows her juniper! Do give her a follow, a tweet, a like, and strap yourselves in for a fantastic celebration of everything that is gin.
As with everything right now, World Gin Day is going virtual with it’s celebrations. But fear not! There is a wealth of stuff to do, from distillery tours to tastings to gin runs. There are some great distilleries involved. It’s all about getting together and enjoying the lovely stuff. My advice? Check out https://worldginday.com/whats-on/ for a full list of what’s on through the day and what great things you can get involved in. An extra bit of advice, check it soon and get in any supplies you might need for a marvellous day of gin and gin-based cocktails. All I ask is if you’re making gin-based cocktails, or you’re celebrating gins then you share those pictures with the hashtag #WorldGinDay. Likewise you can search that hashtag to see what everyone else has been doing to celebrate.
Are you thinking of making a few cocktails for the weekend? My cocktail shaker is a damn good friend of mine and we’ve had many a good night together. A cocktail shaker is very important. Though, if you don’t have one, you can make do with stirring. Martinis can be stirred, not shaken, you know? There are differences in preference, but at the end of the day, it’s your drink, you make it how you like it.
So with that, I wanted to give you some recipes from the two king of gin cocktails to try and as always, some gin recommendations from our shop to get your drinks a’clinklin..
The Martini. So, I share a lot of martini recipes and the thing is, it’s such a versatile drink. Gin and vermouth right? But gosh, it is not that simple. You can shake it or stir it. Some people will stir/shake the vermouth with ice then drain it and shake the gin with the ice. Some people will use a small amount of vermouth and mix it in. And then we have the astounding variety of gins and vermouths to use so your palette so to speak is just massive. Try and match flavours. Think about what works and what doesn’t and the fun part, try it out! Here’s something to get you started:
https://www.thespruceeats.com/classic-gin-martini-recipe-759739
The Negroni. Gollygosh a Negroni is a special piece of work. The villain to Bonds Martini, a Negroni is fierce, intense and bitter. There are bouts around the world as to whether the Martini or Negroni is King of the cocktail. Maybe you could try your hand at both and have your own tournament. Here’s a great selection of recipes just for you:
https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/cocktails-and-drinks/best-ever-negronis/
So as we always do, here are some recommendations for some great gins that are going to make some really good gin cocktails with a little bit of edge. Also, this week they are taken from our World Gin category, to celebrate World Gin Day.
Sloanes Dry Gin: Named after the 18th century botanist Sir Hans Sloane, who is said to have discovered many of the plants used to flavour gins today. Botanicals include iris root, coriander, angelica root, cardamom pods, liquorice root and whole vanilla beans. Buy it here
Scapegrace Gin: Now, this is a particular favourite of mine in the gin world. Scapegrace Gin comes to us all the way from New Zealand, featuring a selection of 12 botanicals, jjuniper, coriander, nutmeg, cardamom, lemon peel, orange peel, orris, cinnamon, cassia, angelila and liquorice. Lovely stuff. Buy it here
Glendalough Rose Gin: Wild Rose from the Wicklow mountains. Large, fragrant Heritage Roses and the ancient prized Damask Rose make up the rose gin. All of which come together to make this a naturally pink and very floral gin. Why did I go for this? It’s niche, it’s particular, there are a lot of cocktails it won’t work in. But if you have a love for floral flavours and fancy making some floral cocktails then this could be the one for you. It’s always worth thinking about how those spirits are going to work with everything else in there. Buy it here
So, once again, there we are! I am so super excited for World Gin Day. I can’t hype it enough! It’s a great event and Emma has gone to great lengths to ensure that despite the lockdown we can all celebrate in style so get yourselves involved and have a fabulous time!
Newsletter – 20th May 2020
Well hey there team!
It’s Wednesday! And it’s not just Wednesday, it’s Pick Strawberries Day! What a perfect encapsulation of childhood. Strawberry picking is a past time that seems to be on hold at the moment. Fingers crossed we get that back soon.
So, in the interim, I’ve got a selection of strawberry based spirits to offer you. And, it’s only right that I offer you some strawberry based cocktails, as well as some great strawberry based gins and rums.
I saw a video online the other day that I just have to share with you. Paul Hollyfield purchasing a £350 strawberry. Nonsense! I first thought, but then I watched it and golly, if I had a spare £350, which I don’t (who does nowadays), I’d have totally taken up that guy on his world leading strawberries. He’s spent a long time perfecting that breeding to create something truly marvellous and with the ideas playing in there. You can check out the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ1HwqrQ-PM
Watching that made me super fancy some of the juicy little red devils. So, let’s get started on some strawberry based classic cocktails.
Head honcho of the strawberry cocktail is arguably the strawberry daiquiri. This white rum based delight is a cream in girly social circles and it’s a bit more than that as far as I’m concerned. Sweet fruit with white rum is an absolute winner on a hot day. So have a crack at this easy version from Miss in the Kitchen:
https://www.missinthekitchen.com/easy-strawberry-daiquiri/
So, tha gives us a little bit of rum, but let’s make something that involves gin, as it’s a diva really and doesn’t liem being left out. It was tricky to find a quintessential strawberry based gin cocktail but I went with this one purely because it acknowledges the beautiful relationship between strawberry and basil. Not only that but I love the fact that this isn’t a particular cocktail. It’s just a mush up of different things and therefore has no particular identity other than a strawberry and basil cocktail:
https://showmetheyummy.com/strawberry-basil-gin-cocktail/
So now we’ve given you some ideas of what you can do with strawberries, let’s showcase you some things that distillers have, and that you can have, by heading over to our shop.
Gin Ting Berries, Berries, Berries. Who has tried Gin Ting? Represent! Now, if you haven’t’, don’t worry, it’ll come in time and taste all the nicer for the wait. However, for those that have this is a really interesting one because the original Gin Ting was all passion fruit and tropical flavours this, their second release banks solely on the berries. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, alongside more classic gin botanicals. Enjoyable tangy, the juniper and coriander spice are juxtaposed by the bright berry sweetness. Buy it here
Two Birds Strawberry and Vanilla Gin: With this gin, the nose has sweet strawberry fruit wrapped in a vanilla blanket with juniper shimmering on the side. The palate reflects the strawberry and cream initially but the other botanicals come to the party with the smooth and silky finish. Buy it here
Casiano Rum: Natural Strawberry extracts are added to a base of high quality white rum. This mixture is left to macerate and stabilize in a stainless steel tank until it reaches the optimum condition. Buy it here
So there we are! Strawberries for everyone! Hope you have a wonderful week. Stay safe and see you next Wednesday!
Newsletter – Friday 17th April
Well hey there team, Happy Friday!
Hope you guys are doing well out there in the world. How are we all feeling? Looking after each other, I hope?
Well it’s a rather pleasant ‘holiday’ day today, and one that we’re probably getting more and more used to. It’s officially No Pants Day. Whilst it’s taken from the American term and therefore means pants only, this fits nicely in with a lovely Finnish word and one of my favourite hobbies. Kalsarikänni is the art of drinking alone at home in your underwear and I can’t help but feel this is something that most of us can relate to right now. The good news is this is a Finnish pastime and not a sign that things are getting too much (keeping things in moderation of course), so if you’re doing the whole isolating/social distancing on your todd right now, I’d suggest this could be something to make your afternoon that little bit special.
And, as always, I’m here to help with some of the best drinks you can treat yourself too if you’re taking the day to acknowledge a little Finnish culture. Apparently it’s a way to cope with the long dark winters. So, in the honor of this wonderful past-time, I’m going to treat you to something a little special, the Finnish long drink. You may be familiar with Long Drinks, or essentially a spirit with mixer, rather than a shooter. Gin and Tonic, Rum and Cola, these sorts of drinks are known as Long Drinks. The Finnish Long Drink is predominantly made with gin and grapefruit but there are some great twists out there including cranberry and lime. The ABV averages somewhere between 5-8%. Interestingly, if you go to Finland, chances are you’ll find this on draft in a bar, sign me up! I’m definitely keen to take a trip to Finland when we’re set free again! If you’d like to find out a little more about it, you can check out this article https://theginisin.com/long-form/the-story-of-the-finnish-long-drink/ by renowned gin expert and friend Aaron Knoll. His blog, The Gin Is In, is one to follow for any gin fan and has inspired me to make a post of ‘blogs you need to read’. Keep your eyes out for this, gin and rummers, it’ll be your one stop list of all the blogs you need to read re gin and rum.
So, what gins can we at the Gin and Rum Festival offer to make a good Long Drink? I’ve got a few suggestions of one swe can offer:
Rarebird London Dry: Smooth Taste with Innovative fresh flavours. Distilled with a selection of the world’s finest botanicals including juniper, rosemary, hibiscus and citrus. Why do I think this one will work well, simple. Rosemary and citrus. Rosemary is a magnificent accompaniment to grapefruit.
McQueen and the Violet Fog: Made in small batches in a single copper pot over in the hills of Jundai, Brazil. It contains 21 botanicals, including handpicked Indian Basil leaves, Portugese rosemary, Mediterrainian fennel seed, calamansi from the South Pacfic and Vietnamese star anise. This not only goes well but one of you lucky lot will have recently one a bottle from us, so this one goes out to you!
Sacred Old Tom: This high-interpretation of the 18th century staple. With bold notes of Juniper and naturally sweet Liquorice Root, alongside a modern flourish of vaccum-distilled Spanish Sweet Orange Peels. I’m a big fan of the Sacred range and separately a big fan of Old Toms as they’ve got an immensely interesting history so I am all over this. The thing with the Old Tom is they are mostly sweeter than traditional dry gins, so that sweetness workings brilliantly with the sharpness of the grapefruit.
That’s a great set there. Add grapefruit, take off those trousers or skirt and relax into a little bit of Finnish culture. Ole hyvä. You’re welcome.
Hope you have a great week!
Big love
G&R
Newsletter – Friday 10th April
Happy Friday Team! And Happy Good Friday to you too!
And here we are, edging through the weeks, patiently waiting to pick up from where we left off. I don’t know about you, but during these difficult times I’ve taken great pleasure in picking up some things that I just didn’t have the time for before. Baking, gardening and learning the keyboard have been thoroughly enjoyable things to spend time. How are you all doing? And what have you been having a go at whilst passing the time?
So, it’s Good Friday. And, although a lot of us are at home at the moment, it’s important to snatch this opportunity to make the day a little special. And I’ve got some top tips on how to. First things first, I’ve found it’s all about replicating that bit of normality as much as you can. If you normally spend the Easter weekend with your family, how about you organise a video call? If you normally sit round the table together, you might not be able to do that, but perhaps you could. Organise a video call for the pudding, and sit the phone at one end of the table so it feels the same? Do you normally take the opportunity for a bit of DIY or gardening? Well you can still do that. You may not be able to take a trip out to get some materials, but I’ll bet you’ve got some stuff around your place that you can put to good use. If you’ve got kids, now’s a great time to get out the arts and crafts. Plus, if you’re a rum fan then do keep your eye out for our social media on Monday, we’ve got a great little competition for you.
Now, for this week’s drinks. There are so many amazing Easter Cocktails out there! I’ve found a few crackers to share below and I’d also like to focus on the ‘Good Friday’ and some interesting twists we can put on this by using some flavoured gins instead of aperol.
So first up, Easter Cocktails!
And for our showcase this week we’ve got some fabulous Easter cocktails for you!
For those chocholics out there, here’s a cracker of a recipe from Prima, bringing rum into the mix to create a cocktail from a true easter favourite.
https://www.prima.co.uk/all-recipes/quick-recipes/a38431/creme-egg-cocktail-recipe/
A bit of a wildcard, this. But, I just couldn’t resist the recipe from Lidl. It can use any classic gin, and a nice way to use any leftover sherry from Christmas, plus drinks so often use the egg white and it’s really interesting to see something using the yolk!
https://recipes.lidl.co.uk/Recipes/The-Golden-Goose
And although we’re due some great weather, here’s a little something just in case the rain comes. Care of Butternut Mountain Farm, here’s a really simple but lovely recipe for something a little more warming.
http://butternutmountainfarm.com/about-maple/recipes/noreaster-rum-cocktail
And secondly, the Good Friday. Now, I found this cocktail care of an Australian website that posted it way back in 2013. Firstly, check out the recipe here care of Pola Dot Bride’s make it yourself section:
https://www.polkadotbride.com/2013/03/cocktail-good-friday-aperol-orange-aperitif/
Now, cocktails are a creative thing, and as much as you want recipes to have a go out and make yourself, it’s also worth remembering that you can twist and remake the drinks in all sorts of different ways, inventiveness is the key to a good cocktail. So with that in mind. I wanted to give you a showcase of 3 different flavoured gins that would work really well:
Sacred Pink Grapefruit Gin: From the Sacred craft distillery in Highgate comes the Pink Grapefruit Gin, made using every but of the grapefruit, from the flesh to the peel even to the pips! It may sound obvious, but by golly does this have some phenomenal pink grapefruit flavours. Grab a bottle here
Sanction Pomegranate and Jasmin Gin: Sanction Pomegranate and Jasmin presents a fruity forward taste with a delicate floral aftertaste. Buy it here
KURO Peach Gin: A premium flavoured gin with a deliciously fruity Japanese inspired twist from KURO Gin. Plenty of peach flavours running through this one. Smooth and sweet, with plenty of soft peach notes and hints of floral juniper. Get a bottle
So there we have it! Hope this has given you a little something ex
tra for the long weekend. Whatever you are doing, we hope you have a wonderful time. Happy Easter!
Stay safe, 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 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
Newsletter – Friday 21st February
Happy Friday Team!
What’s today’s date, I hear you cry. Well, today we are revelling in Sticky Bun Day! That’s right, it’s officially sticky bun day and we want to celebrate that by giving you some of the best cake flavoured cocktails going.
We’re also starting to gear up for the first event of the year which is in Northampton. If you’re anyway near there or fancy taking a jolly that way then you can get some tickets for a session here. Likewise I’ll be looking at local distilleries/bars you can visit so if you know of anywhere do get in contact with me at bernadette@ginandrumfestival.com. I’ll be sending out some info recommending places in the newsletter on March the 6th. So, do keep your eyes out for ways to extend that visit.
Now then, back to cake cocktails. Who doesn’t love a sweet treat? The boom in champagne/cocktail high teas has gone to show that we just love a little bit of indulgence. So, I thought I’d sniff out some of the best cake flavoured cocktails that I could find. And, just to flip it, I’ve found a little something for all you chefs out there, a sticky bun recipe with a rum flavoured glaze. It goes beautifully with all the fruit and warm spice that you can put into a sticky bun so here, give it a try.
First up, we’ve got the lovely little Cake Batter Martini, care of the Novice Chef. What a show stopper of a cocktail! With specialist ingrediants such as cake vodka, and an amazing striped colour effect, it’s a really special thing. Check out the full recipe here:
https://thenovicechefblog.com/cake-batter-martini/
Next up, do you know anyone with a birthday coming up? Well how about trying out these Birthday cake shots, care of tablespoon.com. Comprising of vodka, irish cream (or you could vary the recipe by trying other cremes, a strawberry creme would be great!) and some lovely sweet stuff, you’ve got a great little surprise for some celebrations. These are presented nicely in shot glasses with sprinkles on the rim. But I’m starting to wonder if you could pimp it by chilli it and serving it in place of ice cream with some jelly. It’s easy enough to make a boozy jelly so in theory you could make an adults version of the kids party classic. You can find the full recipe here:
https://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/birthday-cake-shots/02a281fd-634b-47cd-88bc-c2886c1278a1
And, how about this Cinnamon Roll Cocktail, care of the Farm Wife Drinks. Leakh has knocked up a wonderful concoction of Kaluha and Rumchata. Rumchata is a rum liqueur, blending rum, cream, cinnamon and vanilla, so it brings all the flavour to this cocktail. Again, there;s plenty of room for experimentation here. But this recipe looks absolutely fab. You can check out the full recipe here:
https://www.farmwifedrinks.com/cinnamon-roll-cocktail/
And finally, because it is sticky bun day after, all, how’s about knocking up a batch of current buns, then, when they’re ready for glazing, use a couple of spoonfulls of apricot jam with a tablespoon of spiced rum. Give that a mix and see what you think, you might also want to add a drop of water if you find it too thick, but not too much. Glaze those little beauties and you’re ready to go.
And there we have it! I hope that’s given you some fun stuff to do over the next few days. On the 28th, we’ll be focusing on Floral design day with some floral cocktails and a look at butterfly pea gins, the magic gins that change colour.
Big love, Bernie and G&R
Newsletter – Friday 31st January
Happy Friday All!!
And this isn’t just any Friday. This is a super special Friday! This is the last day of January! So hats off to all you wonderful people doing Dry January and Veganuary! You’ve won! How have you found it? Any lessons or permanent changes as a result? It feels pretty good to test the old willpower every now and again, right? If you’re celebrating tonight, have a wonderful time. In your honour, I have scoured the internet to put together a fantastic collection of cocktails that are that little bit special, because you deserve it, obviously.
And, perhaps you’re one of those who weren’t doing Dry January or Veganuary and you were just holding out until payday? I get you guys! Well here we are! I think celebrations are in order.
Now, whether you are thinking party party, or you’re just super prepped and starting to think about Valentines Day, we’ve got a great deal for you. We’ve got a sale on Cin Cin at the moment. Have you tried it before? Pronounced ‘chin chin’, Cin Cin is a gin liqueur so at 20% ABV, it’s softer and sweeter than a full strength, traditional gin. The flavour profiles are also a step away from the more classic gin flavour, Cin Cin comes in Marshmallow and Parma Violet varieties. So, this gin liqueur is definitely for those of you with more of a sweet tooth and with that ABV and crowd pleasing party shimmer, it would be great on the rocks, as well as with a mixer. And, keep your eyes peeled as there will be reviews going up for these on our site soon.
Sweet gin liqueurs are raging at the moment. They are EVERYWHERE. The gin boom that started a few years ago has brought gin into the limelight and everyone wants a bit. Some people aren’t so into the strong, juniper forward flavour of classic gins. They want something softer and fruiter and that’s created a huge opportunity for gin liqueurs, especially when they have that nostalgic connection to old style sweets. They’re hugely popular. It’s important to recognise the difference between the spirits. In most senses, gins and gin liqueurs are two totally different things. The old sweet nostalgia is what’s behind the set of recipes I’ve sifted out for you today. Any of you like making sweets? Well, here we go:
Care of Bakingmad.com, here’s a great little recipe for Gin and Tonic Marshmallows’. Surprisingly easy to make and super tasty too, go check out their site at the link below:
https://www.bakingmad.com/recipes/confectionery/gin-tonic-marshmallows
Next up, something a little bit different, a Gin and Tonic Fudge from Jane’s Patisserie. I love a boozy fudge. I’m a big fan of rum fudge and Baileys fudge is outstanding. I think this is a really interesting recipe bring together creamy fudge with zingy citrus notes:
https://www.janespatisserie.com/2017/11/10/gin-and-tonic-fudge/
And lastly, come the fudge on. Who doesn’t want pink gin gummy bears? Or…if it’s valentines day, maybe you could pick up a heart mould instead and make pink gummy hearts for your loved one? Or you? I’m totally making me some, I deserve it. Care of Frugral family, this is a great recipe and super easy too.
https://www.frugalfamily.co.uk/pink-gin-gummy-bears/
Cor, they sound amazing. I’ve always fancied a bit of sweet making and what a great opportunity to give it a crack, aye? I’ve been doing the whole eat less exercise more since New Year. Wanted to kick start my January and it’s having such a good effect, I think I’m going to carry on. Still have to have a little bit of a good stuff though. Honestly, if I told myself I wasn’t going to have anything I liked, I’d crumble within hours. All about moderation, it seems. Anyway, pass me some pink gin gummies.
Happy Friday 31st January everyone! From all of us here, have a great night tonight if you’re out. Do remember to be kind to each other and stay safe as I’ll bet a few people out there will be going bananas.
Big love, all of us at GRF
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