Newsletter – No Pants Day

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