Soul Salty White Russian!

Newsletter – Friday 22nd November

So here we are! Middlesbrough! The final festival of the year! Absolutely amazing to think of what the team have done, the miles travelled, the good times given, the spirits shifted. I think a big round of applause for the team will be necessary after this one. And, a big thank you to all of you that came to our events and made them what they were! We couldn’t do this without you. Once we wrap that up, our events team will be able to give their little feet a rest, while those at the office will be busy, beavering away getting things into place for next year.

And what of next year? The dates are out! Have you seen them yet? I’ll be putting a bit more focus into them next week. Next year’s festival season doesn’t start until March, so you’ve got a little time. But hey, tickets to one of our events would make a pretty cool present for someone, plus you can be super cheeky as if they’re going, you should go with them, right? So, you’d better get a ticket for yourself too, because you’re thoughtful like that! Get your tickets here!

So, last week I mentioned Soul Passion and that I had been slipping a bit into a Mimosa to make a rather excellent party drink. Well, this week I wanted to look at Soul Passion’s little brother, Soul Salty. Soul Salty is a darling little drink, slightly lighter on the abv and sweet, with added salted caramel flavour, it’s delicious on the rocks, but sometimes it’s nice to be inventive. So, I’d like to propose a drink for those who like White Russians.

White Russians are easy drinks. Thick and creamy, they’re for someone who likes to take their time with a drink and keep a gentle pace. Normally made with vodka, kaluha and milk. Have a go with one replacing the vodka with Soul Salty. It makes for a drink that taste like some posh chilled coffee, with a lovely little kick to it too.

So, there we are! Hope you’re all keeping warm and wrapped up. Have a great week!

Bernie and The G&R Team

• Posted on November 20th, 2019 in Cocktail Recipes

Newsletter – Soul Passion Mimosa!

Newsletter – Friday 15th November

Happy Friday Team!

How are we doing this week? Hope you’ve had a good one. I’m excited, because today I get to talk a little about Scotland. Why is that exciting? Because Scotland is fab! Why am I talking about it? Because The Gin and Rum Festival have recently released their 2020 dates and they include the first ever Gin and Rum Festival in Glasgow! That’s right, on Friday 21^st and Saturday 22^nd of August we’ll be in town, bringing you some of the finest gins and rums around!

Admittedly, I’ve not been to Glasgow myself, but I’ve been to Edinburgh and there I was taught a valuable lesson. I was holding a gin masterclass and normally I research a bit of local history to bring to an event. When I started looking into Scottish gin history, I was amazed! Down South a lot of gin history centres around London and I was oblivious to the goings on up there. It makes sense as in places like Leith, there were strong trading connections with the Dutch, where they sourced Genever, they also had access to the botanicals needed to craft the spirits. A slump in popularity left the centre of the industry, Edinburgh with no gin distilleries at all. Its only recently started growing again with the recent gin boom but is already a big industry again.

So, I wondered how many of you have tried Soul Passion when you were at one of the festivals? It’s been a popular seller, and it’s quite easy to see why. Those tropical flavours come through a treat. Recently I’ve been using mine to make mimosas. Similar to a Bucks fizz, the Mimosa is slightly more easy going. A Bucks Fizz is made from two parts champagne or prosecco and one-part orange juice. A Mimosa is simply half and half champagne/prosecco and orange juice. However, in some places its not unusual to slip a little nip of spirit in there two. White rum is quite often used and gin also works well. I’ve found by delightful experimentation that the Soul Passion is a divine addition to give your Mimosa a delicious twist. And, with party season around the corner, this is a simple but indulgent welcoming drink for guests.

Next week we’re back for the final festival of the year! We’re in Middlesbrough! Who’s coming? If you are I hope you’re up for a good night because we want the year to end on a high! As I mentioned at the start, the 2020 line up is out, a little more on that in a couple of weeks. Also, it’s worth keeping an eye on the newsletter in the coming weeks for special offers.

Have a great week, ya’ll!

Bernie & G &R

• Posted on November 14th, 2019 in Cocktail Recipes, News

Soul Rum – Soul Salty & Soul Passion!

Soul rum liqueurs are the result of rather clever idea from a group of friends who love their rum. They spotted that the rum industry is growing into something much like the gin industry, with discerning drinkers looking to try different rums, understanding the complexity of flavour, along with a historical story or two.

They also spotted the growing trend in gin liqueurs in recent years. The boom in gin liqueurs has created a huge industry, with an equally large variety of different flavoured liqueurs appealing to a vast number of consumers, some of which don’t normally drink gin, but have found the liqueurs to be a nice stepping stone before getting into the harder stuff and sometimes just enough on its own.

Well then, isn’t about time for rum liqueurs? Something a little gentler on the palate, a little bit sweeter and something that can be sipped over ice? Something pleasant and tasty for those that find the heavy hit of straight rum a little too much. Well, look no further than Soul. Aimed at those that like their drink a little softer, with an image of a lioness on the label for strength and a name as deep as it gets, it’s a well thought out and well-made little drink. The guys that thought it up don’t own a distillery so they worked with a third party distillery to create the liqueur and were heavily involved in constructing the flavour profile and tastings to hone the spirit. A little birdy tells me that there may be some other varieties on the way too.

Soul Passion is a wonderful, rum punch kind of drink with mango, pineapple and passionfruit. It’s beautifully sweet and fruity on its own. It perks up fresh juice, predominantly pineapple or mango but it would work in orange to keep it simple. You could also splash some into some lemonade or soda water, and it would be fab in prosecco. It also lends itself ever so well to tiki cocktail recipes, already nursing those vibrant key flavours. With summer coming, it would be great to freeze some in sorbets or dribble over ice cream to make your own boozy Solero style desert. It’s a delicious and incredibly versatile libation.

Soul Salty is something entirely different. Flavoured with Salted Caramel, it is absolutely divine on the rocks! Rich sweetness twists with the tingle of salt and velvet caramel flavours all melding together in a beautiful fashion. How to drink it? If you’re a fan of White Russians, try replacing the Kaluha for this and you are in for a tasty treat indeed. As far as I’m concerned you can’t beat it on it’s own, or slipping it into a hot chocolate. Keep it simple and add a 25ml measure to your favourite chocolate, or if you really want to go to town then build the hot chocolate into a freakshake with all the trimmings.

I’ve got a friend who doesn’t drink very much. She finds the taste of straight spirits far too much and she’s got quite the sweet tooth. I suggested she try a little bit of the Soul Salty when she came to visit recently, and she loved it! I had to tear the bottle away from her in order to finish this write up. Soul is definitely a great starting point for people wanting to get into rum, whilst not having a palate for so much of the heavier stuff. They’re beautiful drinks and I predict they’ll be opening the door to the rum world for many a drinker indeed.

Bernie @ The G&R Team

• Posted on November 14th, 2019 in Cocktail Recipes, News, Trends