Newsletter – Summer G&R Cocktails

Newsletter – 27th May 2020

Happy Wednesday Team!

How are we all doing? Did we have a good bank holiday Monday? I hope you managed to get a little bit of sunshine wherever you are, even if through an open window. Sitting in a chair in a sunny nook is a lovely thing. Now, today it’s sunscreen day today, so we’re celebrating everything sunshine. Plus, last week I took a ‘faux holiday’ at home (should have been Lisbon but hey, we’re all in the same boat there, huh?) And, on that first day away, I forgot my sun cream and burnt like a piece of bacon which definitely made the rest of the holiday a little trickier. So, with this in mind, I thought not only could I use this as a great opportunity to remind you all to cream up if you’re going outside. I could give you some hints on ‘faux holidaying’ at home, and deliver some bright flavoured gins and a suitable sunshine cocktail or two.

So, let’s start with the important thing. As you cool kids (the class of 95) will know, Baz Luhrmann once said “If I could offer you one piece of advice for the future, sunscreen would be it.” It’s important stuff and can save your life down the line so if you’re getting out in the sun give yourselves a good slathering of the white stuff first. I’ve taken to using factor 50 as once it’s on I know I’m alright for a bit.

Now we’ve got that important public announcement out of the way, let’s move onto the fun part huh? Firstly, if you have been affected by a holiday cancellation but are still taking that holiday, here are some top tips for recreating that holiday vibe at home. Yes, this is what we did last week, and I loved every second of it.

  1. Get up early for airport drinks. Treat yourself to something nice. At least you can saunter downstairs rather than undertake a two hour journey to your local airport. Mine’s Gatwick.
  2. Move. We were lucky and moved into the spare room. If you’re in a smaller pad, then set up a den in the lounge or move your room around. Or if you’re in a family, swap rooms for the week, whatever gives you that feeling of waking up somewhere different. This is a great substitute for the flight and finding your hotel. And add the little touches. We made up a minibar that wouldn’t lump us with a heavy surcharge at the end and it was fabulous.
  3. Recreate the surroundings. We treated ourselves to some sun loungers and a kiddy paddling pool and pretended we were at the beach. We also made a large glass drinks dispenser of rum punch which we sat on a table as a ‘poolside bar.
  4. Take in a bit of culture. We found a walking tour video on youtube, and sat and watched it in bed. Obviously not as good as being there, but it felt really good as it was raining in the video and we were all cozy and warm with tea and biscuits.
  5. Sample the local cuisine. Unfortunately we had no local take-away to try Portugese food. If you like to cook, and fancy a bit of self catering then hunt out some recipes to try. If you’re doing the whole lazy holiday thing then treat yourself to a takeaway, sit at the table and stick on some local music.
  6. Take holiday snaps. We had so much fun recreating typical holiday photos! Washing machine doors make great plane windows. Who knows what pool that blue is in the background. The imagination of the photos makes all the difference.
  7. Admire the architecture. We went for a quick walk around the block and went to the local park for an hour. We got some good holiday snaps of local architecture and countryside.
  8. Send postcards. Trying to sniff out a pack of Lisbon postcards was not easy. So, I got a pack of blank ones and drew our own. It was a nice little activity, it was an enjoyable walk to post them and the family appreciated it a lot.

I know some of those sound silly. But I found a bit of imagination really did help. No, we weren’t actually there, but all these little things helped create an experience that we really enjoyed and we definitely spent more time having fun than wishing we were there. 

Well hey, so far in and still no spirits This needs rectifying immediately! With a rather special little cocktail recently that I discovered via Cookin Canuk. I was draw to this receipt immediately by its use of one of one of my favourite citrus fruits, clementine along with the use of tarragon. An unusual but fabulous herb.

https://www.cookincanuck.com/clementine-lemon-gin-cocktail/

Then, we have this rather gorgeous little thing, care of the Spruce Eats. The colour of this drink, the straight up martini serve and the mingling flavours of gin and apricot brandy are something a little special. No wonder it’s call a Paradise Cocktail.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/paradise-cocktail-recipe-760108

And lastly. A simple twist on a stone cold classic. The Tequila Sunrise must be one of the most classic sunshine cocktails there is. And surprise, it’s super easy to make a gin version. Check out this recipe from Nutmeg Nanny and get cracking.

https://www.nutmegnanny.com/sunrise-gin-juice/

And as always, here’s my recommendations of  bright gins from our range. To be honest, with this sort of cocktail you could use a dry as you get so much lush sweetness from the clementine. But hey, if you like those bright notes then these will be for you!

Rascal: Although not citrus, I think Rascal makes the cut when it comes to what I’d call a sunshine gin. Light bright flavours reminiscent of a summer’s day. Passion fruit and raspberry take classic citrus to another level. Premium strength, no added sugar and a must try for pornstar martini fans. Buy it here

Fines Master London Dry: A gin created by professional rugby players Pat Cillers and Mike Rhodes. A classic gin with a hearty helping of citrus deliciousness namely orange, lime and grapefruit. The bottle even comes in a wrap reminiscent of a rugby jersey. It’s the big blast of citrus here that gives that lovely bright idea of sunshine. Love it. Buy it here

Mumbai: It doesn’t get much sunnier than the lush sweet flavours of mango. India’s greatest gift to the world is its native mango. Also known as the king of fruits, Mumbai gin is brimming with this tropical flavour and a burst of pomegranate. Buy it here

And there we go! A little bit of sunshine for you all. I hope you enjoy having a go at the drinks and do check out our shop for some of the recommendations. Hope you have an amazing few days in the sun. Have fun and get that sun cream on!