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Is There Room on Your Broom for a Gin or Three?
I’ve loved reading Julia Donaldson’s books to my son and daughter over the years, minus the gin obviously, well … certainly on their part?! You probably won’t believe me when I say this, but I’m still blown away by the number of wonderful things you can do with gin, along with the empty bottles which just get even more gorgeous - it’s the industry that just keeps giving - the possibilities are truly fang-tastic! Sorry couldn’t resist. I doth my witches hat to them all, keep up the great work.
I’ve never really been into Halloween to be honest, however, I’ve been happy to oblige and put on themed parties for my daughter who loves it all, unlike my son, who couldn't give two hoots (boom boom). She’s nearly 16 now though so all ghoulish activities this year are going on somewhere much cooler than around our kitchen table, that said, regardless of whether you have kids or not, there’s no reason not to treat ourselves to some fiendishly wicked gin inspired recipes, just to get us into the spirit of things. So, kicking off with a couple of Martini’s with a twist - inspired by the new James Bond film, not that I can imagine Daniel ‘Wroughton’ Craig sipping on these any time soon (dead or alive) ... and yes, that really is his middle name. So, listed in no particular order:
No. 1 - Chocolate Orange Martini – thanks to the Craft Gin Club for this one, utterly delicious - https://bit.ly/3miNEo1
No. 2 - Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Martini thanks to Nikki @theonlywayisgin for this one (see her Instagram page for the recipe) – free delivery on all her fabulous party cocktail boxes too which are honestly an absolute treat to receive – oh, and get this “I want dark chocolate to be a part of your daily existence because it’s delicious, it’s great for your brain and it’s packed with nutrients” Drew Ramsey (shared by our very own Dr. Chatterjee) all good stuff here I’m telling you!
I also raise my witches brew to www.ilovegin.com – I’ve just signed up to their monthly mini boxes – can’t wait for my first selection. Holly also kindly supported a couple of my online events with her ‘Holly’s Gin’ during lock-down, which I’ve continued to buy along with her vintage glassware too – they would make gorgeous Christmas gifts for gin lovers by the way – their suggested Halloween tipple is not for the faint hearted
No. 3 - The Bronx - you have been warned! https://bit.ly/3BqgPdd
No. 4 - G&T Orange Polenta Cake - thanks again to Holly - served with lashings of lemon ice cream – if you close your eyes and eat this, I believe you could be transported to Le Marche in Italy which is where I took a gorgeous group of retreaters this month (or “bunch of coconuts” as we’re now fondly known) and met Lorenzo Castricini the man behind Scriptorium Gin who also made us some deliciouso cocktails and told us his story – bellissimo we loved the whole experience! Holly suggests Palmers London Gin and Double Dutch Spices & Oakwood - https://www.ilovegin.com/gt-orange-polenta-cake/ - You could also experiment with Scriptorium Gin for the full ‘That’s Amore’ experience. Photo below of us all making pasta on retreat, before sipping on the gin.
What's been happening at Gin & Yin HQ?
Allora, after a rocky start to the year and some debates with me, myself, and I about whether to throw in the towel or not, I’ve managed to run 2 retreats in the last 5 weeks with this month’s ‘Sold Out’ retreat taking place at the very beautiful Villa Olivo, in Le Marche collaborating with Lisa Dunn, so I'm currently feeling very happy indeed. We had the best time doing yoga, sipping gin and local wines, exploring the area, enjoying tasting menus, shopping, making our own pasta and pizza, learning about olive oil production and so much more – we left with full tummies and full hearts. Thanks also to Rory at Martin Millers Gin for gifting us their delicious Summerful Rosemary Gin too to help get the retreat started the right way, perfecto for this trip - to see all the lovely things we got up to – click here: https://bit.ly/3CkBrVs
If you’re interested in joining us on this one in May 2023, drop me a line and I’ll keep you informed. I’ve also packaged up some lovely goodie boxes for a friend's event called ‘The Art & Meditation Retreat’ in Norfolk this week too – so lovely to be asked, I enjoyed putting them together, I hope everyone enjoys them.