Gin is loved the world over. And what better way to bring everyone together, than to make a whole day dedicated to enjoying this delicious spirit. Wether you enjoy it neat, in a G & T or a cocktail, you have an excuse on Saturday 13th June to raise a glass …or two!
Organised by Emma Stokes (better known to everyone as Gin Monkey) the second Saturday in June has become a global celebration of all things gin. World Gin Day is taking a slight turn this year, as along with the rest of the world, it is going virtual.
There are so many incredible events planned that I am actually more excited this year as I can get a chance to “attend” more now that geography isn’t an issue!
There are online tastings, virtual distillery tours, Instagram lives, quizzes and zoom parties!
York Gin are having an amazing tasting, trivia and quiz at 6pm on Saturday so definitely check that out! Salcome Gin are having a live tasting session that you can sign up for on Wednesday 10th at 8.30pm, run in conjunction with Boutique Bar Brands I made a monumental error and signed up for this event but I have to work! Could cry! I was lucky enough to be gifted a bottle of their new Rose Santa Maria so I am going to catch up on Thursday, but if anyone is free there is still time to sign up it looks like an amazing event!
Fevertree are doing a virtual masterclass on Saturday 13th at 5pm and The Gin to my Tonic are putting on a virtual festival which sounds incredible, you can buy a festival basket with samples from Tarsier, Renegade, Brighton Gin and Sir Robin Of Locksley (so tempted!!) if you buy before Wednesday 10th June it should arrive in time for the tasting at 6pm on Sat 13th – get yours here: Gin to my Tonic Virtual Festival.
There are so many more exciting events and you can find them all over at worldginday.com there is also info on there about how to get hold of some top class cocktails to serve at home from some of the worlds best cocktail bars.
Now for a change of pace.
It’s fair to say that everyone’s level of drinking has altered since lockdown. We aren’t going out socialising and many aren’t working or are working from home so there has been a sharp uptake in drinking at home. It’s important to remember to give yourself plenty of booze free days and try not to go too far over the weekly unit guidelines – or at least not every week! Try and alternate alcoholic drinks with soft drinks and know your own limits. Thank you for coming to my TED talk! It’s dull but definitely something to keep in mind and as a drink blogger, something I always feel I have a responsibility to add. You can find plenty of great mocktail recipes on my Instagram http://www.instagram.com/sipping_and_styling
I asked you all over the weekend what gins you enjoy, what is on your wishlist, what tonics you like and all about garnishes. I had a fab response. It was brilliant to see so many of you mention small craft gin brands. There has been a huge shift lately and with hundreds of independent distillers starting up it can be a minefield trying to know what’s good. Here are a list of some of the phenominal drink accounts that always help me when I need a gin review
This list is not exhaustive there are so many amazing accounts I follow. It’s great to find someone with similar tastes to your own, so then you will know how they rate things is usually in keeping with your own tastes.
It was interesting to see the response to garnishes, lots more of you are enjoying the dried garnishes you can buy or make yourself now. Easy to store, look pretty without cluttering up your glass, which was one of the biggest comments. That many garnishes like juniper berries, peppercorns and especially herb garnishes, while they looked amazing were actually a bit of a distraction. This was interesting to know. I enjoy just ice and some lemon or a bit of orange rind in my gin but do occasionally go a bit bling in my choice of garnish!
Tonics were another great discussion with some people adamant that supermarket own ones were fine while others have been seeking out more obscure brands like Lixir, Artisan Drinks Co and Walter Gregor. Currently in my fridge is Merchants Heart who do the best Ginger Ale, and Franklin and Sons, their Mallorcan tonic is the business and the rosemary and black olive works so well. Lamb and Watt were a big favourite among flavoured tonic fans, but no surprise that Fever Tree were still top dog.
So how will you be celebrating World Gin Day? I have an afternoon Tea platter being delivered by a local caterer Katering Allsorts and I cant wait to have a fun day off. We are having a Zoom party with some friends and will be taking part in a few tastings!
Let me know how you will be celebrating by tagging me @sipping_and_styling in your Instagram posts and remember to use the hashtag #WorldGinDay for Gin Monkey – please check out her page and give her lots of support she does this all by herself and outs her all into making it a brilliant day.
Sipping and Styling 