Let the Summer beGIN!

Are you ready for summer yet guys? I can tell you now that I am more than ready, I just can’t wait. I’m starting to get used to all these little tasters of warm and sunny weather we’ve been having recently. The early May bank holiday was amazing and this weekend just gone wasn’t all that bad either, which was a blessing for the Royal Wedding. I don’t want to jinx anything but it’s been pretty dry in recent weeks too. I could really get used to this!

The best thing about it is obviously being able to spend a lot more time in the garden. It’s been great getting all the accessories out of storage again and dusting off the BBQ. We’ve already had a fair few al fresco dining experiences this year and have been able to invite friends and family around to join us. And for that reason I’ve been working on my hostess game!

So for today’s post I wanted to share something a little different with you. I’ve been thinking about lovely summer drinks that I can serve up to our guests when they join us for BBQs this year. It’s always nice to be able to offer something a little different, isn’t it? A good friend of ours has been involved in bringing a new gin to market and as soon as I tried it I knew this was going to be my tipple of choice this summer.

Agnes Arber gin launched at the end of 2017 and is inspired by the work of Agnes Arber. Arber was the first woman to receive the Gold medal of the Linnean Society, a world famous institution dedicated to the study of natural history. During her lifetime she also published an extensive library of books on both botany and philosophy. This gin has been produced as a celebration of Arber’s work.

It features nine botanicals that have been distilled together including the savoury, earthy notes of juniper, coriander and angelica, the warm and spicy tones of cassia, the sweet, acidic flavours of lemon, orange and grapefruit all combined with a twist of liquorice.

Now I do not profess to be any kind of gin connoisseur. I’ve tried a fair few mind you and I can tell you without a doubt that Agnes Arber gin is the nicest gin I’ve ever tried. It’s the most deliciously soft and velvety gin that I have ever had the pleasure of drinking. There is no sudden kick to it, it’s just beautifully mellow with a soft sweet taste, whilst at the same time being wonderfully refreshing.

At the end of the post you will find a couple of serving suggestions for gin cocktails using Agnes Arber gin. You definitely want to bookmark these for later so get your pinning finger ready!

Now, in the post I wrote about WWOO Outdoor Kitchens a few weeks ago, I mentioned how al fresco dining and entertaining is a little inconvenient at our house due to the fact that we live in a first floor flat and the garden is on the ground floor. Entertaining usually involves a fair bit of running up and down the stairs to fetch drinks and food from the fridge. Last year, we quickly realised how annoying this is, so I knew that we needed a solution this year.

When I received a press release from Husky, I knew that one of their little drink fridges would be the perfect way to make sure we always have chilled drinks to hand when friends come round to visit. I replied straight away to see if I could test out their gin fridge. Don’t you think it’s just the perfect little home for Agnes Arber gin? That bottle is just stunning and I’d go as far as to say that it deserves it’s own dedicated gin fridge!

So now we have this super handy little fridge that we can keep in the garden, fully stocked up and ready for BBQ season. I must stress it’s not an outdoor fridge. You can’t leave it outside at the mercy of the elements. We keep it in our brick outhouse most of the time. But if we do plan any kind of get together with friends over a sunny weekend, we get it out of the outhouse and pop it into a special little custom made wooden shed that my husband knocked up especially for the purpose of housing the gin fridge. That way the fridge is right there on the decking, fully protected and keeping us all well hydrated (gin is hydrating, right?) while we bask in the glorious sunshine.

It’s not a massive fridge as you can see. But it’s more than big enough to stash all our booze in. And quite often we pop the BBQ supplies in there too while we’re waiting for the barbie to heat up. It’s such a useful little appliance and already this year it’s made entertaining so much more organised and there is far less running up and down the stairs going on.

Now, once I had decided to do a post on gin cocktails and this brilliant little gin fridge, I realised there was a small problem. I was going to need to take photos of the gin being made into cocktails and I didn’t have any glasses worthy of Agnes Arber quality gin. Not to worry though, I knew exactly where to go to find the perfect vessels.

Dartington Crystal is local Devon-based company that I’ve been aware of for many years (probably decades actually!!) and I knew that they have a whole collection of gin glasses in their product range. So I got in touch and asked if they would like to help me out with my gin post. Luckily they said yes and sent me two gorgeous sets of gin glasses to use. The first is a pair of Gin Connoisseur tumblers and the second is a pair of Gin Connoisseur highball glasses.

The glasses are handmade and they have a real sense of quality and craftsmanship about them. The shape is lovely to hold and they feel really weighty and sturdy, which is always a bonus and even more so when they are being used outside.

So let’s get down to the good stuff. What’s the best way to drink Agnes Arber gin this season?

Spring G&T

1. Small wedge lemon squeezed and discarded

2. 50ml Agnes Arber Gin

3. Fill Copa glass with ice cubes

4. Insert a thin lemon wheel down the inside of the glass

5. Big lemon twist adding as much lemon oil as possible

6. Fill with Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic

7. Garnish with a Thyme sprig and edible flowers

Summer G&T

1. Small wedge pink grapefruit squeezed and discarded

2. 50ml Agnes Arber Gin

3. Fill Copa glass with ice cubes

4. Insert 3 mint leaves down the inside of the glass

5. Big lime twist adding as much lime oil as possible

6. Fill with Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic

7. Garnish with 2 slices of pink grapefruit and a mint sprig and a few pink pepper corns added to glass.

 

So there you have it. That’s my recommendation for entertaining this summer. Agnes Arber gin, served chilled straight out of the Husky gin fridge, into beautiful Gin Connoisseur glasses from Dartington Crystal. What do you think? Are you willing to give it a go?