Merry Christmas everyone!

This is my third year doing this little challenge and previous years I have made cocktails or chose brands that fit the theme and gifts in the song. This year I'm doing something different! Let's see how quickly you figure it out!

Today the turtle doves flew the coop, so I've made a negroni using OX2 from @chalgroveartisandistillery.

This gin combines jackfruit, fresh ginger and fresh rhubarb and they use blackberries to “colour" the gin. 

Happy Boxing Day everyone!

Unfortunately the French Hens couldn't make it as the borders are closed, so I'm staying fairly local with Volume Three from Surrey Copper Distillery and having a Spiced up Espresso Martini. 

Happy extra Bank Holiday Day everyone!

I think it's obvious this year that instead of matching a brand or cocktail to the 12 gifts, I'm focussing more on counting! 

Four Colly (Black) Birds have winged their way over to Oz to sit on Four Pillars and if you interpret them instead as Calling (or Song) Birds, then they are certainly singing the praises of the four founders of the distillery.

The brand name is based around four pillars - the still, water, botanicals and love.  It also loosely represents their favourite cocktails, which are usually a blend of four ingredients.  I have however gone with a simple serve today, using their Bloody Shiraz Gin, Double Dutch Double Lemon (does this count as 4?), Ice and garnish - I think that's 4 ingredients, even if it's not a fancy cocktail! 

In celebration of the 5th Day of Christmas I am sure you have spotted that I have used 5th Black Air Gin,  a Spanish London Dry Gin which forms the basis of their Earth, Fire and Water Gins.  It's an interesting gin - one that can hold its own in a negroni as it's slightly aromatic, juniper forward and has a distinctive coastal note to it. 

Black Air is produced by Sorel Destil Leries del Maresme (DMB), who are based near Barcelona and established in 1875.  They are third generation distillers and produce a portfolio of spirits, including the Atmosphera brand, which includes the 5th Gin range.  It's another reason why I chose a negroni as the serve, as the drink of choice in the region is Vermouth, so it has to be included!

No geese today but we are definitely on Day 6 featuring @triplesixdrygin and a recipe using eggs... Chicken ones unfortunately and not geese!

CHANTICLEER (Recipe: Difford's)

30ml Triple Six Gin

45ml Dry Vermouth 

15ml Orange Curacao

Egg White

Dry and then wet shake.

I've headed to the Scottish Highlands for today's gin, with Seven Crofts Fisherman's Strength from The Highland Liquor Co and an amazing Sapphire Blue Martini, which is inviting the swans to come swim in it!

Cheers and Happy New Year's Eve!

SAPPHIRE BLUE MARTINI

40ml Gin

10ml Blue Curacao

10ml Dry Vermouth

HAPPY 2022 EVERYONE!

So, what's the link today with the gift - maid's a milking.  Well, the botanical lineup of Eight Lands includes cowberries, which I've never heard of before, but are closely related to bilberries.  Now I have access to neither, so the closest relative to both of these is a cranberry, which I've used as a garnish!  

The Glenrinnes Distillery took inspiration from Ben Rinnes, the mountain that forms their backdrop.  It's said that on a clear day you can see the 8 regions of Scotland from this mountain - hence their range of organic spirits being called Eight Lands.  

Hope everyone's 2022 has started off well and goes on to be a safe and great year for us all - Cheers!

No ladies dancing today but I've served up a negroni using Mascaro 9 - a gin from spain that uses only one botanical - Juniper!

You'll be leaping for this one, but hopefully not with a cocktail in your hand!  I've shaken up a similar cocktail I made a while back, using X-Gin, Amarula Ethiopian Coffee Edition and Elephant Coffee Liqueur.

Today I'm going to quietly finish off this bottle of Generation 11 Barrel Rested gin which has been open for way too long.  I've paired it with FeverTree Spiced Orange Ginger Ale and dried lemon wheels from The ZestCo.  I'm sure you will have noticed some of the new mixers from FT and this one pairs beautifully with an aged gin.

Anyone made any NY resolutions which they have kept or already broken?  I didn't make any, but guess what....I've not bought any new gin yet this year...there's a surprise but I'm probably already thinking what I'll feature next year!

Twelfth Night and Twelve Keys Gin.  I can't think of a better gin to showcase today as it has a small link with Epiphany.

Epiphany is the day that the three kings arrived in Bethlehem and presented their gifts to the baby Jesus - gold (to symbolise his royal birth), frankincense (to represent his divine birth) and myrrh (to recognise his mortality).

Twelfth Night is also known as Epiphany Eve, which is the end of traditional Christmas celebrations and most people choose to take down their tree on the 6th, but some people leave them up until Candlemas on the 2nd February - 40 days after Christmas.  This day is when the baby Jesus was presented at the Temple in Jerusalem.  I'm not sure I want my tree up for that long, but I'm not too fussed if I take it down a few days after the 6th - depends how busy I am or which day of the week it is.  

Twelve Keys Gin contains 12 botanicals, but no citrus.  It's distilled in four quarters and then blended - figs/apricots/quince, honey/caraway/basil, angelica/gential/orris and lastly, juniper/cinnamon/frankincense.  Now you know the link!

The recommended serve is with fresh figs and coffee beans, but being the time of year it is, I've served this up with golden ginger ale, dehydrated orange wheels and cranberries and sipped it by candlelight - specifically one scented with frankincense and myrrh. Delicious and totally holds its own against the ginger ale!

And so ends my third annual Christmas Challenge.  

Thank you to those who joined in and found creative ways to represent the song and gifts - I love a little outside the box thinking and it's been fun to see your interpretations each day!  I'm sure I'll be back doing it next Christmas and hopefully with a different angle or interpretation.