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KERNOW - THE LAND OF SAINTS
Cornwall's folklore is rich with Druids and pagan beliefs but in contrast to this ancient folklore, it has also been frequently called 'the Land of the Saints' due to the plethora of towns and villages named after Celtic Saints. During the 5th and 6th centuries Celtic missionaries arrived in Cornwall from Wales and Ireland and began converting small local groups of people to Christianity and established churches on or near sites that were already in use for religion. Although many were never officially designated saints, their names live on in over 200 old Cornish churches, as do the stories of how they arrived into the county. Some were reported to have arrived floating on millstones or stone alters and there are also reports of many embarking on stone throwing contests with local Cornish giants - which of course they won!
Kernow is the Cornish language word for Cornwall. The language itself is known as either Kernewek or Kernowek but unlike Welsh, it is no longer used as a daily form of communication. The county also has a long and exciting history with spirits, with gin and rum laden ships frequenting local harbours and smugglers using the rocky bays to land their wares. Fast forward to the present and there are numerous distilleries producing high quality spirits, especially gin, using many of the coastal and rural botanicals available around the county. Any gin lover doing a tour of Cornwall would be spoilt for choice!
One of the more recent additions to the list of Cornish gins is Land of Saints Organic Gin. If you assumed due to the colours and design of the bottle and label, that this was a coastal gin you would be very wrong! The beautiful turquoise tones and map of Cornwall on the label pinpointing many towns named after Saints, lull you into assuming this is going to be all about salinity and seaside botanicals but actually this gin is celebrating all things florals. The botanical lineup of thirteen organic botanicals, including coriander seeds, cardamom pods, pink peppercorns, ginger root, dried rose buds, hyssop, orange peel, camomile, violet leaves, blueberries, nutmeg and orris root is beautifully balanced and such a surprise. It's distilled with pure Cornish water, organic grain and of course the star botanical - juniper - and it has been approved by The Biodynamic Association due to the use of high level and approved organic ingredients.
Cornwall is the home of 69 Saints, so calling the gin “Land of Saints” was the perfect choice for Mike and Sue, who partnered with Sir David Attenborough's charity, Fauna & Flora International and donate a minimum of 50p per bottle sold to support their global work. The Cornish Spirits Drink Company is based in Truro and being passionate about the environment, the couple wanted to create an organic gin, that was ethically produced.
Land of Saints Cornish Gin was launched in 2019 and is Soil Association Approved. They even use recycled paper and glass where appropriate and work with charities across the UK and as a Social Enterprise. The gin is produced by Black & Gold Organic Distillery, which is the only Biodynamic approved organic distillery in Cornwall. Environmental responsibility is at the heart of their business and embedded in everything they do. They have also partnered with BBC Masterchef Mat Follas to develop new environmentally and sustainable products.
I wanted to serve up something that celebrated the botanicals and so my first serve was a Saintly Gimlet!
SAINTLY GIMLET
50ml Lands of Saints Organic Gin
25ml St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
35ml Freshly squeezed lime juice
10ml Simple syrup
10-15ml Lanique Rose Liqueur
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled glass.
Where did our Christmas traditions start? This blogpost explores some of our favourite Christmas traditions, discovering where they came from, when they started and why we enjoy them year after year.
For the past few years I've set myself a 12 Days of Christmas challenge with a gin-twist! The theme is loosely based on the song "Twelve Days of Christmas" and it's a gin-terpretation (yes, a made up word!) of the song! I have posted brands and cocktails which relate to each of the 12 gifts and last year chose to use gins that had numbers in their branding. Whilst this is a personal challenge, it's open to everyone, so if you want to join in for a few or all of the days, then please do feel free - just tag me and I'll reshare!
Full Disclosure: All expenses paid press trip to Seville with Puerto de Indias and Hatch PR - October 2022
It's a bit early for clover but I did manage to find a few leaves poking out the ground and they were perfect to use for a post for St Patrick's Day. Other foliage or flowers work and even citrus peel, so if you aren't trying to theme your cocktails, then you can just pretty them up with something else. Sometimes condensation is enough to hold light objects onto the glass, but it wasn't working this time, so I had a trick up my sleeve!
Compiling a list of my top 10 gins is almost impossible, as what I feel like drinking will change daily depending on my mood. I enjoy gins that are different, but they may not be for everyone, so if you are looking to get into drinking gin or want to try something new, then this is a list of classic gins, which are excellent value for money and won't disappoint. All of these brands have a good range, including some flavoured gins, so there should be something for everyone in this list! Are there other brands on my shelf which are worthy of inclusion in a top 10 list? Yes of course and I may be a little biased as I've visited most of these distilleries and they all have something different to offer and make excellent spirits. However, they are all good starting points for those new to drinking gin and wanting to learn a little bit more about the history and how gin is made. Click on the links or photos to be taken to the brand websites or my reviews on Instagram .
Given this week is National Storytelling Week, I thought I would expand on my Top 10 favourite Gin Stories and share them again with you all in more detail. They are not in any particular order and although they are all good gins, it's impossible to make a list of my 10 favourite gins, as I have too many! If you want to read more of my gin stories, they are part of my Virtual Gin Tours which are either on my Instagram account or filed here on my website too for easy reading. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed researching and writing them all. Allison As seen in The Daily Mail