Friday Favourites - Winterville

As we may have mentioned before, at The Amazing Blog we absolutely LOVE this festive period! Mulled wine, fairy lights and layers are among some of the best things, so being able to enjoy all three in one event is certainly an evening we won't be missing! This year one of our favourite festive events, Winterville, is taking place in South London at Clapham Common. 

What we like about Winterville is that the event offers Londoner’s an alternative festive experience that’s accessible and enjoyable for all. Go ice-skating on the outdoor ice rink, take the kids to the fairground or head to the roller rink with some friends for an active and fast-paced day.  If you would rather relax and be entertained then head to their famous Spiegeltent which is hosting one-off events such as comedy, cabaret and family Christmas shows.  What’s more, the event is the part-time home to some of London’s best street food at the Feastopia, full of option and delight. 

Entry is free, but attractions and events are priced individually. Winterville is open from November 23rd until January 5th, so there is plenty of time for you to go and no excuse for you not to. NB:  Due to weekend popularity for all these individual events, Friday and Saturday night you will need to book your tickets here.

Red Love Apple Juice by Biddenden

Classic, refreshing, delicious; three words that come to our minds here at The Amazing Blog when we think about The Biddenden Red Love Apple Juice.  Biddenden is a family run vineyard based in the garden of England, Kent. They have gained their experience over generations from producing award winning wines and by using this expertise in viticulture, they launched in 2015 their non-alcoholic drink made from pure red apple juice. Biddenden Vineyards are the first to create a naturally red apple juice in the UK.

The Red Love Apple Juice is a freshly pressed with a rosy coloured hue, sweet and zesty unlike any other apple juice that we've tasted! Red Love apples are a variety originally grown in Switzerland which are distinctive with their sweet, crisp and delicious rounded flavour. The apples are cultivated in East Malling and bottled at the Biddenden vineyards. The juice is a refreshing and fruity beverage with no added colourants, chemicals or sugars, it is just sweetened naturally by the Red Love apple themselves.

The Red Love Apple Juice is simply delicious and was gulped down greedily when it first arrived. We think that it makes a great key ingredient for Chritstmas cocktails, think an Appletini: Red Love Apple Juice (1 part), Vodka ( 3 parts) and Cointreau (1 part) all shaken, not stirred and  served in chilled martini glasses, garnished with a single red apple slice. Perfect! The Red Love Apple juice is a very light and fruity drink with a balanced acidity and sweetness  giving it versatility and making it the a great partner for lots of different food pairings. We are not the only ones to be won over by this apple juice, as it has also been awarded a two star Great Taste award in 2016. The Red Love Apple Juice is a non-alcoholic drink and is suitable for anyone who enjoys a high-quality fruit juice. However, let's not forget that this apple juice also come with the added benefits of high levels of anti-oxidants and lots of health benefits. Purchase this delicious apple juice here for £3.70 for a 1 litre bottle.

Coconut Water Juices by Coldpress

Coldpress’ idea that “life is sweeter with less sugar” is something that we at The Amazing Blog can get behind. We love trying delicious new beverages, so we jumped at the opportunity to try Coldpress' new Coconut Waters. Coldpress throws out traditional methods of fruit juice production by pasteurisation and instead favour pioneering cold-pressed technology. This means that the juices retain substantially more taste and goodness than pasteurised juices.  If you’re looking to get more taste, nutrients and vitamins out of your fruit juice with the bonus of less added sugar, then look no further than Coldpress juices!

Coldpress' new Coconut Water is the latest addition to their delicious range of juices and smoothies. They’re currently available in two flavours; Blood Orange Mandarin Coconut Water and Raspberry Lemon Apple Coconut Water. For anyone jumping late onto the coconut water hype, or dislike the taste of unflavoured coconut water, the Coldpress Coconut Water is a great option to try. Coconut water is high in electrolytes, such as potassium, making them an excellent way to stay hydrated. As Coldpress combines coconut water with their cold-pressed fruit juices, the Coconut Water provides nutrients, vitamins and minerals in addition to the electrolytes from the coconut water.

As with the whole range, Coldpress Coconut Water is bottled in their unique hexagonal bottle, showcasing the originality of the product inside. Coldpress Coconut Water is available in Blood Orange Mandarin and Raspberry Lemon Apple flavours.

The 750ml bottles are available for purchase, in cases of eight, directly from their website here from £7.56

London Cocktail Week

London is perhaps one of the best places for cocktails, with the endless trendy and quirky bars on offer in this cosmopolitan city. London Cocktail Week is celebrating this fabulous cocktail scene, together with 250 of the city’s best bars, to serve discounted drinks to the London masses. During Cocktail Week there will be a cocktail village at Old Spitalfields Market, where you can immerse yourself in a maze of pop-up cocktail bars and food stalls.

The bartenders can make your cocktail dreams a reality. There is no doubt that the array of ingredients and recipes will be abundant, but do not fret if you don’t drink alcohol! Mocktail lovers are welcome too. London Cocktail week isn’t just about gathering around and consuming alcohol though! There will be a whole host of fun events going on, including masterclasses, distillery tours, tastings and paired meals. Ever wanted to learn exactly how vodka is made? Hint: it's from potatoes. How to tune your palette to tasting nuances of flavours within a drink? Or maybe you just want to gather around and meet some Londoners with some drinks. We don’t blame you.

The week runs from Monday 2nd October to Sunday 8th October. All you need to do is purchase a Digital Pass to receive London Cocktail Week special offers, including unlimited £6 cocktails in more than 250 venues across the week and exclusive discounts in bars, restaurants and events.

Celebrating our gorgeous city’s vibrant cocktail scene is our kind of fun, so we’ll see you there! You can purchase the Digital Pass here for £10.

Friday Favourites: Tipples With a Twist

Whether you are a cider lover, live only for gins, or a wine aficionado, here are some flavourful and delicious must-have drinks to have in your possession. If you're bored of the usual drinks on offer, we at The Amazing Blog have a selection of some traditional drinks with a unique and interesting twist. 

The Fifty Pounds Gin is produced by a family owned distillery located in London. It is traditionally made with the finest grains spirit distilled four times. The gin is produced using a method that is centuries old, known as Batch Process Distillation, which Fifty Pounds Gin hark as the best way to get the purest gin possible. It is thrice filtered, making sure all impurities are removed. It is self-proclaimed as the 'smoothest gin ever' and we have to agree. The method they adopt is delicate and painstaking; however, we reckon it is worth it. The botanicals selection, a combination of herbs, spices, fruits and flowers, makes it extremely delicious and nuanced in flavour. Where most gins focus on the juniper berries (the ingredient that makes gin a gin, and which can be a bit heavy or resinous), Fifty Pounds Gin have made the more mellow coriander seed their hero ingredient. Angelica root then contributes a lovely earthy and spicy flavour.

It is a classic, smooth, rich and fresh drink that goes well with a good tonic and a lemon zest. A special mention should be made for the design of the bottle that is inspired by the first ever gin bottles, giving them a beautiful vintage appearance. 

You can purchase the Fifty Pounds Gin 70cl bottle here at £34.99.

Cider Lovers are going to love the Cranes Cranberry Cider. When twin brothers Ben and Dan decided to go into the business they thought that cranberries should be the key ingredient of their drinks and they thought well!

Cranes cranberry ciders are a mixture of the finest cranberries and apples which makes them very refreshing, light and tasteful. The ciders are naturally light as the sweetness comes from the fruits used during the production rather than additional sugars, and therefore they have 30% fewer calories than brand leaders. You can enjoy these sweet ciders guilt-free! These delicious cranberry ciders are available in three sublime flavours.

The Cranberry & Lime is one of our favourites; it is crisp, light and ideal for an afternoon refreshment. The second flavour is Blueberry & Apple; a perfectly sweet pairing. The third flavour is the Raspberry & Pomegranate, which is as fresh and invigorating as the first two but with that little delightful fruity taste that makes all the difference. 

A case of 12 Cranes Cranberry Cider can be purchased here at £27.60.

Famous for its alcoholic drinks, the Republic of Ireland will be soon renowned for its fruit wines. Móinéir wines are luxurious artisan fruit wines made in Wicklow Way Wines, the first ever Irish fruit winery. The wines are made from 100% Irish fruits.

The Blackberry Wine is a delicious blend of blackberries and wild elderberries; an Irish plant that was foraged in the Wicklow Mountains. The wine is intensely flavourful and fruity but with a light body making it easy to drink.  The Móinéir Blackberry Wine is a perfect choice for a light aperitif and goes wonderfully well with red meats.

The brand’s Irish Strawberry Wine is created with juicy, delicious handpicked Irish strawberries gently pressed to capture the most of their flavour. It is an aromatic, slightly sweet and crisp wine that will satisfy the palate of wine lovers. Here at The Amazing Blog, we love combining it with some dark chocolate, a real treat! We love that these are a little taste of Ireland captured in a bottle.                                                

Both wines are suitable for vegans and are unique gifts to offer to your loved ones.

You can purchase the Strawberry Wine here at 21.99€ and The Blackberry Wine here at 24.99€. Fortunately, you can buy the products in GBP by using PayPal.   

Sloane Home has found the way to our hearts with the Lone Stag Spirits: the LONE STAG SPIRIT Raspberry and Lime Gin Infusion and the LONE STAG ZESTY Clementine, Lemon and Lime Vodka Infusion.The drinks are traditionally produced in the heart of the British countryside with only the finest ingredients. Bottled, packaged and labelled by hand they are more delicious and savoury than any spirit made by machines. 

The spirits offer an excellent tasting experience; you can taste and identify all the ingredients used during the production. The sweetness and acidity are well balanced making the drinks taste natural, delicate and aromatic. The Lone Stag Spirits come in a fabulous case with cocktail ideas, transforming you into the new cocktails master. It is also a great gift for your friends and family.

We are very fond of these flavourful spirits, and we are not the only ones. Indeed, the LONE STAG SPIRIT Raspberry & Lime Gin infusion was awarded a Great Taste Award by the Guild of fine food August 2017 and the LONE STAG ZESTY Clementine, Lemon & Lime Vodka infusion won the same award in 2016.

If you want a taste of these delicious spirits, you can purchase a Sloane Hamper including both bottles here at £45.00.

We here at the blog can no longer have a dinner or go to a party without one of these drinks. This great selection of diverse and unique drinks will be a show-stopper at any dinner party.