Zonin Prosecco - DOC Cuvée 1821

Here at The Amazing Blog, we use any excuse to pop a cork and celebrate! We love to have a refreshing chilled bottle bubbly at the end of a hard working day.  A big thank you goes to  Zonin UK who kindly sent us a bottle of their very special Prosecco DOC Cuvée 1821. Zonin was founded in Italy in 1821. It is a branch of Casa Vinicola Zonin, the largest private vine growing and winemaking company in Italy. They now have UK branch to help ensure that they maintain the quality of their wines imported 'from grape to glass'. From the very first sip, this refreshing sparkling wine brought us a taste of Italy, which we couldn’t wait to share with friends.

This Zonin Prosecco hails from north-east Italy. It is made solely from the Glera grapes, giving it a fruity and aromatic taste with hints of wisteria flowers and Rennet apples. As this bubbly beverage hit our taste buds, we also noticed a very subtle toasted almond flavour. Recently, this Prosecco went through some redesign. We love the stylish teal detailing on the label and the elegantly new curved bottle. We think that this Prosecco makes both an ideal gift as well as a perfect aperitif. The versatility of the flavour works well with a variety of recipes so it can be paired with almost any dish on your menu – even desserts! This Prosecco has 11% ABV and is recommended to be served at 5-7° C.

You can purchase a gift set, which includes a bottle of the Zonin Prosecco DOC Cuvée 1821 here for £35. In this gift set, you'll also receive two chic diamante embellished champagne flutes - bonus! 

She LDN Candle

Rain or shine, all of us at The Amazing Blog are continually burning candles in the evenings. There is something simple and calming about watching the flickering flame and being surrounded by its seductive fragrance. This is why we're always on the hunt for our next one! Recently, we discovered SHE LDN, an up-and-coming British home fragrance brand. The company is known for their handmade soy-based candles, which are inspired by the modern streets of London. SHE LDN produces all their handmade candles in their London studio. This week we're burning their NO. 1 Tropical Candle, which we think is evocative of forthcoming summer festivals (especially our fav, the Notting Hill Carnival) with its exotic fragrance. Bring on the sunshine, even if it's raining! We just can’t get enough of this uplifting fragrance!

The NO. 1 Tropical Candle also reminds us of Piña Coladas on a warm, sunny beach. The tropical blend of pineapple, banana, and mango is made from high-quality soy-wax and essential and fragrance oils. One of our favourite things about this candle, apart from its fragrance, is the stylish design and packaging. This funky candle comes in a sleek cardboard box and glass container, all printed with a contemporary colourful design of flamingos and palm trees.

The candle has up to a 50 hour burn time, so it'll give you a week or so of summer evening pleasure, even if it is (like now) grey, rainy and miserable! To achieve best results, SHE LDN suggests burning the candle for at maximum 4 hours at a time. They also recommend trimming the wick 1/8 – ¼ of an inch before each use.

You can purchase the NO. 1 Tropical Candle from SHE LDN here for £20.00. 

The Somerset Toiletry Co. – Mr Manly – Soap, Mug + Bag

Let’s face it – men can be challenging to shop for, but The Amazing Blog found the perfect solution. We previously wrote about The Somerset Tolietry Co. Naturally European Sage Hand Cream and are thrilled to share their newest male products. The company created The MR Collection, a unique line of men’s products that includes Mr Soaps, Mr Mugs and Mr Toiletry Bags. The Mr Collection began only as a line of soap and after much success, expanded to toiletry bags and mugs.

The Mr Soap Collection includes four different scented soaps: sage (The Mr Manly Soapy), spearmint and patchouli (Mr Perfect), black pepper and ginger (Mr Hipster), and cedar wood and lemongrass (Mr Groomed).  Each comes packaged in a colourful paper wrapping with an image of a bearded man. The soaps are triple milled, ensuring the highest quality product, and blended with shea butter to protect and moisturise the skin.

The MR Collection includes two mugs – a Mr Manly Mug and a Mr Perfect Mug. These enamel camping mugs are a fun and different gift that won’t break the bank. Painted on the bottom of each is the phrase, “Yes, I am!” So, when your man drinks from it, everyone will be reminded of how manly/perfect they are. The mug is multi-purposeful and used as a shaving caddy or a desk tidy.

The collection’s Mr Perfect and Mr Manly Toiletry Bags are heavy duty canvas bags with a colourful water-resistant lining. The outside of both bags is a sleek grey colour with minimal decorations and either blue interior, for Mr Manly Bags, or orange interior, for Mr Perfect Bags. The bags are 255 x 170 x 120 mm making them the perfect size for travelling.

You can purchase soaps from the Mr Soap Collection here for £4.95 or the Mr Perfect or Mr Manly Mug here for £4.95. You can also find the Mr Perfect or Mr Manly Wash Bag here for £11.95.

Drinks in Tube

The drinks trolley trend has been on the rise for some time now, and when we at The Amazing Blog are hosting a dinner party or a get-together we love to have this as our centre piece. As any cocktail lovers will know, having a variety of spirits on tap can be quite pricey; and the last thing we want to do is break the bank, with all our inventive and one-off cocktails. So when we received both the Masons Gin Tasting Sets and The Spirit Adventure from the brilliant creators at Drinks In Tube, it certainly put our bartending skills to the test making new tantalising tipples. The Hampshire-based team at Drinks In Tube started to curate their own sets of wines and spirits in unique glass tubes in 2015. They wanted to share their passion, knowledge and love for the finest drinks that they could find, all at an affordable price. Discovering new and unique spirits and wines has never been easier, more affordable or quite such fun as this.

The first box we opened was the Masons Gin Tasting Set. This set comes with four 50ml tubes of various unique gins at 42% ABV and we simply couldn’t wait to get mixing. Masons Dry Yorkshire Gin was set up by the husband and wife team, Karl and Cathy Mason who have since won Gold Medals at The Gin Masters. The first gin up is their Classic Dry Gin, which boasts full fennel and green apple flavours that are perfectly balanced with a citrus infusion, which left our mouths simply watering for more. Next up is the Masons Tea Edition, which we felt calling our name from the beginning. We found that this gin balances the robust tea flavour with herbal, citrus and spice notes for a wonderfully full and aromatic gin that satisfies our daily dose of tea (and has to be our favourite). After this, we drank the Lavender Edition for a fun twist to our classic gin and tonic. The soft and sweet lavender notes really hit every spot as we quickly sipped away. Lastly, we mixed up some tonic with the Sloe Distilled Limited Edition. Rather than infused with the sloe berries, this gin has been distilled with them, which created quite an unexpected twist, especially when garnished with a touch of fresh strawberries and mint; our mouths water simply thinking about it. We think this set is the perfect gift for the gin lover in your life or even just as a little way to treat yourself. With each tube being 50ml it makes it very portable and also perfect for a quick 'snifter' at picnics or point-to-points!

The Spirit Adventure set definitely took us on a delectable journey. This one comes with three 50ml spirits: Butterscotch Vodka (37.5% abv), the Philippe de Castaigne Cognac (40% abv), and the Masons Yorkshire Gin from the last set. We took their recommendation to the next level with the Butterscotch vodka and added it to a milkshake and it was a hit with everyone. The creamy flavour of the vodka really took our milkshake to the next level (!) And last but not least, we treated ourselves to the Cognac. This one is carefully aged in oak barrels for at least 4 years and has wonderful notes of vanilla, walnut and hazelnut that warmed us right up on a chilly night. This one is perfect as a gift for those who like a little taste of everything.

And last but not least for all the wine lovers out there, Drinks In Tube have recently launched their wine tasting subscription service. In summary, this service will include five 100ml servings of wines from around the world, delivered to your door each month. The sleek box also comes with a tasting card to guide you on your journey each month. It is available for 3, 6 & 12 months here. The Masons Gin Tasting Set can be purchased here for £24.99 and The Spirit Adventure can be purchased here for £19.99. We say "Cheers" to discovering new favourites!

Feather & Down – Best Before Bedtime Set and Soothing Body Oil

Getting a relaxing night’s sleep is not always that easy, we've all experienced being physically tired but our brain is still racing. Getting a full night's rest helps to reduce stress, improve memory, boost energy and keep your heart healthy. These are just a few of the countless benefits of getting enough sleep. Here at The Amazing Blog we love our beauty sleep, so imagine how happy we were to be sent Feather and Down’s 'Sleep Matters' products that help encourage relaxation and improve our sleep habits.  Feather and Down is a UK brand dedicated to providing products that promote a restful night's sleep. These range from body and bath to home fragrance, all with the key ingredients of lavender & chamomile essential oils, which are known to encourage a deeper slumber.

Feather and Down’s ‘Best Before Bedtime Set’ contains a range of products which allow you to unwind and drift off to sleep. The set consists of the brand's Pillow Spray, Melting Shower Cream and one chamomile tea bag. Both the Pillow Spray and the Melting Shower Cream contain lavender and chamomile essential oils. These essential oils promote a calming environment making a good night’s sleep more achievable. The chamomile tea bag is an added bonus in the bedtime set as chamomile tea is known to help you fall asleep faster. One team member was just so impressed with their performance, that they immediately purchased this set in order to gift to a friend.

We also tried the Feather and Down’s Soothing Body Oil as part of our night-time routine. It is commonly known that by massaging lavender and chamomile body oils into the skin muscle tension are alleviated, providing the body with incredible feelings of relaxation. The carrier oil here is a combination of sunflower, almond, jojoba, moringa and argan oils with the key essential of lavender and chamomile. All these help to lock in moisture, provide a soothing scent and prepare your body for a peaceful night's sleep.

Feather and Down's products have certainly been helping to improve our bedtime regime. If you want to purchase a ‘Best Before Bedtime Set’ that includes a Pillow Spray, a Melting Shower Cream and one Chamomile Tea Bag you can here for £5.00. You can also purchase Feather and Down’s Soothing Body Oil here for £8.00.