London Wine Week 2016

Following a hugely successful London Beer Week which saw 10,000 beer drinkers descend on The Old Truman Brewery in February, DrinkUp.London’s latest festival - London Wine Week - taking place this week (23-29 May 2016), was destined to be another great event! Here at The Amazing Blog we love attending events and we adore wine. So when we found out that LWW was wine-ding down this Sunday we promptly added it to our weekend plans.

The festival has returned to Devonshire Square for a third year, where all of the city's wine lovers can gather for a chance to enjoy a tipple or two. Filled with masterclasses, tutored tastings, supper clubs, meet the maker evenings, parties and pop-ups; you will have an opportunity not only to taste the wine and discover new flavours, but also to expand your knowledge about how wine is made or what food goes best with it. If all this wasn’t enough, over 100 venues across the city will be opening their doors offering £5 tasting wine flights and specially created food and drink pairings for those wearing the festival wristband.

For only £10 you will experience a brilliant event and have the opportunity to witness the very best that wine has to offer. So go ahead and purchase your wristband online here and enjoy your weekend!

Christmas Special - Drinks

At this festive time of year there’s nothing better than cracking open a bottle of the good stuff with family and friends. Here at The Amazing Blog we love nothing more than a cold glass of Baileys in the evening, or warming mulled wine, but we wanted to go on the search for some fun alternative Christmas drinks. These were the ones that came out on top.

Firstly we moved away from traditional festive beverages, to introduce Juniper Green Organic Gin. This is a refreshing and versatile spirit to give you a break from all the rich and heavy foods that we will no doubt consume too much of.

The strong yet smooth spirit is perfect for a delicious, crisp gin and tonic, but also allows for some creativity. We loved trying it out in Cocktail recipes, one named Strawberry Basiltini combined the gin with strawberries, syrup, lemon juice and basil. If you prefer a burst of citrus, add some lime or grapefruit juice to the gin with crushed ice. It was so refreshing to try new flavour combinations and a fun festive activity with our friends. If you want to get your hands on a not so traditional Christmas drink, Juniper Green Gin is available here for £16.90.

Next, we have a drink that will get every chocolate-lover excited. Rubis have created a Chocolate Wine. That’s right, combining two divine flavours to enjoy at once. This incredibly indulgent wine is the ultimate Christmas treat, blending tempranillo wine and rich chocolate that contains hints of cherry and red fruit. The flavour combination is typical of Christmas, it could be enjoyed as a light dessert or reserved for those special occasions. We couldn’t get enough of this beautifully rich and fragrant wine, it was truly delicious and luxurious.

We found it could be enjoyed best when chilled over ice, but it can also be served at room temperature. If you want to pull out all of the stops this Christmas, treat your guests to this ultimate chocolate experience, Rubis Chocolate Wine is available here for only £13.

Not quite chocolatey enough for you? Maybe try out the delicious Chocolate Rum Liqueur from Demijohn .

Distinctly unique, and perfect for chocolate and rum lovers alike (all the better if you love both!), this delicious blend of cacao and Golden Caribbean Rum is the perfect digestif, or even nightcap come Christmas Eve. Not as sickly sweet as some chocolate drinks, it certainly warmed us up.  Certainly a more adult way to enjoy a chocolate treat at Christmas, we’d be happy to see this delicious beverage in our stocking. Grab a custom bottle here , with prices starting from £4.92 for 40ml.

For something a little fruity, British Cassis is the ideal candidate this Christmas. This is a highly versatile alcoholic fruit mixer can be combined with our favourite spirit;, white wine, and Champagne. The mixer is inspired by the French liqueur, but given a modern British twist by using the blackcurrant crop. We thought it made a decadent after-dinner drink to provide some fruity refreshment after the heaviness of a meal. It added excitement to the dullest of spirits, sweetening up the bitterness of vodka, and contrasting the sharpness of gin. Our favourite combination was without a doubt British Cassis and Champagne, it created the most fragrant, luxurious and sweet sparkling beverage.

Get fruity this Christmas with your own British Cassis, available here for £15.

Lastly, Christmas isn’t the same without a warming, spiced beverage. Friary Liqueurs have created a delicious and fitting Christmas Liqueur, combining honey, French brandy and Christmas Spices. I can almost feel the liquid warming my belly just thinking about it. Best served warmed in a brandy glass, this festive drink makes a perfect evening tipple accompanied by a mince pie or two.

The fragrant liqueur sparks memories of Christmas’ past and present, the spices encompass everything we would associate with this time of year. If you want to enjoy a more traditional Christmas beverage, Christmas Liqueurs is the one for you. It’s available here for only £15.  

Christmas Special - Hampers

It is the season for giving, so here at the Amazing Blog we have compiled our favourite Christmas hampers. These indulgent and useful festive hampers will wow your friends and family, and even make the perfect treat for yourself.

Stuck for a thoughtful Christmas gift? Look no further. Family and friends will be unable to resist the Festive Warmer Hamper from Spicers, a willow basket full to the brim with enticing sweet and savoury snacks. This perfect mix and match will come in handy right before and after you Xmas dinner. With the whole family reunited, watching festive movies, dreaming about Santa, kids will be happy to share mince pies, small bites of fudge, smoked almonds and toffee popcorn while the adults can enjoy a nice glass of merlot.

If you think you can handle all these special treats what you need to do is click here and this basket full of goodness will be yours for £42.30.

We don’t know why but the first thing that comes in mind when someone talks about Christmas is chocolate and wine. Let us prove it different with The Regency Hamper Real Ale. For sure not a common one and definitely for grown up only. A fine selection of ale and bitter accompanied by smoked beef, game terrine, cheese, oatcakes and sweets.

What makes this gift set not ordinary is that you’ll have the option to customise and personalise the ribbon with a dedicated message. Buy it online to get a 10% discount; this tasty fest is available here at £73.55

Need a boost of energy after too many nights out and dinners not so light? If your body is asking for some post Xmas detox treatments, spoil yourself and friends with a healthy hamper from Twinings.

The Twinings Taste Experience includes all the natural herbs and ingredients to purify your body after festivities gluts. It contains so many varieties of tea, we’re sure it’ll be a gift that will accompany you until New Year’s Eve. From the more traditional breakfast, earl grey and Darjeeling tea, without forgetting that is still holiday time; indeed in the basket Twinings incorporated selection of sweet options like chocolate, caramelised apple and Moroccan mint flavoured tea.
Do not suffer from Christmas pudding nostalgia and click right here to get your tea box for £80, plus a tea filter, a cup  with wooden rest and a tea tidy.

If you’re looking for something a little less decadent, but equally delicious, then the Milly Green Embossed Christmas Tin of Biscuits is the perfect way to say Merry Christmas. The sweet tin is adorned with all sorts of cute British illustrations, and would make a great keepsake box when the holiday season is over. The biscuits inside probably won’t last past Christmas Day, so once they’ve all been scoffed, you can pop all your special Christmas trinkets inside.

The moreish Double Chocolate Chip and delectable Stem Ginger and Lemon Biscuits are so delicious, we can’t think of a better gift to show you care. This would be ideal as an office gift, or one to pop in the stocking. Grab a tin of these delectable Christmas cookies here for £11.99.

We think having one of these hampers will transform you Xmas 2015 in a unique experience; having the 4 of theme will just make it the best of your life!

RAW Artisan Wine Fair

If you’ve ever found yourself wandering aimlessly down the wine aisle, wondering what the difference is between Burgundy and Beaujolais, then you’re definitely in need of a wine education. But don’t worry, The Amazing Blog has found the perfect place for your to polish your knowledge. And even if you’re the only certified wine connoisseur in your social circle (there’s always one…) then the RAW Artisan Wine Fair is for you.

The RAW wine fair is a two day event, showcasing and celebrating some of the world's finest wines. Featuring wines that are organic and biodynamic, these pure wines are good to the planet, and your body (in moderation!) The production of natural wines has become relatively rare, most wines in the shops are mass produced, so the number of wines available at the RAW fair is amazing! There’s an awful lot that goes into making wine that we don’t know about, but the wineries that contribute to the RAW fair intervene in the process as little as possible, and don’t use harmful additives or heavy processing.

At the fair, you’re able to taste and buy a variety of wines, from all over the world, some longstanding producers and some newcomers, it’s a perfect opportunity to find your new favourite wine. With your ticket purchase you receive a catalogue of the wines on show, a tasting glass (which you can use as many times as you like!) and entry to the talks and seminars. The show will feature over 500 wines, will have talks from the producers, and will also feature selected natural Champagnes, with all these collections of wine you won’t be lost spending a whole day at the RAW fair!

The fair will be taking place on the 20^th and 21^st (Sunday and Monday) at the Old Truman Brewery in London, tickets are available on their website and on the days. Head over to try and buy some of these natural and delicious wines!

Gone Digging

There have been many occassions in my life where I search around and wish that I could simply press pause and time would stop. Times when I have become so consumed by work and school that the days all seem to merge together. All of a sudden it feels like only a day has passed, when in actuality it's been a week. Recently this has been what my life has been like. A time when there doesn’t seem to be nearly enough hours in the day to get everything done. And with Easter just days away I hadn't had a chance to buy any gifts for friends or family. I barely had any time to figure out what to buy which is why I was eternally thankful when my colleagues at The Amazing Blog informed me about Gone Digging! Gone Digging specializes in personalised gifts and cater for people of all ages, occasions and budgets, many of which are perfect for Easter. I was able to purchase a beautiful bouquet of flowers for my mother; the arrangement contained colourful flowers such as chrysanthemums, roses, and a selection of germini and carnations. On the bouquet was a beautiful ribbon in which I could include a personal message. There was also the perfect gift for my sister: a bottle of wine and chocolate truffles. On the bottle I could include any message I wanted. I was even able to spoil my niece with gifts from Gone Digging - I purchased a picture frame and a stuffed animal bunny which were both personalized to her and which I am sure she will love. All of these gifts were very reasonably priced so my bank account did not have to suffer after shopping for gifts this year which is always an added bonus! Even though time seemed to have gotten away from me this Easter season, I was able to purchase all of my gifts in time for the weekend. If you are still in need of that perfect gift for someone special this Easter, look no further than Gone Digging - I guarantee these personalised gifts will be a hit with everyone.