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cocktails

Friday Favourites - Cookbooks

After a busy workday, cooking can be put on the back burner of our to-do list. We gravitate toward meals that are most easy and convenient, often eating the same foods over again. That’s why we have made it our mission to revitalize the way we perceive cooking by searching for cookbooks that are equally as unique as they are healthy. Say goodbye to monotonous cooking with the help of these four books, handpicked by The Amazing Blog.

Plant-based cooking has gained its popularity, but have you ever thought of incorporating flowers into your recipes? The Fragrant Pantry by Frances Bissell uses flowers as its main ingredient. While flowers are commonly featured as decoration in cookery, Bissell shows how its delicate scent and flavour can take the place of herbs or spices. Although this seems like an unconventional approach, don’t mistake it as a fad or fashion. Instead, Bissell pays homage to English culinary traditions through her use of flowers. Her recipes include jams, spreads and pickled foods with easy-to-follow instructions. You can purchase The Fragrant Pantry here for £11.99. To get a 20% discount use the discount code FRAGRANTP at purchase on the Serif Books website. 

Interested in more of Bissell’s recipes? Check out the other two volumes in her acclaimed trilogy: The Scented Kitchen and The Floral Baker.

Calling all Mediterranean lovers! Get prepared to transport yourself to Greece with Mazi Modern Greek Food’s vivid imagery and authentic dishes. Co-authors, Christina Mouratoglou and Adrien Carré’s goal are to revolutionise Greek cuisine by combining genuine flavours with a modern twist. The recipes are ingrained with a trendy tapas vibe and cover cocktails, hot plates, signature dishes and desserts. You can purchase the book here for £17.99.

The Herball’s Guide to Botanical Drinks by Michael Isted offers non-alcoholic plant-based drinks. Isted offers careful alchemy with each recipe that acts as cleansers, restorers, energisers, brain boosters and more.  The cookbook includes step-by-step directions in processes like hot & cold brewing, fermentation, distillation, juicing and tincturing. The first section provides a brief informational introduction to the plants used throughout the book and the second section includes 58 different recipes serving different functions for the body.   Isted uses ancient practices as the foundation of his creations. This guide brings purpose and intention to the kitchen by uniting intuitive and healthy eating. You can purchase The Herball’s Guide to Botanical Drinks here for £12.90.

Whenever starting a new diet, snacking is an inevitable part of the process. Gracie and Sophie Tyrrell, founders of Squirrel Sisters, have created a range of all-natural bars that will satisfy your cravings. In their book, Naturally Snacks & Treats: Over 100 Healthy Recipes, the sister duo has formed over 70 recipes using ingredients found at your local supermarket. The on-the-go snack is easy, convenient, and accessible. The Tyrrell sisters reassure their readers that eating healthily can be fun! Recipes range from sweet roasted almond and cinnamon butter to sushi rolls.The beautifully illustrated book is separated into four chapters where you will find breakfast recipes, snacks and lunches for on-the-go, sharing plates and, our favourite, sweet treats. Cocktail-lovers will even find low-calorie options. We can’t wait to try more recipes. You can purchase your own book here for £9.99.  

 

Let us know what your favourite recipes are!

 

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!

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.