Today, we're just too excited about getting on to the first entry that... well, this is your lot.
The gin you've been waiting for? Jaffa Cake Gin
'Please can you send me the link? Will buy INSTANTLY' was the immediate reaction from one of the Country Life staff on being told of the existence of this gin, via a Teams message.
Shockingly, not everybody was quite as excited. Those people are wrong. How could you possibly not love a gin distilled with distilled with oranges, fresh orange peel, cocoa powder and real-life Jaffa Cakes?
Priced at £27.95 from Master of Malt — click here to buy.
Time for a... rum and tonic? Union Lemon & Leaf Rum
The idea of putting rum in your tonic (or should that be the other way around?) is a bit of a tough sell to lovers of the classic G&T and the Cuba Libre alike. Yet this is worth a try: it comes across like a G&T with an unusual zing that's unexpected and different. Union also suggest this a cocktail of 50ml of the rum, 20ml passion fruit puree, 30ml fresh lemon juice and 15ml vanilla syrup, garnished with passionfruit. If any of those were in stock for home delivery, we'd have given it a try. Let us know what it's like if you manage it.
Priced at £34.95 from The Whisky Exchange — click here to buy.
A treacly delight: Co-op PX Irresistible Sherry
Co-op has released its first own-label Pedro Ximénez Sherry, aged for up to 12 years in an American-oak solera system, according to the experts at decanter.com. A little goes a long way here, as the flavours are so intense that you’ll really only need a small glass. This is a treacly, mouth-coating delight with raisiny, grapey, fruit flavours.
Priced at £6 for 37.5cl from the Co-Op — click here to buy.
Best use ever of video conferencing? Gin tasting
If you're holding a gin-tasting party over Zoom in lockdown, this set is a good starting point, with examples of all the major gin types which is also a mini-tour of Britain. There's Slingsby Gooseberry as a fruity gin from Yorkshire, Silent Pool for floral from Surrey, Aber Falls for the juniper-led gin from Wales and a pair of citrus gins, Boë (Scotland) and Boatyard (Northern Ireland).
Purists might keep looking for a set which also includes a herbal and a spiced gin; the rest of us will only be disappointed that each bottle includes no more than 50ml.
Priced at £29 from www.ilovegin.com — click here to buy.
Crunchy Croatian wine? Alba Malvazija Istarska
We were slightly shocked to hear our friends over at Decanter talking about this wine as being reminiscent of 'crunchy pear fruit', but it was merely an image, for there are decidedly no bits whatsoever in this wine, made with a blend of grapes from six vineyards, vinified separately, and fermented in stainless steel with no skin contact. Fresh, herby and mineral — and absolutely no crunchy bits.
Priced at £17.99 from Liberty Wines — click here to buy.
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The iconic American bars in London perfect for lifting a Thanksgiving cocktailGlamorous American bars were once a familiar sight in London, catering to US and British citizens alike, but only two of the historic ones remain. On the eve of Thanksgiving, Robert Crossan goes in search of both.
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Curious Questions: Why was absinthe banned?Absinthe is almost unique among alcoholic spirits for having been outlawed in even some of the world's most liberal countries — but how did that happen? Martin Fone traces back the story to find the tales of debauchery, hallucination and even murder that once gave the drink its bad name — and looks at how it's returned to prominence.
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Perry: The pear cider dubbed 'the English champagne' that's been an English passion for centuriesNot to be confused with cider, the art of perry-making is more than a craft — it’s an English passion. Ben Lerwill meets some of our best producers of fermented pear juice.
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Seven of the best non-alcoholic spirits to help get you through Dry JanuaryWhether you’re doing it for health reasons or simply for a New Year’s challenge, giving up alcohol isn’t necessarily all that easy. To help you on your way, the Country Life office put a variety of non-alcoholic spirits to the test. Here’s what we found.
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How to decant wine — and whyIs your decanter gathering dust at the back of a cupboard? If so, says Harry Eyres, it’s high time you started using it to breathe more life into your wine.
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Curious Questions: What is it REALLY like giving up alcohol for a lifelong lover of fine wine?Sobriety is easier and more interesting than it used to be, finds Giles Kime, who has spent the past year exploring the unanticipated delights of alcohol-free beer.
