#Hellosummermeetgin!
If I was asked to name the things that encapsulate summer for me, then gin and tonics and ice cream would be right up there at the top of the list (alongside English cricketing capitulations and trying valiantly to BBQ in between rain showers).
You can imagine then how pleased I was to be invited to an evening where these two wonderful summer treats were being combined by two of my very favourite brands; Sipsmith whose fantastic distillery in Chiswick I visited only a couple of weeks earlier, and Jude's whose salted caramel ice cream I encountered recently and absolutely loved.
That's right - they've combined to create a gin and tonic ice cream!
If I was asked to name the things that encapsulate summer for me, then gin and tonics and ice cream would be right up there at the top of the list (alongside English cricketing capitulations and trying valiantly to BBQ in between rain showers).
You can imagine then how pleased I was to be invited to an evening where these two wonderful summer treats were being combined by two of my very favourite brands; Sipsmith whose fantastic distillery in Chiswick I visited only a couple of weeks earlier, and Jude's whose salted caramel ice cream I encountered recently and absolutely loved.
That's right - they've combined to create a gin and tonic ice cream!
But there was more to this evening (at Le Meridien hotel off Piccadilly Circus) than that.
First, we were greeted with a Sipsmith and Jude's Gin Float, which was an idea of absolute genius.
It sees a scoop of Jude's Very Vanilla Ice-Cream sat in a coupe glass. To this 20ml of Sipsmith London Dry Gin was added and then it was topped with some chilled tonic water (this has to be poured over very slowly to avoid the drink fizzing over).
The result is a rather decadent drink where the tartness of the gin contrasts nicely with the creamy vanilla - the result is something akin to a summer snowball. Excellent.
It sees a scoop of Jude's Very Vanilla Ice-Cream sat in a coupe glass. To this 20ml of Sipsmith London Dry Gin was added and then it was topped with some chilled tonic water (this has to be poured over very slowly to avoid the drink fizzing over).
The result is a rather decadent drink where the tartness of the gin contrasts nicely with the creamy vanilla - the result is something akin to a summer snowball. Excellent.
Classy Summer Gin Cocktails
Following on from this we tried two cocktails that those clever folk at Sipsmith had come up with for this event.
Firstly we had one of their Summer Cups: this uses their gin called Summer Cup which is their London Dry Gin flavoured with Earl Grey, Bergamot and Lemon Verbena. They served this with lemonade and garnished it with cucumber and strawberries. This was a delightful drink that shared a lot of similarities with Pimm's except for the fact that it felt a lot more grown-up as it was no way near as sweet.
Having tried a Pimm's subsequently it has cemented my view that the Sipsmith Summer Cup should be the refreshing afternoon long drink for the summer - I seriously recommend trying this out. You can buy Sipsmith Summer Cup from Ocado for £19.99 (500ml bottle).
Next up we tried a Sipsmith Sloe Gin and Bitter Lemon. I became a fan of Sipsmith Sloe Gin when I visited their Distillery but now I am even more of a fan - the sour nature of the bitter lemon was the perfect foil for the plummy, jammy luxury of the sloe gin.
Paired together it made for a wonderfully balanced and refined long drink. I may have drunk more than a couple of these since the event. Yum. You can buy Sipsmith Sloe Gin from Ocado for £24 (500ml bottle).
Paired together it made for a wonderfully balanced and refined long drink. I may have drunk more than a couple of these since the event. Yum. You can buy Sipsmith Sloe Gin from Ocado for £24 (500ml bottle).
You scream, I scream, we all scream for Ice Cream...
Where could we go after the heights of these gorgeous drinks? Well, how about a gin and tonic flavoured ice cream?!
Those magicians at Jude's sought to create an ice cream that featured just enough of a hint of gin and tonic to give that citrusy, junipery dry gin flavour whilst maintaining the decadence of their vanilla ice cream.
Boy did they manage it. This was simply delicious, a proper grown-up ice cream that will bring a smile to any gin and tonic lover's face.
You can buy Jude's gin & tonic ice cream from Ocado for 2 for £4.50 until 21st July 2015!
For now, you can make the gin float I had at the start of the night!
Those magicians at Jude's sought to create an ice cream that featured just enough of a hint of gin and tonic to give that citrusy, junipery dry gin flavour whilst maintaining the decadence of their vanilla ice cream.
Boy did they manage it. This was simply delicious, a proper grown-up ice cream that will bring a smile to any gin and tonic lover's face.
You can buy Jude's gin & tonic ice cream from Ocado for 2 for £4.50 until 21st July 2015!
For now, you can make the gin float I had at the start of the night!
Well, there you have it. Summer is about to hit. I suggest that you stock up on some gin and some ice cream so that you're prepared to make the most of it!
#hellosummermeetgin
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