Craft Gin Club - March

We received our second gin subscription box, perfectly timed when we were still snuggled inside away from the snow.

I don't think I mentioned last time, but I receive no compensation for my reviews.

The gin 

This month, we received a bottle of ELG No. 1 Danish gin. The tasting notes in the magazine are as follows:

     Rich juniper flavour dominates this punchy, intense gin. Just three botanicals allow for incredible precision; on the nose, tangerine, black pepper, lemongrass and coriander scents blossom, carrying through to the palate. The finish is creamy, descending into herbaceous and earthy notes.

My notes: This is a strong gin. At 47.2% alcohol by volume, this is one of the stronger ones we've tried. It's got a... distinct flavor, but not in a bad way. I do get a slight hint of the citrus, as noted above, and it's also got a herby flavor. After the initial taste, it mellows nicely, and at the end I do pick up the earthy notes. All of the flavors are subtle and blend nicely together. I like this one, but it wouldn't be my everyday choice.

*Day 2 Update* The magazine we received with our box mentioned using lemon as a garnish instead of lime. So we tried it, and it enhances the flavor of the gin immensely. With lemon, this gin is near the top of the list now, but unfortunately it's not sold in the UK normally. We are sure to savor this bottle.

Franklin & Sons Natural Light Tonic Water 

I'm beginning to develop more of a taste for tonic, but it's still a bit bitter to me. This tonic is not my style. It's dry and the bitterness coats my whole tongue. Matt didn't favor it either, and he's not normally picky in this department.

Newton's Appl Fizzics Just Apple 

This is a sparkling juice drink, and as suggested by the magazine, I used it in a cocktail called the Newton's appl fizz. I mixed the gin with raspberry syrup and the apple drink, and garnished with an apple slice.

The gin and apple drink balanced the sweetness of the syrup, and the result was a nice, refreshing cocktail. Since I now have a whole bottle of raspberry syrup, I'll drink this again. The apple drink on its own is very tasty as well, and the carbonation isn't overwhelming.

Piper Crisp Co Jalapeno & Dill Crisps 

I do love jalapeno chips, so I was eager to try a new one. These had a nice jalapeno flavor, but were short on heat. There was a pleasant sourness as well, which to me made up for the lack of spice. I would try them again, as well as other flavors by this brand.

Bonne Maman Sweet Orange Marmalade 

I am not a fan of marmalade. I find it bitter, and if I want jam, I want it sweet. There were three different varieties of Bonne Maman marmalade sent out in the gin boxes, and we received the sweet one. Consider me converted. There was a recipe in the magazine that involves putting a dollop of this into a gin and tonic, and of course I had to try it. My drink was not completely incorporated, since we don't have a proper cocktail shaker, but it still tasted pretty good. I've enjoyed the marmalade even more on crumpets (which are sort of a dense, porous pancake/biscuit). If I see this in the store, I would pick it up again.

Divine Chocolate Deliciously Dark Smooth Hazelnut

I love a good dark chocolate (well, I love a good chocolate, period).  This bar was mellow and very tasty, and, as the name suggests, it was smooth (no pieces of nut, just the flavor). Also the company supports the empowerment of women cocoa farmers. Between the taste and the business practices, I'll definitely try more from Divine.

After enjoying the first gin box so much, I was hoping that our second wouldn't be a dud. It wasn't, and I am eagerly awaiting our next installment!

Beast from the East

At the end of February, we were hit with the Beast from the East, a weather system that brought subfreezing temperatures from Siberia. At the weekend, Storm Emma came up from the south, hitting the UK and Ireland. I believe that the worst of both was expected in Scotland and southwestern England and Wales.

Our snow first came overnight on Monday. It wasn't bad though, and the roads were clear. It snowed on and off throughout the day, but really only accumulated on the grass.

Tuesday evening, and throughout the night, snow was falling heavily.

By Wednesday morning, we had maybe six inches, and it was still snowing. Our school wasn't officially closed, but they did send an email that basically said don't feel obligated to bring the kids in. So my kids happily put pajamas back on and we settled in.

By Thursday morning, we had gotten another couple of inches, and school was officially closed. The kids were initially disappointed to miss World Book Day, but that disappointment didn't last long. We did (briefly) play outside on this day.

Thankfully, school was open again on Friday. The main roads were clear, and it had stopped snowing.  The sidewalks were still full of packed snow, though, so we didn't get out much.

There was some snow on and off through Saturday, and then on Sunday we started getting messy half snow/half rain.

It was gloomy all day, but it didn't make the roads slick. Over the next few days, the snow melted, and we hoped that the Beast had passed. There was one last gasp the following Thursday. It snowed heavily and fast in the morning. I did drive the kids to school, but it was slippery, and the drive home took 20 minutes instead of the typical 5. But by the time school was out, everything had melted.

Morning

A few hours later

Overall, being snowed in for a couple of days was inconvenient but not too bad. Some other parts of the UK had it a lot worse- trains and flights were delayed or cancelled, and there were major traffic jams. Parts of continental Europe were also hit harder, even in places where residents are more accustomed to wintery weather. I'm glad that it's over, and I'm hoping that spring conditions are right around the corner.

World Book Day

Children in the UK look forward to World Book Day, as many schools invite students to dress up as their favorite book characters. I've seen that some US schools so this also, and just like in the States, the costumes run from Amazon to elaborate Pinterest-worthy creations.

I'm an Amazon mom myself, so I was relieved when Miles and Lily chose easily accessible costumes. Lily chose to be the title character from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and Miles was Fox in Socks.

Unfortunately, school was cancelled on dress up day, so the kids had to wait a whole week to show off their costumes.
I've never seen two kids so sad to have a snow day.

When the makeup day came around, they were so excited to go to school in costume, and they each took their favorite book to share with the class. According to the school, there were special book-related activities throughout the day, but of course my kids didn't tell me about that. But the staff dressed up as well, and it looked like a very festive atmosphere.

While our school does celebrate World Book Day each year, they only have the kids dress up every other year. Miles and Lily are already planning their costumes for next time!