Challenging it sure is to live in South Africa! At any given time you can wake up or arrive home after a hectic day to no water and/or no electricity. Leave the house and you have to venture out on the roads and endure the crazy drivers who have their own rules on the road, swerving to avoid them at every turn, as well as some drivers who think they own the road and because you don’t wish to break the speed limit by more than the 10km/h you are already quite literally being forced to do, as they flash their headlights at you to move out of their way.
When you visit shopping malls you just pray there won’t be an armed robbery while you are there, same as drawing cash (if you dare and really have to at the ATM) where you risk the chance of getting shot for a few rands.
Driving at night is becoming scary and even if you do see a police van with blue flashing lights trying to flag you down, you just can’t pull over but will have to drive to the nearest police station and hope there are police officers there who aren’t asleep who can assist you.
Yes, I can see very challenging times ahead for our country. On the upside, after living here you will be able to live anywhere in the world. Well, if you have a passport or can manage to acquire a visa that is.
My five favourite spring buys
One – Has to be the new copy of Garden & Home magazine. I love to see how other people decorate their homes as well as making a beautiful garden.
Two – Seedlings to plant in my garden. I bought the new variety of impatiens last week which won’t die due to the deadly downy mildew disease. I chose pink, white and lilac and can’t wait to see them flower
Three – The Body Shop Mango Shower Gel. The fruity fragrance is a real wake-me-up in the morning.
Four – Lindt Excellence Intense Orange dark chocolate.
Five – Warwick First Lady Rose dry wine, perfect with food or on its own with chunks of ice.
Chin chin with a new gin
Light up your favourite gin cocktail this sunny season with new Prohibition Blue Gin, the latest innovation from Silver Creek Craft Distillery. This striking blue wonder gets its colour from the flower of the Blue Pea, which means it is 100 per cent natural, and turns pink when mixed with lemon or tonic water.
Prohibition Blue Gin is made in small batches and infused with juniper as well as coriander, lemon, angelica, cinnamon and a dash of rose water. Such is the quality that it has already landed a Gold Award, impressing judges at the latest SA Woman’s Wine and Spirit Awards.
The new gin took many months to develop, says Silver Creek founder and distiller Mark Taverner. “What we have now is perfect – a beautifully balanced gin that not only complements our existing range but can hold its own in any company.”
The new Prohibition Blue Gin joins a pink and a clear variation in Silver Creek’s gin portfolio – a versatile gathering no matter the occasion. With the launch of Prohibition Blue Gin, comes the invitation to go beyond just G&T this summer: why not make your own G&T granita? Spruce it up with apples and thyme or enjoy it as a tipple with sweet temptations like a lemon and cardamom tart.
As with the distillery’s already-famous range of fine Moonshines, the Prohibition Gins are handmade, distilled to a fine spirit from carefully selected grains.
Prohibition Craft Gin is versatile, inspiring a range of cocktails. In glass, it shows a fresh, crisp burst of citrus with a base of juniper and a hint of cinnamon. Prohibition Pink Gin is the clear variation further infused with raspberries and blueberries, and a touch of hibiscus flowers and rose water.
Where the newcomer is concerned, Mark maintains that it’s not only the blue colour that makes it so intriguing, but also that it changes to pink with some mixers. “When it comes into contact with tonic water or lemon, the pH balance changes the colour to a sparkling pink.”
He adds that the blue colouring is 100 percent natural and likely to fade over time so should be ideally stored out of direct sunlight, in a cupboard or the fridge. Another fascinating fact about the presence of Blue Pea is that in traditional medicine, the flower – Clitoria Tetnatea – is said to have aphrodisiac and antioxidant powers, among other life-enhancing properties.
In this libertarian twist, it also links with the legacy of the Prohibition name. Prohibition was a ban imposed on liquor through the campaigns of America’s ultra-conservative Temperance Movement of the early 1900s.
The ban created a fertile environment for the illegal liquor trade and entertaining tales of gin-making by the light of the moon and lively underground speakeasies. Prohibition only lasted for 13 years, ended by overwhelming objection and to this day, its death knell in 1933 is widely celebrated.
Silver Creek Craft Distillery joined that commemoration with Prohibition Gins, part of the proud tradition that does everything by hand – from mashing and fermentation to distillation and bottling. This process allows for extra special care, which is why every bottle is signed by the distiller.
Prohibition Blue Gin is bottled at 43 percent ABV and available through online shop Takealot.com along with Silver Creek Craft Distillery’s full range and will soon be in all major retailers countrywide.
The recommended retail price is just R369/750ml bottle.
Visit www.silvercreekdistillery.co.za for more information.
That’s it for this week. Shop till you drop!
Julie
