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11th December 2018
01:57pm GMT
Ah that wonderful time of year when we sing Fairytale Of New York until 4am, wear an odd-looking Santy suits to the pub and gorge on cocktail sausages.
It's the best.
You're guaranteed to be spending a lot of time in the pub this silly season but if you're anything like me that means you'll go off on your own wandering and looking for an adventure.
Anyone else?
Well, that being said, that means when I go out I don't spend as much time with my mates as I should, so I don't really get to hang out properly.
So instead, why not invite your long-lost mates over for a well-needed catch up and treat them to a few delish G&T's?
That way you'll get to have some tasty drinks and you'll still be able to get in all the goss from the year.
This week, if you haven't guessed already, I'll be showing off a very festive bottle of my favourite spirit.
It doesn't get much more Christmassy than this.
This gin was created by infusing every ingredient from Gaslamp's Mother’s delicious Christmas cake recipe. With mixed fruit, mixed spice, almonds and more, this liquid cake has everything except flour, butter and eggs.
I sit at my desk in work and below my feet lies a crate full of gin bottles waiting to appear in this series.
I wont lie, having a dozen gin bottles side-by-side makes you pick out every single detail and realise the importance of appearance.
If I'm in a shop and I decide I want a bottle of gin, I instantly find myself drawn to the stunning coloured bottles, strange shapes and interesting labels - hey, I
Unfortunately, Gaslamp Gin for me is not one of those bottles.
It just doesn't excite or entice me - could deffo look a little more gorge. I do like however, that the bottle cap is sealed with a wax top.
But hey, as they say - the proof is in the (Christmas) pudding, this is all about taste so let's dive in.
Gaslamp is a micro-distillery based in Dublin.
The ultra-small, very manual distillery is home to full mashing and fermentation equipment, two stills and a manual bottling machine.
The hybrid pot still (Dorothy) and a smaller 50L gin still (Toto) gives precise control and flexibility over what they make.
The top notes give a sharp kick of orange and spice.
It's an overpowering aroma of Christmas and all things festive.
There's a spicy kick to begin with from the cinnamon and cloves along with a sweetness from the orange.
It's definitely a more exotic flavour to your standard gin.
It's genuinely like Christmas pudding in a glass, but more refreshing.
It tastes more like a brandy than a gin but it still has notes of juniper.
It's a rich, fruity, and spicy flavour - very tasty.
A bottle of XMAS Cake Gin will cost you €44.
You'll find it in Celtic Whiskey Shop, O'Neills, Deveney's, Drinkstore and bars across the country.
Cheers to that!
