Holy mother of Hades it is HOT today!
It was 25 degrees at 9 o’clock this morning and it’s just hit 33 and there’s a real possibility that my face has eaten my makeup.
(Add to that the 70% humidity, my polyester uniform top and my office’s lack of proper aircon, and you can imagine that I am quiiite the attractive sight right now…)
So what’s a girl to do when her makeup is melting, her hair is wilting and she’s forgotten what a normal body temperature feels like?
Well I don’t know about you, but I find a nice cold gin always hits the spot…
If you’ve never heard of The Botanist gin before, I feel like today would be a really good day to fix that little problem. I’ve become a liiiittle bit obsessed with it since trying it for the first time last month.
Distilled on Islay (a teeny-tiny little Scottish island ), The Botanist gin is made using a whole bunch of hand-picked botanicals, including (among others) things like apple mint, chamomile, elder, hawthorn, heather, juniper, lemon balm, meadowsweet, mugwort, bog myrtle, white clover, wild thyme and wood sage.
1. The Botanist gin sounds like a Potions recipe.
2. I definitely just had to Google the definition of “botanical” to check that it meant what I thought it did. (It does.):
“A substance obtained from a plant and used typically in medicinal or cosmetic products.”
So that means that this gin is basically medicine right?
3. The multiple botanical elements make the gin incredibly aromatic and delicious.
4. I’d never heard of bog myrtle before. Apparently it’s a herb. So can we just take the time to appreciate the fact that “bog” is another word for “toilet” in weird English slang, and that JK Rowling named her Ghost in a Toilet: Myrtle.
BOG. MYRTLE.
5. This is why I heart JK Rowling.
So where can you try The Botanist gin? Well.
You could buy a bottle of it, of course…
ORRR. You could head down to Selfridges and try one of the fantastic cocktails that the Selfridges bar team have put together for the summer.
Eight of them went foraging on the Island of Islay for botanicals to infuse their The Botanist gin with. They hand-picked all their own botanicals, infused their different flavours in a gin infuser, and then created four different cocktails to be served at each of Selfridges’ iconic bars: Harry Gordon’s Bar, The Corner Restaurant and Champagne Bar, Aubaine, and Selfridges’ rooftop restaurant, Forest.
Leanne and I were invited to their press launch a few weeks ago and can confirm that they are aaaall delicious (though some more than others!)
The Urban Botanist – Harry Gordon’s Bar
The Botanist gin infused with: bay leaf, star anise and thyme.
Add lemon juice, stir, and top up with ginger beer.
It’s fresh and zingy, with a warm aftertaste from the ginger that I loved. This one was my fave! The lemon and star anise garnish is stunning as well.
(Pictured above.)
The Botanist Wild Cherry – The Corner Restaurant and Champagne Bar
The Botanist gin infused with: lavender, rosemary, long peppercorn and pink peppercorn.
Add an extra half shot of regular The Botanist gin, elderflower cordial, lemon juice and muddled black cherries, then top up with ginger beer.
This one was also really nice! Fruity and sweet, but not too sweet. It’s perfectly balanced with the lemon juice and ginger beer.
(Pictured below, on the right.)
The Botanist Fizz – Aubaine
The Botanist gin infused with: lavender.
Add honey and lemon, shake, then top with prosecco and a slice of lemon.
I loved the simplicity of this one. It’s very classic and elegant, perfect for being served at Aubaine!
(Pictured below, on the left)
The Botanist Garden – Forest on the Roof
The Botanist gin infused with: goji berries.
Add lime juice, lemon juice, cream, one egg white and Mezcal, then top up with soda water and garnish with edible flowers.
This one was nice, but a bit too much for a hot summer’s day I think. The cream and egg white make it creamy, and it does taste delicious, but it’s just too heavy for this weather. Shame, cos it’s really very pretty!
(Pictured below, centre)
Which one do you think would be your favourite?
The cocktails are all available for a limited time only, and though they’ve not announced the official cut-off date yet, I’m going to assume they’re only here for the summer.
So make the most of it while you can!
Despite not being my favourite of The Botanist cocktails, I’d also like to recommend the Forest rooftop bar as a FAB place to gather with friends for drinks, nibbles and some giggles. The sunsets are goooorgeous!
Just don’t forget to book.
And please for the love of all that is holy, remember to wear sun cream.
Happy summertime folks!
*Leanne and I were guests of The Botanist for this event.
*Hand modelling by Leanne, because she has prettier nails than I do.
