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MERMAID SPICED RUM

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Style speaks

Style speaks

Mermaid Spiced Rum is crafted from a carefully selected blend of sugar cane and molasses rum from Trinidad and the Dominican Republic, distilled in column stills and aged between two and five years in oak bourbon whiskey barrels, before being infused on the Isle of Wight with local fruits and spices.

20ml Mermaid Spiced Rum

140ml Pineapple Juice

25ml Coconut Syrup

25ml Coconut Milk

35ml Lime Juice

10ml Vanilla Extract

2ml Cocoa Bitters

Garnish:

Pineapple leaves

Method:

To clarify: Add all ingredients apart from the rum into a vessel and stir well. Place a coffee filter over a second vessel and pour the ingredients into it. Repeat until the desired transparency is achieved.

To build the cocktail, combine Mermaid Spiced Rum with 75ml of the clarified mixture and stir well. Pour into an iced highball and garnish.

New Horizons for Wild Island

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Newchurch, with simmering pans gently clinking and the appetising aroma of spiced fig in the air, you’ll find the unassuming production kitchen of Wild Island. Behind these doors, chief blender and infuser, Natasha Wilson, is hard at work, creating small batches of the brand’s signature oils, dressings and vinegars. From blackberry-infused balsamic to cherryflavoured vinegar and rich, fiery chilli oil, Wild Island’s creations have won fans both near and far with their locally made creations, each one produced, bottled, labelled and despatched from their Isle of Wight H.Q. It all began for Wild Island over ten years ago, when Gurnard-based foodie Nuala Grandcourt started making salad dressing from her cottage kitchen. As her range increased, venturing into oils and vinegars, the orders started coming in from farm shops and retailers all over the South Coast and Natasha was soon brought on board to be her culinary apprentice. Fast forward to 2022 and Nuala teamed up with The Garlic Farm to start an exciting new chapter for the Wild Island brand, with Natasha taking over in the kitchen.

Today, the Wild Island range includes ten tempting options, including a fair few that have won Great Taste Awards too. The Spiced Fig Balsamic is a firm favourite, offering a luxuriously rich and dark flavour with a warm spicy note in the background — it’s perfect for drizzling on salads or serving alongside cheese. Another option is the Chilli Oil with Lemongrass and Ginger, made using local rapeseed oil from Oil of Wight, grown and pressed just a stone’s throw from Wild Island’s front door. Combining fresh flavours and a bit of heat, this vegan-friendly oil matches perfectly with crab cakes or Asian-inspired stir-fries. For those new to the brand and unsure which flavour to first plump for, there’s also a gift pack of mini bottles, featuring their four Great Taste award winners — Spiced Fig Balsamic, Cherry Vinegar, Blackberry Balsamic and Raspberry Vinegar — each in a handy 60ml taster size.

Over the years, Wild Island has built up a strong and supportive network of Isle of Wight retailers, from farm shops to delis and boutiques to gift shops. You can now find their shining bottles of artisan oil, delicious dressing, and finely crafted vinegar on the shelves of Quarr Abbey, Harvey Brown’s, and Osborne House to name just a few. Plus, thanks to their new partnership with The Garlic Farm, Wild Island is increasingly making its way into independent food retailers up and down the country. With Natasha at the helm, and this exciting new chapter only just beginning, we’re expecting big things for Wild Island in the not-too-distant future.

wildislandstore.co.uk

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