ISSUE 21- April 2019 - £4.95
S IP INTO SPR ING CRACKI NG E AST E R CO C K TA IL S
M UDDL E
Spring is here, I hear...
Issue 21 - A p r i l 2 01 9
In April’s edition of Muddle Magazine, we’re fully embracing the switch of seasons as we wave goodbye to winter and welcome in spring.
Editor: Claire White
Our featured refreshing cocktails are set to put a ‘spring’ in your step with a classic combination of gin and fizz. The French 75 and Violet Spritz are two of our in-house favourites for transitioning your taste buds to sunkissed nights.
Photography: Stephen Spiers For all editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact: info@tipplebox.co.uk
From sharing a G&T photo on Facebook to opening the first distillery in Yorkshire, we discover the story of this month’s featured spirit Masons Gin, serving up a taster of the Northern county in every sip. We’ve also rounded up the latest launches for the season including a new arcade-themed bar in Manchester and a ‘best served short’ gin.
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With the weather changing, we’re already beginning to dream of enjoying a tipple or two outdoors. To get in the mood, we visited Edinburgh’s newest opening Cold Town House to uncover Scotland’s latest bar, with a rooftop terrace that looks set to become the place to be this year. It’s time to sip your way into spring!
Cheers, Claire
I N A P R I L’ S C O C K TA I L B O X Masons Peppered Pear Gin The latest edition from Masons Gin combines their original recipe with the addition of pink peppercorns and juicy conference pears to create the perfect balance for our fizz cocktails. Friary Violet Liqueur With its bold colour and delicate taste, violet liqueur serves up a refreshing sip, set for spring cocktail mixing. Prosecco Add some fizz to spring with a pop of Prosecco, the perfect pour to add the finishing touch to our refreshing tipples. Heron Valley Lemon Juice Using ripe, juicy Sicilian lemons, Heron Valley’s Lemon Juice is gently pasteurised to ensure a freshly squeezed taste in every bottle to kickstart that sunkissed feeling. Fever-Tree Soda Water Unlike many sodas, Fever-Tree’s soda water has no aroma, allowing the spirits and liqueurs to shine through. Glitter Syrup Add some sparkle and sweetness to your cocktails with our exclusive in-house glitter syrup.
CONTENTS 01
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WELCOME
Ed it or’ s l et t er Ins ide t his mon t h’ s box
TIPPLER’S TRENDS
Da tes for your dia r y Bo tt l es & ba rs
T I P P L E R ’ S TA L E S
Ap ril ’ s c oc kt a il s
TIPPLER’S TIME
Ma son s Gin
T I P P L E R ’ S T R E AT S
Sp rin g c oc kt a il pic k s
TIPPLER’S TIPS
Co l d Tow n House
TIPPLER’S TOAST
Co mpet it ion # Ta gMyTippl e
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TIPPLER’S TRENDS
D AT E S F O R Y O U R D I A R Y
1 9 T H - N AT I O N A L A M A R E T T O D AY A sweet Italian liqueur that originated in Saronno, Italy, Amaretto’s almond flavour is typically enjoyed straight, on ice or mixed into coffee. If you’re looking to mix things up to celebrate, popular and easy to make cocktails include the addition of Cognac for the French Connection or Scotch Whisky to create the Godfather.
21ST - EASTER Chocolate and cocktails go hand-in-hand so make sure you’ve an egg in one and a drink in another. If you need an excuse to go all out with a chocolatey extravaganza, why not enjoy a chocolate liqueur either with ice or in a cocktail? Hello Creme Egg Martini!
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23 R D - S T G E O R G E ’ S D AY Game of Thrones fans, eat your heart out. To celebrate St George’s Day, there are plenty of dragon themed cocktails you can enjoy including the White Dragon or Dragon’s Blood, or simply crack open an English spirit in his honour - we recommend this month’s featured spirit Masons Gin.
TIPPLER’S TRENDS
BOTTLES & BARS
NQ64 MANCHESTER A sip of a cocktail can transport you to a time in your life, whether it’s a special occasion, vacation or momentous event. Manchester’s latest cocktails will take you back to the video game era from the time when Pacman and Space Invaders to Time Crisis and Tekken ruled the way. New retro video games arcade-themed bar N64 has opened in the Northern Quarter featuring cocktails influenced by the games including our favourite The Mario - featuring bourbon, watermelon, Campari and soda.
DACHSHUND GIN Persie Distillery will launch its new Dachshund Gin Liqueur this month. With the perfect balance of sweet and sharp, the long bodied gin is ‘best served short’ - just like the breed. Enjoy either on-the-rocks or by adding a splash of liqueur to a glass of Champagne. As with all their dog gins, Persie will donate £1 per bottle to Perthshire Abandoned Dogs Society to help rescue and rehome unwanted dogs.
ENTER AN OTHERWORLD Beneath a railway arch in Haggerston, London, a brand new virtual reality bar Otherworld is set to open on April 15th. Featuring 16 virtual games from adventuring to the wild west to surviving a zombie apocalypse, there are chances to win ‘DreamCoin’ to exchange for extra time or food and drinks at the bar. With each room featuring multi-sensory effects from heat, wind, movement and scent, where will you go?
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T I P P L E R ’ S TA L E S
A P R I L’ S C O C K TA I L S
It’s time to embrace the start of spring… Our refreshing sips are set to put a ‘spring’ in your step with the classic combination of gin and fizz.
FRENCH 75 Gin meets bubbles. The French 75’s combination of spirit and wine made it a popular drink amongst those looking to enjoy an indulgent imbibe. Cocktails of this prestige typically rise to the spotlight in certain eras and The French 75 is no exception. Featuring in one of the most famous films of all time, the cocktail rose to fame when it was ordered in Casablanca in 1942. However, The French 75 itself dates back to World War I, with an early version of the drink created in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris by famed Scotsman bartender Harry MacElhone. Invented in France, using French spirits and French wine, it may seem obvious where the ‘French’ part of the cocktail name originated. Despite this, the cocktail name was apparently given after the 75mm Howitzer field gun, a type of weaponry used by the French and Americans in World War 1. Known for its speed and accuracy, the explanation goes that the drink had such a kick that it felt like ‘being hit by such a weapon’. We’ve created a much more refined and balanced version of the classic cocktail with a recipe that’s Ritz-ready. Gin meets bubbles...you can’t argue with that! 5
VIOLET SPRITZ Parma Violets may have split opinion when it came to the floral flavoured confectionery, but recently violet-infused spirits have soared in popularity, with the gin botanical blend a winning combination in colour, essence and taste. Our Violet Spritz embraces the new violet loving trend with an adaptation of the famed Spritz cocktail, dating back to the 19th century. Originating from Northern Italy, the drink takes its name from the German verb ‘Spritzen’ meaning spray or splash. At the time of creation, Venice was still part of the Austrian empire. German soldiers would drink wines in local taverns, but dilute the wine to achieve a similar alcohol content to their usual beer, creating the first ‘spritzer’ combination of white wine and soda. A spritz refers to the wine and soda combination with a splash of liqueur, according to personal taste, featuring varied bitter flavours from Campari to Aperol. We’ve taken the feel-good drink of the summer, the Aperol Spritz, and added a trendy twist with our violet version!
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THE DALES FINEST GIN
E S TA B L I S H E D 2013
L O C AT I O N Bedale, Yorkshire
TA S T I N G N O T E S
Soft juniper, lime and orange with a peppery finish and a subtle fennel fragrance M A S O N S Y O R K S H I R E G I N .C O M @MasonsYorkshireGin
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TIPPLER’S TIME
MASONS GIN Launched in 2013 on International Gin Day, Masons Yorkshire Gin was created by the gin’s namesake duo Karl and Cathy Mason. The tale of this gin began in 2012 when Karl shared a photo of his weekly gin and tonic on Facebook, creating a page ‘Gin & Tonic Friday’ dedicated to making every Friday ‘Gin and Tonic day’. The Facebook page quickly gained attention as Karl expanded into reviewing gins and sharing gin-infused features and news. It was when the page hit the 10,000 mark that Karl realised the gin industry was only set to grow. With his new-found knowledge of the spirit, and multiple Friday night G&T tastings, he became extremely passionate about gin. He used his newfound admiration for gin to set out to create a gin that was representative of another passion in his life - his home turf Yorkshire. In 2014, the family were the first to establish a distillery in Bedale on the edge of the Yorkshire dales creating a home for Masons Gin. The botanicals in Masons Gin have been kept strictly underwraps, simply stating a balance of ‘juniper, citrus and secret botanicals’, however, the spirit has always been brought to bottling strength using Harrogate spring water for the final Yorkshire touch before bottling. Working to showcase further Yorkshire attributes, the Masons range now encompasses local ingredients including Yorkshire tea and lavender. As featured in April’s Box, Masons Peppered Pear gin is the latest expression from the Yorkshire distillery, combining their awardwinning original recipe with the addition of pink peppercorns and juicy conference pears to create the perfect partner for our fizz-infused cocktails!
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T I P P L E R ’ S T R E AT S
S P R I N G C O C K TA I L P I C K S
C O S M O C O C K TA I L S E T Make the most of the Bank Holiday weekends this spring by kickstarting your night in style with our Cosmo Box. Featuring the classic Cosmopolitan and a fruity French Martini, grab the girls and start getting ready with our fun and fabulous cocktails. With four glasses per box, there’s enough to sample and share.
£ 2 5 .95 | T I P P L E B O X .C O M 9
W H I S K Y C O C K TA I L SET Designed for toasting and telling tales, our finely curated Whisky Cocktail Set takes the party into the wee hours of the night with the Old Fashioned and Manhattan.
PINK GIN SET Find out what all the fuss is about with our expertly curated pink gin set. With a spectrum of choice, whisky,
we’ve handselected our top four pink gins for you
we’ve taken these classic cocktails
to sample this spring. From perfectly pink Boe
and made them truly special with
Peach and Hibiscus liqueur to the sweetly spiced
our smoky and peaty twists.
Edinburgh Gin rhubarb and ginger liqueur, pink gin
Featuring
Smokehead
is still our top trend this spring.
£ 2 5 .9 5 | T I P P L E B O X . COM
£25 .9 5 | T I P P L E B O X .C O M 10
TIPPLER’S TRENDS
COLD TOWN HOUSE
Sitting in a ski gondola on a rooftop overlooking a castle, with a slice of pizza in one hand and a Prosecco in the other, it’s hard to believe this is Edinburgh’s newest bar opening. Scotland may not exactly have the finest weather for al fresco drinks, but with blankets to cosy up and the tall building offering some shelter from the wind, there’s no doubt this will become the place to be in the lead-up to summer. Cold Town House is the capital’s hottest new bar that’s transformed the B-listed former Robertson Memorial Church in the Grassmarket into a Pinterest lovers dream come true. Featuring a basement bar with an open fire pit to cosy up indoors throughout winter, a pizza and Prosecco meets in-house Cold Town brewery and, arguably, the bar’s crowning glory, a rooftop terrace bar, which looks set to become one of Edinburgh’s Instagram hotspots. Nestled below Edinburgh Castle, the rooftop bar offers incredible views from its ski resort themed terrace featuring repurposed ski gondolas and ski lift chairs sourced from Alpe d’huez as festoon lighting creates a boho-chic design. From the in-house brewery to the beer-infused food menu, beer is at the heart of Cold Town House. But don’t let that deter you non-beer lovers! The menu isn’t all about the beer - after all they’ve a ‘Prosecco Palace’ and a packed sevenpage menu full of spirits, wines and fizz and an impressive cocktail range featuring unique in-house specials. To get you in the mood for rooftop sipping, we’ve picked our top 3 tipples from Cold Town House. 11
ENOUGH OF YOUR PEACH Solerno, peach liqueur, pink grapefruit, lemon, peach lambic
WATERMELON WAKE UP CALL Aperol, El Jimador tequila, fresh watermelon, lime and coriander
BACON BLOODY MARY Absolut vodka, tomato, in-house spice mix and red eye bitters
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TIPPLER’S TOAST
COMPETITION
Each month, we team up with our featured distillery to give you the chance to win a fullsized bottle to enjoy at home! This month, you can enjoy a true taste of Yorkshire with Masons Dry Gin! A small batch, craft distilled gin, Masons Dry Gin has a bold yet balanced flavour, with botanicals including juniper, cardamom, fennel and coriander, with a refreshing orange and juniper finish. Whether you make the most of the spring weather and create a deliciously refreshing cocktail, alike our fizz selection, or enjoy a signature serve G&T with orange peel or pink grapefruit, the bottle is set to see you through the season! For your chance to win, simply visit Tipple Box on Facebook and enter via our Competition tab in April! T&Cs apply.
NEXT MONTH’S BOX M AY 20 1 9 The countdown to summer is well underway… The first Bank Holiday Weekends are here, the sun is shining and summer is just weeks away! We’re getting in the sunkissed mood by switching your taste buds from new wave spring sips to summer classics. Our Cocktail Club members will be enjoying two refreshing rum cocktails with arguably two of the most famous cocktails of all - the Mojito and Daiquiri! 13
TIPPLER’S TOAST
SHARE YOUR DRINKS TO WIN! For your chance to win exclusive prizes throughout the month, make sure you share your Tipple Box drinks with us! This month, we’ll be selecting lucky winners to receive spot prizes across our social media channels! Prizes include miniature bottles of gin, shakers and our cocktail barware set! Whether you’re a fan of Facebook, an Instagram addict or obsessed with Twitter, simply pick your preferred platform and post your photo using #TagMyTipple to enter.
THIS MONTH’S WINNER: STEVIE RUSTELL
For inspiration, check out our latest #TagMyTipple posts on social media from those who’ve enjoyed a tipple or two at home!
@TIPPLEBOX #TAGMYTIPPLE
REVIEW YOUR TIPPLE BOX EXPERIENCE We’d love to hear your thoughts! We’re always looking for feedback on our boxes and service to help us deliver the best cocktail experience. Let us know about your Tipple Box leaving us a short review. It takes just a few clicks and there’s no sign-up required! Simply visit Reviews.co.uk and search for ‘Tipple Box’ 4.65 Rating on Reviews.co.uk 14
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