Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin

For people who think that all gins are the same, I hope that over the years, That's Christmas and our sister publication/site, That's Food and Drink has been able to bring you some rather special gins that might, hopefully, change your opinions of gin.

One such of these very special gins is Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin.

Although it describes itself as a London Dry Gin (and there's nothing wrong with a London dry Gin) Ophir Oriental Spiced Gin is far, far more than a London Dry Gin.

It is cunningly and lovingly crafted using a range of some very special botanicals  from the ancient spice route travelled by the likes of Marco Polo all those centuries ago.

So, what spices are actually used in this very special Oriental gin?

There is Cubebs (or tailed peppers) from Indonesia, Black Pepper from India and Coriander from Morocco.

Hand-picked, we are informed, to create a unique spiced gin.

And, yes, that description is right. It is unique and it is spiced.

What does it take like?

Like no other gin I have ever tasted, to be honest. And I mean that in a good, positive way.

The aroma is like when you open the doors of one of those secretive yet exciting spice shops that you find in parts of our major cities. It reminds me also of my wife's recipe for rice pudding, which, being an old family recipe from her Indian family, contains Coriander.)

So, we have established that it smells nice. What does it taste like?

There's an undercurrent of the two types of peppers, in the taste. But the predominant flavour is that of the Coriander. But it's not too strong, the balance between the different flavours is just right.

You really should give your Christmas guests a special treat this year and have a bottle of Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin in your drinks cabinet.

Served neat, or as part of a vastly different gin-based cocktail, Opihr will make you the talking point of your circle of friends and your family for some time to come.

http://opihr.com/

Got a gift to parcel up? Scotch will help you get it taped

It's all very well buying all the gifts for everyone, but what are you going to do when the time comes to giftwrap them?

Well, using giftwrap paper that you bought a year or so back might work. Just. But that cheap tape you bought a couple of years ago? You might as well put it in with the recycling, because its sticky has all gone away!

So, what to do? What to do?

Get down to your nearest stationary store (or your favourite on line retailer) and get yourself a whole load of Scotch tapes from those incredibly cleaver people at 3M!

From tape dispensers shaped like a cute little puppy dog to really nifty pop-up handband tape dispensers (so you can in effect have three hands when you are wrapping up the Christmas presents!

I mean, how cool is that?!

3M and Scotch they really do have it taped, don't they?

Tyrell's go Ho Ho ho for Christmas

Yes, Tyrell's have gone all seasonal, with the launch of some Deep and Crisp and Even crisps.

Called Merry Crisp-Mas, they are made using red and white potatoes which are served up with just the right amount of real sea salt. Enough to tickle your tastebuds but not enough to make you too thirsty.

And being Tyrell's Crisps you know that the potatoes were properly sourced (sauced, even? Sorry, so very sorry about that!)  and then lovingly and carefully hand cooked and carefully packed (with cute photos to give you a bit of a laugh, too!) and sent on their way to you to enjoy.

They are also vegan friendly (no vegans were harmed in the creation of these crisps)  and a 150g bag should cost you about £2.19.

They'll be ideal for the crisp bowl at your next party, so do put them on the shopping list before you forget.

Cardhu Gold Reserve. The Spirit of Christmas yet to come

Cardhu Gold Reserve is a premium quality single malt Scotch.

Every-so-often one of the great distilleries of Scotland will bring out a new type of single malt Scotch which makes all the other distillers offer up a round of applause whilst thinking: I wish we'd made that!"

And the advent of Cardhu Gold Reserve is one such moment.

The golden liquid, Cardhu Gold Reserve has been keenly crafted and created by Maureen Robinson, who is a Diageo Master Blender.

In order to give this Scotch the start in life that it deserves, Cardhu is releasing a very special Cardu golden Moments gift set.

And Maureen decided to request that three people who she admires greatly to help her by asking them to design some elements to compliment Cardhu Gold Reserve.

Angela Flanders, a perfumier of some renown included a very special Figue Noire candle. This candle brings with it the heady scents of candied fig.

And Andrea Montague, a bartender who is known as a bartender's bartender, designed two quintessential cocktail recipes under the banner Golden Moments. Honeyed gold and Golden Delicious.

Contained within the presentation set is a special guide and two delightful Cardhu balloon glasses.

The recommended retail price that you can expect to pay is around the £55 mark.

So, what does Cardhu Gold Reserve single malt Scotch taste like?

It has a golden amber appearance and has the classic nose of an excellent single malt.

It has a quiet, unassuming start. But then something magical happens. Is there a hint of spiced Christmas cake?  Yes, I thought there was. But then came a rolling sea of other, complimentary tastes. Hints of summer fruits came through, perhaps a slight tang of the art of the expert maltster? Yes, there was a touch of the smoke, there.

The finish was equally delicious and as my non-Scotch drinking wife (her drink of preference is small batch made gins, in case you are interested) said: "Wow! There's a really good finish to this one! I think this is one of your better finds!"

You can buy the Cardhu Golden Moment Gifting Set at www.alexanderandjames.com.

Boozyrum Truffles. Best buy two boxes at a time, really

When you decide to buy someone you love some Boozyrum Truffles you will be best advised to always double up on your order.

Why? Because when you smell the delicious aroma of the rich, chocolaty boozy, rum treats, you will just have to try one.

And even if you can show a little self-control and stick at only snaffling one of these delicious little treats for yourself, well, the problem is that they are always packed so firmly in the box (there were twelve, I counted them!) that there's no way that you can hide the fact that one is missing, no matter how hard you try to disguise what you did.

(EDITOR: And please stop looking at the box! There's twelve. And no, you can't have a little peak, just in case anything might have happened to them!)

Sorry, I got distracted there. Where was I? Oh, yes. They are remarkable rich and moresome, but even though they are deliciously creamy, they are absolutely fine for vegans to eat as the clever folks at Terre a Terre have used soya cream, not dairy cream! 

They cost £8.20 a box and are also available as a vegetarian, too. There are also some salt caramel truffles, also.

Terra a Terre is one of the finest vegetarian restaurants in Brighton. To learn more please visit them at http://www.terreaterre.co.uk/shop/chocolate.

Make Merry this Christmas with Magno-Z

You might not have heard of Magno-Z, but it's almost certain that your children will have!

What are they? They are the springy, stretchy and hairy toys that are taking the UK by storm!

They are magnetic and are absolutely fantastic stocking fillers.

Magno-Z is one of the year's top selling toys  and the range includes over 50 different Magno-Z to collect.

And each one has their own quirky personality.

Every Magno-Z person features patented magnetic connectors so your kids can attach their Magno-Z characters to any suitable metal surface.

So what's to do with them? Hold them, decorate metal bookshelves, fridges, freezers whatever!

They are brought to you by those clever folks at Brainstorm Ltd.

Magno-Z will cost about £2.99, making it a perfect stocking filler price.

Available from Smyths Toys, Amazon, The Entertainer, Toymaster and all good toy stores. Suitable from ages 3+.

Your cheese wants Nairns. And so should you.

Your cheese wants Nairns Oatcakes and so should you!

You cheese (Stilton, blue or white, Cheddar, Gorgonzola, cream cheese, cottage cheese or a nice bit of Danish Blue) is just crying out for Nairns Oatcakes.

Why would this be the case? Because Nairns know oatcakes.

Nairns know that the oats that they use must be fine milled, that they must only use genuine wholegrain oats and not add other ingredients such as wheat flour in the recipe.

Nairns are now well into their second century of baking finely crafted oatcakes, having started in business way way in 1896.

They carefully select the oats that they will use, selecting them only from oat farmers within the Scottish Borders region.

Why? Because nearly 120 years of baking experience tells them that the region's climates helps to produce the best oats for baking into oatcakes.

And the word of how good they are is spreading. Cooked meats are already adding their voices to the clamour!

So to find out why your cheese and cooked  meats are so keen on Nairns Oatcakes, put them on your Christmas Party shopping list.

And check out the rest of their range at http://www.nairns-oatcakes.com.