Interactive Alcohol-Free Advent Calendars from The Wise Bartender

The interactive Wise Bartender advent calendars are back for Christmas 2022 and are ideal for anyone who loves a beer, cider, wine or spirit but who doesn't want an alcoholic drink every day of the month in the run up to Christmas. 

There are two calendars with the more traditional beer version including 24 hand-selected beers, the majority of which are from small, independent brewers. It provides some tried and tested favourites alongside brand new additions to the Wise Bartender range. 

Each careful chosen beer is 0.5% ABV or even less, and there are styles for everyone's tastes. There are  lagers, pilsners, stouts and IPAs. There are also wheat beers from brewers including UNLTD, Brulo, Nirvana, Nittenauer, Menabrea, Havabier and Northern Monk.

The second is a 'sweet and tasty' alternative which features cider, cocktail, spirit and wine alternatives from producers including Binary, Gunners, Corrigans, ISH, Caleno, Crafty Nectar and Lyre's. Besidesbeing 0.5% ABV or lower, all the drinks in this box are all vegan and gluten free.

Speaking at the launch of these innovative advent calendars Wise Bartender founder Tom Ward said: “Wise Bartender created the UK's first interactive alcohol-free drinks advent calendar to provide an option for those who don't want to drink every day in December but who most definitely do want to share in the excitement of opening an advent calendar door during advent and finding a tasty drink behind it. Our two options have grown in popularity ever since and we began getting queries about this years' calendars as long ago as August, so we're anticipating a high demand.

“Despite the overall beer market showing some shrinkage, research group IWSR reported UK drinkers bought $184m of alcohol-free beers (0.5% ABV or less) in 2021, over three times the figure of $52m from five years earlier. 

"And a recent report revealed over half (55%) of UK drinkers intended reducing their alcohol consumption during 2022 which confirms retailers must provide alcohol-free options for this growing number of mindful drinkers. 

"Whether people have given up completely or are just trying to cut back how much alcohol they drink, the Wise Bartender advent calendars means that they aren't excluded from this fun Christmas tradition.”

And the sense of anticipation will be heightened by the interactive nature of the calendars. “Every day, producers will take over the Wise Bartender social media accounts” explained Tom Ward “posting photos, videos and tasting sessions of that days drink.

"So, not only will everyone have a daily treat but they can join in with hundreds of other fans by tasting the same drink on the same day, learning about it from the brands themselves and sharing their own experience through reels, images or just by getting involved with our live sessions.”

The Wise Bartender advent calendars are now available to pre-order from WiseBartender.co.uk/Advent and retail at an introductory price of £39.99 + £4.99 delivery for the first 250 sold, with the price reverting to £59.99 inc delivery after that.

“Whether you regularly consume alcohol-free drinks, want to cut back on alcohol over the festive period, or just want to mix it up and try something different, Wise Bartender advent calendars have you covered” added Tom. “You can have the thrill of opening an advent calendar, enjoy a tasty alcohol-free drink, explore its background and celebrate Christmas in your own way.”

To learn more or to put your orders in please visit the Wise Bartender here www.wisebartender.co.uk.

 

For the person you love? Give them Pulsin!

Pulsin are renowned for their "feel good nutrition" products. All of which make for excellent Christmas gifts.

Today we are looking at a couple of items from their range.

The first item is their plant-based high fibre Double Choc Dream Brownies.

These are absolutely super smooth and you certainly can taste the highly delicious double chocolate in it.

It's guaranteed free of palm oil and is totally free of gluten and is dairy free. So it's absolutely safe for vegetarians and vegans to eat.

It's a cold pressed Brownie Bar made with cacao powder with some nice, nifty natural flavourings wrapped in 67% coconut blossom sugar chocolate. 

The second flavour that we are looking at is their plant-based Protein Choc Fudge bar.

It's a dairy free no added sugar protein bar with some delightful chocolate drops that has no added sugar, but does have sweetener, instead.

Again it is 100% vegan friendly with pea protein, faba bean protein and rice protein, plus loads of nice and natural ingredients.

What about the taste? Wow! It's a stunningly delicious chocolatey fudge bar that will make a great Christmas gift for vegans, vegetarians and for everyone else, too!

They come in fairly nice boxes so will make snazzy presents under the Christmas tree this year.

Pulsin also produce a wide range of other treats that are also make very good Christmas presents. 

18 x 35 gramme bars cost £17.82. 

You can order them from https://www.pulsin.co.uk. 

Christmas Party Season Is "Go" as Bookings Reach Pre-Pandemic Levels

After two years of disrupted Christmas get-togethers characterised by lockdown, enforced social distancing and isolation uncertainty, DesignMyNight saw traffic to quirky Christmas parties increase by 48.1% in September compared to the same month in 2021 and traffic to the Christmas party guide page shoot up by 62.64% compared to the same period last year. 

There have also been reports that some venues are already close to being fully booked 10 weeks before Christmas Day.

The discovery platform enables people to search not only for tables at restaurants, bars and pubs, but for venues that are hosting the best events and parties in their area (and further afield) as well as giving them the ability to make a booking and purchase tickets. It also provides a Venue Finding service that organises and coordinates plans for company events including the much-anticipated Christmas party.

Says DesignMyNight Senior Marketing & PR Manager Leighanne Bent: “The DesignMyNight Venue Finding Service is a good barometer of how the Christmas party season is shaping up and, as firms are thought to have spent over £1bn annually on Christmas parties pre-pandemic, what it's likely to mean for the country's pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants that are hoping to end another challenging year with a flourish."

Leighanne went on to say: “The working environment has changed beyond recognition and a survey by Advanced Workplace Associates learned office workers spend an average of only 1.5 days a week alongside colleagues in the office so there has been a huge shift in dynamics. 

"Having missed out on parties since 2019, seeing each other only occasionally and wanting an outlet to celebrate achievements together, companies are pulling out all the stops for their teams. They are asking the DesignMyNight Venue Finding team to create something special to recognise the difficult circumstances people have been working in, improve team dynamics and boost staff morale. 

"The Venue Finding team is seeing companies commit an average spend of £12,000 - £15,000  for employee parties and are dealing with many queries for something fun, plus great food and drink. Dinner and dancing are firmly on the agenda and the increase in activity-led venues, like darts, golf and virtual reality games, has opened up a much more interactive Christmas party scene.

“Other popular requests for 2022 include drag entertainment and immersive experiences, including escape rooms and cocktail making.”

But there are some signs that although most people are ready to go out and party and make up for lost time, there are still some pandemic legacies. 

“DesignMyNight is getting multiple requests for flexible venue cancellation terms” continued Leighanne: “indicating that there are still some nerves about committing 100%. We've also noticed the most popular dates have shifted forward to the earlier part of the month rather than the traditional last week before Christmas, with most demand being on 7th, 8th, 9th and 15th December. 

"This trend started last year and, although people are no longer mindful of having to isolate for 10 days if they catch Covid as they were in 2021, this suggests their mindset remains on enjoying a party with colleagues whilst minimising the prospect of spoiling time spent with family over the Christmas break due to illness.”

DesignMyNight has thousands of events in cities across the UK listed on its website for people wanting to make individual bookings but advises everyone to book as soon as they can.

“Many popular venues are already close to capacity,” points out Leighanne “but our Venue Finding team still has some wonderful options available for company parties, although they are booking up rapidly, as are individual reservations made through the DesignMyNight website. Our recommendation is not to put Christmas planning off any longer, but to be as flexible and secure your parties as quickly as you possibly can.”

https://www.designmynight.com.

N-4 Down The Hunt for Arctic Airship Italia

N-4 Down The Hunt for Arctic Airship Italia written by Mark Piesing is a stunningly gripping account of the search for a missing airship.

The internationally famous exploratory airship N-4, otherwise named the Italia, was making a celebrated and triumphant return from an expedition to the North Pole, when disaster struck, it became the victim of a severe and devastating storm, forcing it to crash somewhere on the Arctic ice.

This triggered what became the largest polar rescue mission ever.

In charge of the search and rescue operation was famed arctic explorer Roald Amundsen. However, Amundsen himself went missing in the Arctic wastes. As of 2022, his body has yet to be found.

The background is that Norwegian Amundsen and Italian airship designer General Umberto Nobile went into partnership in 1926.

Sadly by 1928 the relationship between the two men had soured very badly.

Nobile, his pet dog and a crew consisting of fourteen Italians, a Swede and a Czech set off to search for new lands in the Arctic Circle and to be the first airship to land men at the North Pole.

But close to the North Pole they were hit by a severe storm that forced the Italia to crash on the ice. 

Six crew members immediately disappeared never to be seen again. The injured subscribers, including Nobile, sought refuge on ice flows. They were not prepared for the dreadful conditions and had little hope of survival.

By chance there was a meeting in Oslo, the capital city of Norway, of famed Arctic explorers, assembling to celebrate the first successful flight from Alaska to Norway. 

On hearing of the dreadful crash Amundsen decided to strike out by himself to launch a desperate attempt to locate Nobile and any potential survivors. 

With the passing weeks the situation became more and more desperate with the survivors struggling with severe weather and marauding polar bears.

When they were eventually discovered the search plane landed. But in a dreadful twist, the pilot told the survivors that he only had room for one passenger.   

Piesing's book is a very well researched work that is exceptionally well written and profusely illustrated with a good range of photographs.

It's a "must buy" Christmas gift for those in your life who love reading about real life adventures, Arctic exploration and biographical stories. 

It is published by Custom House in hardback and paperback, £22.00 hardback and £12.99 in paperback, though it is discounted on Amazon.

Mantis a new, very colourful and Cutthroat card game

Mantis is a very new, very colourful and Cutthroat card game of rainbows and revenge!

It's perfect for Christmas parties is suitable for ages 7 and upwards and is suitable for two to six players.

Average time of each round takes ten minutes to complete.

So, what are the rules of this stunningly colourful game?

1) Steal

or

2) Score

Sounds simple! Sounds fun! So, what do players have to do? You collect matching sets of cards. You steal cards from your opponents. Feel pretty good about things. 

Then find yourself being outwitted and outsmarted by your opponents and watch as they steal those cards back.  

Then maybe start feeling not so good about things.

What next? Enjoy the emotional rollercoaster that you are on until the game finishes and you, or one of your opponents, wins!

It's a great name for family game nights and also for a grown up game night when all the children are in bed!

Included in the pack is a Mantis comic created by The Oatmeal and the opportunity to have a whole heap of Mantis fun!

It's created by those fun folks behind the game Exploding Kittens.

https://www.explodingkittens.com/collections/all. It costs £19.99.

New for Christmas from Jones the Grocer

Jones the Grocer is launching a new seasonal menu and roast turkey and lamb packages for pre-booking.

The seasonal offers are unveiled in a Holiday Special of the quarterly Body & Soul magazine

Jones the Grocer launches its Holiday Special Body and Soul magazine featuring a delicious new menu and Thanksgiving and Christmas Turkey, and Lamb Roast Packages.

The new edition of the magazine will be your ultimate guide to the festive season, with pages and pages of inspiration to get you in the festive mood – from celebratory roast and table spread options, to exquisite gifting, delectable ingredients, easy recipes, and super-cool party hosting ideas. Bringing the best of what Jones has to offer, it is wonderfully packaged in a 43-page guide that you can pick up from any of the Jones stores or view the digital version.

Festive Roast Turkey and Roast Lamb Packages for Pre-Booking

For over ten years Jones the Grocer has been bringing a touch of magic to festive celebrations with their traditional roasts. 

The Thanksgiving and Christmas roast packages are cooked to order and easily booked online. You can place your order and select the collection date and timings on Jonesthegrocer.com via their online booking link. Priced at AED 795 there are two roast options which serve up to 8 people.

Festive Roast Turkey

A perfectly seasoned roast turkey with sage and apricot stuffing, cranberry sauce, rosemary and juniper-infused gravy. This can be upgraded to a silver, gold, or diamond package. This offers a choice of delicious accompaniments to enhance the festive table. 

Options include duck fat roast potatoes, honey-glazed parsnips, sauteed brussels sprouts and roast baby carrots, cauliflower cheese, and beef sausages wrapped in bacon. Additional selections include sweet treats such as house-baked cinnamon, apple or pecan pies and hand-selected artisan cheese and meat boards to make any celebration just incredible.

Roast Lamb

A slow-cooked Aussie lamb shank with rosemary, garlic and juniper gravy.

New Holiday Special Menu at all Jones the Grocer Stores

Jones the Grocer have been cooking up a lovely seasonal menu, with delicious classics such as a Crab and Welsh Rarebit for breakfast, a hearty and creamy Roast Butternut Risotto, a Sage and Apricot Chicken Supreme and an epic burger to beat any burger in the UAE, called the D&G Burger (pictured left). There is also a Cinnamon Fizz thirst quencher and a decadent Valrhona Hot Chocolate with S’mores which melts away like a dream with every sip (pictured top right).   

Browse Jones the Grocer’s Holiday Special, Body & Soul seasonal menu here. For more information visit Jonesthegrocer.com.

https://www.jonesthegrocer.com/downloads/6332a4c40d46f122Body_Soul_Magazine_Q4_Web.pdf.

That's Food and Drink: Hocus Pocus Platters

That's Food and Drink: Hocus Pocus Platters: Hocus Pocus Platter (1) Ingredients: • Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges • Poppy Seeds • Yellow Pepper • Mini Babybel cheeses • Pretzel s...