Photo: Two hands holding small glass bottles of gin against a soft, warm blurred background with peachy-orange tones. On the left, a bottle with a black screw cap containing pale golden liquid. The cream-coloured label reads "EAST LONDON LIQUOR CO." at the top, with a horizontal line below and "Gin" at the bottom. On the right, a bottle with a black screw cap containing pale golden liquid. The cream-coloured label displays "DRINKS BY THE DRAM" at the top, followed by "Nordés Atlantic Galician Gin" and "Gin" below. The background is deliberately out of focus, showing warm lighting with indistinct blurred shapes suggesting people and interior furnishings, with hints of red and purple visible.
Published in Food
"EAST LONDON LIQUOR CO. and Nordés Atlantic Galician Gin
theaardvark

Gin Advent Days 22 & 23: The One We Forgot To Pack (And the Gigs We Didn't!)

Well, here we are. Days 22 and 23 of the Gin Advent Calendar, finally making an appearance after I managed to leave the whole thing behind when we went away before Christmas. Sorry if anyone was waiting with bated breath for these – though let’s be honest, nobody’s that bothered. The festive spirit is back in hand, just a bit behind schedule.

This catch-up session was recorded on Boxing Day, usually reserved for constructing physically improbable sandwiches out of leftover turkey and sprouts. For us, it was also the day we finally clawed our way back from the depths of extreme fatigue, the hefty price we paid for going to two excellent gigs in two days. With MrsVark's FND & CFS, and my own delightful Long COVID-induced fatigue, recording anything on Christmas Day itself was simply a non-starter. So, a joyous occasion of belated gin discovery, alongside reminiscing about some incredible live music, it was!

Speaking of incredible live music, these past few days have been a blur of fantastic tunes. On the 22nd, we were thrilled to catch the brilliant Independent Country. Those Birmingham cowboys know how to turn an indie classic into a foot-stomping, hat-tipping, country-tinged masterpiece. If you haven't heard them, imagine Dolly Parton and John Denver singing songs written by The Smiths, PWEI and other 90s indie gods – it’s glorious! Then, on the 23rd, it was High Horses, who were f’in’ superb. Their Christmas gigs at The Dark Horse are always the highlight of the year’s gigs.

Anyway, back to the gin.

Day 22: East London Liquor Co Gin

First up, recovered from our memory lapse was the East London Liquor Co Gin. We'll confess, we knew absolutely nothing about East London Liquor Co before this advent calendar introduced us, beyond what a quick internet search could tell us. This one was... interesting. It leaned heavily into the sweet and lemony camp – quite a departure from your classic London Dry. It was certainly distinct, a bit like that one aunt who insists on bringing her "special" lemonade to Christmas dinner – you appreciate the effort, but you're not quite sure if it belongs. Still, a pleasant enough surprise to kick off our belated gin-a-thon.

Day 23: Nordés Atlantic Galician Gin

Door 23 brought Nordés Atlantic Galician Gin. Oh, Nordés. Where do we begin? When we first clocked the name, we thought it might be something to do with glaciers or some Nordic ice-related shite. A bit more internet sleuthing revealed that "Nordés" actually refers to a cool Atlantic wind that blows across Galicia in northwest Spain – which explains the "Atlantic Galician" bit, at least. Geography lesson aside, we were struck by its… unique aroma. "Tequila," MrsVark observed, and she wasn't wrong. Not exactly what you expect from a gin, but fair enough – we're not opposed to something different. The taste followed suit – a bit bland, a bit like it was trying to be something it wasn't, perhaps a gin having a bit of an identity crisis. Not terrible, just… odd. An interesting one, for sure, but probably not knocking any of our perennial favourites off their pedestals.

The Musical Interlude (and an Apology!)

As always, this video isn't just about our (sometimes questionable) gin-tasting abilities. This one features a photo montage from the gigs we attended, with the sublime sounds of "Waiting so Long" by High Horses providing the soundtrack. So, even if our gin commentary isn't award-worthy, at least the music is!

The Running Tally!

So, where are we on the gin scale? A few standouts, a few oddballs, and now a gin with tequila ambitions. Never dull.

The Running Tally

  • Number of gins so far: 23
  • Number of gins we’d actually buy: 22
  • Success Rate: 95.7%

Had a gin that tasted like something else? Been to a gig that knocked your socks off? Let us know in the comments.

Cheers, and here's to catching up!

Photo: Twenty-one empty small glass bottles of gin arranged in a row on a dark wooden surface, flanked by white decorative busts and framed photographs. From left to right, the bottles read: "DRINKS BY THE DRAM Sipsmith Raffles 1915 Gin", "DRINKS BY THE DRAM Gordon's Sicilian Lemon Gin", "DRINKS BY THE DRAM" (label partially visible), "Tanqueray London Dry Gin", "DRINKS BY THE DRAM Darnley's Navy Strength - Spiced London Dry Gin", a bottle with unclear labeling, "THAT BOUTIQUE-Y GIN COMPANY Moonshot Gin", "DRINKS BY THE DRAM", "EDINBURGH GIN Raspberry Gin", several bottles with "DRINKS BY THE DRAM" labeling, "THAT BOUTIQUE-Y GIN COMPANY Cherry Gin" (with pink label), "JAFFA CAKE GIN", bottles marked "DRINKS BY THE DRAM", "EDINBURGH GIN Rhubarb & Ginger", "DRINKS BY THE DRAM Aviation Gin", "DRINKS BY THE DRAM", "DRINKS BY THE DRAM Nordés Atlantic Galician Gin", "EDINBURGH GIN" (label partially visible), a bottle with unclear labeling, "EAST LONDON LIQUOR CO. Gin", and "DRINKS BY THE DRAM". Each bottle has a black screw cap and cream-coloured label. Behind the bottles are four framed photographs: on the left, an ornate dark wooden oval frame containing the 25-year-old photograph of an 8-year-old girl and woman in red; a light-coloured rectangular frame showing two people in formal dress in a garden; and a brown wooden frame with another photograph. On the far left is a tall decorative bottle with coloured horizontal stripes. Two white classical-style busts bookend the display on either side. Small decorative items are visible between some bottles. The scene is set against a cream or beige textured wall.

The Calendar: Drinks by the Dram Gin Advent Calendar
Previous days: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Days 7, 8 & 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Days 14 & 15 | Days 16 & 17 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Days 20 & 21

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