Hendrick’s Gin – a Taste of Cucumber

"The cucumber is nature's telescope, with it, we see the universe." This text is written on a small Hendrick's tea cup. And you cannot talk about Hendrick's Gin without cucumbers, and gin lovers think only Hendrick's, when they see/eat cucumbers. The fourteenth of June is World Cucumber Day, a day that is heavily linked with...

William Hogarth’s Gin Lane

William Hogarth's most famous print, Gin Lane, was published on 14 February 1751. Gin Lane is still known, it's also an inspiration for new works of art. It's also my favourite work from Hogarth. It's sometimes forgotten that it had a pair, Beer Street. But as I am a gin person myself, I concentrate on the more...

Cyclopaedia à la TMTWNBBFN, Part VIII: The Gin Song

Cyclopaedia à la The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing is a series of articles about songs by a London based band The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing. Or to be precise, this series is not about their songs as such, but short stories about people or things that they...

Napue – When a Name Causes Confusion

Napue is the most famous gin from Finland. But a gin called Napue belongs to past before too long. This award-winning gin made by Kyrö Distillery Company faced an unexpected problem: its name. The name didn't cause problems in Finland, but abroad. So they decided to change it. The decision was announced in the autumn....

Two Books: Plants, Drinks, Drinking Culture and Society

First I want to warn you that this “review” or rather introduction of these two fantastic books is longer than an average review, but if you are interested in the fascinating world of drinks and drinking culture, I believe this article is just for you. Either of these books are brand new, Rough Spirits &...

Brooklyn Gin Ended Up Into My Christmas Photos

I bought this 700 ml Brooklyn Gin bottle in Helsinki, so if some of my Finnish readers become interested in it, it can be bought easily in Finland, too. The fantastic turquoise glass, Art Deco style bottle and a metallic logo had caught my eye. I had no idea to do this kind of story...

The Award Winning Mermaid Gin Bottle Went to the Woods

Isle of Wight Distillery unveiled last spring the new bottle for their Mermaid Gin. And what a beauty the new bottle is! I got mine in June and even though the gin is called Mermaid Gin and the bottle design mirrors this name, I connect the gin with the woods. I always seem to do...

Let The Good Times Be-Gin

This category looks very empty. So I decided to publish this photo that I took in one pub in Leeds this April. Hopefully it's a beginning for something nice even though I had to skip my original idea what to publish here after developing a gin-related-migraine. Not a very good thing.