Drinks from the Larder

Glass of mulled mead

Are you short of cocktail ingredients? Perhaps you haven’t had the chance to go food shopping or couldn’t find everything you planned to buy. Or maybe you stocked a bit too much at the beginning of the pandemic. Here’s how you can create Christmas drinks using your emergency larder, which surely is full of many […]

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Food and Drink Pairing Ideas

This year we are celebrating Christmas and NYE in a very different way to what we are used to. In many places house guests aren’t recommended or they are limited to very few. Restaurants and bars may remain closed or with restricted timetables and seating, so we have no choice but to create our own […]

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Christmas Gifts for Drinkers 2020

xmas gift

Due to many restrictions and shop closures, it looks like this year we are doing all the Christmas shopping online. I’ve researched the best boozy Christmas gifts one could ever wish for. The only thing you need to do is click the links and place the orders. Christmas made easy! You’re welcome! Subscriptions and memberships […]

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The Pubs – First In, Last Out

Recently, I wrote about the future of pubs and how they may or may not survive post pandemic. It generated a spirited debate (no pun intended) and although there has been little clarity since the article, I wanted to provide an update based on much of the feedback I received. One thing to remember throughout […]

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The Death of Pubs? The Drinks Industry Post Pandemic

A lot has changed in the past month; most of the world has been in various degrees of lockdown, forcing many businesses to close temporarily. Some may never reopen, and for those that do, the challenge will be to see if they can survive in the ‘new normal’ of a post-COVID-19 world. So, what will […]

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Living in Lockdown – Tips for Keeping Sane

View over Florence

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” – John Donne With the current climate of uncertainty and restrictions, the best advice is to stay at home as much as possible. If you are able to work from home, do so. Some […]

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The End of Aperitivo – How Coronavirus Is Affecting the Drinks Industry

river arno in florence

This year has been something of a disaster so far, from flooding to bushfires to coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading across the globe. When it comes to the virus, you could argue the panic it has created is worse than the virus itself, with a lot of misinformation on social media and incredibly selfish behaviour in the […]

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Planning a Theme for New Year’s Eve Party

Pink and sparkle for NYE

Planning a New Year’s Eve party, or any party for that matter, can be extremely stressful when you are juggling to complete all the tasks in time whilst still trying to enjoy the night yourself. But one of the best parts of organising a party is the actual planning part – choosing the theme, deciding […]

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How to Plan a Hangover

hangover face mask

It may seem a bit of a contradiction to plan for something as awful as a hangover, but with the reality of Christmas season fast approaching, I think it’s time we all fessed up to reality and accepted the hangovers that are coming our way. Once we’ve embraced the fact that it will happen, we […]

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