The heatwave is in full blast and we can't repeat it enough: hydration is key!
As a nice refreshment or as a festive drink if you want to stay away from alcohol, these fruity mocktails can be enjoyed at any time of the day.
Sláinte!
With Christmas just around the corner, Ireland is getting ready for the party season – and what better way to enjoy the festivities than with a nice Gin & Tonic? Nothing has risen in popularity in recent years quite like gin, which now boasts over 20 producers and 50 brands on the Irish market alone.
SuperValu is slashing their prices so that Irish consumers can enjoy one of their favourite drinks all holiday season. There’s something for all gin-lovers in the sale: From dry gin to international style, you’ll find the perfect tipple to mix with your tonic, ginger ale, or even lemonade.
SuperValu’s discounted range of gins are available in all stores nationwide and online at: www.supervalu.ie.
As part of the sale, SuperValu have over 30 special Gins at fantastic prices for a limited run for the duration of the sale. These gins will offer amazing value across all price points with customers able to explore the different tastes from standard to premium gins at great value prices. Some of the Gins on offer include:
Blackwater Barry’s Tea Gin 50cl. Produced using Ireland's famous Barry's Tea. This release from Blackwater has been distilled using fresh juniper, Sicilian lemons, green cardamom, angelica root, sweet Spanish oranges and Barry's Tea. (Sale price: €30)
Clonakilty Minke Irish Gin 70cl. Fresh from the Clonakilty Distillery and inspired by the Minke whale, the majestic creatures that swim wild off the Atlantic Ocean coastline, this subtle yet unique tasting Irish Gin is carefully crafted with smooth and sophisticated refreshment and infused with citrus and aniseed notes. Perfect with fresh lemon, lime and mint. (Sale price: €44)
Dingle Original Gin 70cl. A multi award-winning gin from the Dingle Distillery. This is very well made and has a classic London dry gin character thanks to it being distilled in pot stills with a range of botanicals including Rowan Berry, Fuscia, Bog Myrtle, Heather, Chervil and Hawthorn. (Sale price: €40)
Eglington Irish Pink Gin 70cl. A small batch premium Irish gin from Galway. A distinctly perfumed aroma with beautifully balanced citrus notes. (Sale price: €27)
Hendrick’s Gin 70cl. Hendrick's distills in miniscule batches of 450 litres, which gives their master distiller the greatest possible control of her careful artistry. Hendrick's wondrous botanical signature consists of flowers, roots, fruits and seeds from the world over. (Sale price: €39)
Tanqueray 70cl. A crisp, London Dry gin that has historically been a huge hit with American gin-lovers and has steadily been filling increasing numbers of European glasses. (Sale price €25)
The Gin Sale will be running in all SuperValu stores nationwide and online at www.SuperValu.ie from Thursday, November 28 – Wednesday, December 11.
For the full list of gins available please visit www.supervalu.ie
Summer coming to an end can be a troubling time for all of us. Why should we have to cope with Ireland's gloomy, cold seasons once more? It doesn't seem fair.
What can be the best stress reliever during difficult and chaotic moments in our lives? Food, obviously.
Deliveroo has revealed how the return to school and end of August can affect our food preferences, and we're not one bit shocked at the rise in alcohol orders during September.
Summer 2019 is leaving us behind *pause for sobbing* and it's time to ditch the bikinis for uniforms and work clothes. According to Deliveroo, healthy orders significantly increase in September…what?
The alcohol orders rise by 14 percent as we realise that exams and essay deadlines are back in our lives once more.
The end of summer has broken our hearts, but at least we got to enjoy Love Island and let our pasty skin tones get a tad bit more…red? There were glimmers of sunshine and plenty of rain showers, but it was a good time all the same.
As the nights become shorter, we're less likely to stay out dining late or visiting Dublin's best beer gardens, but Irish adults still need some vino to take the edge of the darker September evenings.
Back-to-school season means that rather than venturing out in dark, dreary weather, it's much easier to order a Prosecco Fiabesco from DRINK! or a Coors Light from Herlihy’s instead on Deliveroo.
With the end of summer comes the end of the 'beach bod' goals. The month is associated with changes and positive progress, with healthy food orders rising by 22 percent last August.
From salads and falafels and miso salmon to super-sub sandwiches, Sprout and Co and SuperSubs see a rise in Deliveroo orders during the month of September. Look at you go, gals.
September is also seen as a 'new beginning' time of the year, but we all dread the darker nights accelerating from here until December. It's depressing as f*ck.
The darkness weirdly makes us feel more tired at an earlier time, which means that Deliveroo orders start coming in earlier in the evenings too.
Last year, the average order time in June was 8:01pm, whereas by the time September rolled around, the average order time was at 7:34pm. Mad what the sky can do to us, isn't it?
So we’re making some new changes with the addition of salads and other healthy orders, but then we need a drink as a result. It's safe to say that September has us in a state of total flux.
Many of us remember the iconic nightclub Dandelion from back in the day. Located directly beside St Stephen's Green shopping centre, it was at the forefront of Irish nightlife until it closed a few years ago.
Located where the old club used to be is a new, multifunctional space known as The Well, and we can't rave about it enough. The area is massive, and decked out with slick interiors and stunning art pieces on the walls.
Half of the room is decorated as a bar area with numerous seating options and hanging plants, but at night it turns into a chic bar with DJs banging out disco, funk and hip-hop tunes on the decks.
It's essentially a cafe-bar, restaurant, event space, workspace and coffee shop all rolled into one huge venue. The Well's aesthetic is described as a "premium version of an industrial-style bar". Ooh, yes please.
The Well's interior features furniture made from recycled and refurbished materials, which is in line with the venue's pledge to use sustainable materials and ethically produced decor. Snaps for being woke.
The second half of the space has been taken over by Dublin Pizza Company as a restaurant, and their oven-cooked grub is absolutely legendary.
Michael Ryan, founder of Dublin Pizza Company, has created DPC at The Well to serve an extended version of their award-winning menu, featuring wood-fired pizzas along with salads and starters from lunchtime until late.
The café-bar offers al all-day to late-night location for entrepreneurs, innovators and creative thinkers can relax, meet clients or celebrate with your team. Co-working spaces with hot desks and power hubs are available.
It's an ideal space if you're looking to get some work done with high-quality barista coffee to keep you going, with cocktails as a reward for afterwards.
The Fajazzle, the Realness and the Spritz Please are just some of the cocktail options, and have earned them a shedload of fans already.
Beer lovers can rejoice over the choices, with some of the best of Irish and international craft beers available including the Franciscan Well range (Rebel Red, Chieftain IPA, Shandon Stout and Archway.)
These Hands coffee shop offers top quality takeaway coffee, and a range of healthy options such as Old MacDonnell’s Farm yoghurts, salads and soft cheeses, plus sweet treats for those of us having another cheat day.
The coffee shop is open daily from 7am until 7pm. The café-bar’s carefully curated wine list is also noteworthy, having been selected by James Brookes, formerly of Guilbaud’s and Glovers Alley.
The Well's gorgeous cocktail menu features quirky ingredients from Irish Distillers, Gut Instinct Kombucha, Glitterbugs Edible Glitter and Celtic Whiskey. We're so sold.
From September when the basement opens, the venue can provide an event environment with a late bar and performance space available for corporate hire.
They've hosted a fast fashion workshop at The Well alongside food blogger Fifi Heather, for example. We can't wait to see some of the great things coming to the eclectic space, they're clearly supportive of Irish brands and businesses.
'Live at The Well' will feature independent events during the week and is set to host upcoming and innovative music promotions at the weekends. See you there? Check out their website here for more info.
Feature image: Instagram/@thewelldublin
St. Patrick's Day is this weekend and you know what that means, Irish or not?
Yes, getting locked.
Apparently, more than 13 million pints of Guinness will be consumed worldwide as we celebrate St Paddy himself.
When Irish women were asked who they wound most like to have an aul pint with on the day, their response wasn't too shocking.
Love Irish Tours surveyed 1,000 Irish people and they chose…Amy Huberman.
Possibly the soundest woman on the planet and we deffo agree.
So who else made the list?
We have other Irish gems like Saoirse Ronan, the O'Donovan brothers and Blindboy.
If you can overlook Saorise God-awful accent, then go right ahead.
Rather surprisingly, Conor McGregor was chosen by some people before the likes of interesting political figures like former President Mary Robinson and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
For us, it's a toss up between the RIDES that are Pierce Brosnan, Robert Sheehan and Colin Farrell.
Who would you have chosen?
If you find yourself in Cork this May, you should see the hybrid festival of food and design, which will be taking place from May 17-19.
Design POP is set to merge innovative design with local and international food and drink experiences in a collaborative pop up festival with events and exhibits taking place in various iconic locations across the city.
We like the sound of that.
If you're a fan of design, you'll love that Design POP will see six of Ireland’s leading designers working closely with six top local food producers to create bespoke installations.
These will be strewn across Cork city centre throughout the festival.
It will be a three-day event that will also engage the public through a program of pop-up events in venues around the city through workshops, showcases, exhibitions, lectures and demonstrations.
So there's something for everyone – see you there, yeah?
BYOB is usually something you associate with a pre drinks party, but one Dublin bar is putting a twist on the concept that we absolutely love.
Drop Dead Twice, which began as a pop-up back in October, has been made a permanent feature at its location at The Stage 19 on Francis Street, Dublin.
The bar invites guests to openly bring their own alcohol (not sneakily stashed in your clutch) and have a selection of bespoke cocktails made using the spirit of their choice.
Whether you choose to bring vodka, gin or whiskey, Drop Dead Twice mixologists are well able to get creative when it comes to concocting the perfect cocktails.
The team draw on their expertise to come up with original and unique beverages, using a wide range of fresh and homemade ingredients.
The premise is simple, just book in for a two or three hour session and bring your booze to the bar.
If you are booked in for two hours, Drop Dead Twice recommends bringing a naggin per person, which will get you four cocktails.
If you are booked in for 3 hours they recommend bringing a shoulder per person, which will get you six or seven creative drinks.
The fee is pretty damn reasonable, at €25.00 per person for 2 hours and €30.00 per person for 3 hours.
The team talks you through what you like and what you don’t like before whipping up a selection of cocktails for you and the gals.
It's definitely a brilliant and boozy way to spend an evening.
Ah, day drinking.
It's usually associated with long summer days but nothing much beats a few drinks during the day at any time of the year.
It feels better…probably because it feels like you shouldn't be doing it.
And because you're usually hammered by 5pm, it often leads to hook-ups.
A study has revealed the most common drink that is the cause of these liaisons.
Can you guess what it is?
Rum.
Yep, that cheeky Barcardi you knock back or he Captain Morgans you order is what's getting you lucky.
So, what are the top picks during the day when it comes to the booze we're drinking?
Top four beverages of choice are Champagne, beer, vodka, and tequila.
Day drinking seems to unleash a lot of hormones in people as they were 20% more likely to hook up with a friend while day drinking.
When it comes to who we were getting locked with, most people were with friends while a high number of 34% were knocking them back with a stranger.
Women are four times more likely to hook up with a coworker during the day, can you believe it?
When you're out having a few during the day and wanna get with that hot colleague/mate you fancy, order two large rums and thank us later.
If you're currently twiddling your thumbs, desperately trying to decide what presents to get your relatives or friends (or yourself…), we've found the shop for you.
It's got all the answers to your alcohol questions, and even does FREE ENGRAVING…yes, you read that right. Frengraving.
The Jameson Black Barrel shop has opened just in time for Christmas, and is ready for your last minute personalised gifting requests.
Ireland's leading whiskey is our new Christmas BFF; their newest pop-up is located on South William Street in Dublin until December 24.
The Jameson Black Barrel shop has free engraving on all bought bottles from the pop-up for a personalised touch at the price of €48, so it won't break the bank.
It doesn't even end there, for whiskey lovers galore they've also got hip flask gift sets with a whiskey glass and small bottle of Jameson Black Barrel for 25 quid, we are GAGGIN' for one of those.
The store opens from Monday to Saturday from 11am until 9pm, and Sunday from 12:30pm until 6pm.
Get yourselves over there and beat the queues, we've already abandoned the office to head down…we won't tell if you won't?
Buying a gift for your friends or family can be difficult enough when they don't possess 'notions.'
What are notions, you ask? Well, it's essentially when a person has grandiose elements of extravagance; whether in terms of fashion, style, food & drink, décor or just in their everyday life.
They drink non-fat, no-foam, five-shot half-caffeine pumpkin spice latte in a special cup at a certain temperature and will refuse to do most activities due to footwear, except yogalates.
You'd never catch them drinking cans, especially not Tesco lager; they're most likely only drinking a craft beer that no one has heard of or a slimline tonic with lime cordial and a shot of vodka on the side.
Plebs such as us probably would take a taxi or public transport to a club, whereas someone with 'notions' might take a large limousine with white doves as their accessories.
According to the Urban Dictionary definition:
…You get the idea. It's luxurious hipster-ism.
So, how does one buy a present for someone who are that little bit too big for their boots? It's hard, but not impossible.
Here are our top 20 gifts for those with notions.. proceed with monetary caution.
1. Candlelight Prosecco snowglobe
2. A rose gold cocktail set
3. Topshop Flo Marabou shoulder bag
4. Whiskey stones
5. Avoca sea-salt chocolate
6. Huggable Avocado Cooling & Heating Pad
7. Charlotte Tilbury, Charlotte's beauty universe
8. Scented Diffuser
9. Pink Marble iPhone 6/6s/7/8 Case
10. Bicycle Leather Wine Holder
11. Soirée wine aerator
12. Crosley Cruiser Pink and Gold Bluetooth Vinyl Record Player
13. Metal straws
14. Fujifilm Instax™ Mini 9 Smokey White Instant Camera
15. JO MALONE LONDON Lime Basil & Mandarin Cologne 100ml
16. Popcorn Maker
17. G&Tea set
18.Topshop petite luxe fur coat
19. Grow your own indoor garden
20. Personalised hip-flask
There you have it, ladies.
The ultimate gift guide for those in your life who are just that little bit EXTRA, or who think that litle bit highly of themselves.
If they already have some of these gifts, well then I'm afraid they have too many notions for their own good, and this quest is totally futile…
G&T's have become one of the most popular drinks on the market, but how is the spirit evolving? It's sophisticated reputation and delicious flavours create the ideal cocktails, as well as becoming the perfect confidence booster BFF:
"You should go to the dancefloor and show off your hip moves, you're such a great dancer" – as said by Hendricks, overheard in Coppers in October 2018. Hendricks was later proven wrong.
There's no doubt about just how much gin has grown in the world of spirits, with Scottish gin especially undergoing a massive revival.
According to the Irish Times, the on-trade gin market in Ireland is now worth at an all-time high of €50 million. It's image has become transformed from a seemingly 'mother's choice' to a millennial's favourite.
We've put together a list of gin trends for 2019, so you can prepare your livers for the changes due to come in next year for the gin world. Get yourselves ready for relentless gin puns throughout, you have been warned.
1. GINcredible flavours
Gin flavours are KILLING the game right now, and they're showing no sign of slowing down.
Botanical delights such as berry pink gin, plum and cinnamon, pomegranate and rose, lemon drizzle, rhubarb and ginger to passionfruit gin liqueurs, salted caramel flavour and even a bubblegum taste, the flavours of gin available are GINfinite (sorry not sorry).
Copeland Spirits, based in Co. Down, specialises in 37.8% flavoured gins. Aldi Ireland stock its GINSANELY good Rhuberry flavour, naturally infused with local fruit, as well as its new, limited-edition infusion Spiced Apple and Blackcurrant.
Founder of Copeland Spirits, Gareth Irvine has recently spoken about the journey which gin flavours is currently on, saying that a shift in what's popular is incoming:
“Flavours to date have been quite seasonal or trend-led and associated solely to summer, or unicorns, or crazy colours and not veer too much away from berries. Over the coming months, we’ll see the flavour ideas get more adventurous incorporating spices, herbs, exotic fruits.
“Often-times, trend-led flavoured gins are of poor quality and are full of syrups, additives or sugar, rather than real fruit. In addition, the volume is generally around 20% and so a liqueur as opposed to a gin."
Hmmm, this is heart-breaking news. Some of our fave flavah's are legit just sugar and syrup…but this is changing. Thank GOD. We get enough sugar as it is.
Gareth predicts that consumers will start to focus more on quality, just like we saw with unflavoured gin and this will catapult flavoured gin into a category all of its own. Noted, Gareth.
2. GIN-vironmentally friendly
With the introduction of plastic-free consumer goals, especially in terms of straws in bars and restaurants, it's no surprise that gin companies are noticing this important trend. The 'waste not/want not' ideology is spreading fast, with bartenders becoming more aware of the value of not throwing away unneccesary food and drink waste.
“We’re thinking first and drinking second. We’ve noticed cocktail menus are changing slightly as bartenders consciously look for ways to minimise food waste." according to Gareth.
When it comes to garnishes such as lemon wedges, egg yolks and limes, the amount of fruit that is thrown away or used needlessly purely for the same of appearance is pretty shocking.
Rather than sweeping these used garnishes into to the bin, some bars have making what is becoming known as ‘closed-loop’ cocktails, where excess fruit is used to create natural syrup or saved for pitchers.
Bars becoming conscious about their eco-footprint is imperative, especially since spirit companies rely heavily on the land to create their infused gins.
3. GINcrease in gin brands
Wait, you mean… we're going to see even more gin? YAS.
More brands will be arriving on the scene next year, with supermarket-owned brands such as Aldi helping to increase access to the category.
Gin-lovers in Ireland are a passionate bunch of people, and brands are taking that passion seriously. As more and more brands come on the scene, people will only connect with the ones that have strong values, for example supporting the environment or raising talent through graduate programmes.
Brands will be providing a quality product that is conscious of price and quality. Amen to that.
4. GINnovation
Brands in 2019 hope to focus on some brand new categories, many of our favourite brands which have risen in the last three years didn't exist prior to the gin renaissance. These brands, whose journeys are only really beginning, will be competing to adapt in the long-term industry pool.
Gin and spirit companies will begin experimentation with distilling and flavours which will likely benefit gin, and those who drink it, i.e. us.
We predict that experimentation will lead to some unreal new flavours and tastes, we also volunteer as tribute to test these new tastes. It's a tough job but someone has to do it.
For the moment anyway, we're heading straight to Aldi Ireland to grab Copeland’s Spiced Apple and Blackcurrant Gin for just €29.99, see you there gals.
With Christmas around the corner, this new flavour is perfect for winter.
Can someone please le Santa know that a gin advent calendar is on our present list? Just in case he doesn't know…
Gin and tonic has been having a prolonged moment, but there is another up-and-coming drink angling for the top spot.
The Aperol Spritz is here to conquer summer, with everyone from Ireland's foodie influencers to the ladies who brunch enjoying a sip of the stuff.
The drink has been around for years, but summer 2017 is set to be the season of the spritz, and we're ready for a change.
According to new Google Trend data, the Aperol Spritz is currently leading the way in the trendiness charts for Irish summer drinkers.
The drink is at peak popularity, just ahead of gin, and has seen a meteoric rise to fame, as did it's juniper-blended nemesis.
The distinctive orange drink first became popular back in the 1950s after the aperitif was imported from Italy.
Vogue has dubbed the drink as the one to watch this summer, but what is in the beverage exactly?
Well, the distinctive drink is made up of three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol and one part sparkling water.
The advised garnishings include orange wedges and green olives.
The beverage has been enjoyed on the continent for years, with 200,000 gallons of the orange aperitif being consumed in France in 2015, according to World Crunch, so Ireland is slightly behind the times when it comes to the latest Aperol popularity surge, but hey, we've got all summer to catch up.
Irish style influencer and Head of Digital, Global Retail at Dior, trend expert Ashley McDonnell is based in Paris, and knows exactly why the drink is so popular across the channel.
'Everyone knows we love wine in France. In the winter it's hearty reds, in spring a chilled white, and summer is all about a glass of rosé by the Seine,' she explained to SHEmazing.
'However, over the last few years our Italian neighbours have been providing us with their own take on a cocktail that involves a good grape but in the form of the unmistakable orange cocktail: Aperol Spritz.'
'The perfect marriage of Prosecco, soda, a slice of orange and Aperol to top it all off is taking over in Paris.'
'It’s quickly becoming the beverage of choice especially as the city heats up again, bringing some of the Italian Dolce Vita to the City of Lights, a much welcomed freshness to the long hot summer ahead,' she finished.
Aperol Spritz at the So Prosecco pop-up at Taste of Dublin
The drink even made an appearance at So Prosecco at Taste of Dublin, where the city's finest eateries congregated to showcase their trendiest and tastiest wares last weekend.
As Well + Good put it, it's about the 'desire to get buzzed—not blitzed,' and with a summer of outdoor brunching and beer garden get-togethers ahead, we couldn't be more ready for the season of spritz.
Drinks anyone?
Feature image: Instagram / solomia.mika
