The Drinks Magician

When is a lemon not a lemon? When you add a slice to a drink of course! It becomes a garnish, obviously, but there's more to it than that. So here's a little lesson in molecular chemistry. No, stay there, honestly it won't be that bad I promise! OK? Want to carry on? Good, here goes: Adding a small slice of lemon (or lime, orange, cucumber, thyme sprig etc) changes a drink on a very basic level. What we actually add is some water, fruit sugars and citric acid in the case of lemon. Due to the shape of the molecules involved, different actions take place. Alcohol's molecular structure for example, allows H2O to fit inside, thus by adding a  little water you smooth the alcohol burn in a spirit. The sugars and acid bring sweetness and a sharpening edge to your drink. It's for this reason we shouldn't always use the same garnish for every gin or vodka or rum. Each individual spirit has a unique recipe and will be complimented by a corresponding addition. On ...

...as does anything else Agave based if I'm honest. Tequila is such a misunderstood drink. Most people have had bad experience of even worse tequila, usually involving salt. lime and an inability to remember your name or which way gravity is supposed to work. But it is such a diverse and complex spirit that warrants a slower approach to appreciation and enjoyment. First things first. All Tequilas are Mezcals. Mezcal is a distilled drink made from fermented agave. The agave is a succulent, rather like aloe vera, rather than a cactus which is the perceived knowledge. Where Mezcal can be made from any part of the many different agave plants, tequila can only be made from the heart of the blue agave from certain areas in Mexico. Think of it like Champagne, which can only come from one place, using specific grapes and produced a certain way. The process of tequila production always reminds me of that thing about the first person to milk a cow. You know, the whole 'What were ...

 ...drinks of course! To be more specific though, each bespoke tasting event is unique. Once you've decided on whether it'll be beer, wine or spirits we can tailor our events to suit you, your guests, venue and budget. Have a look at our website price list for some ideas by clicking here.   Let's take our most popular option, a gin tasting for a dozen or so people, at your house. The Drinks Magician arrives in plenty of time to set up with everything needed like glasses, various garnishes and mixers, info sheets (optional) and obviously gin! Most people go for the 6 gin package which gives a great spectrum of styles and tastes to explore. Once your guests arrive and are settled we start with briefly explaining how gin is made, it's history and how the event will proceed. We taste each gin neat, then with a garnish to compliment the flavour and finally with a mixer (not always the one you would expect) to fully explore the depth of flavours and how they can ch...

Excellent price at Aldi on this Mauritian vanilla rum, named for the rare pink pigeon only found on the island. Just £19.99!

  Hiya!   It has been a hectic week setting everything up and there's still a lot to do, but I have to admit I'm very excited about it all!   Social Media The Facebook page is now sorted, Twitter too! Next up will be Instagram but I need to learn how to take better photos first! I'm also hoping to get some tasting footage up on YouTube. On that subject, does anyone like the idea of tutored tasting videos and reviews? Let me know what you think. The Future is Bright   As I go forward I'll bring you regular updates about what The Drinks Magician is doing along with information about events , news and other bits you might like. I'll even let you know about the great offers and deals that I spot on my travels. Cheers! Keith at The Drinks Magician