A Blend Of Creations – Homegrown Cocktail

Being able to use you own homegrown ingredients in anything you create, gifts you an amazing feeling, knowing you’ve helped create what you’re about to enjoy, and that you’ve dedicated your own time and energy into helping something grow, it means a lot.

This is what this Cocktail is all about, drawing on the creations of many passionate and proud creators, traveling up off the coast of Scotland, to one of the last best-kept wilderness islands in the UK to grab our Gin and then down to Italy, to discover a winery that is proud to say they are working on preserving their environment, for our Sparkling Wine, then drawing on ProCook and my very own back garden for a heavenly display of herbs, which you’ll soon discover.

This Cocktail manages to capture three outstanding expressions in one, each blending together perfectly, showcasing Herbal Gardens, Zesty & Zingy and Sea Breeze, I can’t wait for you to try this Cocktail for yourself!

The Sparkling Wine – VentiVenti

Ventiventi means 2020 in Italian, they planted their first vines in the wine-growing district of north Modena in 2016, using the classic method to make their Italian Sparkling Wines, the company was designed and built following a modern concept, being innovative using modern technology, guaranteeing a quality wine while respecting the territory, vines and plants. They are proud to say they are working on their sustainability, being organic and becoming self-sufficient.

Cantina Ventiventi – Blanc de Blancs – Tasting Notes

Aroma – “Minerals, salty sea air, wet stones, yellow citrus, soft lemon skin, apricot skin and sea shells on the aroma.”

Flavour – “A gentle warmth about this one, with characters of salty sea air, minerals, wet stone, and chalk/clay, combined with a wonderful zesty and zingy expression, of yellow and green zest to complete the experience.”

Silver Medal in the Sea Breeze Category at the Glass of Bubbly Awards 2022

The Gin – Lussa

Lussa Gin is an expression of the wild landscape on the Isle of Jura, situated off Scotland’s west coast. Created by Alicia Macinnes, Claire Fletcher & Georgina Kitching, three proud inhabitants of Jura island, the creation of Lussa Gin means growing, gathering and distilling fifteen zesty and aromatic botanicals so they can pack as much local flavour as possible into every bottle.

At cooler temperatures you can actually see the botanical oils as a faint haze in the bottle – if you’re lucky, you’ll see a flash of them when you add tonic.

Just like the Isle of Jura, the Lussa Gin Distillery is really remote, the island has a well-loved village hall, a community owned and run shop, the Jura Hotel and pub, a whisky distillery, the Antlers café and bistro, a care centre, a petrol pump, GP practice and a primary school with one class. And that’s it.

It has a really tight-knit community, of only 200 people living on the Isle of Jura, with around 30 people, including the creators of Lussa Gin and their families living up on the north end of the Island.

The history of inhabitants on the island dates back to the stone age, with sites scattered with flints to ancient standing stones, with even Norse and Gaelic place names still in use today, there’s a lot of history to discover on this small island.

If you want to explore the intimate and nature-filled Isle of Jura for yourself, you’ll first have to travel up to Scotland and then travel by ferry for nearly 30 miles.

The Isle of Jura is famous for one more mainstream reason, George Orwell, the brilliant mind behind Animal Farm and 1984, wrote his very relevant book, 1984, on the island, with him even describing the Isle of Jura as a most ‘un-get-at-able place’.

The Isle of Jura holds mountains, the third largest whirlpool in the world, the Lussa river and nearly 6000 red deer outnumbering the people by 30 to 1.

Their distillery is situated at Ardlussa, 25 miles along a single-track road from the ferry, using 15 botanicals that there able to grow on Jura in the maritime temperate climate. They gather them from nearby hills and glens, lochs and bogs, woods and the sea, along with what they can grow in their gardens.

Lussa Gin – Tasting Notes – “Fresh, ocean air, zesty and zingy characters with lemon skin, thyme, smooth and subtle floral notes and ground elder to discover.”

The Cocktail – Homegrown

Ingredients

• Sparkling Wine
• Gin
• Chopped and Dried Coriander
• Chopped and Dried Parsley
• Chopped and Dried Basil
• Chopped and Dried Thyme
• Freshly Picked Rosemary

How To Make Your Very Own Homegrown Cocktail

• Start with your Herbs
• Drop in a pinch of the following Herbs (From ProCook):
• Coriander
• Parsley
• Basil
• Thyme
• Now pour in 15mls of Gin
• Top up with Sparkling Wine
• Garnish with the lovely freshly picked stick of Rosemary

Homegrown Cocktail Tasting Notes

Aroma – “A Herbal paradise on the aroma, with a mixture of fresh and dried mixed herbs, coriander, parsley, basil and thyme, with freshly picked rosemary.”

Flavour – “A glorious, wonderful, magnificent expression of Herbal Gardens, with each herb in its natural form joining the palate, allowing you to crunch down and release even more character into the Cocktail, the Sparkling Wine is perfect, the Sea Breeze expression gifts it a new direction, bringing salty sea air, sea salt, wet stones and more natural minerals to the cocktail, along with that divine zesty character, the Gin allows it to be delivered in a clean, smooth texture, with what certainly feels like naturally homemade, it complements the Cocktail and keeps your focus where it truly belongs. The three characters to take away would be magnificent Herbal Gardens, divine Zesty & Zingy and heavenly Sea Breeze.