Page 82 of The Gin Lover's Guide to Dating

Having not had a moment to myself since we left the hotel, I excuse myself to the ladies. As I enter the pine-scented restroom, I pull my phone out of my bag and see that I have a notification from my blog chat app. It’s GrahamLeeton, of course; he is the only person I actually converse with on it.

GrahamLeeton:Observation of the day: I am officially ancient. I was in a café, sitting at a table next to a group of teenage girls, and I kid you not, they spent nearly forty minutes discussing a single photo one of them was about to post on Instagram. First it was the photo effects, then the intended recipients, then who was likely to comment and who wasn’t – and what that might or might not mean. I was exhausted just listening to them! How are you today, MissGinFizz?

I laugh as I read this, then quickly tap out a response.

MissGinFizz:That does sound exhausting! Must have been entertaining too though. I’m great, thanks. I’m actually living up to my namesake today. At a distillery tour with some of my workmates. We’re learning about gin so that we know what we’re talking about in the bar, and we’re about to start my favourite part – the tasting session. :)

He replies almost immediately, and before I know it, I’m immersed in conversation with him.

GrahamLeeton:The girls were actually quite amusing. Especially when they started agonising over whether Tariq (whoever he might be) would think the post was cool or naff – at least that’s what I think they were debating. They used words I had never heard before! Distillery visit sounds fun. Be helpful for your blog too – I do love a good BOGOF. I hope you have a chauffeur to take you home??

MissGinFizz:BOGOF??

GrahamLeeton:Buy one, get one free. BOGOF. You get something out of it for your work and for your blogging.

MissGinFizz:Ah… OK, now I feel stupid.

GrahamLeeton:No need to feel stupid. Ashamed will do just fine. ;)

‘You bugger!’ I shout at the screen, laughing.

‘Chica, you are coming back to join us?’

I look up and see that Reyes has entered the ladies’ toilets without me even noticing.

‘Oh, sorry, yes.’ I quickly fire back a humorous retort, letting GrahamLeeton know that I have to go for now, but I’ll be able to chat later.

‘You are messaging with your online boyfriend?’ Reyes’s dark eyes are twinkling. ‘While your real-life boyfriend is out there. I am impressed with this new chica.’

‘He’s not my boyfriend.’ I drop my phone back into my bag. ‘Neitherof them are my boyfriend.’

‘Josh is not even?’ Reyes looks at me, puzzled.

‘Not officially.’ I shrug. ‘We haven’t made things exclusive yet.Anyway, GrahamLeeton is just someone I have an intellectual and spiritual connection with. We enjoy good conversation. That’s all.’

‘Of course.’ Reyes regards me knowingly. ‘That is all.’

I realise I’m not fooling either of us, but before I can say anything else, she disappears into one of the cubicles, so I head back to join the others.

‘Here, Liv, try this.’ Amir sticks a glass in my face the moment I rejoin him and Josh. ‘It’s got a blinking tree in it. But it’s amazing!’

I take the drink from him and hold it at a distance so I can actually focus on it. It does indeed have what appears to be a cutting from a pine tree in it.

Alan jovially fills me in on the goings-on. ‘I’m demonstrating some more unusual garnishes, to offer interesting alternatives to the commonly used ones, such as fruit and cucumber.’

‘I see.’ I take a sip and my taste buds immediately burst to life from the zingy flavour combination. ‘Wow, thatisamazing. It’s kind of fresh, natural, outdoorsy… almost medicinal.’

‘Great adjectives, Liv!’ Alan claps his hands together jubilantly. ‘And that’s what it’s all about. Don’t just describe your selection of gins in your drinks menus. Get talking to your customers about them. Use adjectives that tickle their taste buds. If they hear the words, they’ll have the experience. Take them on their own tour – in their minds.’

‘Who’s the teacher’s pet now?’ Josh grins with pride, like I’m his prize pooch.

Reyes rejoins us and we get properly stuck in, tasting one drink after the other.

‘Another tip,’ Alan announces. ‘You obviously need great pairings, but don’t always pair the same gin with the same garnishes. Try this.’

He lines up an array of shot-sized glasses sporting three different gin and tonics: one similar to before, with a miniature sprig of pine in it, one garnished with sage, and the other with a tiny slice of orange. We (other than Josh) breathe in the unique aromas and then sip at them, taking the time to let the flavour of each one develop in our mouths before swallowing. I move from the medicinal pine, to the earthy herbal smoothness brought through by the sage, and finally on to the zesty, fruity, sharpness of the drink paired with orange. It’s a truly educational tasting experience.

‘They are all tasting so wonderful. So different.’ Reyes looks truly amazed. ‘I am expecting some of this, but with these three drinks, they are almost like different gins. They are not?’

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