What a journey it has been! It feels like just yesterday that we had the incredible opportunity to showcase our beloved Christmas Old Tom Gin, Aatta Gin, and the unique Orkney Akvavit on James Martin's Saturday Morning TV show. This experience has not only been magical but has truly transformed our business, helping us connect with cooking lovers and lots of new spirits, foodie, and Orkney enthusiasts across the UK in ways we never imagined.
Images from James Martin's Saturday Morning on ITV.
This past year has unfolded like a well-crafted recipe, filled with delightful surprises and meaningful relationships. We particularly cherish the moments spent with fellow cooking enthusiasts who share our passion for unique spirits, especially during the festive season. So we thought we'd share some of our own recipes and ideas, including cocktails and serves too!
Sausage, Leek and Fennel Pasta
Pairs with Orkney Akvavit and Tonic
My current favourite easy meal. The exciting thing is, this can also be made using leftover Pigs in Blankets for an extra bacon flavour!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Good Quality Sausages (4-6)
Pasta - we love pappardelle
1 leek
cream
fennel seeds
2 garlic cloves
Parmesan
(white wine and spinach optional)
(olive oil, salt and pepper)
Take the skins off the sausages, break them up, then add to a pan on high heat with oil and fry for around 5 minutes while bashing into smaller pieces. In the meantime, chop up leeks into small pieces.
Get your pasta on the go as per instructions.
Add leeks to sausages and cook on a medium heat for a few minutes, until leeks and sausages start to brown.
Add garlic and fennel seeds and cook for a further minute.
At this point you can deglaze the pan with a small amount of white wine and add veggies such as spinach, peas or cooked broccoli for more greens if you wish.
Season to taste and add a small amount of the pasta water.
Finish with cream and parmesan
Delicious!
Try this dish with a refreshing Orkney Akvavit and Indian Tonic. The delicious caraway forward plays really well alongside the pork and herbs of sausages, and the Scandinavian fennel flavours of the dish are perfectly accompanied by a Nordic-flavoured spirit. Orkney Akvavit is bright, with lots of citrus, and also herbaceous, which helps to mellow out rich fats such as in pork and cream. This spirit was designed to be eaten alongside pork many hundreds of years ago! The tonic lifts it further creating refreshing goodness, perfect for sipping as you enjoy your meal.
christmas old tom treats!
Festive Fizz
Here's one we have shared a few times, but remember, your friends might not be familiar with this exceptional treat at all! Let's not gatekeep this zesty treat!
It's super easy. Add 25ml of Christmas Old Tom, then top up with your favourite fizz. You could add edible glitter for extra drama, or even brighten it up with some cranberries. Speaking of which...
It's a Cranberry Christmas
What could be more festive than Christmas Old Tom with cranberry, and it's super easy - perfect for when you're cooking up your Christmas Dinner.
You'll need:
50ml Christmas Old Tom
75-100ml Cranberry Juice
50ml Pomegranate Juice
1 orange (juice and as garnish)
Orange tonic (we used fevertree)
Add gin, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice and ice to a large glass. Cut orange in half and spray the glass with the orange peel, squeeze that half's juice into the glass. Stir well.
top up with tonic and garnish with remaining orange.
Salmon Gravlax - our favourite from last year!
We have been making salmon gravlax every winter since we began crafting spirits. In the past, we have used our Mikkelmas Gin and Orkney Akvavit for a festive treat — they are absolutely stunning!
Here’s a version of the recipe that we really enjoy. Feel free to make adaptations: try adding more juniper, incorporate some pink peppercorns, dill or fennel, or go wild with the citrus and even spice if you prefer a zestier flavour.
To make this, you'll need a decent-sized food bag along with the following ingredients:
salmon (boneless), between 600g-1kg is best. We normally make a double batch!
400g Demerara sugar
300g table salt
400g fresh beetroot
black pepper
1 lemon, zested
2 oranges, zested
2 tbsp juniper berries, crushed
3 tbsp wholegrain mustard
150ml Aatta Gin (or get creative with another from our range! Orkney Akvavit is a great one to try.)
Put the beetroot and sugar into a food processor. Blend together, then add all the other curing ingredients and blend again.
Pour half the mix out onto clingfilm or into a food bag. Add the fish and cover the top of the fish with the rest of the mix.
Cure for 1 day in the fridge, then take the salmon out, give it a good mix and pop back in the fridge for another day.
Make sure to rinse the cure off the salmon with cold water before serving. We love it with citrus fruit, fresh herbs, rocket and rye bread!
Check out James Martin's Recipes using our spirits and paired with our creations!
The Magic of Christmas Old Tom, Aatta Gin, and Orkney Akvavit
As we celebrate, let’s reflect on the key players in our memorable year. Our Christmas Old Tom gin, perfect for the festive season, has become a fixture in many homes. Its rich, festive notes of spices and candied citrus make it ideal for holiday gatherings, contributing to a huge increase in sales during the festive period.
Meanwhile, Aatta Gin continues to impress with its unique botanicals. This gin resonates especially with gin and cooking enthusiasts looking to elevate their G&T, or even their culinary creations. During the past year, we’ve received countless testimonials from customers who have used Aatta Gin in recipes ranging from cocktails, to yummy infused fish, to puddings!
Let’s not overlook Orkney Akvavit, showcasing versatility in cocktails while honoring its Scandinavian roots. Its unique flavor has introduced many to the world of aquavit, and we were delighted to see its inclusion on over 200 cocktail menus across the UK. This spirit has earned its place in every home bar, often recommended for cocktails like the classic Aquavit Sour.
Featured in this News Blog Post:
A totally unique aatta cocktail for you
David, from Speak Easy is always coming up with something truly special, inspired by Orkney's unique history and folklore. This one's sure to get folk at festive gatherings talking, with one of my favourites, Velvet Falernum, and bright, fruity apricot - YUM!
The Stronsay Beast:
- 60ml Aatta Gin
- 22.5ml Lime Juice
- 15ml Velvet Falernum
-15ml Apricot Liqueur
- 10ml Activated Charcoal Cinnamon Syrup (Add black food colouring or half a teaspoon of activated charcoal to cinnamon syrup)
- Egg white or vegan foaming bitters.
- Shake, serve over crushed ice.
Remember guys, it's all a bit of fun - you don't have to make it black if that just isn't your vibe. Simply infuse some cinnamon sticks in sugar syrup and use this instead if you'd rather a more traditional-looking drink.
The Road Ahead
Looking forward, we are excited about the adventures that await us! Inspired by the response to our TV appearance, we plan to enhance our offerings, adding something new to our range next year!
We are also working on exciting collaborations with talented mixologists to showcase how our spirits can complement various creations. Whether it’s featuring our Christmas Old Tom gin in a winter cocktail or finding the perfect pairing for Aatta Gin, Our mission combines our love for cooking and creative drink-making.
Cheers to a Bright Future
Reflecting on our year since that memorable Saturday morning, we feel we’ve embarked on a lively culinary adventure! The warmth of our community, the joyful feedback from our fans, and the visibility from our TV appearance have propelled us into a future filled with fun and even more possibilities.
Thank you for being part of this journey. We invite you to keep celebrating with us as we look forward to another year filled with exploration, creativity, and of course, unique and delightful spirits. Here's to unforgettable moments and happy cooking ahead!
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