A trip to the wonderful Sipsmith distillery in West London has left me wanting to make cocktails every chance I can get. Making a really good cocktail is so much like crafting a perfect cake, so I am naturally drawn to the task. The subtle but true and beautiful flavours of the Sipsmith London Dry Gin is a wonderful backdrop for some very exciting cocktails. Jared Brown, the master distiller, gave us this recipe which we went straight home and tried. It is my new holiday drink (sharing a place next to last year’s egg nog). It is a purply pink and lovely and frothy.
Sloe Gin Fizz (makes 2)
100ml Sipsmith Sloe Gin
25ml fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 egg white
ice cubes
Champagne to finish
Add the sloe gin, lemon juice and egg white to a cocktail shaker and shake well to get a nice froth. Add the ice cubes and give it a few more shakes. Divide into two white wine glasses and top with Champagne.
We just think we have THE coolest customers. All the Violet girls are always saying what a pleasure it is to serve people that are so friendly, appreciative, interesting and, of course, have such great taste in cakes. One of our fav customers, and the girl responsible for my favourite sneakers (as seen below and on me whilst walking Shuggie in London Fields), has put a lovely little mention of us on the Top Shop website (click the London link) 
We love her and the awesome Twin magazine she is the fashion director of. We have a copy of the latest issue upstairs at Violet so have a look with a coffee and a mince pie if you don’t already own it.