I should perhaps have let Frost Magazine’s Michael Rowan taste it for me as he is the doyen who introduced me to the Gin Club and slightly has the edge on me where this particular drink is concerned, but no, no… You see it’s pink, and I couldn’t inflict that on him. Could I? Because I’m a good good girl.

Edgerton Original Pink Gin tastes as good as it looks: smooth, and full of flavour, and sufficiently complex to be interesting, with a great after taste. Just right for Christmas. Well, to be honest for any time of year, and any day of the week. It really does have the potential to be a regular treat, and of course, not just for women, but for men too.

So I lied, Michael, It was a case of me, me, me. it’s totally suitable for blokes.

The distinctive pink toned Edgerton Original Pink Gin is an award-winning spirit distilled in the heart of London. It is made in small batches from 15 botanicals that are hand-picked from across the globe, including pomegranate – the ingredient that gives the gin its distinctive pink glow.

But how did Edgerton’s arrive at this ‘sip it, enjoy it, and yes, let’s have another gin’?

Martin Edgerton Gill, formerly owner of the London Gin Company discovered that whilst superb taste in the glass is key to the long term success of a brand, colour really works. His creation, the world’s first blue gin “London No 1 Blue”, sold in 2010 to Gonzalez Byass of Spain, has been a huge success.

Rather than retire on the sale of London Gin, he decided – to my immense gratitude – to explore the possibilities of a pink gin.

Gill’s father had spent five years in the Royal Navy during World War II and brought home with him a love of pink gin. My ‘him indoors’ was also RN, a cold war submariner, and has appreciated tasting this Edgerton’s Pink Gin as much as I have. This traditional nautical tipple, consisting of gin and Angostura bitters, was launched in 1824 initially as a cure for sea-sickness.  However, its popularity in civilian life grew apace and by the late eighteen hundreds had become a favourite in fashionable bars throughout the world.

Martin who had pioneered herbal teas in the nineteen eighties used his considerable knowledge of herbs and spices to create a totally new and contemporary pink gin. Quite apart from the colour it is as I have said, a lovely and complex gin.

Available to purchase online and at all major department stores across the UK, including Harvey Nichols at RRP £36. http://www.edgertonpinkgin.co.uk/

I must admit that when I first read the line ‘wristband earphones’ my brain flipped with very strange images but these innovative earphones are great if you don’t want to lug around a bag or stuff them in your pockets.

CORE earphones by specialist audio and fashion manufacturer, WRAPS, are stylish, comfortable and practical so they tick all the boxes for me.

The unique design of Wraps means that earphones can now be worn on the wrist when not in use, eliminating the frustration of looking for earphones only to find them lost or tangled in the bottom of a bag or pocket. They are comfortable to wear and the faux leather strap is adjustable so it fits all sizes. It’s also available in a  braided cloth cable, a PU leather cable or cable with wooden beads. The earphone housings are available in four of the latest smartphone and tablet colours.

CORE earphones  look  stylish and the sound quality is great too. They also feature upgraded Titanium speakers; a metal which is commonly used in precision engineering due to it having the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal.

The quality of the speaker is crucial for accurate sound reproduction and the 10mm Titanium speakers are expertly tuned to resonate clear, high-fidelity sound throughout the audio spectrum with precise, ultra-fast response times.

Each set of earphones also comes with noise-isolating foam tips. The soft expanding acoustic foam offers not only a superior feel and fit, but also blocks out unwanted background noise.

A universal one-button microphone lets you play or pause your tunes and answer calls on the go from the earphone cable splitter.

Great sound, great looks and comfortable to wear what more could you ask for?

Available in Gold, Space Grey, Silver and Rose Gold from www.mywraps.com  for £49.99

Ginvent- The original gin advent calendar

Gin Foundry has just launched its luxury booze-filled countdown to Christmas and the original gin advent calendar – Ginvent.  

Fuelling the festive season with a juniper laced journey of discovery, hidden behind each door of the Ginvent calendar is a different 30ml dram of gin to be enjoyed. Representative of Gin Foundry’s core mission to celebrate gin and help drinkers find their perfect tipple, the team works hard to ensure that Ginvent provides a different experience each year.

And anyone who receives this calendar will work hard to appreciate it. I feel that it won’t be onerous.

New additions for 2016 include gins of every description, from an award-winning Finnish gin through to seemingly magical colour-changing gins, sloe gins, Navy Strength, Old Tom, Barrel Aged, fruit infused and more – allowing people to bring the wonders of gin home this Christmas.

Gin Foundry spent months of the year researching and sourcing the perfect gins for Ginvent, to make sure it provided a representative snapshot of the category’s depth, diversity and global reach – for 2016 quirkier offerings even include a gin which changes colour, mysteriously turning from blue to pink once mixed with tonic.

Sounds as though they beaver much like Santas elves. Do they dress suitably? I do hope so.

It really is the perfect way to explore the gin category and discover a new gin of choice – whether a gift for the gin enthusiast, or a personal incentive to get through you through the hectic holiday season, the calendar showcases all types of producers, from the artisanal and craft through to the more familiar, larger names.

RRP £124.95 from www.ginkiosk.com

London Musical Theatre Orchestra Announces A Christmas Concert(19^th December)

The London debut of Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens’ Broadway Hit:

A Christmas Carol at the Lyceum Theatre

The fully orchestrated score performed for the first time in London at the Lyceum Theatre

Following the spectacular success of its debut performance of Roger and Hammerstein’s State Fair, the London Musical Theatre is delighted to announce its much anticipated Christmas concert; the hit Broadway musical, ’A Christmas Carol’ with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and book by Mike Ockrent and Lynn Ahrens.

After decade-long success at New York’s Paramount Theatre in Madison Square Garden, A Christmas Carol comes to the London stage in glorious concert format for the very first time backed by the 32-strong London Musical Theatre Orchestra and performed by a star-studded West End cast.

Praise for the LMTO’s Rendition of State Fair (November 2016) “Musical theatre at its best.” ★★★★★ LondonTheatre1, just one amongst many rave reviews,  so I fully intend to enjoy a similarly exciting event.

Yes, Frost Magazine will be there to enjoy this spectacular musical adaptation of one of Charles Dickens’ most famous stories as it gets the full Broadway treatment by the Broadway team of Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid), Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime, Seussical) and Mike Ockrent (Crazy For You, Me and My Girl). Called by The New York Times “a tonic for adults, and for children a transfixing journey,” A Christmas Carol is the warm-hearted kick-start to the Christmas week for all the family.

In keeping with the long term aim of the LMTO, the fully orchestrated concert aims to not only make orchestral performances accessible to brand new audiences, but also to bring the exciting repertoire of musical theatre to a more classical audience.

So lovely to see one of the prestigious patrons of the LMTO is Lord Julian Fellowes (Academy Award winning screenwriter, film director and actor. Creator and writer of Downton Abbey. Tony Award nominee) who is also of the patrons of Words for the Wounded, my own charity.

Venue: Lyceum Theatre 21 Wellington St, London WC2E 7RQ – Lots of restaurants nearby, including the lovely Wellington on the Strand.

Date: 19th December 2016

Time: 7:30 pm

Tickets: £75, £45, £30, £24.50, £20, £16.50. (+ £15 tickets sponsored by Chestertons)

Booking:  020 7730 4500 // atgtickets.com

In keeping with LMTO’s aim to make musicals and orchestras accessible, LMTO has partnered with Chestertons to release 100 tickets, from all price ranges, for just £15. Tickets will be released on 19^th November to those who pre-register via lmto.org