Coffee has never really had an effect on me, in that near cliche way of leaving the drinker wide eyed and wired. I can quite easily drink a ‘cup of Joe’ last thing at night, and know that I’ll still be able to sleep like a baby (i.e. wake up screaming and wet the bed... Continue Reading →
Now I don’t have a strict mantra that I live my life by. But, and call me old fashioned here, the rule of ‘never drink an unknown liquid from an unmarked glass bottle found at the back of the kitchen cupboard’ has served me well thus far… But then again, they do say that some... Continue Reading →
When I was in secondary school, there was a rumour that overtook the corridors and canteen queues for a good week or so one summer. There was a buzz of excitement and a feeling of incandescent disbelief. A teacher had only gone and won the flipping lottery!… …or so he had told a class of... Continue Reading →
Down on my luck and with my back against the wind, I was literally down to my last few pennies. Whilst I had always been told that a life of gambling never pays - ‘the banker always wins’ and all that - I had entered the fray full of confidence and with a fist full... Continue Reading →
I’ve recently been picturing myself wearing nothing more than a pair of Speedos and a smile… I know. I paint quite a picture don’t I? But if you can pull your minds out of the gutter for just a couple of minutes, I’ll explain why depictions evocative of Michelangelo’s ‘David’ have recently come to the... Continue Reading →
It turns out that we, as a nation, must have completely misheard the chanting amongst all of the excitement. It would seem that they were actually saying footballs coming ‘Rome’…not ‘Home’. Ah…Balls. (Pun intended). When I published my fuller review of Sky Wave Gin at the beginning of July 2021, we were captivated by the... Continue Reading →
And it was just before the moment of impact that my life flashed before my very eyes… You see, I had never been great at football. While my head tells me that I’m ‘Lionel Messi’, my brain to foot coordination ends up producing a display more befitting of a poor-mans Michael Flatley. Though it’s fair... Continue Reading →
The Martini. Hailed as the ‘King of Cocktails’, it is a serve that on the surface appears so simple. After all, at its foundation level it is a drink comprised of just two ingredients; gin and vermouth. Right?…Right??!… If there is beauty in simplicity, it then comes as an ironic twist of fate that something... Continue Reading →
Some opportunities are once in a lifetime and not to be missed. But it’s not always a lesson that I’ve been quick to learn… To illustrate this point, Lets briefly jump back to 2011. A more youthful version of myself is stood in a Leeds City Centre record store, riffling through CD cases (remember those?!)... Continue Reading →
What’s in a name?... When my wife and I decided to get married, a lot of people asked me the question ‘is Emily going to take your name?’. Which I thought was an odd idea, as it would surely get confusing if we were both called ‘Matt’?!... Now, other than a witty opening gambit to... Continue Reading →
The Gin Shelf 
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