And by heaven we mean Royal Chundu…
In celebration of World Gin Day on Saturday 11 June, we deem today until this Sunday… Gin o’ Clock! As in Mitch Albom’s book, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, we’re going to introduce you to the five types of gins you will encounter during your time on the Zambezi River. And we don’t just mean Bombay Sapphire or Hendricks, Boodles or Tanqueray. We mean the different and significant gin moments that each come with their own meaning and mood.
Our 5 Favoutite Gin Moments On The River
1. Sunset Gin
There is a time for wine, a time for tea, a time, a right time, for just about any good thing. The time for gin is inargubaly on safari, whether on land or river. G&Ts on our river at sunset is a sort of tradition at Royal Chundu. To go without it is like turning down Amarula in the bush. Whatever your brand of choice, whichever combination of ingredients you prefer – juniper berry with coriander, sage, cassia, nutmeg, rosemary or angelica root – take it cold, with a smile and with your feet up while you take in the view. #thatsunset
2. Picnic Gin
“Heaven can be found in the most unlikely corners.” ― Mitch Albom
One such corner is on a mid-canoe adventure picnic under the riverbank’s trees. David Livingstone and other British Empire explorers were onto something when they added gin and tonics to their explorations, when camping close to rivers. The drink is said to help prevent malaria. Of course, it’s not so much the gin as the tonic water and the Quinine used to make it that is said to do the trick, but what fun is the latter without the former?
“Gin also helps the picnic feast go down,” I think Mary Poppins meant to say. The bitter herbs in gin increases digestive enzymes and stomach acid secretions, helping to break down food quickly and improve digestion.
3. The Birding Safari Gin
“Scenery without solace is meaningless.” ― Mitch Albom
For the “I’d rather be birding” types, or those simply after the calm that the silent art of birdwatching allows, gin makes a friendly accompaniment, wouldn’t you agree?
4. The Gin Between Friends
“The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone.” ― Mitch Albom
Of course, all its more enlightened qualities aside, gin is good for simple tomfoolery. For letting go and coming together, in dropping the curtain of the serious and sparking the shameless silliness of youth, no matter how far from youth we feel. It erases yesterday and leaves only the present, a present best entertained in the company of those close and dear.
(Of course, it’s also said to be somewhat of a depressant, but we’ve yet to experience this negative side effect. Let’s hope your friends don’t either. Otherwise this might be the one gin you send back down to earth.)
5. The Gin of Love
“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.” – Rick Blaine in Casablanca
There is always a time for wine and champagne, but for the love of Casablanca, for moments like marriage proposals, honeymoons and anniversaries, for its sophistication and sass, we choose gin. The Gin of Love.
