If you’ve seen my old posts then you’ll know that I’m no stranger to MicroBarBox. This year it’s been my go to gift for friends and family and it never disappoints.
I’m sure most of you will be familiar with the subscription box format. For those of you who aren’t sure, you basically pay for a monthly subscription and a beautifully packaged box will arrive at your door filled with cocktails, wine, mixers and snacks. You can also buy a one-off box, or treat your friends to a gift box. If you’d like to find out more about the brand pop back to my previous post.
A few weeks ago I shared an unboxing over on my new YouTube channel. I’ve now tried all of the treats from the box so I thought it was about time that I told you a little more about what I discovered. One of the things I love most about MicroBarBox is discovering new brands. I snapped photos of the drinks and snacks as and when I tired them, which is why there’s a slight difference in background and lighting.
What I found in my box:
– English Spirit Distillery – Limoncello
– English Spirit Distillery – Raspberry
– Cawston Press – Apple Juice
– Laber Rhabarber
– Absolut Vanilla
– Quibbles
– Greenall’s Dry Gin
– Qcumber
Laber Rhabarber is a rhubarb vodka liqueur. It was a totally new drink to me, I’d never seen the bright pink bottle in the shops before. I believe it’s a German drink. It’s a very sweet liqueur which I think works best with a mixer (Crawston Press Apple Rhubarb juice fyi) but if you fancy something sweet then pop a couple of ice cubes in your glass and enjoy.
Greenall’s Gin has caught my eye over the years but I just never got ’round to trying it. Greenall’s has been around for over 250 years and is distilled in Warrington. I found that this gin had a very soft and subtle taste, I could clearly pick out citrus notes. It’s nice but not exciting. I’d say it’s best suited for someone who’s new to gin. Mixed with the Qcumber Sparkling Water it was very refreshing.
Absolut Vanilia is made from all natural ingredients. Absolut Vodka is produced, distilled and bottled from Åhus in Sweden. I’ve never enjoyed vodka neat but I found this one very enjoyable with a big hunk of ice. It has a smooth and delicate flavour of vanilla which makes it easy to drink. As you can imagine, it also works well in a cocktail. It had been a while since I’d tried any of the Absolut Vodkas but I’m keen to try their mango one next.
English Spirit Distillery Raspberry is a real treat. It’s made by the English Spirit Distillery small batch copper pot distillery set up over six years ago by Dr. John Walters. I’m keen to try this again because I think it will be perfect for making cocktails.
I mixed the Raspberry liqueur with the Absolut Vanilia vodka and a splash of tonic to make a longer and stronger drink. It went down a little too easily. Yummy!
I have a habit of adding frozen fruit to my drinks. Not only do they look pretty but they help to keep your drink cool as well as slowly infusing with the drink.
Cawston Press Apple & Rhubarb have really nice branding and packaging. They don’t add any extra sugar into their drinks (just 90% pressed apple juice, 10% pressed rhubarb juice and Vitamin C). I really thought this was tasty, especially for the summer months.
Qcumber is fairly new to me but it’s been around since 2013. I’ve tried it a couple of times over the last few months and I’m really enjoying it. It’s a very refreshing sparkling water with a strong kick of cucumber. If you’re a fan of cucumber water you’ll enjoy this on your own, but it’s even better to use as a mixer with your favourite gin.
English Spirit Distillery Limoncello was one of the drinks I was most excited to try. It’s not like the limoncello you get in Italy, it’s not as sweet or as thick. It’s very lemony which made me very happy. When it comes to limoncello I like to keep things simple. I enjoyed this over a couple of ice cubes after my evening meal, perfect. Alternatively if you fancy a longer refreshing drink on a hot day then I suggest simply mixing this with tonic and lots of ice.
The Laber Rhabarber and Cawston Press Apple & Rhubarb made a delightful and summery drink, something I wouldn’t normally have picked but it turned out to be very nice. I just wish it felt like summer here in the UK.
I’d heard about Quibbles (gluten free) before but never had the chance to try them so I was delighted to find a packet in my MicroBarBox. The brand is founded and run by Rhona and David. The bag I had was the Chilli Honey Peanuts, what’s not to love? They have a slight chilli kick to them, I wish it were stronger but they’re still good. They’re very sweet but go down perfectly with a strong G&T.
The friendly folk at MicroBarBox have put together a very generous 50% discount code for you to try out their Gin Club or Monthly Cocktail club. Let me know if you give it a try.
DISCOUNT CODE: PGT50%OFF1STBOX