Let the fun ‘beGin’! This year Access was 20 years old and, as part of this special celebration, the team went to the Four Sisters Distillery for a gin making class. We also had a chocolate making session with Cocoa Cabana.
As well as being a lot of fun, the night was part of a wider initiative to send out ‘Access 20’ gin and chocolates to clients and partners of Access as a big thank you for all the support received over the last 20 years.
While some of us spent the evening concocting our very own gin, others mastered the art of truffle making… and everyone took part in some sampling!
To get us started, one of the four sisters - the lovely Lucy McAvoy - talked us through the history of gin and also how the Four Sisters Distillery came into conception. Here’s hoping that the next quiz night we sign up for has a gin category, since we’re all now unofficial gin experts!
After a delicious gin (or two) on arrival, we were asked to pick out our gin botanicals from a mixture of herbs, spices and flowers. Some of us went safe using a mix from the flower family, with notes of Rose and Hibiscus. While others just threw it all in and hoped for the best!
Next, we put our concoctions into our personal distillers and patiently waited for the results.
I think we managed to keep ourselves entertained though…
Meanwhile, our Access chocolatiers were making some delicious looking truffles, learning how to set and temper their chocolate with guidance from Ancoats-based Cocoa Cabana Chocolatiers. The ‘Ginners’ made sure they were kept well hydrated too!
Oddly enough, the chocolatier’s left with a lot less truffles than they made, we can’t imagine what happened there.
Back in the ‘Gin lab’, the distilling process came to a close; we filtered our gins and well… you know the rest. Thanks again to both Four Sisters and Cocoa Cabana for guiding us along the process.
The evening was a blast and a great way for Access' directors to show their appreciation for everyone's continued hard work and dedication. That in itself sounds like something worth celebrating, so Happy 20th Birthday Access, here’s to the next 20!
