Gin & Canada Dry

My Grandma's drink of choice!  I'm sitting here drinking one now and remembering the sizeable measures I always got when my Grandma poured me a gin.  We used to joke that there was more gin than tonic and it wasn't much of an exaggeration!  It took me a while to come around to the Canada Dry side of things but it's been a favourite of mine for a while now.

I remember when I was little I always wanted my drink to come from the special drinks cabinet in my Grandparents lounge.  You know those cabinets where you open a flap on the front which becomes a table on which to pour your drink?  I can't remember the first time I actually had a proper drink from the special cabinet but I have always loved that ritual of the flap coming down and all the different drinks being poured!

As kids, our treat was to be allowed a can of coke (never out of the can mind you, all drinks were out of a glass!), or if we were really good we would have some of Grandad's ginger beer which always made my nose itch from the bubbles and the strength of the ginger!!

The evening that Grandma passed away, I remember arriving at my Grandparent's house and walking in to see that the flap on the cabinet was open, and my Grandad was drinking a scotch. For some reason, it struck me then that I would never be able to share a gin with my Grandma again.  I thought briefly that maybe I should drink something else from now on, but then I thought about it and realised that every time I drink a gin and Canada Dry, I'll be reminded of my Grandma and sharing this drink with her on so many important milestones in our lives (oh and all those random times we just fancied a drink!!!).  So I was wrong when I thought I would never share a gin with my Grandma again. Truth is, every gin I drink will be shared with her!