Go Wild for the Home Nations!
Cheering on the home nations—a thrilling time for British sport
The Rugby World Cup is now approaching the ‘business end’ of the tournament, and fans of the home nations have been treated to some great results. England saw off Chile in style, Scotland put in a great display to win comfortably against Tonga, and Ireland bravely got one over on the reigning champions by beating South Africa by 13 points to 8. Wales, however, were the best of the lot: the Dragons sailed into the quarterfinals with an astonishing victory over a lacklustre Australia, whom they dispatched 40-6 in a dominant performance. Congratulations and good luck to them all for the rest of the tournament (come on Wales!).
It's a good time to be a Welsh brand
With everything that’s going on at the moment, sporting excellence gives us all something to cheer about, and there’s something very special about living in Wales when the rugby’s going well! We’d like to raise a glass of the best Champagne-style cocktail money can buy to all of the sporting heroes competing on the world stage. Why not buy flavoured Prosecco online and do the same? You can support us and raise your fizz cocktail game by buying Gasm here.
Golfers taking their cue from the rugby players
International sports fans don’t just have the rugby to get excited about, of course. Before the first tee at the 2023 Ryder Cup, most bookies and pundits were favouring the USA, yet Team Europe got off to an absolute flyer. Going into Saturday’s afternoon fourballs, Europe led 9½ to 2 ½. The USA, naturally, didn’t go down without a fight (or a row with a fired-up Rory McIlroy), but Team Europe, led by superb performances from Tommy Fleetwood and the aforementioned Mr McIlroy, held on to add to their extraordinary 30-year period without a home defeat, winding up winners by 16 ½ to 11 ½. This year’s side had seven players (plus the captain, Luke Donald) from the UK and Ireland; in a sport where you don’t often get to cheer on teams, it was a fantastic opportunity to support our homegrown talent.
Gasm – the ultimate home party fizz cocktail
As the days get shorter, it’s an ideal time to throw gatherings at home, especially if there’s some great sport to watch. The October weekends will have the rugby on (the final is on Saturday 28th), and the Cricket World Cup is also about to start, so why not make a few calls and see what you can put together? Not worrying about a sit-down takes so much of the stress away from hosting, and those who are interested in the game will be impossible to tear away from the screen, anyway! Daytime parties at home give you and your friends the time to wind down and, once you’ve removed nearly all the costs associated with going out, you’ll appreciate giving your credit card a break (as will they!).
Getting the drinks sorted for a house party
As soon as you have a decent-sized party to prepare for, online ordering really comes into its own. Take your time to plan your beverages, and make sure to include a range of drinks for your guests to choose from. Of course, you can’t really host a ‘big match’ party without plenty of beer, but it’s always good to stock up on non-alcoholic drinks, too. Having a selection of quality soft drinks in the larder really comes into its own when you need to keep a clear head, so getting a case of cans of fabulous punch from our friends at Punchy is a good idea. They also deliver direct, as we do, so purchase flavoured Prosecco online and get Gasm from us and soft drinks from them! Having drinks that your friends probably haven’t tried is sure to impress and get conversation going, too. Give it a try.
Slow-cooked food and Champagne-style cocktails
The best thing about barbecues is getting together and sharing food, drinks and all-round good cheer. You don’t need to be outside for all that. To get group cooking right from inside the kitchen, all you need to do is cook something that’s easy to make and stays yummy for a long time. Low and slow is the solution. A good-sized slow cooker with lamb stew in it takes less than 20 minutes to prepare and only gets better for late arrivals. We’d recommend serving alongside a loaf or two of crusty bread and a glass (or two!) of Sloeberry Gasm. You and your friends are practically guaranteed to have a great time.
Lamb Stew
There is no recipe for a lamb stew, really. Just ask your butcher for stewing lamb (neck is ideal) or find some cheaper cuts in the supermarket. The only other important tip for the perfect stew to serve alongside our famous fizz cocktails is to dust the pieces of lamb in flour and brown on all sides in a pan before adding to the slow cooker. This will give the meat a nice colour and thicken your stew. Another suggestion is to add half a jar of shop-bought Bolognese sauce, which brings the whole thing together and adds flavour and body. As long as you have baby potatoes, button mushrooms and browned lamb, you can’t go wrong. Enjoy!