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What’s on this Easter weekend

Taking “adapting to the current climate” to its logical extreme, Salcombe Gin, based in South Devon, is creating the world’s first crowdsourced limited-edition gin via Instagram Live, with all profits going to NHS Charities Together COVID-19 Urgent Appeal.

Master Distiller, Jason Nickels will be live from 7pm GMT on Thursday 9 April, to go through the distillation process and share insights on how to create a balanced and harmonious gin.

The public, who are no-doubt looking for ways to pass the next 96 hours they have to themselves this weekend, can tune into @Salcombegin and interact with Nickels through Instagram Live to choose their favourite botanicals and vote on the final recipe for the spirit.

Viewers will also be invited to name the new gin, which will be available to pre-order in 50cl bottles for £37.50 via salcombegin.com following the event. All proceeds will go to the NHS Charities Together COVID-19 Urgent Appeal.

Also this evening, beer writer and Global Masters judge Natalya Watson will go live with her virtual book club at 6:30pm.

“I’m covering a different chapter of my new book each week,” she told db earlier this week..

“In the chat, I gave a ‘director’s cut’ version of the chapter, so told them a few stories I had to cut out for space reasons and referenced a few of my sources to give a bit of a deeper dive into the stories in the chapter. Then we did a Q&A.”

Watson released her new book, Beer: Taste the Evolution in 50 Styles, days before the UK government imposed new lockdown measures, which has meant that plugging the work through events and face-to-face masterclasses is no longer possible.

For those who prefer a bedtime story, rum brand Kraken is partnering with a handful of celebrities on a series called Krakenory. Inspired by the CBBC’s Jackanory, the show sees artists and actors recanting nautical tales, prose and poetry. Previous episodes have seen the likes of Hollywood actor Mark Strong and The Libertines’ Carl Barat enlisted to help Brits steer clear of cabin fever.

If, like me, you’re getting through lockdown by rewatching all of Game of Thrones, then you’ll be pleased to know that  actor Iwan Rheon, who portrayed the memorable villain Ramsay Bolton in the HBO show, is the third celebrity host to join the roster.

Rheon will be reading select passages from A Descent Into The Maelström by Edgar Allen Poe and Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Rheon said: “We’re living in a very claustrophobic and unsettling time and we need a distraction. When you’re not watching tiger-based TV or baking banana bread I’d suggest checking out Krakenory.”

The third instalment will go live on Friday 10 April at 12pm on Kraken’s Instagram and Facebook pages.

If podcasts are more your thing, you could check out the new podcast series from Amazon Prime TV presenters The Three Drinkers, and be in with a chance of winning a three-month supply of wine.

The podcast is available to stream on Spotify and Apple at a time when the world undoubtedly needs a drink. Listeners will get behind-the-scenes access to the whimsical world of Aidy Smith, Helena Nicklin and Colin Hampden-White, with a look at the trio’s drinking secrets, what grinds their gears, and the oddities they’ve encountered during their careers as drinks journos.

The first series will see five episodes, airing weekly from Wednesday 8 April. Over the course of the five episodes, Australian Vintage-owned  McGuigan Wines will be giving one lucky winner a three-month supply of its wines to stock up their collection.

On Easter Sunday (12 April) at 5pm, Scotch whisky label Smokehead will post the first in a series of broadcasts to keep peat fans entertained.

Smokehead brand ambassador Mikey Sim and custom Ducati aficionado Tyler Lunceford, creator of The Smoker Ducati motorcycle, will host an Instagram Live stream as they focus on tasting the original Smokehead whisky, and how to craft a whisky sour and boilermaker at home.

Speaking of whisky, the legend that is former Edrington whisky maker Max McFarlane (the man behind Highland Park), is hosting a Q&A session on Saturday 11 April at 8pm GMT with current employer Ardgowan Distillery via Facebook Live.

Diehard Scotch fans can follow the Ardgowan page to hear McFarlane tell tales from his time in the whisky business. Follow the distillery’s Facebook page to stay in the loop.

Fancy winning a boatload of wine? Behold: the Drop Quarantine Quiz.

Wine delivery app Drop, which owns London boutique bar The 10 Cases, is giving oenophiles the chance to win a case of wine for Easter weekend celebrations.

All you have to do is guess the grape variety based on the above emojis. Send your answers to this email address to be in with a chance of winning £100 worth of wine.

For those who prefer live-action quizzes, The Pembury Tavern in London is recording virtual pub quizzes from home and posting five rounds of questions to the pub’s Instagram stories every Monday at 7pm.

Insta users then get a 24-hour window to answer them, and be in with a chance of winning a bar tab at the Pembury once lockdown is over.

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