Making Memories for Mother's Day

If you’re thinking about making a gift for Mother’s Day, your creative juices are probably running up against the huge mental block that is the image of a crepe paper flower with a pipe cleaner stem that got slightly squished in your schoolbag when you were seven.  And, we bet your mum still has it in a shoebox with some of the other little creations you ran home from school with, beaming with pride and the anticipation of your crafty Mother’s Day gift giving.

That feeling, the one you get when you make something for someone; planning what you’re going to make, searching around for all the different bits and bobs to make it, the whole idea then becoming a bit of a project that you’re pouring so much love and thought into, the making of the ‘thing’ and then that lovely moment when you present something you created with your head and your heart to someone special and you see their reaction (which we hope is a good one!).

These are proper ‘life moments’ and memory makers. 

Creativity in craft gives you the opportunity to put so much love into whatever it is you’re making.  Whether it’s the complex influsion process that stands behind our gin - every drop crafted slowly and carefully by our Gin Master Simon; his pride and passion in making the spirit is unrivalled – or a simple yet mouthwatering meal for friends, a cake with your children, a mix tape for an old friend or a present for someone who means the world to you.

When time, thought, care and energy has gone into the making process for something, we can’t help but feel that something a bit special has been added to our lives, that we’re the recipient of someone else’s love and good energy.  We suppose that’s why as consumers, we’re moving away from the mass produced culture, seeking out ‘new and special’ and finding ways to add more meaning to our lives, and of course the lives of the people around us.

We think the best gifts are a mixture of things you can enjoy right at that very moment, and things you can keep forever as a reminder of that moment, so we got our crafty heads round the table and came up with the something we think is quite lovely as an idea for a Mother’s Day package. 

You might do it exactly like this or you might add some of your ideas and put your own unique stamp on it.

Caorunn Mother’s Day Hamper

For our Caorunn Mother’s Day Hamper we’re beautifully packaging the following items together with lots and lots of love:

• The Memory Jar – all your favourite mum related memories written onto little pieces of paper, folded up and popped into the jar.
• The Love You Lots Jar – all the things you love about your mum, the reasons why she’s so special to you and all the things she does to make your life amazing.
• The Treats Jar – your very own handmade Caorunn Chocolate Truffles (reveal the gin chocolate truffles recipe by clicking here)
• The Red Apple Slice Jar – a ready made supply of apple slices for popping into a C & T (recipe below)
• A bottle of Caorunn (have you seen our beautiful new bottle yet?)
• A little box of Caorunn & Apple cupcakes

Recipe for the Dried Red Apple Slices

Ingredients:

• 5 Pink Lady® apples
• Lemon juice

Method:

1. Wash, core and chop the apples into 2.5mm slices
2. Squeeze a lemon into a large bowl of water and let the Pink Lady® apple slices soak for five mins
3. Dry the apples on tea towels before transferring to baking trays lined with baking parchment – make sure the slices don’t overlap
4. Bake for an hour at 200 degrees, then turn and leave to cook for another hour or so (you’ll know when they’re properly dried – it will depend on the thickness of the slices and your oven)
5. Switch the oven off and leave your slices to cool before popping them into your mason jar

What you need to purchase for the hamper

• A hamper basket – (just Google ‘hamper basket’ – you’ll get one for under £10 no problem)
• Shredded raffia/tissue paper – again, run your fingers across your keyboard and hey presto – you’ll find it in every colour, shade and texture!
• Four mason jars
• Parcel string to tie round the mason jars and make it look pretty!
• Brown or white parcel tags for your mason jars
• A bottle of Caorunn gin! - (a Google search will throw up online and local stockists)

A toast to mum

If you can’t make your mum a delicious cocktail on Mother’s Day, then when can you!  

You are warmly welcomed to #CaorunnLive, our Exclusive Live Cocktail Masterclass taking place on our official Facebook page this evening (Thursday 8th March 2018).

We'll be joined by Pink Lady® apples and Social&Cocktail to share with you a suite of glorious Caorunn cocktails and bartender tips.  What's more you'll also have the chance to ask the experts during our live Q&A session.

We hope you and your mum have the most wonderful day, with memories to treasure.

With love from Team Caorunn