The family that drinks together stays together, right? Or maybe I just need excess amounts of booze to survive my family. Whatevs. Either way, I was very happy to lug a bottle of Amarula Gold off to the P of E to see my fam the other day.

I’d actually been given a bottle a while back but told the PR to sit tight as I’d just written two other dop-related posts and I didn’t want my bloggetjie to start looking like Boozing it up is my Life (as opposed to Lipgloss) even though there are times where it pretty much feels like it.

Anyway, when I first laid eyes on the new Amarula spirit I was all ‘Ag nee, man okes. You have such a rocking brand and pretty much ‘own’ the SA crème department. Why do you want to go and dilute that magic with a weirdo spirit type flanker thing? What are you peeps trying to do here…’ And then I tasted it and was ‘Oooh jinne, this is lekker, ne?!’ (Sorry, those are my Oos Kaapse roots coming out there… I’ve only just gotten used to wearing shoes when I go to malls and what not…)

But seriously guys, this is a very kiff drink. To me, it tastes like the love child of whiskey and Spiced Gold. My unofficial adopted sister Gaylord Gaylene agrees but she and my mom reckon they can pick up a dash of almond in the mix too. Like Amaretto or something. But the bottom line is this: We all really liked this drink and now I’m kicking myself for leaving it behind in the PE. (I was being all gregarious and awesome and went ‘Oh no, no, darlings. I know how much you guys love it. You hang on to that and I’ll buy another bottle when I get to Cape Town.’ I then discovered it’s a cool two hundred odd bucks and am now all ‘Ag nee!’ But I bought another one anyway and it’s sitting pride of place next to my kettle as I type. Now I wake up and I’m all ‘Coffee? Hard liquor? Coffee? Hard liquor? What kind of morning do you want this to be mevrou…’)

Anyway, fab taste aside, there’s another reason I love Amarula’s l’il newbie : it’s soooo easy to drink. Really. You can gooi it on the rocks and sip it nice and slow and be all ‘Look at me, I’m so freakin’ grown up and fancy. This might as well be whiskey in here. Except it doesn’t taste like kak’. The more the ice melts, the nicer it gets. Alternatively, you can mix it with pretty much everything. From Coke to lemonade to soda. Whatevs. This dude makes friends real easy. It’s the kind of thing that’ll go down a treat at an informal gathering like a braai. Or maybe in a hipflask at your friend’s kid’s super boring play.

So, have you tried this boy? And if so, what did you think and how’d you end up drinking it?

Love, love

Leigh