It is now a proud Darkchat tradition (well, three years in a row) that for one glorious afternoon, the Darkchat ladies are

released from all domestic responsibilities and allowed an afternoon out. Oh yes, times have certainly changed.  Usually

the outing has involved attending a gin-based event at the Fringe.  I can’t think why this would particularly appeal to a

group of busy women struggling to maintain a work/life balance but it does.  In previous years, we have found that

sampling a variety of gins in the afternoon seems to be linked to mayhem in the evening.  We can all learn from

experience and this time we decided to combine gin drinking with some food via the Gin Safari.

The safari started at The Other Place on Broughton Road where we met our guide, Nell Nelson of

Edinburghfoodsafari.com and sampled some gin liqueurs with prosecco (highly recommended).  We then had a

delightful walk into Stockbridge, with some local history on the way, calling into a range of independent shops offering

gin flavoured food.  All the products we tried were well worth the walking.  

I was nearly an early casualty as, despite rarely drinking milkshakes, I’d had a splendid vanilla milkshake at the Mosque Café an hour  previously and the first stop involved a substantial gin-themed milkshake with toasted marshmallows.  This slowed me down a little but enabled Darkchat Kate to have an extra helping or two of Pickering’s gin-cured smoked salmon at our next stop.  We then tried some excellent G&T flavoured chocolate and completed the tour with Highland gin in the atmospheric bar, The Last Word, in Stockbridge.  This year we sensibly allowed ourselves plenty of time before our next show and even managed a leisurely meal nearby in Hector’s.  

A truly delightful afternoon, a world away from the packed streets of Edinburgh we associate with the Fringe and if you want to take some time away from that hustle and bustle for a relaxing, Gin-themed couple of hours then this is an excellent way to escape.

Also for the first time after a gin-based event, we were so relaxed that we managed to reach our next show without having to run or frantically flag down a taxi.

The Edinburgh Gin Safari starts daily at The Other Place until August 27th (not Sundays)

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/edinburgh-gin-safari