Treat your Mum to the gin spa gift set this Mother’s Day

If your Mum is similar to mine and really likes her gin, then look no further than Ice and a Slice to treat her with a gin gift set this Mother’s Day. This post is a review of their gin spa gift set, which makes a perfect treat for Mum (I  tested it out on mine). So why not treat your Mum to botanical bliss with the gin spa gift set?!

*Full disclosure, this post is sponsored by Ice and a Slice, however all opinions are mine (or Mum’s)*

Botantical bliss for Mum with the gin spa gift set from Ice and a Slice

The Ice and a Slice concept

Ice and a Slice is run by two enthusiastic gin lovers, Alexandra Mackenzie and Joanne Forker. Inspired by the ceremony and perfect serves of their gin and tonics when on holiday in Tenerife, they made it their mission to bring this back to the UK and Ice and a Slice was born. In addition to evangelising about the perfect serve gin and tonic in balloon glasses, with plenty of ice, they also want to provide people with the opportunity to sample gins that you don’t see on your local supermarket shelf. And so the gin gift sets and gin tasting sets were created!

The Ice and a Slice gin tasting sets let you sample up to three different gins – all in their signature half size bottles. These 35cl bottles are enough to ‘properly’ try a gin, without the investment in a full size bottle. You may find that the 50ml (5cl) miniatures are far too small to try a gin. I like to try a gin neat, with ice, and then with tonic, to see how it opens up (but then I’m an official gin judge!). As I also love to try gins in one of my favourite cocktails, a martini or negroni, or play with different serves, 5cl is simply not enough. And anyone with space issues like me will appreciate that storing multiple full size bottles is not ideal either. So the half bottle size is perfect for trying multiple gins.

Once you’ve decided which one in the tasting set is your favourite gin, you can also order the full size bottles online at Ice and a Slice!

 

Gin gift sets

The ladies have also anticipated that you might be buying the gin sets as presents for other people. If you need a special gift, for Mother’s Day or a birthday or Christmas, then they have you covered.

They have a selection of different gin gift sets alongside the tasting sets. These include gin and glass gift sets – with  a stylish Ice and a Slice glass in the gift box with your choice of gin. Or you can get a gin and tonic set, where your gin is matched to two different tonics.

They also stock all the things you need to make a perfect gin and tonic: glasses, tonics and other mixers & dried botanical garnishes.

However we are here to discuss the gin spa gift set especially, which is a mix of all of these, with an additional treat for Mum.

 

What’s the gin spa gift set?

The gin spa gift set matches one of Ice and a Slice’s gins, with a specially made soap that contains botanicals that are either included in the gin, or designed to complement the gin you’ve picked. The idea is that your Mum can enjoy her gin and tonic in the bath, whilst surrounded by relaxing aromas from the soap. Truly botanical bliss!

The gin gift box includes:

• 35cl (half bottle) of your chosen gin
• a specially matched tonic
• a botanical soap with complementary aromas to the gin
• an Ice and a Slice branded balloon (also known as a copa) glass from Dartington Crystal
• paper hearts to show Mum how much you love her

 

I ordered my Mum the Conker gin set, which comes with Doctor Polidori tonic and the juniper and lavender soap. This was mainly because both my sister and I have tried Conker and love it! We first tried Conker gin at Junipalooza and I also got to try their martini entry for the World’s Best Martini challenge earlier this year.

 

 

 

The branded Ice and a Slice gift box comes inside a larger cardboard box, with good padding. So everything is well packed to arrive in perfect condition.

Here’s a video of Mum unwrapping the gin spa gift box:

 

Testing the gin spa gift set out

Obviously I couldn’t review the gin spa gift set without Mum taking it for a road test first! So Mum got to celebrate Mother’s Day early, with a gin and tonic in the bath!

 

 

 

 

 

 

What did my Mum think?

Mum was very interested to unwrap the box; especially as it arrived promptly and before I managed to get there to take pictures!

She was impressed that the gift set contained ‘a decent sized bottle, a very generous gift’ and was excited to see that it was Conker gin. (We then tasted Conker at a gin tasting that afternoon).

She thought that the addition of the copa glass and tonic was a nice idea, as ‘it could be enjoyed immediately’ – just add ice and a slice (see what they did with the name there?!)

Whilst she took a large sniff of the soap – the lavender and juniper aroma got the thumbs up – she wasn’t sure what the point of it was…

I appreciate the soap and understand that it’s there as the ‘spa’ bit in the title, but it seems a strange thing to partner with gin!”

So when it came to bath time she decided to stick to her classic bubble bath (part for modesty in the pictures maybe?). I think the soap will remain by her bathroom sink to be used, rather than being indulged with in the actual bath. But still I count this as a win (and many brownie points for Katie ?)

Ordering the gin spa gift sets

You can order the gin spa gift set online at Ice and a Slice for your Mum really easily.

If you order by 31 March 2019 and use the code KATIE you’ll get a free juniper berry garnish too.

The options for this gin gift box include choosing from four gins:

• Conker Spirit Gin, paired with Doctor Polidori tonic and matched with juniper and lavender soap (this is the one I ordered)
• Foxdenton Gin, paired with Thomas Henry tonic and matched with sandalwood, benzoin* and orange soap
• Mermaids Gin, paired with Peter Spanton tonic and matched with sandalwood, benzoin* and orange soap
• Tarquins Gin, paired with Doctor Polidori tonic and matched with a lavender soap

So it’s good to know what gin flavours or perfume aromas your Mum likes before you order!

*Apparently benzoin is a balsamic resin obtained from tree bark that is used in incense and perfumes – who knew?

 

Last order dates for Mother’s Day

The best thing about Ice and a Slice’s service is that you can treat your mum from afar. They will deliver all their gin gifts by post with a personalised message included inside the package. So there are no excuses not to treat your Mum to some botanical bliss this Mother’s Day!

In the UK Mother’s Day is Sunday 31st March 2019, so the cut off for final order is 12pm on Thursday 28th March 2019.

 

Don’t forget to use code ‘KATIE’ to get a free pot of juniper berries to garnish your gin and tonic!

 

Ice and a Slice also ship internationally to EU countries and the majority of them have Mother’s Day in May. If ordering for your Mum to an EU location then leave some extra time to ensure her gin spa gift set gets there for the day!

Check out this list for Mother’s Day dates around the world.