Yesterday, we gave you the lowdown on the exciting new stuff happening in Glasgow.
Today, we turn our penetrating gaze on Edinburgh and dazzle readers with our top notch insider intelligence from the frontline of the capital’s dining and quaffing fronts.
Or it could just be random stuff we found in the dustier bits of the internet. You decide.
If you fancy some pop-up action, then saddle up the reindeer and set the Sat-Nav for Stockbridge.
This is the first weekend for the festive pop-up bar Comet & Blitzen.
It is based in the old bank building on North West Circus Place, formerly Mark Greenaway’s Bistro Moderne.
As well as a range of craft beers and wine, guests can scoff fondue, Christmas-themed small-plates, delicious cakes from local baker’s Manna House Bakery and coffee from Williams and Johnson.
Wildwood in pipeline
Looking a little further into the future – an unspecified date in December, to be exact – the first Scottish branch of Wildwood will open in the old Kama Sutra premises on Lothian Road.
This could just be me being thick but I can’t seem to find any sort of USP.
The company website promises ‘great food delivered by friendly staff in a relaxed, homely environment’.
Menus feature a grill section, stone-baked pizza or freshly prepared pastas.
More info as we stumble across it.
The capital’s Pickering’s Gin are never out of the news for long.
Boozy baubles
Over the last week, they have been making a splash with fevered reports about a shortage of their hugely popular gin-filled Christmas tree baubles.
Apparently, ‘snowballing’ demand is such that the next batch of baubles will be released exclusively to their Ginfriends mailing list.
Sticking with Pickering’s Gin, they are one of the team behind this week’s launch of Ginerosity, the world’s first social enterprise gin.
Gin lovers are being encouraged to visit the Ginerosity website and order a bottle of the 40% craft gin, with £6 from every bottle bought from the site being poured into good causes.
Drink gin for a good cause
The Ginerosity team also confirmed distribution deals that will see the social enterprise gin stocked in bars and shops across the country.
Pickering’s Gin directors Marcus Pickering, Matt Gammell and Dave Mullen teamed up with social entrepreneur Chris Thewlis and drinks industry specialist David Moore to produce the Ginerosity spirit, which is made at the Summerhall Distillery in Edinburgh.
Mr Pickering said: ‘This gin is an amazing product that tastes and looks beautiful, and we’re all very, very proud of it.’
Ginerosity, he said, was ‘about turning young people’s fortunes around,’ adding: ‘With Ginerosity, being generous doesn’t mean being frugal, helping others doesn’t mean forgoing a bit of luxury. We want people to be able to enjoy themselves, experience a beautiful gin, and help others at the same time.’