Isn't life's rich tapestry wonderful?

This weekend, you could attend Juniper Festival 2022 in Edinburgh's Summerhall. Or you could get your groove on at a Dachshund Disco in Revolution on Glasgow's Mitchell Street.

What a time to be alive.

We'll start with Juniper Fest which has been going strong - barring the last couple of years - since launching in 2014.

Billed as Scotland’s Original Gin Festival, it will be hosted at Summerhall on the 17th and 18th June.

Visitors can look forward to sampling the wares of 23 exhibitors as well as attending four seminars from gin gurus and taking part in five interactive, gin-themed experiences.

The full list of gin distilleries and spirit brands includes:

Buck & Birch, 1881 Distillery, Edinburgh Gin, Farmhouse Gin, Foghouse Gin, Isle of Cumbrae, Little Brown Dog, Lunun Gin, Lussa Gin, North Point Distillery, Pixel Spirits, Purist Gin, Shoogle Gin, The Inventor's Co. Gin, Crossbill Gin, Ginepraio Gin, Isle of Harris Gin, Rock Rose, Seven Crofts, South Loch Gin, Spirit O'Clyde, Stirling Gin, and Valentian Vermouth.

Exhibitor Seminars & Masterclasses

To enhance their gin experience, guests will be able to join seminars and masterclasses to learn some of the secrets behind their favourite spirit from the distillers themselves. Each session will last 30 minutes, and guests will receive a welcome drink and samples throughout.

The full list of seminars includes demos from Edinburgh Gin, North Point Distillery and Lussa & Isle of Cumbrae Distillers. Sean Murphy, author of The Scottish Gin Bible, will also be sharing his extensive gin knowledge.

Drinks Lab Interactive Sessions

Summerhall Drinks Lab are bringing some of their award-winning interactive tasting sessions to this year’s experience:

Create Your Own Mixer:

Guests will be able to create their own canned mixer using a variety of ingredients provided. They will be guided through different flavours and combinations before choosing their recipe, mixing it up, and using a canning machine to create their own bespoke mixer with a custom-made label.

Science of the Sesh:

Interactive boozy experiments from Drinks Lab’s sold-out Edinburgh Fringe show, 15-minute sessions exploring a subject such as if the colour of a drink impacts its flavour.

Cocktail Masterclasses:

Fifteen-minute sessions where guests will get to shake up their own cocktail using one of the exhibitor’s products and their choice of flavours. They will be provided with test tubes containing ingredients to use and given a choice of flavoured syrups to create their custom version of the drink.

Gin & Food Pairing:

Discover how different foods can impact or complement the flavour of the exhibitor’s spirits. There will be both savoury and sweet pairing options with products from incredible local brands such as Considerit Doughnuts & Coco Chocolate.

The Sound of Gin:

New and exclusive to Juniper Festival 2022, explore how different styles of music can affect the flavour of drinks – you may be surprised by what you discover.

Tickets are on sale now through the Juniper Festival website. For £10 guests will have access to  the festival, a welcome drink on arrival, and free samples from all exhibiting brands.

For anyone wanting to experience the additional interactive activities at this year’s festival, wristbands can be purchased for a discounted fee if bought in advance or for full price on the day. 

Jamie Shields, Managing Director at Summerhall Drinks Lab and founder of the Juniper Festival said: 'At the Drinks Lab we are passionate about giving our guests the most informative and interactive experience. We absolutely love when our visitors have a chance to meet and chat with the brilliant people behind the product and learn everything about it.'

Sausage fun

If you studied hard at one of the three Juniper Festival sessions on the Friday or Saturday then you might be ready for something a little softer on Sunday 19 June.

One suggestion might be the Dachshund Disco at Glasgow's Revolution.

We realise that we are straying quite far from our usual food and drink patch here but who could pass up on the idea of Dachshunds dancing on their own light-up doggy dancefloor?

The action starts at 12.30pm and you don't have to have your own Dachshund to drop by.

The event is organised by the Dachshund Club and tix are available here.