Forest Green Ultra Suede Dress / Black Boots / Black Tear Drop Earrings with Green Jewels / Silver Bar Cart / Cocktail Napkins c/o Dogwood Hill Designs (also seen here) / Gin and Tonic Glasses / Garnish Bowls / Bar Tool Set / Family Room Details here and here

One of the things I love about travel is experiencing the food and culture of each country.  Enjoying the perfectly garnished Gin and Tonic from the Gin Trolley is a sunset tradition in South Africa.

While we were in South Africa, we rediscovered our love for a gin and tonic which happens to be the national drink of South Africa!  When we were guests at the Ellerman House we were introduced to the Gin Trolley tradition. This is a cosmopolitan version of sundowners in the bush.

At Ellerman House, now one of my very favorite hotels, they brought out a beautifully stocked bar cart filled with handcrafted Gin and all the right garnishes.  These Gin and Tonics were made with bespoke Gin, served with fresh citrus, spice and herb garnishes in glasses similar to Brandy Snifters.  This created a beautiful visual and fragrant experience!

I’ve recreated our hand crafted Gin and Tonics for you here.  Our favorite South African Gin, Cruxland, is available in the US.  Handcrafted with the Desert Kalahari Truffle, it’s earthy notes are paired with other botanicals including juniper, lemon and coriander.  The Ellerman House bartender garnished it with fresh grapefruit, rosemary and cloves.

I chose a botanical gin that is not available in the US but recently found Botanist Gin and love it!  I paired it with Elderflower tonic water and garnished it with lemon, cucumber, mint and cinnamon.

I loved sharing the details of our South African journey with you! From Cape Town to the Winelands to the luxury safari all planned by Natural World Safaris, it truly was the trip of a lifetime!  This experience would make the Ultimate Christmas Gift!

Speaking of gifts, I’m working on my Gift Guides that I’ll be sharing soon.  I’d love to know what you’d like to see or any special requests you have so please leave them in the comments below!

Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter so that you can download my newest eBook, Holiday Entertaining.  These e-books are my way of thanking you for your generous support of Alicia Wood Lifestyle. I have another great Holiday Gift coming for you soon, too so be sure to subscriber so that you get first access!

Last week, I began styling my home for the holidays and more great holiday content is on it’s way. Stay tuned for a special project with an extremely talented friend you’ll definitely want to download. Subscribers will be the first to know…unless you follow me on Instagram and got a sneak peek last Thursday!

Also, be sure to check out the Holiday Tab on the Menu above where you will find Gift Guides and Inspiration for Thanksgiving and Christmas all in one spot!  The Gift Guides there currently are from last year but still have great ideas to get you started while we curate the Gift Guides you’ll have access to shortly!

Here’s to celebrating every sunset with the perfect gin and tonic!

XO

Alicia

PS – Don’t forget to leave comments on blog posts to be entered in my monthly giveaway!  Also, get more inspiration on these category pages: Personal Style, Interiors, My Home, Food, Entertaining, Tablescapes, Beauty and Travel.  You can also see all the shop pages here: Style, Home, Tabletop, Beauty, and Travel.  Did you know you can also easily shop my Instagram Feed, too?

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Photos by Audrie Dollins

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