A GIN REVELAVELATION ON A COLD DAY

Having completed another frenetic morning in the office, I ventured out into the courtyard of Oliver Twist Towers and was struck numb by the sudden plummeting temperatures as the arms of the Siberian winds extended their frigid embrace towards us. Hurriedly, I made my way up the winding stairs of my private tower [not ivory I may add] and, gazing down onto the hunched shouldered, scarf wrapped and heavily over coated pedestrians scurrying up and down the picturesque High Street , my mind drifted back to various extracts from the writings of the great Charles Dickens, where he mentioned that on days of similar inclemency, a gin and hot water was offered as a welcome respite to the chill.
Now, as you all know, I am considered, not only by all my colleagues at Oliver Twist Towers, but the gin drinking community in general as a bit of an authority on the Noble Spirit, but I must admit that a Hot Oliver Twist had never crossed my mind, but resolved myself to try one for the sake of the frozen nation, so, placing the kettle on the range, I poured myself a sensible measure of our beloved Oliver Twist London Distilled Gin, added a slice of lime so that I may obtain the benefits of vitamin C to ward off the symptoms of colds, influenza and other melodious infections, and waited for the kettle to boil.
The whistle blew as the steam erupted through the spout cap announcing that the time for the great experiment was nigh. Gently I poured the bubbling water over my Oliver, inhaled the vapours and immediately felt the warmed botanicals fill my senses with the warmth of a Mediterranean summer, the Oliver Twist swallows were once again gracing our skies, our fair English maidens were again dressed in bright summer frocks, everyone was smiling and carefree, O.T.T. was the order of the day and everything in the world was good.
If only everything in life was so simple! A beautifully crafted Gin transformed into a wonderful winter warmer by just the addition of hot water! A master stroke! A Victorian wonder! Another British marvel!
I raised my glass to my lips, gazed down fondly on my fellow Londoners going about their chilled business, thought of the great Charles Dickens and had a revelation as the mellow and warming glow spread through my extremities, “This is not a Hot Toddy. This, promise of summers to come, is a thoroughly…. Warm Dickie!”
FOR GIN AND COUNTRY!