By Sharon Wilson
One of the highlights of the gastronomic year is the Spirit of Seafood event held in partnership with Arbikie distillery at the 'A Club' during the Edinburgh fringe festival.
The best chefs, mixologists and producers, are wooed by Seafood from Scotland for an evening of unbuttoned gourmet indulgence.
This year zoom stepped in and proved that with the right ingredients the digital world can be just as much fun.
Two days before logging on I received a wooden box of a dozen craggy Loch Fyne oysters along with Haar Vodka, Kirsty's Gin, Ak's Gin and some extras including horseradish-infused vodka.
As I sat in front of my iPad Simon Briggs, Sales Director at Loch Fyne introduced us to his oysters which regularly received the reliable Great Taste Awards.
The oysters had the 'merroir' of the cold Argyle and Bute coastline; a saline explosion, a full-bodied, creamy texture and cucumber.
The oysters were complemented by the purity of Arbikie Haar vodka and Ak's gin shaken with a bit of oyster liquor and garnished with a lemon twist. The classic vesper martini is the perfect expression of these spirits. Stevie, the Arbikie mixologist on my screen, said it was one of his favourite cocktails, mine too.
We usually kick off our heels and dance to a tribute band at the A Club, but tonight I took the oyster shells to the compost, made a horseradish martini and settled down to Autumnwatch. Still a good evening.
