The Jolly Botanist, Edinburgh

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Over May bank holiday we packed up and popped to Edinburgh for a hen party. The hen herself was a huge gin fan, so we were keen to try out some beautiful spots to help her test out some new gins. Aren't we such nice friends?



One of the places we decided to try was called The Jolly Botanist. Based on the other side of town from where our apartment was, the walk enabled us to see some of the sights of Edinburgh (although slightly foggy sites! But hey ho!)

Being the sensible friends that we are (and the fact it was still really rather early in the day) we decided it would be a good idea to get some food in our bellies to accompany the alcohol.

One thing you should know about me, is that I am a real pie lover. So when the opportunity arrises, I feel it is my duty to all pie lovers across the nation to test pie's wherever possible. The photos of the meals below really do not highlight quite how huge these portion sizes are. I really would say make sure you don't even have breakfast if you are going here for lunch. I've got a healthy appetite, but even I struggled to finish this.



It was however, an extremely good pie. The pie of the day was steak and ale and it was full to the brim with meat. There is nothing worse than ordering a meat pie and having to actually search for your meat. Trust me, meat lovers, you will not be let down if you head to The Jolly Botanist for pie!

The same also goes for their steak sandwiches! Yum


But now not to the real reason we went to The Jolly Botanist...their cocktails. First things first, we had to get a classic G&T to start the festivities. The hen is a huge fan of Rock Rose Gin, which is actually a gin I haven't tried. So in the spirt of the hen, we decided this would be the perfect start to the morning (yes that is right, I said morning! It was definitely a little before midday that these were placed in front of us) 

Rock Rose Gin is a Scottish gin and has a botanical selection of flavours and tasted beautiful with this tree of Rosemary as a garnish haha. 



A few G&T's and a pie down, we were in need of a bit of a 'pick me up' so I felt my favourite cocktail calling...Espresso Martini. 


Ahh the refreshing taste of coffee and booze. What more can a girl ask for? Well, actually a lemon meringue would be quite nice... and oh it was!


I actually ordered this hoping it would be sickeningly sweet and would be a challenge to drink for the hen, but it was actually incredibly tasty and well balanced...and I wish I had ordered a few for myself! 


With our bellies full and alcohol setting in, we decided it was time to move to our next location. The Jolly Botanist was a fantastic way to start the day. If you love food and love having a HUGE selection of cocktails and gins to pick from, I would highly recommend stopping by. I also really though that it was amazing value for money given how HUGE the portion sizes of the food were. 

Til next time Jolly Botanist 

All pictures taken & owned by SistersDineOut



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