For the most part (89.5% of the time, at a rough estimate) I would consider myself a fully-functioning, responsible adult. I do all the socially expected adult things like hold down a job which lets me pay my rent, drink too much some of the time, exercise too little all of the time… tick, tick, tick… I have this ‘adulting’ thing sorted. But what about that other 10.5%? Well that’s reserved for silliness, pure child-like silliness: the days when I eat ice cream all day long, the times when I laugh at jokes about bodily functions, the moments when I throw a tantrum for no particular reason. Basically it’s whenever I stop, take stock and remember that being an adult is hard work, and that we all need to unleash the child within us every once in a while… and my most recent flashback to my childhood was thanks to Brockmans Gin. And no, I wasn’t a gin-fiend as a minor, but I was a slide (helter skelter for you Brits) enthusiast.
When I found out that Brockmans Gin were hosting their latest ‘Press For Gin’ event at the AcelorMittal Orbit, both my inner child and outer adult were bubbling with excitement. I couldn’t believe my luck; I could partake in one of my childhood loves (who didn’t enjoy those playground slides when they were little?) and one of my adult loves (cocktails, obviously) in the same night! I was grinning from ear to ear as I made my way to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park but as I got closer and closer to the AcelorMittal Orbit, that grin faded just a little and the butterflies arrived… I’m not really scared of heights, but my god this thing was tall… I knew that this is the world’s highest, longest tunnel slide but it wasn’t until I was standing at the bottom that it really sunk in.
