It’s no secret that I enjoy the occasional G&T so when Liz suggested we pop into the Gin Festival in Johannesburg, I didn’t have to think twice. There’s a gin revolution sweeping through South Africa at the moment and some excellent craft gins are emerging – stand-out tipples for me at the festival were the trio of Inverroche gins (Amber, Verdant and Classic) and the Salt River Gin from Hope on Hopkins in Cape Town (I shall be stocking up from the distillery on my next trip to the mother city). 

I will also find time to pop into the Secret Gin Bar, one of my favourite Cape Town haunts – it’s tucked away behind the Chocolate Café on Wale Street and buzzes at weekends. Mother’s Ruin on Bree Street is also on my list.

But for me, nothing quite beats sipping a perfectly chilled G&T as the sun sets on yet another spectacular African scene. I usually come home with a memory card crammed full of picture-perfect sunsets and fabulous memories – here are my favourite G&T moments, to date.

• Nestled inside a hide in Hwange, Zimbabwe, watching literally hundreds of elephants congregate around a waterhole.
• Tsavo, Kenya, where the team at Finch Hattons found the perfect spot to set out their hot canapes and chilled drinks as the sun set over Kilimanjaro.
• On the coastal cliffs at Grootbos with dolphins splashing and the sun sinking into the sea – the range of colours was spectacular.
• Standing by the Londolozi vehicle, G&T in hand, as the light faded and a journey of giraffes emerged from the shadows, gave us a good, long stare and slowly moved on – a real goose-bumps moment.
• On the banks of the Zambezi River at Mana Pools with a soundtrack of grunting hippos and occasional lion roar.
• Watching the sun set over the Sossusvlei dunes in Namibia – the view stretched for miles.
• Standing on a hilltop at Shamwari, raising a glass with Katie and reflecting on just how much I love my job.

Oh and I’ve just heard that East Africa’s first craft distillery has now opened in Kigali, Rwanda – as if the Mountain Gorillas weren’t reason enough to visit…..