the time portal with stella artois

if there are two things i love, it's beer and a fun time. not much to ask, right? so when stella artois got in touch to let me know they were throwing a wimbledon extravaganza like never before, and was i interested in going, well - my initial thought was "no". i bloody hate sport, it's just not my cuppa tea. but then i did a little reading; this year's sponsors of the iconic tennis competition had partnered with one of the uk's most innovative theatre companies - les enfants terribles, to recreate the very first ever wimbledon event back in 1877, in an entirely immersive-theatre experience. with booze.

the opportunity to experience history in the making (with booze) was almost enough really, but - i love the theatre, right, and have been to a number of immersive shows in my time here in london, so i was thrilled by the idea of getting to see this incredible company recreate something really, really special as well (with booze). so at that point, i decided yes, i'd love to go!

and then i realised it was only on for a few days, mostly while i was away in italy, and the only day i could make it over was the day of the men's final (c'mon murray!), which coincidentally (although, probably not, when you think about it) was the last day of the performance. would it be worth heading over on the last day of the show, seeing as i wouldn't be able to review the show or encourage anyone else to go after me? i decided yes. it would be worth it, for me, if no one else.

so along i popped last sunday night with tim in tow, and together we joined in the adventure that was getting spencer gore on court on time to win the very first ever men's singles final match in the 1877 wimbledon championship. we dodged pick-pockets in the streets of east london, avoided bumping into jack the ripper as we were broken out of our jail cells, we curtsied for her royal majesty queen victoria, and we drank a little-known belgian brew by the name of artois. ohhh did we drink that beer.

the hour performance was over far too quickly, if you ask me. either that or time really does fly when you're flying back in time (or, booze), because it came to an end long before i was ready for it to. but, with the final act came an offer of an open bar (last night perks), stocked full of artois' classics - including the newest additions to the cidre range: elderflower, raspberry, and my new fave: peach.

ermergerrrrd. i am not the biggest fan of cider normally, as the sweetness makes my teeth a bit chalky, but the peach flavour was subtly sweet and had the most incredible flavour. nothing like that awful artificial peach flavouring you find in "peach flavoured" drinks, instead it was as if the ripest of the ripe fruits had been fermented for this drink. i gush, because i love. the raspberry was also tasty, but still too sweet for my sensitive teeth, and i am still yet to sample the elderflower (though i have never met an elderflower drink i didn't like) one - it's next on the list.

so ok, yeah: you can't now go along and check this show out yourself. you can try the peach cidre though, and that i can totally recommend. i can also assure you that the good folks at stella artois have assured me that this won't be their last event of this nature, so if i were you, and you liked the sound of this, then i would keep my eyes peeled for upcoming events so i could definitely not miss out next time. doesn't that sound sensible? yes, i thought so too. so, thanks so much to stella artois and les enfants terribles for the opportunity to witness history in the making. and for the booze - the booze i will be back for.

*yes, i went along for free, but all thoughts are my own*