Page 26 of Hot Greek Summer

‘Just because I’m a mother, it doesn’t mean I’m always the most responsible adult.’

‘Of course it does,’ Stella laughed. ‘You kept two actual people alive. I couldn’t even keep a goldfish going.’

With a roll of her eyes, Frankie picked the envelope open and pulled out the sheaf of papers, smoothing the sheets out on the bench to read them aloud.

Hello ladies,

I hope that by now you’ve settled into Villa Valentina and have realised that you’ve landed in paradise.

All three of them nodded slowly. They couldn’t disagree so far.

You may or may not have heard talk of the island gin being linked to the Villa. It isn’t a myth; as custodians of the place, you’ve also taken on responsibility for running the island’s distillery, such as it is. (You’re standing in it.)

Frankie broke off to look incredulously at Winnie and Stella, then dropped her gaze to carry on.

I expect you’re wondering why I didn’t mention this before the sale. In truth, I was worried it might give you pause for thought, but there’s really no need to feel overly concerned. You have all of the necessary botanical ingredients readily available in Valentina’s garden, and you’ll find a supply already dried out in the jars on the bench, enough to make a couple of batches while you get the hang of preparing the ingredients yourselves.

Please don’t think badly of me. You might even enjoy it! I know I did. The recipe is engraved on the bench. I don’t know who wrote it, it’s been that way for as long as anyone on the island can remember. I’ve taken the liberty of translating it into English for you here, because the locals take the spirit of the island seriously and won’t appreciate it if you get it wrong! No pressure, ha!

Anyway, I found that distilling around fifty bottles a month keeps the island from running dry, plus enough for Hero. It’s only supplied to the bars and restaurants and any locals who want to buy it directly, it doesn’t leave Skelidos. Panos will supply you with the base spirit, and you’ll see the record book on the bench so you can number the bottles. It’s all sold through Panos’s bar, he’ll clue you in on the arrangements.

Each new owner gets to design their own label. You can see that I went for a strong italic. I’m looking forward to seeing what three English adventurers come up with when I come back to visit!

Love and luck,

Ajax

PS … it’s all sort of a bit of a secret. No one else knows the recipe. I’ve deliberately forgotten it already. Gin? What gin?

Frankie lifted the top sheet to reveal the recipe written out on the page below, and rubbed her hand over her cheek thoughtfully.

‘We’ve bought a gin distillery,’ Winnie said slowly.

‘Is it even legal?’ Frankie asked, wary-eyed.

‘Well, it wouldn’t pass any health and safety checks, that’s for sure,’ Stella said, looking at the bare earth floor and then towards the shelves on the wall. ‘Going on Ajax’s calculations, there’s roughly three months’ supply on the shelves already. And Hero? What does he mean by that?’

‘Perhaps we’re to give free gin to anyone who does something heroic,’ Winnie shrugged, knowing it was a reach.

‘It takes about a week to make it, looking at this.’ Frankie was reading the recipe and turning the jars on the bench to check the contents.

‘You’re the chef amongst us, Frank,’ Winnie said, nodding towards the recipe. ‘Do you think we can do it?’

Frankie lifted one unsure shoulder. ‘Well, it doesn’t look especially complicated. I think a lot of it is making sure that we keep the botanical stocks replenished. We’d need to get a system going for picking, drying out, all that stuff. I don’t know much about it, to be honest.’

‘But between us … we’ve got this, right? If Ajax could do it, then surely we can?’

Stella looked from one to the other, then threw her hands in the air and laughed. ‘In for a penny, in for a pound. This adventure just got even weirder.’

Winnie met Frankie’s warily excited, shiny gaze. Unscrewing the lid from the nearest bottle of gin, she took a heady swig. ‘The secret gin fairies it is then,’ she said, her throat still burning from the spirit as she handed it along.

Frankie took a swig and then spluttered gently. ‘I quite like the idea of us as bad fairies. Can we have that on the label?’

Stella took her turn drinking from the bottle and then raised it towards her friends. ‘To the Secret Gin Fairies of Skelidos.’

‘I think I’ve got a headache,’ Frankie said as they all lay out on the terrace later that afternoon. They’d abandoned any pretence of work after discovering the distillery in the cellar and spent the day sunbathing, snacking and drinking the rest of the bottle of gin they’d opened.

‘You need another drink then. We need to make sure we list the number of the bottle we’ve drunk in the book,’ Stella said. ‘Your job, Win.’

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