From Pickling To Whisky Tasting, This Is What People Have Started Doing In 2020

PEDESTRIAN.TV has partnered with Singleton Whisky to get your tastebuds on our level.

There’s no denying this year will go down in the history books as a bit of a shocker, to put it mildly.

I shan’t get into specifics – they’re hammered into our poor little brains 24/7 these days – so let’s move right along to the positive side of all of this. Silver linings, glasses half full and whatnot.

Fellow Aussies have been gushing about what they’ve discovered while trying to take their minds off everything else and, I must say, some of these newfound interests are certainly a choice.

If you’ve arrived at the stage where not even Monopoly hits the spot, you might be inspired by these alternative past-times.

1. Whisky tasting

It started after the first round of iso kicked in and my partner and I started having cocktail nights at home. I love me an old fashioned so I started making them myself and through experimenting with different styles of whiskies, I started becoming curious for the wider world of the brown liquor.

A few of my good mates were starting to get into whisky as well, so I just joined them and now I’m weirdly obsessed. I even watch a whisky YouTube channel that does really great reviews and stuff for beginners, like how to pull out tasting notes and things like that. Once you know how to taste around the alcohol, the variety of flavours is insanely huge, which makes finding and tasting new whiskies really fun. Pic* below. – Matt

Editor note: if you’re looking for a drop that eases you into the world of whisky, your best bet’s The Singleton. Their ‘Plus Two’ serves show you can drink it however you like. Our fave is The Singleton Whisky, coconut water and lemon, lime & bitters – splendid.

2. Air frying

It took me months of listening to friends talk about their damn air fryer before I buckled. After that, there was no looking back. It was one of the only things I’ve bought for myself this year and it’s been the best decision ever. I’ve tried frying everything. Cheese, chocolate, carrots, any veg to pair with my steak.

I even tried frying my housemate’s annoying alarm clock but they caught me. – Josh 

3. Composting (no seriously)

I’m gonna say composting? During the first lockdown, my partner and I went almost totally vego because those were the best meal kit options on offer, and we suddenly had heaps more vegetable scraps than normal. We also bought a proper coffee machine a while back, which means loads of coffee grounds.

We have a few composting bins around the yard and I’ve started to appreciate that it’s a really good way of getting rid of waste, and also really beneficial for the soil. Plus I can feel like I’m doing something good with minimal effort. – Alasdair

4. Toast and roast

I used to absolutely hate cooking because let’s face it, nobody really enjoys burnt toast. Since COVID hit, I’ve had a stack of time to fill, and have actually been enjoying taking the time to prepare proper meals at home (hell, I’m even enjoying eating them because the stuff I’m making tastes decent). Hot tip: hovering over a stove is even more enjoyable with a drink in hand, and music up loud. – Mina 

5. Pickling

It may sound corny (you can also pickle corn) but pickling has become one of those weird past-times I genuinely get excited about. I cheated for the first few times and just added things to store-bought pickle jars like homegrown chillis, peppercorns and mustard seeds, but now I make my own pickling liquid using the tried and tested one-part water, one-part vinegar ratio.

You can pickle almost everything too – I’ve currently got carrots and eggs chilling in one.

Experiment. Branch out. The world is your pickle. – Louie

Go forth and don’t be afraid to experiment with flavours and combinations. For inspo head to Singleton.

Image: Supplied