The Gin Shack on the Beach. Catherine Miller

was admiring the bottles like they were rare jewels, and in some cases they practically were. ‘A small one should be okay. We walked here so I don’t need to drive.’

      Olive spotted a delighted twinkle in Skylar’s eyes. It was either that or the reflection of the bottles.

      ‘Marvellous. Well, in that case, I have something a little special I’ve been waiting to try. My friend sent me some violet syrup. Apparently, if you add it to your G&T you have a Parma violet gin. That sounded rather fun, but I’ve not got round to trying it yet. Would you like me to make you both one?’

      ‘You just combined childhood sweets with alcohol. Of course I’d love to try one,’ Skylar said.

      ‘Me too.’

      ‘Fabulous. I never really liked Parma violets as a child, so I’ll have to see if the flavour is more acceptable in the form of alcohol.’ Olive set about putting the drinks together. It was a shame she was having to forgo ice cubes. They were an essential part of a G&T and, as she wasn’t able to have a fridge-freezer in the hut, she’d taken to using reusable freezable ice cubes. They weren’t the same as the real McCoy, but they were a means to an end. It did the job even if the magical sound of ice chinking on glass was missing. But today she didn’t even have those, not having been able to find anywhere to freeze them at Oakley West without raising questions. As she added the violet syrup to the G&Ts they each started to turn a bright purple. Stirring the liquid in with straws, she hoped she’d not added too much. They’d soon know if the taste was too overpowering.

      ‘Here we go,’ Olive said as she passed the drinks to her two guests.

      ‘Wow. These look amazing,’ Skylar said.

      ‘To beach-hut trips,’ Olive said, raising her glass in a toast.

      ‘This isn’t a beach hut,’ Veronica said. ‘This is a gin shack.’ She raised her glass with a smile. ‘To The Gin Shack.’

      And it was as simple as that. With a round of toasts and a lengthy discussion on what they thought of the Parma violet flavour, The Gin Shack Club was born.