Sam's liquor? It was at first a surprise that actually made sense on reflection - aged rum. Gosling's Family Reserve to be exact - dark, strong, complex, nutty and sweet. It suited her perfectly. In her own way, she was all of those things.

When Sam's eyes lit up at her first taste I knew we had a winner. "Bingo!" she beamed. I poured a couple of fingers into a snifter for her. When I handed her the glass and the bottle, she professed her new found love for Gosling's. "Darling, where have you been all my life?" she cooed, and then kissed the black bottle.

She happily sipped from...