22.6.2020
It’s pretty crazy to think that we’ve now spent almost 100 days in lockdown. I know it has been eased and we’re able to do much more, but I for one am missing the pub. With no end in sight just yet, we’ve got to look at the positives. We’ve all become much more tech savvy, video calls seem to be pretty commonplace now and we are undoubtedly going to be a gazillion times more intelligent based on the endless quizzing. Although I’m not really a big quiz fan. They tend to make me feel rather stupid and spending hours on end feeling increasingly less intelligent isn’t really my idea of a fun Friday night!
Thankfully, I have found a different and pretty awesome way to spend some of my evenings, which involves friends and gin!
Sipping Rooms Virtual Gin Tours and Tastings
The lovely folks over at Boutique Bar Brands have created Sipping Rooms and have been teaming up with some on the biggest and most exciting names in the gin world to enable distillery tours and cocktail masterclasses to go ahead, despite us all being stuck at home.
These distillery tours are happening fortnightly through Zoom which connects gin lovers directly to the Distillers themselves, in their distilleries. Although there is no obligation, you are invited and encouraged to buy a bottle of gin ahead of the tasting using exclusive discount codes from Gin Kiosk so that you can fully enjoy the experience.
The evenings follow a structure which begins with introductions and a neat tasting of the gin with tasting notes from the distiller. You’re then guided on how to create the distiller’s perfect serve before being taken part way round a virtual tour of their distillery. Next up is a cocktail masterclass followed by more nosing around the distillery. Then time for a second cocktail before the opportunity to grill the distillers in a Q&A session. By this point everyone has enjoyed a few gins and there’s time for a general chit chat and catch up with friends.
Want to know what’s even better? These events are completely free! You sign up through Design My Night and can either opt for a free ticket, which will gain you entry to the tour without any ginny treats, or you can choose to buy a ticket plus bottle of gin, meaning you can join in fully with the tasting and cocktail masterclasses. You’re sent through the cocktail recipes in advance to give you the opportunity to get the ingredients in, then all you have to do is wait…and try your best not to finish your bottle of gin before the event comes around! To add a little more incentive, during each event their is the opportunity to win a bottle of gin, all you have to do is be the first to identify the secret word.
So far tours and tastings have been hosted in collaboration with Salcombe Distilling Co, Tarquin’s Cornish Gin, Downton Abbey Gin, Greensand Ridge Distillery and we’ve even crossed timezones to meet with Manly Spirits Co who are located in Sydney, Australia. The next event is happening on Wednesday 1st July, where Alex Wolpert (Founder) and Tom Hills (Head Distiller) from East London Liquor Co will be showing off their distillery. If you purchase a bottle of gin for this event, you get an extra ginny treat as you will also be delivered two of their new G&T cans absolutely free!
If you are a gin fan, which I’d imagine you would be or you wouldn’t be reading my blog, then this is definitely a great way to keep yourself entertained whilst we await our freedom.
Looking forward to seeing you at the next event!
**If you have missed any of the events, you can watch again through Sipping Rooms on-demand tastings.
***Gin received for participation in these events was gifted – I do however make a voluntary donation when signing up for my ticket.
Gin Obsessions 