Yes yes and yes to World Gin Day! As you know #TeamCoco are not shy of the occasional drink, whether it be a cocktail or a super luxe gin, and we’re all over this weekend’s shenanigans with it being World Gin Day.
Saturday 8th June is the date for your diary, so why not check out some of our ideas below for homemade cocktails, a simple G&T, or visit a London bar or distillery that specialises in gin. Whatever your decision, enjoy your gin responsibly indoors, outdoors or with friends on World Gin Day.
Classic Pink Gin, with Angostura
The Pink Gin Cocktail came to life in a perfect storm of elegance, high-seas and life or death drama. The simple, yet potent drink is traditionally a mixture of Angostura®aromatic bitters with gin, and modern variations include adding tonic, prosecco or summer berries. There are so many possible flavours, that Angostura have launched a summer long campaign, working alongside some of the most delicious Gin brands so that you can enjoy all the variations at home.
Recipe: Classic Pink Gin
60 ml gin, 2 dashes Angostura®aromatic bitters.
In a mixing glass, stir the ingredients with ice to chill. Strain into a small old fashioned glass and serve.
Angostura®aromatic bitters are available in Morrisons stores nation-wide, £10 (200ml) at 44.7% abv. Visit www.morrisons.com to order.
The King of Soho, Soho Pink Fizz
Distilled in the heart of London using traditional methods, The King of Soho is crafted with 12 botanicals to a unique recipe. The bold and colourful design of the bottle embodies the characteristics that make Soho unique; a celebration of the Soho spirit. Fresh strawberry and floral chamomile lead on a wave of soft juniper with a suggestion of citrus in the Variorum Pink Gin.
Recipe: Soho Pink Fizz
20ml King of Soho Variorum Pink Gin, 10ml Blue Curaçao, Dash Orange bitters, Topped with Rosé Champagne.
Mix the first three ingredients in a shaker with ice and fine strain into a chilled Champagne flute. Top with the rosé Champagne by pouring gently down a bar spoon. Garnish which a slice of strawberry and serve.
The King of Soho is available from numerous outlets and via online, simple search for The King of Soho. Priced at around £30 per bottle (70cl). Visit www.kingofsohodrinks.com for more info.
Hayman’s Old Tom
Since 1863 five generations of our family have acted as custodians of the True English Gin style – providing an unbroken lineage dating back to the original gin boom. Throughout this 150 years, we have been proud to distil True English Gins, using family techniques and processes handed down through the generations.
Today, in an era where most gin producers have focused on what’s new, the Hayman’s family remain committed to championing the True English Gin style, protecting the classically balanced styles that lie at the heart of most classic gin cocktails.
Recipe: Martinez
50ml Hayman’s Old Tom Gin, 15ml Sweet Rosso Vermouth, 15ml dry Vermouth, 5ml Maraschino Cherry Liqueur, 1 dash Angostura Bitters, 1 dash Orange Bitters.
Chill a martini glass, stir all the ingredients in a mixing glass or tin, strain into chilled martini glass, garnish with a twist of orange peel or a Maraschino cherry and serve.
Priced at £27 (70cl), available from www.haymansgin.com or via Ocado.
Caorunn Highland Strength
Ahead of their upcoming 10-year-anniversary and in celebration of World Gin Day, Caorunn are launching their highest strength gin yet: Caorunn Highland Strength.
Crafted at Balmenach Distillery in the Scottish Highlands, Gin Master Simon Buley has expertly handcrafted Caorunn Highland Strength at a bold 54% abv to enhance the traditional Scottish botanicals that distinguish Caorunn Gin.
This stronger version of Caorunn Gin utilises Scotland’s unique natural resources by infusing five locally foraged Celtic botanicals and six traditional gin botanicals in their Copper Berry Chamber to create a flavour that deserves to be savoured.
Highland Strength enhances the dry, crisp, taste of Caorunn to create a peppery, fruity and herbaceous gin with a strong juniper character and is best served with Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water, built over ice and garnished with red apple slices and orange oil twisted over the surface.
The higher abv percentage of Caorunn Highland Strength lends itself perfectly to mixed drinks and cocktails and so, just in time for Summer, Caorunn recommends cocktail lovers enjoy the new gin with Dry Vermouth and Cocchi Americano, garnished with fresh lemon zest to create a Pale Highland Negroni.
Caorunn Highland Strength retails at £40.00 (70cl) per bottle and is available to purchase from 8 June from Independent & Specialist Retailers.
Visit www.caorunngin.com for more info.
Hayman’s Gin Liqueur
Hayman’s of London has launched a Gin Liqueur, with the recipe adding just a touch of sugar to the classic Hayman’s blend of ten botanicals to create a juniper-forward gin with the sweetness of a liqueur.
Hayman’s Gin Liqueur developed something of a cult following in warm weather markets such as Spain, where it proved to be a refreshing serve under the hot sun – most often enjoyed neat over ice or as a play on a classic gin and tonic.
Just 6,000 individually numbered bottles of Hayman’s Gin Liqueur have been created. They are available to buy from the Hayman’s of London Distillery in South West London, with an RRP of £39 and online at www.haymansgin.com
City of London Distillery, Gin Experiences
The City Of London Distillery marks the very first distillery to open in London’s Square Mile for almost 200 years, as every single one closed due to famine, government regulations and taxation in the 18th century. The distillery offers a number of experiences to choose from including:
City Of London Distillery Gin Lab Experience (priced at £125)
You can learn how to distil first hand, get to grips with the different botanicals and have the opportunity to design your own recipe before distilling your very own personalised bottle of gin (70 cl) to take home and enjoy.
City of London Distillery Tour with optional tasting (priced at £15 or £25)
You can take a guided tour of the distillery to discover the history of gin in London and learn about City of London Distillery’s gin making techniques, with an optional three-flight gin tasting at the end.
And after all that education, you can enter the distillery’s speakeasy-style bar to enjoy some of the very best gin cocktails London has to offer, while overlooking the impressive copper stills.
For more info visit www.cityoflondondistillery.com
Bombay Sapphire, London Pop-Ups
In the lead up to World Gin Day, gin-lovers across the UK can celebrate their favourite tipple with help from the world-famous BOMBAY SAPPHIRE®. BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® has curated a ginspirational line up of creative cocktail events across the country.
Mr Fogg’s Gin Journey* [Various Mr Fogg’s Sites] – From 5-9 June, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® invites ginthusiasts to join the ultimate gin journey through six of the famed explorer Phileas J. Fogg’s London bars. Adventurers will sample a selection of delicious and unique gin cocktails made with either BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® or the new BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Limited Edition: English Estate gin. Guests at each bar are encouraged to get creative by adding the final garnish to their cocktail themselves. Cocktail highlights include the Jasmine flower-infused Silk Sojourn and the Darjeeling tea infused An Elephant’s Progress. Tickets for this limited-edition gin journey include six cocktails, one at each of the bars. Participating Mr Fogg’s Bars include; Mr Fogg’s House of Botanicals [must be first stop to collect map], Mr Fogg’s Residence, Mr Fogg’s Tavern, Mr Fogg’s Gin Parlour, Mr Fogg’s Society of Exploration and Mrs Fogg’s Maritime Club & Distillery. £40 per person. Available via eventbrite.
Wright Brothers Gin Journey – Available on World Gin Day, Participants will visit three Wright Brothers venues (Battersea, South Kensington and ending in Soho) for signature BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® cocktails and Wright Brothers snacks from the critically acclaimed seafood experts. In true Gin Journey style, guests will be accompanied by a Gin Guardian in the form of gin expert, Leon Gallaway, as they cross the city in their very own Gini-Bus. At a special one-off price of £25pp plus booking fee, guests will receive a total of five cocktails and three gin tasters. Available via eventbrite.
London Cocktail Club, Oxford Circus – Cocktail drinkers can unleash their inner artist with a masterclass inspired by founder and owner of London Cocktail Club, JJ Goodman. Attendees will create and elevate their own take on JJ’s surrealism and fairytale-inspired cocktail, The Daydreamer. Book directly with London Cocktail Club from 10 June throughout the summer. £22pp, available in London Cocktail Club, The Studio @ Oxford Circus. Experience includes 2 cocktails and a gift.
Dean Street Townhouse English Estate Afternoon Tea – From now until the end of June, guests at can enjoy a bespoke afternoon tea menu including a Coriander and Cassia Bark Cake and Gin and Tonic Cucumber, Cream Cheese Sandwiches. The menu is accompanied by three specially curated BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Limited Edition: English Estate cocktails, including the Afternoon Fizz (Bombay Sapphire English Estate Gin, prosecco, lapsang tea, mandarin, lemon, orange bitter), Chelsea 75 (Bombay Sapphire English Estate Gin, champagne, jasmine tea, italicus, lemon) and Three Roses Negroni (Bombay Sapphire English Estate Gin, Sacred Rosehip liqueur, Rose Vermouth, atomized rose water). Book via Dean Street townhouse – £32pp.
Bermondsey Bar & Kitchen, 40 Bermondsey Street SE1 – From 8 June for eight weeks, guests at Bermondsey Bar & Kitchen can watch live illustration sessions by acclaimed street artist INSA, whilst enjoying a selection of BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® cocktails including the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Paint Collection G&T, customisable Canvas Cocktail, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® DIY G&T, Bombay Sapphire Limited Edition: English Estate Secret English Garden and more. Customers who order the Canvas Cocktail can edit their own drink with a range of edible sprays and garnishes before snapping the perfect picture of their serve in one of the Instagram booths.
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