London’s relationship with gin is a special one. The city’s come a long way from its Mother’s Ruin-soaked, Hogarth-documented, cat’s paw pressing dark days. Now you can barely move for artisanal bars and distilleries frenziedly sloshing out the juniper-infused super spirit. And rightly so – it’s frickin’ delicious!
All the more thrilling, then, that the self-explanatory Gin Festival is set to return to Wapping’s Tobacco Dock come August. There’ll be over 100 gins old and new to chuck back – from distilleries including Willem Barentsz, Ableforth’s and Masons, thus far – as well as a more cerebral edge courtesy of boozy masterclasses and meet-the-maker style events with the distillers themselves. Other essentials like live music, a gin cocktail bar and an abundance of spirit-soaking food will also be laid on, and the event is partnered with Fever Tree – so even the mixers will be tip-top.
Expect more details in the coming months, but tickets are available now at £14 a pop (plus booking) from Eventbrite, for afternoon or evening sessions. For that, you get a gin-specific balloon glass, a badge and a festival guide – and all gin and mixers are a fiver.
The Gin Festival takes place from Friday 25 – Sunday 27 August, at Tobacco Dock, Wapping Lane, E1W 2DA.
