Our Six Best Places In The UK For A G&T
Celebrate World Gin Day on Saturday 10th June with our six best places in the UK for a G&T.
As gin rejects its mother’s ruin image and garners a reputation as a spirit for both sophisticates and hipsters alike, craft distillers around the nation are creating small batch wonders for both classic pairing and innovative cocktails. Matching this relatively recent renaissance, specialist gin bars are following suit. We salute six of the finest places to taste the unrivalled classic that is the gin and tonic.
The Holborn Dining Room, London
Boasting a staggering 400 different varieties, The Holborn Dining Room in central London stakes a claim to being London’s best stocked gin bar, and with no fewer than 27 types of tonic too, their title looks pretty safe to us. Styled like an old gentlemen’s club, with gorgeous red leather banquettes and glittering chandeliers, there is a wonderful feel of opulence about this venue. It’s a classy spot to enjoy a drink, although the sheer number of possible gin and tonic combinations is enough to make you dizzy before you’ve even had a sip.
With at least two world class craft gins hailing from Scotland (Caorunn from Speyside and Hendricks from Ayrshire) it’s no wonder that Scotland’s cities are pioneering the gin bar phenomenon.
Juniper, Edinburgh
Gin is the star of this glamorous hotel cocktail bar which has superb views across the Old Town and mixes a range of enticing cocktails from forgotten classics to modern masterpieces, including one that bears its name: the Juniper is a glorious and fruity blend of Edinburgh Elderflower Gin, citrus vodka, kiwi, apple juice, lemon and apple foam.
Gin 71, Glasgow
Serving drinks since the early 1900s (though it was possibly more of a gin dive back in the day), Gin 71 on Renfield Street was Glasgow’s first specialist bar, and offers – the clue’s in the name – 71 kinds of gin. With table service and a serious drinks menu from which you can select your spirit, mixer and even choice of garnish (everything from the traditional lemon slice to rose petals and brambles) this is a decadent and relaxed venue in which to spend a grown up, gin flavoured evening.
Orchid, Aberdeen
The granite city’s home for discerning drinkers, Orchid attracts bright young things and gin aficionados alike, and also runs mixology classes so you can master the trick’s of the bartender’s trade and learn to nail the perfect dry martini. Small, sophisticated and open very, very late, Orchid is a welcome addition to the growing cocktail bar scene in Aberdeen and should be on every gin devotee’s must-visit list.
Atlas Bar, Manchester
Winner of Best Spirits Bar in the north west, Atlas occupies a characterful location in the railway arches of Deansgate and includes a stylish outdoor space in which to enjoy the industrial design edge and, most importantly on our World Gin Day quest, a fine G&T. Knowledgeable and creative, Atlas supply a helpful Gin Bible and it’s essential, because their collection numbers an extraordinary 300 different varieties. There’s even a monthly Gin Supper Club where, for real connoisseurs, good food and gin are “entwined together to guarantee a unique dining experience.”
The Potted Pig, Cardiff
While the name may not scream glamour, this acclaimed bar-restaurant nestled in a former bank vault certainly knows its gin, and has an accomplished food menu to match its selection of around 30 gins, helpfully divided into flavour sections, including ‘aromatic and spicy’ and ‘sweet and fruity’. Regarded as Wales’ top gin bar, The Potted Pig is a real find, where lip-smacking aperitifs can be sipped in style followed by a damn fine dinner.
Abigail Stubbs, Features Editor
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