Last month a festival came to the quiet town of Denmead. A Gin Festival – which in my opinion is the best kind! Organised by my lovely friend Janine who runs the local wine & gin shop, Discover Wine, the event was a roaring success and the gin flowed freely!
There was a huge range of gins available – so many that I lost count! Our tickets included 3 tasting tokens – which were all generous sizes. First up on the list to try was the Illustrious Strawberry Gin from Anywhere Gin. Perfect served with Elderflower Tonic and a few slices of strawberry. I can confirm that this was delicious – it reminded me of strawberry laces, with an adult kick!
Another gin I was eager to try was the Mermaid Gin from the Isle of Wight Distillery. This is a lovely gin made with botanicals including rock samphire and coriander seeds. Our tasters were served with cucumber and tonic, and were very nice. One for my shopping list!
My favourite gin from the day was the Mary Rose Gin from HMS Spirits – this one is really special, and one I regret not buying on the day! Best garnished with grapefruit and rosemary to bring out the flavours of the gin, served with Double Dutch Indian tonic.
Another delicious gin was Pinkster Gin – made with fresh raspberries and best served with mint and tonic. The raspberries from the gin making process are recycled into boozy Gin Jam – what a brilliant idea!
With a local band, busy bar and lots of families and friends with picnics, there was a fantastic atmosphere – in spite of the rather ominous rain clouds!
There was even a travelling pizza oven onsite – and I really can’t think of two things I love more than gin and pizza!
We went for the chorizo & peppers pizza – which was excellent. I have to admit, I may have gone back for a second pizza… don’t judge me – they were hard to resist!
We had a really fun afternoon at the gin festival – it was so fun to go to such a successful local event. Gin Festivals seem to have become the latest trend, with different ones popping up in every city over the summer. A local, family run version of a gin festival was a refreshing change, and a style of event I’d like to see more of!
If you find yourself near Denmead, pop in to Discover Wine and say hello to Janine!
A gin festival sounds perfect for a summers day, and so many different tonics too, quite an art in getting the right one, I think. Great pics you capture the festival …..love it