An Afternoon at The Denmead Gin Festival

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!

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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!

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There was even a travelling pizza oven onsite – and I really can’t think of two things I love more than gin and pizza!

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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!

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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!

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2 Comments

  1. Wendy wrote:

    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

    Posted 7.22.18 Reply