World gin day is on Saturday, 11 June 2016, with Harrogate doing its best to help people celebrate.
There are many variants, but all gin must contain juniper berry as a base flavour.
Independent retailer, Ake & Humphris, has always been a big fan of the spirit and has put together a very personal selection of what it considers to be some of the very best.
Tara Stagman of Ake and Humphris said:
In recent years gin has grown to people ever more popular. There aremany new distillers opening their doors, almost every week.
World Gin Day is a great excuse to try the tipple, but maybe think beyond some of the brands that you may know.
We have taken on the tough job of trying many gins, both local and much further afield.
A local favourite of ours is Whittaker’s Gin, easily identifiable by the hare pictured on the bottle. This gin is made in very small batches just north of Harrogate in the Yorkshire Dales. It’s a beautiful balance between the elegance of a classic London Dry Gin and the excitement that only batch gin making can give, including its locally sourced botanicals. It has proved extremely popular with locals and visitors alike.
The Mediterranean Gin Mare was a winner in our blind gin tasting group with six of the eight picked out Gin Mare as their favourite. The group considered the most finished and distinctive of the dozen gins assessed, with a robust, almost savoury taste that is fascinatingly complex.
However you choose to drink your gin, enjoy a glass on World Gin Day!
The Spirit of Harrogate is also celebrating world gin day and asking people to raise a glass to the Queen on her birthday.
There are demonstrations throughout the day and visitors to the Spirit of Harrogate will receive a complimentary mini Slingsby Gin cocktail today (11 June 2016). Every bottle of Slingsby Gin purchased at the Spirit of Harrogate will come with a complimentary speakeasy glass.
Marcus Black, Slingsby Gin Co-founder & Joint Managing Director, said:
With the popularity of gin in Yorkshire booming, and with the Queen’s 90th birthday falling on the same day, we think this World Gin Day is going to be a very special affair.
