JUNIPALOOZA – THE LOWDOWN

Junipalooza was never going to be a dull affair. With more than 40 gins jostling for attention under one roof, there was always going to be a buzz of excitement and the promise of a good time. But organising such a large event has its dangers and possibility of pitfalls…luckily Olivier and Emile, of The Gin Foundry, had it planned to a (G and) T.

Thankfully for all involved, it didn’t just go well – it was a resounding success. From when the doors opened at midday, right until the last dregs of the event at 6pm, Factory 7 in Shoreditch was heaving with a multitude of keen gin-addicts, thrilled to be sampling some of the finest artisan spirits available today.

One of the things that soon became apparent was the sense of camaraderie among the producers. No hustling and hawking here –just a feeling that there was a genuine community spirit for all involved. Sipsmith were urging us to try Dodds; Maverick Drinks were extolling the virtues of Elephant Gin; and everyone agreed that the design-work of Ferdinand’s labels was stunning. Artisan craftsmen joined together, all under one roof.

For me, it was a day spent in a juniper-haze, wandering from stand to stand and sipping each individual product –attempting to really pull out the distinctive botanicals and appreciate the subtle nuances of the gin. And okay, getting to try so many awesome samples was great, but another highlight was definitely chatting to the stall-owners. Since many of the companies are relatively new, and are still small, we usually found ourselves nattering away to the founders and creators themselves.

 

We spoke to Jamie of Burleighs Gin, who had only recently finished bashing a hole into the wall of their new distillery, and saw the brand new product – so new only the slick black bottle design was on show, since the gin was not yet ready to taste.

Passion and knowledge radiated from everyone. We got chatting to Joseph about Dodd’s Gin, and discovered his favourite cocktail at the moment is a simple Martinez with a twist of lemon peel. Tarquin had journeyed from the West Country, and was handing out samples, wearing a signature blue T.shirt and a smile. We had a mini taster session with Sipsmith, working our way through their Sloe gin, and their delicious Summer Cup, which they’ve been enjoying in a Summer Cup Negroni.

There were gins with a sense of humour, gins with an edge, and then there was the gin with a conscience – Elephant Gin contributes 15% of its profits to the Big Life Foundation and Space For Elephants. It is ‘produced for the adventurers of today’, and uses 14 botanicals, including rare African ingredients. After giving it a hearty swig, it confirmed that we must be adventurers at heart, because we were in love. And it was the first G & T we’d had served with a slice of apple – inspired!

Then there were the gins from around the world, including Ferdinand’s Saar Gin from Germany, which had the unique addition of Riesling wine. If you’re making a face and wondering whether this works or not, then we can unequivocally confirm that it does.

As for those representing the UK… well, they didn’t disappoint either. We loved the smoothness of Dodds, the herbaceous flavour of Adnams, and the delicious floral zing from Warner Edwards Elderflower Infused Gin.

And somehow, after all of that, we still managed to find time to head to the Bombay Sapphire bar to enjoy a perfectly mixed Dirty Martini. One might think that after several hours of imbibing purely gin, we’d want a break. But that’s the difference when trying artisan, perfectly crafted products. It just left us with a taste for more.

So don’t be surprised if you see us extolling the virtues of these amazing ginsmiths over the next few weeks, or featuring specialist cocktails that make the most of their delicious spirits. Whether mixed into a Negroni, a Martinez, or a Aviation, a good gin makes for a fine cocktail, and we’ve now sampled some of the best that can be bought.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rebecca Milford

@Rebecca_anne_m