The Ginpourium

Gin is so IN. With all sorts of botanicals-based businesses hitting the papers, including a gin treasure hunt, and a gin cruise, it’s clear our appetite for the stuff is increasing. That’s why we’ve gone and booked Gilli’s Gin Tin, a street food set up, into Trinity Kitchen to offer high tea and gin cocktails from their horse box for the Christmas party season. But The Ginpourium? Now that’s a new thing.

The Ginpourium is a two-day celebration of gin taking place as part of the EAT! Food Festival in Reigate, Surrey from 22-23 July 2017. Central to the weekend is the soon-to-be-famous Gin Fight, which challenges six heavyweights to come up with their most ginspired cocktail. Over two spirit-soaked days, the cocktail-creating-contenders will slug it out to determine who steals the much-coveted ‘King of Ginvention’ title (and, of course) the accompanying glittering trophy.

Here’s the line-up:

1) Herno Gin Vs. The Swedish Tonic Co: YEAH! SWE/CAN
Swedish Tonic’s unique, concentrated extract changes the G&T game. They’re teaming up with Sweden-based Herno Gin – a distillery that scored a coveted double gold at the San Francisco World Spirit Competition.

2) Holy Lama Spice Drops Vs. Edinburgh Gin: KERALAN CHAI PUNCH
The purveyor of pure, all-natural liquid spice extracts in dropper bottles will be pairing with Scotland’s Edinburgh Gin to create an Indian-accented cocktail.

3) Butler’s Gin Vs. Deviant & Dandy brewery: BUTLER’S GIN JAMS
Butler’s Gin is a small-batch gin distilled with lemongrass & cardamom. Handcrafted in London, it’s found the perfect partner in the capital’s box-fresh Deviant & Dandy Brewery.

4) Sacred distillery: THE SACRED NEGRONI
This independent micro-distillery and producer is based in the North London family home of Sacred master distiller Ian Hart.

5) The Gin Kitchen: THE BRAMBLE
Based in Dorking, The Gin Kitchen guys are our truly local contenders – boasting big hearts and bigger ambitions.

6) Boxer Gin Vs. Luke Ridge: THE SOUTHPAW
Boxer is a classic London gin; the perfect base for all-star bartender Luke Ridge to mix into something marvellous.

Aside from the Gin Fight, there’s Ginsanity, purveyors of all kinds of gin-related gifts, and Gin Lab, showcasing a range of unusual flavoured tonics paired with preferred gins. There will also be appearances from David T Smith, the author of Gin Tonica, plus tastings of Boxer Gin and Citadelle Gin, a booze-infused gin and tonic sorbet from The Drunken Dairy, and Collagin, a gin that allegedly keeps you looking young. Bottoms up?