We waited a long time for Junipalooza 2021 and god it was good! Founder Olivier Ward may have seen compromises everywhere – and yes, it was the show he and brother Emile planned to put on last year, not the one they wanted to put on this year – but all I saw everywhere was beaming faces!
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We were promised bigger and better at Catford Gin Festival this year and it certainly did not disappoint! It’s a measure of how much Team Catford value this small but perfectly formed event in their efforts to drive regeneration that, in the space of a year, the festival has moved from 2017’s empty retail unit down the road, to the Art Deco grandeur of Catford’s Broadway Theatre. With the imposing venue came higher ticket prices but, with a brochure, copa de balon glass and tote bag for every attendee as well as free tasters of all the gins available, it still offered excellent value for money. Especially with such an impressive line-up!
Think of an Irish alcohol. Chances are Guinness is the first to spring to mind. Or perhaps whiskey, which some claim was invented by Irish Monks. Irish coffees and poitín probably get a mention before gin. But, trust me, you can expect that to change. The Emerald Isle is home to a number of outstanding gin distilleries these days and they are starting to get the recognition they most certainly deserve.
Gin A Ding Ding 