With Junipalooza and World Gin Day bang in the middle of the month June was always going to be busy, but I’m not sure I was prepared for quite so much fun. From canal boats to saunas there’s certainly plenty to catch up on again!
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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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Good grief. What a month it’s been. March may have begun normally enough but it couldn’t have ended more differently as we all find ourselves living in lockdown with the hospitality industry (among many, many others) facing unprecedented uncertainty.
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May was mega but this month – with World Gin Day, Junipalooza, Think Gin, National Martini Day and Negroni Week – should probably just be renamed June-iper!
Last year I raved about Junipalooza London and said the one thing the organisers shouldn’t do is make it any bigger. And lo, this year Gin Foundry promised us “better, not bigger”. Better began before you even stepped through the door, with the promise of an extended Newcomer zone, additional experiential zones and also a digitised show guide to help you plan your visit in advance. And the doors have changed too! Gone is the slightly underwhelming entrance opposite a building site on Pennington Street, and instead people were greeted by the tall ships at Tobacco Dock before passing through the bespoke branded archway.
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Wow, what a month! I knew #GinADayMay would keep me busy but I didn’t expect it to be quite that bonkers. And then there were the gin releases, gin events and gin deliveries… Read on if you, like me, need a bit of a reminder of what happened this May.
Between celebrating a big birthday and despairing over (what I like to call Bloody) Brexit, March has been a seriously boozy month for me! So when better to start my new gin monthly column? The idea is to have a personal round-up of what has caught my eye and tickled my tastebuds this month. It’s a bit of a work in progress, so I’d love to hear your feedback below about what you like, what could be improved, and which gins you’ve enjoyed this month.
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Launched at Junipalooza 2018, Jekka’s Edition is 6 O’Clock Gin‘s latest addition to their range, joining their eponymous London Dry, Sloe Gin, Damson Gin and last year’s Brunel Edition. As suggested by the beautiful transparent bottle, this is the lightest and most delicate offering from 6 O’Clock but, far from being a departure, this gin remains true to their roots.
Now celebrating its fifth year, Junipalooza London promised to be bigger and better in 2018 than ever before. And it did not disappoint! With over 70 distilleries, literally hundreds of gins, the inaugural newcomer tasting zone and four experiential rooms, Junipalooza was set to burst out of the confines of the beautiful ground floor of Tobacco Docks.
There appears to be no end to the long list of “International Days of This” and “World Days of That”, but they are certainly not all created equal. No one can argue with the aspirations of Random Acts of Kindness Day (17th February), while it’s relatively easy to understand the appeal of Hug Your Cat Day (4th June) or World Nutella Day (5th February). On the other hand, fewer (surely) will get too excited about World Toothache Day (9th February) or World Toilet Day (19th November). But World Gin Day? That’s the real deal! Sensibly scheduled for the second Saturday in June – to avoid any unwise school-night drinking – and now celebrating its tenth year, it couldn’t be in better, or more capable, hands than Emma Stokes AKA Gin Monkey.
Gin A Ding Ding 