The very first event in the packed calendar for the Great Bath Feast is an invitation to join Gin Austen & Friends at the Holburne Museum on Thursday 1st October, from 5-8pm.
Guests will be invited to sample the delights of the ’Spirit of England’ in the splendid setting of the Museum’s Ballroom Gallery.
The Bath Gin Company is one of nine regional distillers who will be offering samples and sharing their expertise.
You’ll be able to find out why different gins have different flavours and aromas and discover which suits your palate.
Gin is enjoying a global revival akin to the interest in craft beer with the proliferation of specialist distillers who experiment with botanicals to give their gin its distinctive flavour.
From the south-west expect to taste gins by Dorset based Conker Gin; Tarquin’s Gin from Padstow; Cotswold Gin based in Stourton; 6 O’Clock Gin from Bristol and the city’s own Bath Gin Company.
From further afield, Foxdenton Gin from Aylesbury and Sacred Gin from London will be taking part.
Each producer curates the subtle combination of botanicals to give their gins their particular flavour and character and distillers like Cotswold Gin are now making small batch artisanal gins.
Bath Gin Company founder Peter Meacock said: “There has been an amazing proliferation of gin producers and this rather special evening will provide an opportunity to meet the people behind a number of the new businesses and taste their delicious gins.
“The burgeoning interest in micro distilleries has captured the imagination of the discerning consumer who is keen to taste different combinations of gin and specialist tonic waters.”
The gin revival has been fuelled partially by the interest in gin based cocktails with specialist bars like the Canary Gin Bar becoming ever more popular.
The spirited come back of the gin industry has spawned a number of specialist tonic companies like Fever Tree Tonic, 1724 tonic, Bermondsey Tonic Water (BTW) and Fentiman’s Tonic from Hexham.
Each will be on hand to mix and match their tonics to create the perfect G&T.
When the Sydney Hotel opened (the elegant building that now houses the Holburne Museum) there were revels in Sydney Gardens with promenades and public breakfasts, and suppers with music and fireworks.
In London during that same period the revels were gravitating to the Gin Place; an ornate setting to consume gin and socialise.
David James, Chief Executive of Bath Tourism Plus, explained: “This year’s Great Bath Feast is all about bringing Bath’s buildings to life and it is only apt that ‘Gin Austen & Friends’ should be held at The Holburne Museum, once the Sydney Pleasure Gardens and the pivotal centre of entertainment in Bath.”
Tickets will cost £12, for more information visit: www.holburne.org/events/gin-tasting.
For details of this year’s Great Bath Feast festival calendar and how to book your tickets, visit www.greatbathfeast.co.uk.
