Grab yourself a Gin & Tonic, Relax & Read...

Last week I was fortunate enough to be invited to go to a Sipsmith's Gin tasting and cocktails masterclass in Leeds at LS6. Before the event, I wouldn't think to choose Gin as a refreshing and enjoyable drink because I usually only drink on nights out. However, this event has completely changed my perception of drinking and opinions of Gin. I've turned away from the chaos of Vodka and will definitely be choosing Gin a lot more now that I have been exposed to it.

Sipsmith is a company that makes Gin, if you hadn't guessed that already. It all began in 2009, based in London, where two childhood friends, Fairfax and Sam thought it would be a good idea to set up London's first traditional copper distillery since 1820 (hence why all of the equipment and complementary pin badge were copper - consistency is key to branding, right).

 "Their mission is to bring London Dry Gin of truly uncompromising quality and character, back to the city where it first earned its name." https://sipsmith.com/our-story/

I would say, from my experience of Sipsmith at the masterclass tasting session, it certainly has achieved quality and character. The fact that prior to this event, Gin wasn't on my radar, Sipsmith has definitely converted me. Their signature dry gin, combined with tonic water and a segment of lime (as recommended by our fabulous hosts) went down a treat.

Another interesting fact about Sipsmith was on their Original Dry and Sloe Gins, where you can find out the location of where it was made and how it was made at the distillery through the batch number found on the label. If you head to the website, you can find out the story behind your Gin - it's a great tool from Sipsmith because it gives the drink character because it has a story behind it; it hasn't just been mechanically made in a factory.

If you're interested in distilleries and Gin, Sipsmith provide weeknight tours and complimentary tutored tasting- where you can learn how this spirit is carefully hand-crafted.

Back to the masterclass evening, the Leeds Brand Ambassadors made us three taster cocktails, all of which were delicious. We had the Bramble, VJOP Martini and Sloe Gin Fizz - I would say the Bramble was my favourite by far because I do have a sweet tooth. I liked the fruitiness of it, which takes away the alcohol taste more so than the others. They do have many cocktail options with a variety of their Sipsmith products, where you can also get the recipe's online(and they're free)!!

If you're a Gin lover and want to get more information and insight into this sector of the alcohol industry, have a look on their 'Gin Culture' page!

To wrap up, the event was a great eye-opener into the world of Gin and how Sipsmith create their Gin and where it is now. We all got a bit merry, obviously, and it was a great atmosphere where we could talk about what we liked about Sipsmith and just generally get to know the brand a bit better. It was definitely worth a visit, and I think they have something very special with their clean and crisp brand to match their Gin.

Kristina x