​​​​​​​Lucie Loves... Lifestyle // It's time for the next rounds of the gin off

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I haven’t even told you about Round 1! I can only apologise, my excuses are a lot of late nights at the office – not to mention a week in Spain.

The first round of the Gin Off was held on 18 April at Graphic Bar in Golden Square, Soho. The venue is every gin lover’s dream – it boasts 305 different types of gin, that’s nearly a different gin for every day of the year!

I attended the event with a fellow gin lover - my line manager Ashley. Having left the office slightly later than intended we missed our welcome G&T, but luckily we didn’t have to wait too long for the first cocktail of the night.

On arrival we were given our ballot card, which we were to hold onto until we had tried and tested all 4 competitors and only then cast our deciding vote. The gin brands in this round were Plymouth, Bols Genever, Copper Head and Whitley Neill. Each brand provided a bartender to create a representative cocktail for guests.  

The cocktails were truly delicious, each had it’s own individual flair:

  • The Copper Head had theatrics – a steaming copper teapot made for the perfect brew;
  • The Bols Genever cocktail was served in an edible chocolate cup and topped with champagne – luxury at its best
  • The Plymouth drink cured scurvy and was topped with sand (sugar) and a seashell (guylian chocolate);
  • Whilst Whitely Neill’s offering was topped with a pretty flower, which was perfect for the taste of summer it produced

My favourite was Plymouth’s nautical themed cocktail - it was fresh tasting and I could have drunk it all night! However, the winning drink was the Copper Head’s perfect brew.

It was a fun night and excellent value – 4 drinks for £10. The cocktails were exciting but it was a shame that people spent most of the night queuing up for each drink, rather than making the most of the fabulous DJ who was bringing out some absolute tunes!

Round 3 is on 20 June the competition is Ungava, Silent Pool, Pink Pepper and Hayman’s. I’m excited to see who will be facing Team Copper Head!

Words ~ Karis O’Leary-Smith