EastEnd Cabaret's guide to drinking gin in London

'A few of our favourite gins'

The vast selection at Gerry's Wine and Spirits

VV: 'Gerry’s Wines and Spirits is a Soho institution, a name passed from one gin-soaked lip to another and a haven for those who like to explore and experiment when choosing their tipple. Here are a few of our favourite gins, distilled right here in London: SW4 is a big-tasting, complex gin distilled and bottled in Clapham. It's perfectly balanced in a proper gin and tonic, poured over ice and liberally laced with fresh lime. Sacred Gin is modern, sophisticated and sexy; this gin is distilled 100 yards from the summit of Highgate Hill. Each botanical is distilled separately, at low temperatures, resulting in a fresh, aromatic bouquet. [Then there’s] Oxley. After eight years and 38 different recipes, the Oxley spirits company finally hit on their classic London Dry, a blend of 14 different botanicals. It’s clean, quaffable, and makes an excellent martini.'

BB: 'Ensure that when the bottle is empty, you place it into a recycling bin or on to a shelf. Waking up on the floor surrounded by a sea of bottles is a dangerous game; you can easily bottle yourself with a quick tilt of the head.'

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'A glorious homage to Victorian drinking culture'

Victor Victoria playing the piano at Worship Street Whistling Shop - © Tom Velvick

VV 'With a list of libations that includes an excellent selection of gins and Genevers, Worship Street Whistling Shop is an establishment to be frequented by any serious gin lover. Their wonderfully knowledgeable bar staff will quickly deduce which cocktail will please your palate and will affably inform you of its origins and ingredients along the way. A glorious homage to Victorian drinking culture, with an in-house laboratory for very contemporary cocktail experiments, this Dickensian den is a drinker’s delight.'

BB 'Nudge the bartender’s elbow while he’s pouring to ensure your single shot becomes a double. Especially the one with the moustache – he is a generous pourer.'

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'Let the drinking commence...'

EastEnd Cabaret at Worship Street Whistling Shop - © Tom Velvick

BB 'Gin really is a magical beverage darlings, and many things can come from the drinking of it.'

VV 'We were offered a very interesting gig while sharing a bottle of Hendricks in some gin joint or another. A middle-aged American – white chinos, pink short-sleeved shirt, permatan – joined our table with his loud Liverpudlian lover. They were staying in a fancy hotel over the road. After watching us perform (and buying copious amounts of drinks, not to mention tipping us for our show), he told us that he worked in insurance and would like to bring us to Bermuda to play at his fiftieth birthday. We later found out that his company insures space rockets, ocean liners and fighter planes!'

BB 'I remember stepping off the plane in Bermuda and being handed a gin and tonic, but not much after that...'

VV 'This is what can happen when imbibing large amounts of gin: sudden adventures, bouts of debauchery and gaps in one’s memory... probably for the best. Let the drinking commence!'