Five ways to celebrate World Gin Day in London

While we’re slightly suffering from ‘national day’ fatigue (corn on the cob day, anyone?), World Gin Day (Sat Jun 11) is a cause we can totally get behind. Here’s a round-up of the best things happening this Saturday in celebration of that great juniper-flavoured drink.

Juipalooza

Pack your gin poncho and slip on your boozy wellies, it’s a freakin’ gin festival, folks. Junipalooza is now in its fourth year and packs in tastings and master classes from 40 distilleries around the world all under one roof at Tobacco Dock. Rock and roll, for sure. 

Fever-Tree pop-up bar

From Thursday until Saturday, tonic water brand Fever-Tree will be planting a double-decker container bar along the South Bank near the National Theatre. They’ll be pairing the soft drink with hard gin from Tanqueray, Portobello and Sipsmith distilleries and will host masterclasses on the roof on the actual big day, as well as showcasing their new aromatic tonic that will turn your G&T pink.   

Gin Safari at Mr Fogg’s Tavern

Above Mr Fogg’s Tavern in Covent Garden is a library of gin, boasting 300 varieties of Mother’s Ruin for your perusal. For World Gin Day, they’ll be hosting gin safaris, where intrepid drinkers can embark on a tasting of six rare and wonderful gins. All in a safari hat, obvs. Make a reservation by emailing tavern@mr-foggs.com. 

Gin breakfast at Balans Soho Society

Forget lining your stomach for the day ahead – simply start as you mean to go on at Balans Soho Society, where they’ll be pairing brunch dishes with gin cocktails from 7.30am. Have spicy poached eggs with an even spicier red snapper, or opt for steak and eggs with a breakfast martini. This could get messy. 

Rivington Grill’s day of gin

There are 220 bottles of gin stocked behind the bars at both Rivington Grills in Shoreditch and Greenwich, so they’re throwing a bit of a Gin Day shindig, with £5 G&Ts on offer throughout the whole of Saturday rather than just the usual dedicated 5pm-7pm happy hour. We’ll call it a happy day, in that case.

Don’t forget to check our list of gin bars in London.