City of London Gin Distillery, London
Located a stone’s throw from Fleet Street is this micro gin distillery with its own speakeasy-style retro cocktail bar. Sip your G&T overlooking Clarissa and Jennifer – their two striking copper stills and inhale the faint aroma of gin vapour adding to its unique atmosphere.
Choose from a range of gin tasting experiences at City of London Gin Distillery.
We love the creative gin experiences on offer at this tiny gin distillery and bar in the heart of the City. It’s just a 5 minute walk from St Paul’s Cathedral and if you walk across the Millennium Bridge, a 20 minute walk from London’s famous Borough Food Market.
- Taste gin in the City
- Make your own gin
- Enjoy a cocktail in the bar
- Good for groups
Distilling Gin in the City of London
The distillery was set up in 2012 and in doing so, brought gin distilling back to the City of London for the first time in 200 years. Visitors to the Gin Museum at the Beefeater Gin Distillery Tour, will know that changes to legislation resulted in the closure of all the hundreds of small distilleries in the City of London, the last one shutting up shop in 1825.
Meet the Stills – Jennifer and Clarissa
Join the hour-long evening distillery tour and get an intimate introduction to their shiny copper stills – Jennifer and Clarissa. Huddled together in the small room with a complimentary gin and tonic in your hand, you’ll learn how the stills, imported from Germany, happily boil or steam the botanicals that are added to the alcohol to make gin.
Taste Dorchester Gin
You’ll taste three of the gins made by the distillery – a London Dry Gin, a Sloe Gin and Dorchester Gin – the latter being a deliciously zesty gin made specifically for The Dorchester Hotel and only available there.
Distill Your Own Gin
For a really special gift or gin experience, we recommend the ‘Distill Your Own Gin’. Working in their Gin Lab and using your own baby still (each one is named after the Seven Dwarfs from Snow White), you can create, bottle, seal and name your very own gin. The entire production process takes place in two small rooms so you’ll be surrounded by boxes of grapefruit, oranges and lemons; herbs such as juniper, angelica and liquorice – all key ingredients for flavouring the gin.
Sip a Gin Cocktail in the Piano Bar
With its resident piano, jazz music, candlelight and deep armchairs, the speak-easy style bar makes a refreshing change from a traditional City pub. Located in a basement down a narrow back street, it feels like you’re stepping back into the 1930s and the prohibition era. It will take you some time though to taste your way through all the different gins available. There are over 300 varieties behind the bar which includes around 150 showcasing the best in British gin.
Tips
- Follow drinks with dinner at Hotel Chocolat’s Rabot 1745 restaurant at London’s famous food market, Borough Market
Where to Stay in The City
The Hotel Zetter
Clerkenwell, London,
The Zetter Hotel is a quirky, award-winning boutique hotel located in fashionable Clerkenwell, London.
Rooms from £135 a night.
Dogs
Please check with the City of London Distillery directly.
How to Find The City of London Gin Distillery
City of London Gin Distillery, 22-24 Bride Ln, London EC4Y 8DT
Website: www.cityoflondondistillery.com
The Foodie Travel Guide
Sally is the founder and editor of The Foodie Travel Guide. She travels around the UK and beyond in search of the best foodie days out, tasting experiences and delicious places to stay. She loves a glass of English sparkling wine, afternoon tea with friends and escaping London for gastronomic adventures.