Recently we had the pleasure of attending a gin tasting session at York Gin on Pavement in the city centre. It was a Sparkly Christmas Tasting we attended, but gin tastings run throughout the year too. The tastings are run early evening after the shop has closed, so it’s a private and cosy event. We were greeted with a welcome cocktail – the ‘Fairytale of Old York’, a “deep red gin cocktail, complemented by shimmering sugar crystals and sparking gold gilding on the rim of your glass.” It was very pretty, very festive and completely delicious!
Our tasting was lead by Harri, Madeline and Kitty, who were lovely, funny and very knowledgeable on the subject of gin! They were passionate about the subject and it really showed, sweeping us up in their enthusiasm, while we tasted the six different gins that York Gin offers.
We tasted each gin, one by one, first neat to get an idea of the botanicals involved, and then mixed with a paired Fever-Tree Tonic. If you are not keen on tonic (like me!) they are happy to mix your gin with lemonade.
It was a very social affair and nice to meet and chat to other people at the tasting. My favourites were the Grey Lady and the Chocolate and Orange Gin (perfect for York!).
At the end of the tasting session, we were invited to have our favourite York Gin as a gin and tonic. I went for the Grey Lady and it was divine!
The shop at York Gin is definitely worth a good look around and there are lots of goodies to buy and take home with you like this set of miniature gins:
Or these Pink Grapefruit and York Gin Marmalades:
York Gin offer tasting events throughout the year and you can also see them on York Christmas Market. They are opening a new shop and visitor’s centre in Coppergate, so also keep an eye out for that!
Many thanks to York Gin for inviting us to attend. As always, all opinions are my own,
