Preview : Junipalooza

Junipalooza, 6th - 8th June 2014 - Factory 7, Shoreditch

Drinks shows can often be boring, bland trestle table infested affairs.  Thankfully, the team at Gin Foundry are putting a stop to this and are hosting Junipalooza.  With fun, immersive installations that combine botanicals, industrial warehousing, music and gin to create a unique experience, Junipalooza is set to be the UK's biggest ever event dedicated to gin.

With World Gin Day just around the corner on the 14th June, Junipalooza's three-day show (taking place in Factory 7 in Shoreditch) is the definitive way to get in the mood.  With a global gathering of gin producers scattered across the giant factory floor, visitors will be able to sample a variety of gins, meet the teams behind them, and make sense of this now revitalised and exciting spirit.

There will be the opportunity to enjoy familiar favourites, but also a chance to enjoy and try small batch, craft gins - some launching at the event itself and sever never seen in the UK before.  

Some of the UK's best bartenders will be making cocktails ranging from the classic to the contemporary, bringing the most out of the wide range of gins on offer.  Not to mention, there will be a Drinks by the Dram shop where 100 different gins will be available to buy in 30ml sample-sized bottles.

And as if that wasn't tempting enough, enthusiasts can try their hands at making their own gin and learning more about the spirit's controversial past with a series of masterclasses, including Blend Your Own Gin and An Anthology of Gin, taking place

Tickets for Junipalooza are available here

• Day tickets at an Earlybird price of £15 (or £20 after 1st June / on the door)
• Weekend tickets at an Earlybird price of £25 (or £35 after 1st June / on the door)
• Each masterclass will be £25 per person (spaces limited to 20 per session)

Tickets include 5 tokens to sample gins (each sample is a generous 15ml gin, also available with tonic water depending on preference).

More details from organisers Gin Foundry:

"Having announced that we’ll be hosting the giant gin-fest that is Junipalooza, we thought you may like a few more details as to what to expect. Friendly competition has meant that each stand is trying to outdo each other and create something more unique to standout. With roll up banners banned and ideas flying about for new ways to present each gin, here are a few of the projects that we can share with you all…

"Where should we start though? Do we trace the room left to right or just mention a few things that caught our attention this week? This time it’s the latter.

"Cornwall based distillery South Western Distillery will be sampling its increasingly popular Tarquin’s Gin. This is exciting for those who haven’t tried the gin yet, and for those who have already – they will be bringing, much to our gin geek love of stills, Tamara.

"Tamara is their hard working miniature-sized still. She may be small but she’s a beauty and once buffed, polished and pruned back into pristine condition, no doubt she’ll become a magnet for all you discerning drinkers… Did someone say Junipalooza Gin 2014 Vintage anyone? Hopefully.

"Not to be outdone, on the adjacent stand, the team at Hayman’s Gin have decided to put as many gins as they can fit on their wooden pallet, bringing with them their entire range of 5 gins. Between their Royal Dock, London Dry, barrel rested, gin liqueur and their Old Tom Gin, expect there to be quite the fuss surrounding them.

"One pallet further along, the Hernö Gin team will be showcasing their Swedish gins – both London Dry and the Navy Strength version. Having heard about Tarquin’s nearby still, Hernö’s Master Distiller Jon Hillgren wanted to bring something special too and for the first time ever in the UK, he will be transporting a 40 gallon juniper wood barrel with him. We’re not sure it will fit in as carry-on-luggage but hopefully he’ll get here okay!

"Having created the first ever gin to be matured in juniper oak – the barrels are incredibly rare as sourcing juniper wood large enough to be shaped into a cask was a Herculean feat. He is the only one to have ever done this. Just to put that into context – there are over a million barrels in the Scotch producing region of Speyside alone. None of them are like this. It may well also mean that a lucky few might get to try his super premium and almost impossible to find Juniper Cask Gin. If that’s the case, it’ll be quite the treat we assure you!

"Between a still, a one-of-a kind barrel, 10 gins and 3 countries represented, it’s not bad for one corner of the room. How to top this next you may ask? Why, by bringing out the big guns.

"Bombay will be hosting the Classics Bar with the team from Forgotten Hospitality. Using Bombay Dry, Sapphire and Bombay East, the team will be selecting the very best flavour combinations to bring to life classic cocktails seen throughout history. Look out for the new labels on their bottles too, production has started to flow from their new distillery site at Laverstoke Mill and no doubt the gents have a treat or two in store for us all.

"Warner Edwards will be showcasing their ever expanding portfolio and are also working away on a very secret, yet possibly industry changing project that we hope to announce at the show. It’s early days still and much is in the air but we don’t use the bombastic comment of “industry changing” lightly. Stay tuned folks – more on this soon.

"Jamie Baxter, the man behind seemingly every new craft distillery in the UK, will be showcasing gin from his latest venture in Leicestershire. And Fever-Tree will be on hand to ensure that everyone is suitably refreshed and glasses are kept full of their tonic, ginger ale and other bubbly concoctions from their handy tricycles (incidentally, we need to get one of those for our own garden parties!)

"We’ll keep some of the other participants under wraps for now – too many good things in one go isn’t healthy – but hopefully this quick summary has whet your appetite and will have you more convinced than ever that there’s only one place to be over the weekend of 6th to 8th June. Don’t miss out!"

EARLY BIRD TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE HERE.

La Bodega Negra - London Gin Club at The Star at Night

Wednesday 19th June - Way back in February when the List started, my Foreign Office friend Max grabbed a couple of Team List points whilst he was still in the country.  Four months later, he returned from Mexico for a week before being shipped off to Vilnius in Lithuania.  What did we book to celebrate his return from Mexico?  A meal at a Mexican restaurant of course.  Being The List though, there was obviously more to it than that.  How often do you start off your dinner experience by walking through a sex shop?

Why not?

Ignore the obvious La Bodega Negra entrance on Moor Street and go round the corner on to Old Compton Street and look for the neon signs.  Once you get through the bizarre entrance, you are escorted downstairs into the underground restaurant.  It's a beautiful low-lit space with quirky art, cosy corners, and even a piano on its side.  Both hard to describe and photograph, you need to go and see for yourself.  It's also incredibly cool down there so it's perfect for escaping the summer heat.

The drinks are mostly of the Mezcal / Tequila variety - my pineapple, chilli and mezcal Pepino was excellent, and the Margaritas seemed to go down well too.  We were encouraged to order food to share - tacos, salads, ribs, chicken, guacamole etc.  The food was excellent and arrived very quickly, but be warned it is on the expensive side.  Add to that a ludicrous 15% tip and you are probably better off eating somewhere that is better value for money.  If it was all a bit cheaper, I would have ordered more food and probably a couple more drinks.  The waitress didn't cover herself in glory when she came to tell us that we were one pence short of her 15% tip but that she would let us off - so kind!  It's a shame because it is one of the best looking places I have been to, with a wonderful atmosphere.  They have just opened a new place in Shoreditch called Casa Negra, with the Casa Playground bar/club underneath, that has a more relaxed beach vibe going on, and looks more affordable. 

We made our way back out into daylight and walked a short distance to our final destination - London Gin Club at The Star at Night.  By day, The Star is a café run by Mario that is open til 4pm, but at night it becomes a cocktail bar.  The London Gin Club got involved early last year and have proved to be very popular.  It is slightly hard to find The Star at Night because Crossrail has set up shop for the foreseeable future and has made a total mess of the area.

Foreign office Max had bought Natalie a London Gin Club voucher for her birthday last year, and she waited for him to be around to redeem it.  When she presented it to the nice lady in charge, she was informed that it had expired many months ago.  In fact, the offer was for something that they didn't even sell anymore!  Luckily, there was no expiry date visible, and she was happy to give Natalie a different taster menu instead.  Maggie and I went for a blind tasting set of 4 gins with tonic, whilst most others went for one of the many G&Ts on offer and the two gin-haters went for wine.  There are also Gin cocktails, and even a Ginventor option where you can create your own gin at your table.

FREE GIN.

Seven of us were packed on to a teeny table (probably for 2) which wasn't ideal in the heat, and became a bit ridiculous when 8 glasses arrived just between Natalie, Maggie and I.  The gins are served in my new favourite Coppa glasses - an enormous balloon glass that makes you feel like you are holding the world's biggest G&T.  The selection of gins on offer is very impressive, and definitely requires multiple visits to truly appreciate.  I highly recommend going for a tasting menu, especially blind tasting which was a lot of fun.  We were given four numbered bottles of gin to mix with Fevertree tonic, plus various garnishes to match with the gins, which would in turn help us to identify the gin make from the menu.  We were also given a Gin notebook to keep track of our tasting notes throughout the evening.

My main obstacle was preventing Maggie and Ali from eating all of the garnishes.  We made some informed guesses using the remaining garnishes and sent in our answers.  I was confident after a fairly successful blind gin tasting with T.Rex a couple of months before at 214 Bermondsey. Sadly, this time we got every single one completely wrong -  olives instead of strawberries, cherries instead of cardamom etc.  Natalie had 4 G&Ts in the time that most others had one or two, so was understandably cheerful at the end of the evening.  This was most evident as she engaged the owner in an incredibly long, enthusiastic conversation about gin as we were trying to pay up and leave.  The service is excellent though, and we will definitely be back again for more gin.  There is also tapas style food available, but we were already full up on expensive Mexican food.  Make sure you book ahead as it was very busy when we went.  It is worth becoming a member for discounts and loyalty rewards - sign up on their website.

Max doubles his Team List points total to 6, flatmate Maggie stays one ahead of flatmate Ali and Luke, Lauren is closing in on second placed Tim and Natalie continues to maintain her big lead at the top.  Blogging has been slow recently with a busy end of term at work, and illness and exhaustion.  Never fear - six more trips have been carried out and are ready to be written.  I might just go and watch the tennis first though, if you don't mind.