If you’re looking for a unique London experience, The Ginstitute at The Distillery is it. The Distillery is a first-of-its-kind working distillery in London, the home of Portobello Road Gin, The Ginstitute, two bars, a private dining room and three guest lodgings. Whether or not you’re booked for The Ginstitute, the entire facility is worth a visit for a cocktail and some of the Spanish-influenced cuisine served at GinTonica.

The three-hour Ginstitute experience begins in a bar-like room, where guests are greeted with a Tom Collins, introduced to one another and given an outline of the format for the night. The night my friend and I attended, there were around 16 other guests.

The first hour takes you through the history of gin. While there’s quite a bit of history to cover, it’s accompanied by a gin and tonic and humor. It’s never boring but incredibly comprehensive, engaging and informative.

Then it’s time to head to the Still Room to learn about the process of creating gin, and the botanicals used to flavor the liquor. Naturally, during this education, we enjoyed another gin and tonic, using a different tonic and garnishes from the previous drink.

Then it was time to craft our own blend. I selected Yorkshire tea as my dry botanical; Cassia as my spice; lemongrass and pink grapefruit as my citruses; and chamomile and rosebud as my “wild card” selections. Each bottle is blended as you watch, specially labeled, sampled and sealed. We were also gifted a bottle of Portobello Road Gin. Of course, there was one last gin martini before we departed.

The Ginstitute

No. 186 Portobello Road
London W11 1LA
England
tel 020 3034 2234