If you’ve ventured out to any of Liverpool’s cocktail bars in recent months you’ll have noticed gin has quietly crept its way to the forefront of many gourmet drinks menus.

Once commonly served in a standard short glass with a splash of tonic, often taking a backseat to the seemingly more popular vodka, this aromatic and somewhat versatile spirit is once again getting the attention it deserves.

With World Gin Day looming on Saturday 13 June, prompting the city’s own Liverpool Gin to host a celebratory Gin Party at St George’s Hall, we take a look at how the drink has taken centre stage, bringing with it a host of new bars.

Our city’s love of gin isn’t entirely new, for Liverpool’s association with the spirit goes back centuries, according to Liverpool Gin distiller John O’Dowd.

John joined forces with Mark Hensby of Liverpool Organic Brewery to create the city’s own new version of the spirit, and launched it in September 2013. Becoming popular at events and in bars, pubs and restaurants as well as by the bottle, Liverpool Gin has since made its own mark on the area from its Kirkdale-based distillery, but it also echoes previous distilleries which once thrived in Merseyside.

“It started in 1795 when a guy called Robert Preston, who later became Lord Mayor of Liverpool in 1858, came and opened the Bank Hall Distillery,” explains John, pointing out that the street where the distillery once stood is now known as Juniper Street – juniper being a principal ingredient of gin.

Having eventually sold the distillery, the Preston family went on to open the Vauxhall Distillery, providing a plain spirit for distillers in Bristol and London to make gin.

“It also produced whisky under its own name, and the Plymouth website talks about Liverpool having its own distinctive style of gin,” adds John. “In those days describing it as fruity and aromatic which, I think, fits the description of Liverpool Gin although we didn’t know any of this when we came up with the recipe.”

Now the current gin revival, according to John, has come about at a time when people were looking for something new, something different to vodka which had been a staple spirit for so long, and he believes its popularity won’t be a quickly passing trend.

“As well as long gins, cocktails are very much a part of the British way of life but they’re way behind the United States in terms of the variety of cocktails and the quality of ingredients so there’s a long way to go,” says John, suggesting we’re still only scratching the surface of a cocktail renaissance of which gin could be continue to be at the forefront.

“All the original classic cocktails were all made with gin, they weren’t made with vodka – vodka only came into view around 10 or 15 years ago. Gin’s been around for a long, long time.

“The gin and tonic has also become a cocktail in its own right, with a garnish and different glassware recommendations.

“The secret to a good quality gin is the glass, good ice, you must have a premium tonic – you want one that’s made of natural sugar – a good gin, and a good friend to share it with!”

 

Also at the heart of Liverpool’s gin revolution lies a trio of new venues, each with their own spin on the spirit.

 

Botanical Garden

New Bird Street, L1

Gin isn’t the only driving force behind Baltic Triangle newcomer, The Botanical Garden.

The first brainchild of Bright Yellow Limited – a collaboration between Trevor O’ Loughlin from renowned club night mUmU, prominent Liverpool bartender Peter ‘Pedro’ Hunter, and Danny Murphy of successful speakeasy Berry & Rye – it recently popped up for the summer to fully embrace the outdoors.

Venture beyond the colourful exterior of this somewhat discreet venue, behind the area’s skate park, and you’ll find natural cocktail ingredients being freshly grown in the garden, grass covered seats and, hopefully, some sunshine!

The star of the show, though, is of course gin, and it’s a drink which Danny says is a “quintessentially al fresco spirit” making it the perfect focus for the bar.

Alongside a range of whisky favourites, Berry & Rye has already spent recent years shaking up some mouth-watering gin-based beverages in the city centre, and Danny has seen the popularity of the spirit grow first hand, particularly thanks to some big changes.

“Even your standard bars now make better house gin and tonics with more ice, bottled tonic water and freshly squeezed lemon and lime,” says Danny. “And there is now a more diverse range of gins out there, meaning you can replace spirits in cocktails.

“Drinks ranging from a Bloody Mary to a French Martini can be made with gin, plus I’m personally delighted to see the resurgence of the classic Martini.”

Botanical Garden’s gin-infused menu features eight cocktails varying from classics, including the Martini, to mixes which “appeal to different aspects of gin’s personality”. Then there’s the controversial ‘Hail the Kale’ combining gin, kale juice, lime, mint and ginger syrup, which is already said to be dividing opinion amongst its drinkers.

Along with the arrival of an Italian slow food-inspired concept from Lento, gin themed delicacies from Laura’s Little Bakery and ice cream, the Botanical Garden will be open until September.

 

Cedar Food and Drink

Duke Street, L3

The former home of legendary Liverpool nightspot Le Bateau will now be unrecognisable to those who once frequented its indie club nights as Alex Dunmore and Josh Moore have set about taking the Duke Street building in a totally different direction.

A fine menu of food complemented by a collection of deliciously crafted cocktails with gin at the forefront is the focus of the transformed Duke Street basement, as it takes on its new Cedar Food & Drink identity.

With their gin knowledge up to scratch, Alex and Josh and their team will be serving up more than 20 different gins alongside food prepared on the venue’s charcoal oven.

“Gin pairs with food really well and you can play about with it a lot,” according to the duo, who have crafted a list of 10 signature cocktails, each using a different gin which is best suited to its flavours.

For instance a floral variation of the spirit will be a core ingredient of the Lemongrassy Clover Club, which also incorporates egg whites infused with kaffir lime leaves.

Meanwhile Cedar will be championing the importance of a high quality tonic when mixing up the staple gin and tonic drink,  as it’ll also have 10 different varieties of the classic concoction on offer, each matching a different gin with its own perfect tonic partner.

Ahead of its full opening the venue has already been whipping up excitement in the city for its culinary creations and well-planned gin pairings, having hosted Cedar weekend BBQs at Berry Street’s Red Door bar, and has been working on soft launches in recent weeks.

 

Jenever

Hope Street, L1

What was a long-standing fixture of Hope Street’s thriving restaurant scene, the Side Door bistro has been refreshed in recent weeks with a gin-infused makeover.

Having previously closed during early May for a refurbishment, the venue relaunched with the same owners and the same chefs as before, as well as a food menu still being served throughout the day, but it set about having a serious impact on the city’s gin scene.

Not only is Jenever named after the juniper berry flavoured beverage which gin evolved from, but it also boasts a drinks selection featuring some speciality jenevers as well as an extensive range of more than 50 types of gin.