TIME FOR SOME GIN LOVIN'...

At heart we’re a pub, and we like to think we have something for everyone. Whether it be the open beer garden or small intimate spaces, there’s also the upstairs bar with the focus on providing more specific spirits, like whiskeys and gins - products that guests wouldn’t normally find outside of the city centre. It’s really all about providing a memorable experience here at The Guildford Hotel.

From its earliest origins in the 17th century, gin has certainly evolved from a medicine to treat illness. In those times, to make it more palatable, the Dutch started to flavour it with juniper which is now the predominant ingredient of gin. Gin was so popular, in some cases it was distributed to workers as part of their wages – imagine that!

The diversity of the ingredients and botanicals in gin really give it an opportunity to be totally unique. The botanicals used can completely change each experience, and many distilleries now experiment with ingredients not previously considered – there’s even a British Distillery using ants in their gin… What!

Jinzu is another example – a relatively new gin that was actually created by a bartender and is a blend of Sake and gin in addition to zuzu lemon and cherry blossom. Sounds like a match made in heaven.

Gone are the days where gin was just served with wedges of lemon and lime, now we’re offering different gins with the likes of coriander, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, orange, pink grapefruit, star anise – the list goes on and on.

Tristan, our Bar Manager, has a special place in his heart for gin, particularly West Australian products. He rates our spirits just as well as the highly regarded West Australian wine regions. Tristan’s pick is The West Winds Cutlass, distilled in Margaret River and showcasing uniquely Australian ingredients like Bush Tomato and Cinnamon Myrtle. Best consumed any time in the sun, or in Tristan’s case – an afternoon on the lawn with friends playing ‘Cub’, a Swedish outdoor game that he admits he is terrible at! At least the Gin tastes good.

Diageo is our biggest partner as far as Gin goes, providing us with Tanqueray and Tanqueray No. Ten. You can try Tanq 10 as one of our $10 Bespoke Gin Grins - only available via our App. Tristan highly recommends this one garnished with grapefruit and coriander, but you can pick your own!