Gin glorious gin – hot toddies all clustered – while we are in the mood

While obviously, Oliver wasn’t singing about Gin (or you would rather hope not given his age), having found Gilberts Gin Garden, I rather felt like breaking into song.  Set under the arches at George Gilbert Scott’s stunning Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras Station is a quirky little drinking venue sponsored by Hendricks.

Laid out like Alice in Wonderland’s Grown Up Garden with gold fish in cages, white metal furniture, fake grass and a sofa made out of half a bath, you can’t help but be charmed.  My friend and I visited on a warm summers evening having visited the British Library exhibition on Propaganda (thoroughly recommended) and use the unusual gin cocktails to wash the nasty taste of tyranny out of our mouths.

I went for a The Delicate Rose which combines Hendrick’s gin with rose petal tea, pink grapefruit, elderflower and cucumber and my friend chose to try a decidedly grown up G&T with elderflower and thyme.  Mine arrived in a Hendrick’s tea pot which I was seriously sizing up to ascertain just how easily I could fit it into a handbag but I’m sure the waiter (who was using a telephone box as a service station) may have noticed.

We were given seriously tasty popcorn– signature smoked butter and black peppercorn if you must know –  to accompany our drinks and apart from the noise from the all to close road, all was perfect.

If you are in London and fancy dropping in to a little bit of wonderland, don’t hesitate to visit the Gilberts Gin Garden but do it quickly as I fear that it may well disappear with the autumn winds

L xx

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