It is official, I have graduated as a master distiller, by having made my very own Slingsby Gin concoction. To attest my newly found skill, is the signed and sealed Spirit of Harrogate bottle proudly placed in our drinks globe, and a recipe card to follow.

In our fine corner of Yorkshire, Harrogate to be precise, you’ll find the Spirit of Harrogate flagship store, where here the magic happens.Inside, you can browse their range of established gins and vodka, as well as their test gins (which are flavours they’re currently experimenting with) or get yourself booked into one of their experiences.

The Master Distiller Experience

The store is located in Harrogate town centre, on Montpellier Parade. The shop front is covered in a beautiful array of flowers, something thanks to the recent sun has been something hugely worth admiring.Inside, the shop it’s hella fun for any gin lover.

Greeted with a warm welcome and after an introduction to the brand with a little show and tell, we were taken upstairs to the bar and seating area above, and served our first G&T.An elegant room, accessorised with industrial crafted tables and copper pots, an homage to gin distillation.

Across from the bar, the private room was kitted out with seating, and decorated with a live moss wall to create the perfect gin drinking atmosphere.Here, we spent half the night testing various gins to confirm our favourite style, which we’d use as inspiration later to create our own blend.Upon testing, and possibly retesting, and triple checking we were really sure we liked the gin style, to the lab we went were we made our own concoctions.

How exciting. Following a base recipe from our ideal gin, we were then able to accessorise with a range of botanicals, fruits and teas to make our very own.

We watched the magic happen as the process took place, and eagerly awaited for our own blend to drip through. A dabble here and there had to take place of course before we completed the session, because a master should always test their creations, right?

To keep the magic of the experience within the Spirit of Harrogate, I’ll leave the rest of the details out, and you’ll quite simply just have to see what it’s all about.  Guaranteed is hours of fun, plenty of gin, and a one and only unique gin blend.

Charlotte xox

PS. Huge thanks to the Slingsby team for a marvellous session. I was invited to the masterclass free of charge, in return for an honest review.