So, an email comes through inviting us to a Sunday afternoon gin masterclass at Edinburgh Gin and we said we’d have to check our diaries. Que us frantically checking the calendar and rearranging stuff we had already planned. As the masterclass approached we both were excited. We’ve been to an Innis & Gunn beer tasting afternoon and knew we’d need to make sure that we had plenty to eat as they can often be a boozy affair. Make sure if you’re planning on coming to an Edinburgh Gin masterclass that you leave the car at home and take the bus or walk! You’ll see why as you read the post.

Edinburgh Gin brewery is situated behind pretty thick glass windows which we were informed on the tour are inferno proof! And should anything go wrong we’d be pretty safe in the bar area, otherwise known as Heads and Tails.

Heads and Tails is located beneath The Huxley in the West End. Now we’ve not been on a brewery tour before but we were pretty surprised to find that there are two stills, Caledonia and Flora, solely responsible for the production of Edinburgh Gin. At the time of our visit their special edition Christmas Gin was being distilled.

The bar opens each day from 5pm until 1am but during the day the gift shop is open and tours can be arranged. When the bar isn’t open, they run masterclasses like the one we attended.

The masterclass ran from 1.30pm to 3.30pm and time just flew by. At the start you get a brief history of gin and how it’s become more than a middle class drink and because of the short distilling time, more and more companies are tapping into the market. At this point we had in hand an Edinburgh’s Christmas Gin and tonic. It was delicious! Definitely something worth trying out, maybe even get the special person in your life a bottle and hope they share it with you! One gin down and it’s onto the masterclass. During the afternoon Sian taught us how to make three different cocktails. Each cocktail had varying ingredients and different tastes. The main theme was cocktails which you could make in the comfort of your own home, they didn’t have 20 ingredients, some of which you might never use again! 

First on the list was a club clover with a twist.

In order to make two servings you will need – 50ml Edinburgh Raspberry Gin, 25ml fresh lemon juice and a dash of egg white.

This was my favourite of the three. It was slightly bitter but refreshing. Something which I could probably drink all afternoon and then realise I should have stopped several drinks back.

Next up was a Flip.

I got in on the action this time. Having previously worked in a bar it was a treat making cocktails again. To make two servings of the Flip you need – 100ml Edinburgh Rhubarb and Ginger Gin, 50ml apple juice, 2 eggs and 2 dashes of bitter.

This had a Christmassy taste to it. Almost egg-nog like. Or for those of you who’ve tasted Dale Farm Joker ice lollies, this is what I thought it tasted off.

Finally Mr Edinburger had a chance to make a Martineze (sp?) For this you need 25ml martini and 25ml Edinburgh’s Christmas Gin and 2 dashes of orange bitters.

This was Mr E’s favourite. It was slightly too strong for me, I prefer something a bit more bitter and less alcoholic tasting.

So 3 cocktails later and a tour of the distillery and we were ready for home! It was a great afternoon and a fantastic idea for a girlie day out or even something to consider as part of a leaving do or hen party. We had a fantastic afternoon and left bleary eyed and in need of some food. The staff are all fantastic and very passionate about Edinburgh Gin. The group idea was an excellent idea and by the end of it we had all gotten over our shyness (that was maybe something to do with the Gin?).

Tickets for the masterclasses are priced at £25 but considering you get a G&T and 3 full sized cocktails it’s worth every penny. If you liked the sound of the Edinburgh Gin Club the next event is a gin and cheese tasting with IJ Mellis. Find out more here.

Her x