It's not often you spend a night drinking eleven gins and are still able to remember the evening, but that was my first experience of a Gin Society Festival.  In truth I had four gin and tonics and a small sip of the other seven.  Gin is not my usual tipple, but I do enjoy one now and again, usually before a meal or on a summers evening relaxing outside.  When I discovered there was to be a gin festival in Lancaster it was good opportunity to learn more about this libation and do something different on a Saturday night.  I went along with my wife, my son and his fiancé.  Without realising it at the time this was a smart move as we could all try something different and so experience a wide selection of different gins and mixers.

The festival was held in Lancaster Town Hall which had a lively relaxed atmosphere.  There was music playing and a group of swing dancers performing to the tunes.

The first thing that struck me was how many different varieties of gin were on offer.  Not only a wide selection of gins (I counted almost 100) but a wide choice of mixers and 10 different garnishes including basil, ginger, lime, orange, rosemary, cucumber, lemon, mint, pink grapefruit, and strawberry. 

As well as the Gin Society's bars, a few British distillers had their own stands.  This was a marvellous opportunity to talk to the distillers and learn more about all the factors that go into producing the unique flavour of a craft gin.  

I am not qualified to give you a meaningful critique of all the gins we tasted, but can share with you a few of the highlights we found during the evening.  

1. Boodles Mulberry mixed with rose lemonade, if you like something a bit sweeter this was like drinking Turkish delight.  
2. Silent Pool Orange Gin with a pomegranate mixer, was a lovely refreshing drink.  
3. Edinburgh Rhubarb and Ginger mixed with ginger ale was gingerbread in a glass!  
4. Brockman's Gin which includes blueberries and blackberries as well as traditional botanicals was reminiscent of drinking ribena.
5. Manchester Gin with its subtle citrus flavours served with traditional tonic water was a lovely mellow classic G & T. 

My personal favourite was the Alnwick Gin mixed with pink grapefruit and rosemary.  It had a lovely summer feel to it and I could imagine sipping one of these sitting by a barbecue on a balmy summer evening.

There are several Gin Society festivals running through out the rest of the year including; Manchester in March, Carlisle in May and  Saddleworth in June. Check the Gin Society Facebook Page for more details.