Weekender: City prepares for its first gin school and drinks lab
The many liquor enthusiasts of Leeds are in luck this autumn as the city prepares to welcome its very first gin school and drinks lab in late November.
Put together by the award-winning team behind the Hedonist bar on Lower Briggate, Liquor Studio will be a one-stop-shop for those wanting to make their own gin and learn everything there is to know about the UK’s most beloved spirit.
The carefully curated Spirit Masterclass will include a walk-through focused on the colourful history of gins past, before guests are invited to get their hands dirty by mashing botanicals and blending their very own brand of the juniper-based spirit.
Liquor Studio will also be hosting its own cocktail masterclasses and will be available to hire exclusively for those looking for a more unique corporate or private event. And the studio can be booked by bar owners looking to take their bartenders to the next level when it comes to mixology.
The gin school and distillery is the brainchild of Hedonist owner and directors Dan Crowther and Jonathan Lee, who along with their team, have grown Hedonist into one of the city’s coolest cult bar brands.
Crowther has built up a solid reputation over the past few years as one of the UK’s most respected liquor aficionados and was crowned Global Gin Ambassador of the Year at the Icons of Gin Awards in 2018. The award was in honour of his partnership with Ableforth’s, who have been a staple of the most discerning of bars around the globe with their iconic Bathtub Gin.
Bookings for the Spirit Masterclass are open now, just in time for the festive party season. Each class can accommodate a maximum of 20 people, with groups split into two throughout the two-hour session. Prices start at £90 per person, with gift tokens available for those looking to treat someone they love with a Christmas voucher they actually want.
The masterclass will begin with an expertly mixed gin and tonic and end with each student taking home three bottles of gin including their own creation to savour at home. Looking to the future, there are also plans for Liquor Studio to broaden its range of masterclasses to include whiskey and rum.
Crowther said: “Having spent the last 10 years travelling the globe learning and teaching people about the world’s finest spirits I cannot wait to bring everything back to my home city of Leeds.
“The Liquor Studio will be a truly unique experience for the people of this great city and we cannot wait to get the doors open and the imbibers in.”
