The Humble Tumbler and The Gin Queen gin masterclass

When it comes to alcohol, the only thing I drink is gin. Since I came across it at a London bar in 2010, it has become my drink of choice, which I generally drink with apple juice (yes, it sounds weird but give it a go and let me know what you think). Such is my love for gin that I currently have over three litres of it in my house just waiting to be consumed.

So when I came across The Humble Tumbler (Clare Burder) and the The Gin Queen's (Caroline Childerley) gin masterclass, I knew it was something I had to partake in. Throughout the course of the evening, Childerley and Burder take us on a journey through the early beginnings of gin and provide tastings of nine gins from across Australia and around the world, each with its unique distillation, botanicals and taste.

It is an intimate dinner party style setting for 14 people, all strangers except the two people I attended with. The table is adorned with the varieties of gins we will be drinking along with some mouth-watering olives and cheeses. I'm not a big cheese fiend but I immediately fell in love with the Meredith Feta and the L'Artisan Le Fermier. 




But back to the gin. Despite drinking it for over five years I knew very little about it before this class. It was a great opportunity to sample a variety of gins and begin to consciously notice the different and subtle tastes and receive the back story on the varying distillations. The two that really stood out for me however, were Gin Mare, a Spanish gin that has non-traditional botanicals like Arbequina olives and basil, and Botanic Australis, a Northern Queensland distiller who only uses native botanicals (14 to be exact) except for the juniper. 

Childerley and Burder create such a casual and fun environment and ensure that the masterclass is an entertaining and insightful evening. Whether you're a gin aficionado or just have a slight interest in gin, you will walk away with a good knowledge of gin, both in your head and in your body. By the end of the evening, those strangers are no longer strangers as conversation flows freely from all over the table.

If gin is not your drink of chose, don't worry, the Humble Tumbler runs classes on a variety of drinks, including wine, beer and whisky. Highly recommended.