Over 300 types of gin plus prosecco on draft will be available when the Ipswich Gin Parlour opens next week.
The bar, from the owner of The Dove, will be dedicated solely to craft, quirky and delicious bottles of the spirit is set to open its doors on Wednesday, June 5.
Ady Smith, of The Dove on St Helen's Street, said his new business Ipswich Gin Parlour, (found opposite the pub in what was a home brewing shop) is a perfect addition to the town, and hopes it will become a buzzing social venue for drinkers, groups, parties and corporate events.
"It's been about four years in the making this," he reveals. "Rum is the next big thing to follow but it won't get as big as gin. There's over 1,000 types of gin now in the UK alone. It's gone massive. We've based this one on something we saw up North.
"The home brewing shop had done well in 18 months but online and supermarkets jumped onto the home brewing sector and we thought 'we're not making any money on this now, we need to do something else'."
Ady describes the new parlour as a modern, boutique bar, seating just 16 to 18 people - but with the option to take your drinks over to The Dove if you fancy sitting in the pub garden or soaking up the atmosphere there.
"It will be available for small groups for hire and for tutored lessons on tasting gin too. We can bring a distiller in. There's lots of things we can do. We've already done some hen parties and had some companies wanting to bring their staff in for team-building sessions."
The majority of the 300 or so gins listed come from Britain, but the menu spans the globe, offering something totally different.
"There isn't a bar counter," says Ady, "there's a serving counter where the bar person will talk you through the gins, and give you a taster. There's so many to try. We've got the strongest ones (the diver's gins), an Irish one called Feckin, cherry almond gin, sticky toffee, numerous rhubarb gins, chocolate gins, a gin you drink neat out of the freezer. And we have two non-alcoholic ones and soft drinks as well."
Every week at the bar there will be a gin of the week (a reason to go back time and time again). And Ady's quick to point out their measures are 35ml, not the 25ml found in many other bars and pubs.
"It's all about the quality of the drink. We have to advise people that if they ask for a double it's almost a treble compared to anywhere else. We'd rather they had a proper measure so they can taste the spirit, but we want them to drink responsibly."
To serve with the spirits are around eight different ranges of tonic, from Fevetree to Lamb & Watt. Plus - there's prosecco on draft, which will be used to make elegant gin cocktails.
"We're excited about it. It's going to be a great social venue," Ady adds.
The bar will be open on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and from late afternoons Friday to Sunday with private bookings available on Mondays and Tuesdays.
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