The AGA was held last week and well attended by budding distillers of sloe and damson gins. Annually our guests come together with their home made gins to try and be the pride of Cholmondeley!!
20 gin lovers and makers took part and the evening was judged by David from Langley’s Gentleman’s Gin. He thoroughly enjoyed the efforts of the contestants and needed a taxi home afterwards. David presented the Chairman’s Champion 2014 to Roger Keys (our very own coffee supplier) and runner up went to another Roger this time Roger Haydock.
The Peoples Champion was chosen by everyone who take part as they sipped their way through 20 glorious mixtures! The People chose Kate Smith as Champion and Philippa Heler as runner up 2014.
Big congratulations to all who took part and of course the winners!
The main picture shows David of Langley’s holding the board with Kate and Philippa and Roger and Roger.
If you are a keen Fruit Gin maker then get ready for the AGA Cup next December 2015. Click on image below to view gallery.
On a beautiful day at sea just off the coast of Donegal, Tim collected the Cholmondeley Arms 210th Gin and sailed to the aptly named Juniper Island situated just off the coast of Northern Donegal in the Irish Republic to celebrate the Dingle Gin! At present there are only two gins made in Ireland and one of these is the hand-crafted, artisan Dingle Original Gin. It is the product of a considerable amount of research, both technical and historical, and experimentation. The aim was to create a totally new gin, one which worked within the great tradition of gin distilling but which also came with a degree of innovation.
Dingle Original Gin is made in small batches of 500 litres. In terms of its broad style, this is what is categorised as a London dry gin but the unique character and flavour come from the painstaking and original choice of botanicals.
This secret combination of flavour elements are macerated in spirit for 24 hours. Then, when the spirit is distilled, it passes through a flavour basket in the neck of the still. This underlines the attention to detail that is an essential part of our whole approach to the art of distillation.
The Dingle people are not prepared to reveal their recipe but are happy to give some idea of what is involved in creating the unique flavour profile of Dingle Original Gin.. They use, amongst other botanicals, rowan berry from the mountain ash trees, fuchsia, bog myrtle, hawthorn and heather for a taste of the Kerry landscape. It’s a formula unknown elsewhere and is calculated, amongst other things, to create some sense of place and provenance, what winemakers might call the gout de terroir.. The spirit is collected at 70% abv and then cut to 40% abv using the purest of water which we draw from our own well, 240 feet below the distillery.
Peter Mosley sums up DOG’s unique character in a few words: “The uniquely Irish botanicals give a fabulously fresh, floral character that perfectly balances the traditional juniper. But, to be honest, you really have to taste it for yourself.”
Tim and his friends enjoyed the Dingle Gin on Juniper Island and he is now bringing back a couple of bottles for the customers of Cholmondeley to enjoy. He also has a bottle of Cork Gin too…
So with a lot of exciting gin arriving from 1st September 2014 come to Cholmondeley and let the team entertain you.
For the first time the Cholmondeley Arms has put a ‘Pop up’ Gin and Tonic bar in to the Pageant of Power (PoP) and on ‘World Gin day’ too. The
Cholmondeley celebrates world gin day by going through the 200 Gin barrier. Yes there are 200 Gins at the Chum!!
Jess the Cholmondeley Arms manager with Soph, Ben and Shane and many others set up the POP up and it features the ‘seven deadly gins’ namely…..
- Portobello Road Gin with lemons
- Ish Gin with limes
- Hunters Gin with cucumber
- Berkeley Square Gin with fresh basil
- Gin Mare with lemon rind and fresh Rosemary
- Opihr Spiced Gin with Red Chilli Pepper
- Bloom Gin with fresh strawberries
The theme of the bar is an English Country Garden with celebrating many Cheshire distilled gins as well as craft gins from further afield.
The Cholmondeley Arms Annual Gin Festival Monday 14th July – Saturday 19th July
Celebrating the 200 Gins of the Cholmondeley Arms now one of the biggest ‘Gin-stitutions’ in the world, with every Gin and tonic at only £5.00 during the festivities with different days featuring different Gins from some of the best Gin distillers in the world.
Our Country garden Gin Marquee will be opening on Friday evening and all day Saturday when the real ‘Gin fest’ 2014 begins with a little live music and a barbecue as we raise our Glasses to what will be an excellent event.
Tonic restyled and in stock
Premium Tonic waters with or indeed, without gin, are becoming so popular that ‘Schhhh you know who?’ Are having to take a back seat!! Most people have heard of Fever Tree Tonics who pioneered the premium tonic and no doubt drove up the demand for premium gins. The gin ‘explosion’ has been amazing and here at Cholmondeley we always felt the grand old G&T was at home here. We are also fussy and one of the vital ingredients to a great G&T is effervescence or fizz. We believe that Fever Tree hasn’t the bubbles needed to stand up versus some new ‘kids on the block’.
We have therefore introduced three ‘guest’ tonics that carry the effervescence through your complete enjoyment of a refreshing G&T. Two are Indi Tonics both organic, one infused with lime. Both are great on their own over ice simply with a fresh lime squeeze. The third tonic is 1724 and is wonderful over ice with a slice of orange. Perfect for those that have driven to our pub but still want to pretend!!
Adding Gin to these premium tonics always can be complicated but the lime infused Indi Tonic is perfect with something as traditional as Tanqueray. The botanical Indi Tonic is lovely with Tanqueray Rangpur.
As for 1724 add this to Whitley Neil Gin with a refreshing slice of orange and there you have a differentiated alternative to Gordon’s, Schweppes and a chunk of lemon!!!
The Award arrived finally to confirm the Cholmondeley Arms as the best server of Spirits In the North of England!! Our gin collection is what has brought us this great recognition and rightly so!! We now have 187 Gins on our back bar this is more than what is recorded in the ‘Guinness book of records’. We were also recognised for our Sunday Bloody Mary Club which kicks off at 10.30am every Sunday as well as bringing back nostalgic drinks such as the Classic ‘Snowball’ now being served over Christmas!!
Well done all the team for this accolade and good luck with the ‘Local Food’ nomination!!
This famous number normally shouted out with Gusto at a televised darts tournament is now being shouted out even louder by our team here at the Cholmondeley Arms!!! Yes it is true the gin tally has rocketed largely thanks to our wonderful customers who are travelling the world to bring back rare gins to add to the Cholmondeley collection!! A very big thank you to all who brought ‘Gin to the Inn’.
If you are a gin fan then pop in to the Cholmondeley Arms ask for Steve, Struan, Monika, Anna or Adam…if you can remember all those names!! They will take you through some of the best and rarest gins out there and of course mix you your preferred option!!
Gin classes too are becoming very popular and indeed that’s why we are now doing them on week day evenings!! This Christmas why not book your gin tasting with Christmas dinner to follow!!
The Cholmondeley Arms has reached the final of the ‘Best Spirit Serving Pub’ at the London Hilton having got through the regional finals in the Great British Pub awards 2013. Steve, our landlord and Gin Champion and Struan, our Deputy and Gin Ambassador, stood proud outside the Cholmondeley Arms as the judge arrived to put them to the test!!! Lucky the judge had a taxi booked!!
This is recognition for the great efforts of Steve, Struan and Monika who have all combined to ensure our gin act is second to none. To add spice to the week the Chum managed to go past the 161 gins stocked by a bar in the Guinness book of records!!!
Gin classes are getting booked out on Saturday afternoons as guests to ‘the Chum’ want to enjoy the Gin experience and learn about the history of a very English spirit.
So fingers crossed on 12th September 2013 when the team go to London!!
Good luck to the team.
OUTDOOR GIN TASTING FROM A TEA CUP!!
The official World Record according to the Guinness book of records for the most gins in a bar is 161 and while we know that the particular hotel which holds the record probably now has more than 161 we are delighted to announce that we have beaten their official record. Gins have been added via our ‘bring gin to the Inn’ and through our Gin merchants to bring us up to an amazing 162 Gins!!!! As you can see from the photo we have three Gins from the ‘Few’ distillery in America. Each bottle signed by the distiller and truly craft examples with an ‘aged’ Gin matured in Bourbon casks. Almost a bourbon Gin!! We are proud to announce The Cholmondeley Arms has reached the final of the Publican’s Morning Advertiser Best Spirit Pub 2013. This is a massive achievement and we are delighted to be recognised. The judging is taking place over the coming weeks. Steve, Stru and Monika have done an excellent job over the last one and a half years to promote all things Gin. We couldn’t be more proud of their achievement.
Thanks to all our Gin loving customers who have joined us in this time to savour a wonderful gin and tonic and have participated in all the Gin Things we do.
Fingers crossed we can go to London in September and win it!!!
Tim Bird