“Little nips of whisky, little drops of gin,

Make a lady wonder where on earth she’s been” – Anon.

Gin is, in my mind, intimatelly linked to London. Even though its origins can be traced back to both Holland and Italy where it’s most probably been invented, Londoners very quickly fell head over heels (quite literally, see Gin Craze) for that spirit and it’s been included in many typically British cocktails, and stars in one of my own favourites, Gin & Tonic.

I’ll admit that I’m far from being an expert, but I’m working on it. And what better way for that than being invited over to taste London’s latest gin blend, VII Hills? 

VII Hills was created by three of London’s best bartenders, who are behind award-winning bar Mr Fogg’s: Danilo Tersigni, Filippo Previero and Francesco Medici. True to their Italian roots, they created a blend combining ancient Roman botanicals with the great British art of distillery to create a unique flavour of past and present.

Just like Mr Fogg’s incomparable atmosphere, VII Hills Gins end up being somewhere juggling between tradition and quirkiness.

The promise of cocktails was the perfect excuse to catch up with some of my absolute favourite London bloggers, Rosie of A Little Lusciousness and Jasiminne of Posh, Broke & Bored. While discussing each other’s current projects (Rosie is planning a few pop-up dinners in July and they look absolutely ace!), we couldn’t help but click too many pictures of the surroundings… but in my defence, aren’t those bowl hat lamps the cuttest?After some plotting to take various pieces of the decor home (we didn’t), it was time for the tasting to begin! We started with VII Hills Gin by itself, which was quite wonderful as it had very pleasant sweet orange notes on top of the usual juniper, with fairly spicy, almost Szechuan-like mid-tones. Very unlike anything else I’ve tried before and definitely on my radar for this summer’s G&Ts!We also got to try the VII Hills Gin in two of Mr Fogg’s signature cocktail, starting with the ridiculously pretty Cape of Good Hope (VII Hills Gin, pear puree, fresh rosemary, lavender tincuture, egg white & soda)Surprisingly enough, it looks almost as pretty when it’s empty! I mean, look at those swirls!
The Kiouni (VII Hills Gin, St Germain liqueur, apple juice, lime juice and peach bitter) might seem a lot simpler but tasted of summer. Since the weather doesn’t seem to want to take the calendar into consideration, I suppose this is the next best thing. One last cup of coffee and we were on our way. Up, up and away?