If you’d told me at the beginning of February that in three months I would be back living with my parents, sleeping in my childhood bed and wondering if young people actually exist in Devon, I would have locked my London door. But it’s day 210 in the Big Brother House and life feels ever more like an apocalypse movie, my version featuring a spoilt Londoner, cutting between scenes of getting pissed nightly in the pub as her ‘before’ and drinking gin with her teddy as ‘after’. And while I’m more blessed than most, everyday interactions and new experiences have been sorely missed from my new lockdown existence - which is why it was time to take a look at some online entertainment.

Inspired by the fictional estate, Downton Abbey Gin is made using Harrogate Water and natural ingredients.

Get your mind out of the gutter and behind the bar, as the entertainment I’m referring to is from Boutique Bar Brands and their new virtual events courtesy of the ‘Sipping Room’. The London-based company works with unique alcohol brands and they haven’t let Coronavirus stop them, launching a series of online masterclasses and virtual gin distillery tours. As we all now know, no good evening is complete without a Zoom link and on a Wednesday evening, I jumped on a call with about 60 other thirsty punters.

Our night starts with host Philip and his introduction to Downton Abbey’s new rhubarb gin, and over the course of just more than an hour, we meet Steve Green (owner of Downton Abbey Gin), and Amy (a bar manager at Leed’s Hedonist). We begin with a generous glug of blush pink gin as Steve explains how they use Harrogate water and local rhubarb to create such a lightly tart gin - forget liqueur, this tipple is so smooth it almost tastes of vanilla. Amy then jumps onto our screen to guide us through a cocktail making (you’re sent an ingredients list before the event), and finally people from around the country turn on their cameras and show off their creations in a virtual cheers.

The DesignMyNight Digest

I still wake up every night from dreams of beer gardens but this online event has gone someway to ease the sense of non-socialising. There’s a great community feel on the call - and what’s more, the class is free, however, it’s well worth choosing the bottle-included ticket to get the full gin experience - and it's still cheaper than most trips to the pub...

Grab tickets for the next online drinks event - this time with Salcombe Gin - here.