Let the Good Times Be Gin

LATE NIGHT FUN at THE GEFFRYE MUSEUM!

Background Bars in association with The Geffrye Museum present a Late Night Opening as part of Museums at Night

Discover the best of London's GIN with a night of craftily distilled fun: Cocktails, drinking songs, lessons on how to grow your own cocktails, copious amounts of rowdiness and sampling from some of London's finest, quirkiest and newest distilleries. 

LINE-UP

BACKGROUND BARS

East London's bar maestros bring all their gin distilling friends to the museum to provide you with a night of gintastic tastes, samples, workshops and more.

THE MEAD MEN

An inventive and entertaining ensemble, The Mead Men Shanty Band comprises a veritable army of classically trained performers, bringing the tradition of shanty singing of beaches and barges into venues around the UK. The Mead Men's Shanties have all the wild élan of sailors on shore leave, and their repertoire runs the gamut of this salty corner of folk, from the bombastic to the elegiac. The songs are rooted in the solidarity between working people, and the crowd becomes one with the crew: singing, dancing and drinking under the gleaming eye of the shantyman Alex "Ironbeard" Masters. Interspersed between the boisterous bragging of drunken sailors and the quiet moments of lost love, The Mead Men will often hurl you into a reel, jig or audience participatory drinking song that helps cement these performers as not only traditional artists but as young raucous showmen.

THE GIN WHORE

Historical tales of hooch and harlots, let the Gin Whore fill you in with tales of famous hookers and their links to the juniper flavoured spirit. Explore the production of gin, from historical styles to modern techniques, jenever to gin. Plus tips on becoming a modern Gin Whore - from where to drink, to the trouble you'll have dating and how to become a professional 'Old Tom'...

EAST LONDON LIQUOR COMPANY

Distilling since 2014, East London Liquor Company is located in an old glue factory in Bow Wharf where they produce a number of Londons best gins. Tonight, their head honchos will share their knowledge to show you how gin is made and tell some of the shocking stories of gin's dark past. With a mini copper still to demonstrate they will give you all the information you need to start distilling your very own spirits. Although we would not suggest that you try this at home as that would be illegal! You have been warned:

Botanicals & Beyond: What is Gin?

Explore London’s spirit through a discussion and tasting with East London Liquor Company’s head distiller, Tom Hills. Tom will explain the distillation process, focussing on how gin flavours are extracted from botanicals and how alcohol levels affect the flavour of the final spirit.

GIN RIOTS WORKSHOP

What do we want? GIN! When do we want it? NOW! 

Drop in to our gin riot workshop and shout about something that gets your goat. Make a mini protest placard and take it to the streets to show the world what you care about! It doesn't have to be gin. But it probably will be. Mmmmm... gin....

GROW YOUR OWN COCKTAIL

The museums own gardeners join forces with travelling bar nomads and gin gurus, Gimlet Bar to teach you a lesson or two about gin. Our gardeners will fill you in on how, when and where to grow your own herbs and Gimlet Bar will show you what you can do with them. Botanicals are more than garnishes, check out their cordials, wines, shrubs and mixers all made with home grown ingredients. After all that intellectual stuff you will no doubt need a drink, so take a load off on a deckchair, grab a cocktail from Gimlet Bar and wallow in the joys of spring in our flourishing period gardens. 

BLACKDOWN DISTILLERY

Join the multi-award-winning Master Distiller Sarah Thompson from Blackdown Distillery in Sussex and be one of the first to sample her brand spanking new ethical British gin! One gin uses its profits to provide clean drinking water in developing countries, their water brand has already raised over £15million. We are very proud to be able to offer the first public outing of One gin so drop in, learn about their work and while you are there, see Peter Spanton Drinks to find out how to make a G&T that’ll blow your tiny mind. BOOM!

SECOND SITTERS: EVOLUTION TO REVOLUTION

An extra chance to see this special exhibition! Coinciding with London Craft Week and supported by Arts Council England, the exhibition contains work from UK based upholsterers who are redefining the traditional preconceived role of the upholsterer by combining traditional craft skills with contemporary thinking. Taking the form of a physical timeline, the exhibition maps the changes and developments within the discipline to include techniques, materials and stories. Works will be multi-disciplinary, from furniture, to photography, to film, tackling activism, social commentary, materiality and the throw-away culture.

Featured upholsterers will be Jude Dennis, Polly Granville, Miss Pokeno, Mick Sheridan, Rachael South, Hannah Stanton and Electra Read-Dagg, several of whom will be there on the night demonstrating their work and chatting to gin soaked peeps (i.e. you)

THE BOTTLE SHOP

All the shiny new gins you sample on the night will be available behind the bars for immediate consumption and also available in our shop for one night only! Hot new brands like One Gin and Blackdown will be alongside favourites East London Liquor as well as new tonic packs from Peter Spanton. Ooooh exclusive!!

FOOD

Soak up those gin based bevvies with some carbs and then get back to the bar for another. 

The fantastic Gyoza Guys will be on hand to serve up some deliciously authentic dumplings and noodles.

We are also pleased to welcome back The Cheese Truck, dedicated to celebrating the best of British cheese and an ideal compliment to drink or two. As is...

Sloshed Sorbets! Handmade sorbets using all natural ingredients and a generous glug of East London Liquor Co premium gin.  Noms.