Kick off your LivTours Private London Gin Tasting Experience in the west end of London at Seven Dials. Your tour takes you through the beating heart of 18th-century bohemian London, a hive of tiny alleyways and grand shopping streets, its charm and magic have captivated writers, actors, and singers for centuries, though the elegant splendor lived side by side with the opium dens of China towns and the debauched theaters and gin parlors of old. Your guide will navigate through this beautiful and vibrant district taking you on a journey through 400 years of London’s history via its most celebrated drink, Gin. Starting at a local you will be following in the footsteps of regulars from the past from bare-knuckle boxers to Oscar Wild. It is a perfect little spot to get to know your local expert over a drink as they introduce the fascinating and hedonistic story of Gin.
From its origins as a Dutch medicine to the world-loved spirit we enjoy today, the story of Gin mirrors the life politics of the city’s history. As you sample this refreshing and botanical beverage your guide will share stories of the beloved spirit that gained the unfortunate name “mothers Ruin” and how the drink’s origins lie in a British rivalry with the French, how for the best part of the 18th century the children of London were drinking up to three pints of neat gin per week. Discover how London, a supposedly moralistic driven, and respectable city became famed for intoxication (a reputation that has proven hard for Londoners to shake off) where as soon as it was created more than 7,000 gin bars opened up in the city alone.
Venture into the netherworld of cabarets and top hats, with Gin tasting locations that could be film sets, from elaborately eccentric Gin Palaces to the local and rather hidden historic pubs. As you stop for tasting after tasting, follow your private guide as they masterfully navigate you through the streets of the dandy west end to continue learning about this history of the classic British staple. Learning not only about how the drink is made, the effect it had on London but also how its imperial exportation found it an unlikely pairing, tonic, though most importantly how best to drink a gin and tonic.