Learn, laugh, and guzzle your way through London’s liquid history with a local expert. LivTours London Gin Tasting Experience is an interactive, delicious, and fascinating way to taste and discover the marvelous stories behind the iconic British tipple. Your expert guide will accompany you around the narrow streets of the city as you dive deeper into the legends and stories of a drink that has gone from rags to riches to holding its firm place as a household name across the world.
With 4 different tastings in the legendary gin parlors and historic pubs of London’s bohemian and genteel Covent Garden, you will ‘absorb’ the science behind the distilling process, the amusing and often dark history behind London’s gin craze, and most importantly how to correctly serve and drink this seemingly simple and elegant drink.
From its humble origins it quickly became the drink of choice for the rich and poor, and a victim of its success, found in aristocratic gambling dens of west London and the poverty-stricken city’s slums of the East. Exported by the Empire and bootlegged by London’s criminal underworld Gin has been immortalized in art film and literature, and the world has been thirsty and fascinated ever since.
Semi-Private tours and experiences are guaranteed six participants max.
Our prices always include tickets and reservations fees (no waiting in lines!)
Our tour guides and staff are selected experts and speak perfect English
Easy to book and prepay your tours with our secure payment system
Eco-sustainable tourism, designed to respect and support local culture, art and traditions
Start your London Gin Tasting Experience in London’s Seven Dials, in the west end of London and greater Covent Garden area. Covent Garden is a hive of little passages and charming shopping streets that was once home to Chinatown’s opium dens, sordid theaters, and gin parlors. Your guide will navigate your way through this lively and beautiful district taking you back through 400 years of London’s history as you make your way to local pubs, get cozy, and introduce the world of Gins.
From its humble medicinal origins to world-class spirit the story of Gin reflects the life and politics of its time. As you sample this uniquely clean and botanical beverage your guide will share stories of a drink that became known as “mothers Ruin” how Gin’s origins lie in a truly British rivalry with the French, and how for nearly half a century even the children of London were drinking up to three pints of the stuff per week. Discover how a supposedly moralistic driven and respectable city was turned into a pit of intoxication (a reputation that has proven hard for Londoners to shake off) where after just a few years of Gins creation more than 7,000 gin bars opened up in London alone.
Dive into the past into a world of cabarets and top hats as your evening continues at elaborate, eccentric, and opulent Gin Palaces and the historic pubs before your guide helps you navigate the alleyways of the dandy West end. Sample different pairings and learn which gins work with which garnish, how to impress friends and guests by choosing the correct mixer, and the interesting story behind the addition of Indian Tonic water to this British staple.
LivTours’ group size of max 6 participants is and always has been based on sustainable travel, and we are proud to be at the forefront of change and innovation in the industry. LivTours is committed to providing travelers with truly sustainable tours with the lowest possible environmental impact, all while supporting the local industries and people of each unique destination. To learn more about how you can actively support sustainable tourism and how LivTours is contributing, click here.
All LivTours Semi-Private Group Tours are limited to 6 guests per tour guide. Our commitment to maintaining our uniquely tiny group sizes can sometimes be a little tricky, mathematically speaking. For example, we want to ensure that traveling families and friends can tour together so on rare occasions we may add one or two guests in order to not split groups. On that same note, you may also find yourself on tour with less than six people! We thank you for your understanding and flexibility.
By selecting Choose Dates Later / Buy as Gift at booking, any tour can be purchased without fixed dates. This is the perfect option if you want to purchase your tour as a gift for a loved one, or if you are in the pre-planning phase of your vacation. After booking, you will receive a Travel Voucher Code and full instructions on how to schedule your tours when ready. Once your travel plans are confirmed, you can easily use the Travel Voucher Code on the LivTours website to formally schedule your tours. You can find out more here.
