So it turns out you don’t even need to leave London in order to have the holiday of a lifetime… just head west to Portobello Road and you can enjoy the ultimate boozy staycation (what a terrible word that is). Thanks to Portobello Road Gin‘s new venture, there literally could not be a better location for gin lovers. We’re talking 4 floors dedicated entirely to gin; starting from the basement, fitted with a 400 litre gin still, to the top floor with a private dining space and 3 boutique bedrooms overlooking the famous Portobello Road Market.
The ground floor will be The Resting Room; a bar/restaurant with a variety of unique spirits served directly from barrels suspended from the ceiling. (Don’t worry if you’re not a gin lover—although you really bloody should be considering—they also have other things like avocado and olive oil vodka. Hmmm). Step up a level and you’ll find a Spanish-inspired bar and restaurant, GinTonica, serving up incredibly fancy G&Ts with somewhat questionable garnishes — asparagus, anyone? There’ll also be a tasty tapas menu created by exec head chef at Pintura Kitchen and Bar, Greg Lewis.
Elsewhere in the building you’ll find a museum boasting a range of gin-related artefacts, an off-licence (way classier than it sounds), and The Ginstitute, which will give guests the opportunity to make their own blend of gin to take home, or to their bedroom on the top floor. The boutique rooms, which we expect will be booking up pretty fast, come complete with a fully stocked mini-bar and a handmade bespoke record player with a playlist lovingly curated by independent music and vinyl legends, Rough Trade. What more could you possibly want?
The Distillery opens December 16 at 186 Portobello Rd, W11 1LA. For more info go to there site at the-distillery.london.
Also published on Medium.