Here’s an idea for the Bank Holiday Weekend. Come and join the Gintime Masterclasses at Oxford Foodies Festival on Sat 28 at 15.45, Sun 29^th at 11.45 and Mon 30^th August at 15.45. We’ll be exploring the delights of Beefeater 24, Foxdenton, Hendricks, Plymouth and London No 1. Original.

Here’s the programme: http://www.foodiesfestival.com/oxford/

And go to the Gintime Home Page to print out 2 tickets for Free Entry for any day of the Festival.

Gintime was heavily involved at the first Bibulous at Vinopolis and it was a brilliant showcase event for our participating brands – the gorgeous Beefeater 24, Caorunn, Hendrick’s Gin, Martin Millers, Plymouth and The London No. 1. In a supremely glamorous setting Gintime editor Geraldine Coates conducted a Master Class and tasting of our featured gins to an audience made up of bar professionals and interested amateurs. Check out the gorgeous Gin Lane girls’ independent opinion here.

And no we didn’t pay them although we have to say they are our new best friends!

Our favourite blue gin has now changed its name and livery to become The London No. 1. This is in response to the new EU definition of London Gin, which specifies that all flavouring must be derived from distillation only, and no colourings or other substances can be added after distillation. London No. 1 is a Distilled Gin like Hendrick’s and Martin Miller’s Gin and has always described itself as such. It adds final touches in the form of pure bergamot oil and maceration with gardenia flowers for the blue colour. So, whilst it is made in London, unlike many other London Gins, brand owners Gonzalez Byass decided to rechristen the brand as The London No 1 to avoid any confusion. Hey, it works for us, we love the new look!

The London Gin has just become available in several Independent Specialist Shops in the UK, including Noel Young Wines in Cambridge, The Vineyard in Dorking, Latitude Wines in Leeds, and some branches of Peckhams in Scotland. Great to see that the blue elixir has also made its way to far off OZ where it’s behind the bar of our latest Gintime Nominated Bar, Cushdy in Adelaide.

The gorgeous London Gin (the blue one) is now available in Selfridges in Oxford Street and in the Berry Brothers Shop in St James in London. It’s also now at B’ham Bullring and Manchester Exchange Square. And if you missed Andy Pearson’s fab new cocktail for the London Gin – the Lady Grey recently featured on BBC2′s "Something for the Weekend” – check it out here .

Every day it seems it gets easier to buy a bottle of the gorgeous London Gin. It’s now available at Selfridges Food Hall in London and at Glasgow and Edinburgh Peckham stores. What are you waiting for?

London Gin, the quintessential British drink, has at last been recognized as a special quality beverage by the European Union. The revised EU Spirit Drink definitions, which became law recently, list the definition of London Distilled Gin for the first time. This definition will help maintain London Gin’s heritage and high standards of production and protect the drink from counterfeit products. Edwin Atkinson, the Director General of the Gin and Vodka Association, stated, "We aim to spread the definition around the world so that London Gin is recognized for the very special, high quality spirit drink that it is."

The London Gin has had a successful few weeks with listings achieved at some of London’s coolest bars like Kenza, Christopher’s Martini Bar, Light Bar (St Martin’s Lane Hotel) and Beach Blanket Babylon. It’s also now available at Drinkon.com

The London Gin has had a successful few weeks with listings achieved at some of London’s coolest bars like Kenza, Christopher’s Martini Bar, Light Bar (St Martin’s Lane Hotel) and Beach Blanket Babylon. It’s also now available at Drinkon.com – just click on the link to the right to order. Check out Drinks Business TV to see Andrew Sinclair of Gonzalez Byass and other movers and shakers on the gin scene discussing what’s new in Gin Trends 2008 – www.drinksbusinesstv.com

It’s been a busy time for The London Gin having just been awarded the prestigious gold medal in the Wine & Spirit magazine Design & Packaging Awards 2008. It was also the star of the show at the exclusive Madrid Fusion event in Spain, where a bespoke bar served and sampled hundreds of key journalists, buyers and enthusiasts from the world of fine food and drink. The signature cocktail, the “Passion Fruit and London Gin Sour” went down a storm!

It’s also grabbing lots of attention in London with new listings at The Establishment in Parsons Green, Match Bar in Clerkenwell, the Soho Hotel, Pinchito in Shoreditch, The Chesterfield in Mayfair, Donovan Bar at Browns Hotel (Mayfair) and One Great George Street in Westminster. In addition, our favourite shop Gerry’s of Soho now stock The London Gin in store and online.