By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food
Taking residence within the newly opened Hilton Hotel within London’s Bankside, The Distillery was designed as a bar and meeting point for the local area’s residents with a chic, casual environment. Built on the former site of Stevenson & Howell’s Standard Works essence factory, The Distillery pays homage to its heritage by serving a range of signature cocktails that incorporate a number of homemade aromatics, infusions and bitters. Also available, the bar stocks 50 different Gins (this is London, after all) and its own Distillery Beer on tap.
Another prominent feature of The Distillery is the ‘Penny Wall’ art exhibition that decorates the bar, made up of old coins dating back to the 1860s, incorporating the names of past monarchs. As a result, to tie in with the installation, the bar also offers a range of cocktails named after the aforementioned inclusions, featuring the likes of the Queen Elizabeth II. Combining gin, lemon juice, basil, and a special rich grape peel syrup – here’s a recipe to recreate the drink at home this weekend.
The Distillery can be found at Hilton London Bankside, 2-8 Suffolk Street, London, SE1 0UG.
Ingredients
- 50 ml Sipsmith London dry gin
- 20 ml Fresh lemon juice
- 20 ml Rich grape peel syrup
- 15 ml Egg white
- 5 Fresh basil leaves
- 5 Ice cubes
To Garnish
- Lemon peel
- Fresh basil leaves
- Black pepper
Instructions
To make the rich grape peel syrup
- Heat up 2-part sugar and 1-part water
- Once the sugar has dissolved, add white grape peels to syrup and leave it for a couple of hours.
- Double strain it and leave to cool down
Method
- Blend all the ingredients using a blender for 20 seconds
- Let it rest for 10 seconds and stir with ice
- Next pour in to a champagne flute without ice.
