Hey everyone! I hope you’re all doing fine and dandy.

To spruce up your mood in this rather depressing, dreary and well, traditional English weather, I’m here to talk all about the beloved beverage that is a good old Gin and Tonic.

Ahh, Gin & Tonic/G&T/whatever you like to call it - it’s safe to say that although it’s obviously been around for years and years, its popularity and recognition has soared recently, with the country going mad for it.

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It took me a while to become accustomed to the bitter taste of gin - once sipping it reluctantly from a plastic bottle mixed with the cheapest bottle of lemonade I could get my hands on (I do apologise to any gin connoisseurs out there) I now genuinely (and thoroughly) enjoy gin-consumption and it’s generally my drink of choice with a tonic water when I’m out and about.

The amount of gin flavours, tonic flavours, garnishes and combinations make for a more creative tipple, especially when you’re crafting them yourself.

However, we’re skipping on the homemade element today and I’m going to tell you four of my favourite places to grab a delicious G&T in our hometown; two in Brighton and two in Hove, depending how far into the ‘depths’ you’re willing to travel each side, so if you’re a gin-lover, keep reading. Oh, and please remember: I am not claiming to be a gin expert here, I just happen to enjoy drinking it and wanted to share my favourite finds with you all.

If you’re not keen on the flavour combinations I chose, I promise you that each of these places has a brilliant selection to tempt people of all taste preferences, even if you dislike a bog standard, plain G&T. Without further ado…

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The Seven Stars

Ship Street

Brighton

The Seven Stars has just been given a totally new look and honestly, I think I preferred it before… sorry to be a party pooper.

However, they did make up for it with their beautiful G&T’s. I visited when it first re-opened and they didn’t have any menus printed yet, however the lovely barmaid was more than willing to help me pick out something I’d like from the bar. I chose the Malfy Pink Grapefruit gin, and what a good decision it was - I’m a huge fan of grapefruit, so if you prefer something a little less bitter, maybe this wouldn’t be your bag. It was garnished beautifully with dried grapefruit, juniper berries and, the most interesting part of all (and probably my favourite garnish I’ve ever been served in a drink - no, I don’t have a list or anything) was the strawberry diamond. I repeat, the strawberry diamond. ‘What is THAT?’ I quizzed the barmaid, eyes-a-twinkling like I’d just won the lottery when she explained it was a strawberry and ice concoction frozen into a diamond shape. I may be easily pleased, but I thought it was pretty delicious, and I’d give the G&T’s here a 10/10 mark, not just for taste and selection, but also for effort and presentation.

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Old Albion

Church Road

Hove

The Old Albion was completely transformed inside and out a couple of years ago and I think it’s brilliant - it was a much-needed touch-up, in my opinion. They claim that they’ve brought a ‘gin palace’ back to Hove, and with a selection of over 40 gins, I couldn’t agree with them more; a slight growing rivalry with its neighbour, The Gin Tub, perhaps? What’s more, they even make their own exclusive gin called ‘Old Hove Gin’ which I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t sampled yet.

On their website they admit they’ve got a gin ‘obsession’, which I love - honesty is the best policy, and haven’t half of Brighton got this bug at the moment? I certainly have.

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The Temple Bar

Western Road

Hove

The Temple Bar has recently been renovated and done-up beautifully (I’m seeing a trend here.) I headed there last week for some pre-dinner drinks and was pleasantly surprised to find it had a whole dedicated gin menu - what a treat. The selection wasn’t as extensive as others (I’m looking at you, The Gin Tub) but there were about 8-10 gins to choose from, most of which I’d never even heard of, and I always love to try something new to entice my tastebuds.

I chose the rhubarb gin paired with Indian tonic water; I had been worried that it would be a little too sweet for me and put me off the taste of rhubarb for life, but it was surprisingly mild; a perfectly light and non-overpowering drink to begin the night with. The Temple Bar also run quiz nights and various happy-hours, so if that’s your thing, head down there to sample the various options.

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The Gin Tub

Church Road

Hove

The only place which hasn’t been ‘recently done up’ (non-intentional, I promise) is Hove’s well-loved Gin Tub situated on Church Road. It’s rapidly become a firm favourite nightspot of the West-side of the city, especially due to its brand new weekend Shimmer Bar which I still haven’t visited.

Whether you adore or despise the fact you have to order all of your drinks on an old fashioned telephone despite the bar being about five metres away (yes, really) they take the biscuit with their selection of over 80 gins… that’s a LOT of G&T combo opportunities. They also have no wifi or internet, simply to encourage people to put their blowers down for once and chat instead of posting Facebook updates about their evening, which I think is a brilliant idea in today's society.

More on the pricey side, I urge you to make the most of their happy hour which runs from 5-8pm on weekdays, where you can get two extremely large G&T’s for £12, from a multitude of different options. My favourite is the Larios Rose gin with elderflower tonic - far leaning towards the sweeter side, but delicious nonetheless.

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lSo, there we have it - 4 fantastic places to grab a delicious and creative Gin and Tonic in Brighton and Hove. If you’re a self-confessed gin lover or genuinely hate the stuff, I hope you enjoyed this article and get out there to sample all the different combinations - there’s something to suit everyone.

Where’s your favourite place to get a G&T in the city? Perhaps it’s a long-perfected, homemade concoction? Let me know - I’d love to try!

Dayna

Check out Daynas blog below: www.daynachats.com