THE NATIONS’s rejuvenated thirst for Gin has hit warp speed in the last couple of years, and while Leeds maybe can’t claim to have a staunch ‘Gin Scene’, it’s having a damn good go at it. And hey, why does a wild-eyed craving for all things juniper-based need to be described as a ‘scene’ anyway?
Across the city, bar shelves are creaking under the increasing weight intricately-designed bottles of Gin
The Ginstitute in London – Mecca in Gin form - can claim to have its roots in the LS district, with their signature London Gin Portobello Road created by Jake Burger and the team behind Jake’s Bar on Call Lane. There is also now an official ‘Leeds Gin’, rather too literally-named but nevertheless, hand-crafted and bottled in the city and with a distinctive aroma of finest Yorkshire rhubarb.
Across the city, bar shelves are creaking under the increasing weight of more and more intricately-designed bottles of Gin, teasing us with freshness and vivacity. Leeds’ plethora of cocktail bars, including Manahatta and Boutique, are a Gin-centric potpourri of botanical splendour, while even predominantly craft ale bars such as Wapentake and the Northern Monk are tipping a very genteel bowler hat to the feast of invention being undertaken by the UK’s fine upstanding distillers.
But in addition to seasonal pop-up Gin bars such as the Hedonist Project’s all-too-brief metamorphosis into Old Tom’s Gin Kitchen on Lower Briggate in the Spring, there are six establishments in Leeds city centre where the infused herbs and spices pack a particular punch and garnishes spill out of goblets the size of a spaceman’s helmet. With more fruits and foliage on display than harvest festival, these are the dedicated Gin bars of Leeds; cue Burt Bacharach orchestral score, and let’s behave like movie stars.
The Gin Garden
The New Ellington Hotel on York Place is steeped in much history, as the site of former nightclub Digby’s and named after Jazz musician Duke Ellington following a famous visit to Leeds. As an art deco boutique hotel it attracts a high calibre of guest, but as the site of the ‘Gin Garden’ bar on its ground floor it attracts reverential Gin lovers on a pilgrimage to pray at the feet of over 300 Gins. As a numbers game, the Gin Garden wins in Leeds hands down, and any Gin connoisseur would be lying if they claim to have lost their cherry with every offering on this dizzying global-spanning menu. Let the expert staff recommend something for you and relax in the airy surroundings of this elegant ode to Mother’s Ruin.
The New Ellington, 23-25 York Place, Leeds LS1 2EY
Lazy Lounge
Lazy Lounge is quite literally a hidden treasure. In the shadow of the Central Square office block development on the ditched Lumiere site off Wellington Street, which seems to have taken forever to complete, Lazy Lounge will soon radiate brightly when the building hoardings are removed and we can all fully recognise its understated charm. 168 gins (but who’s counting?...) greet us here, along with smart Chesterfield sofas and a sweeping staircase leading up to a Mezzanine floor where weekly Lazy Gin Club tasting sessions allow us to pretend we’re drinking in pursuit of knowledge. There is a very evident dedication to Gin (and whiskey we should add) here and this vivacious, independent bar has expertly-worded descriptions on its lovingly-crafted menu.
Lazy Lounge, Westpoint, Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4JY
The Pourhouse
Over the canal from Granary Wharf is the lofty renovation that is The Pourhouse, a converted industrial building with high ceilings and solid wooden beams, which on a sunny day is perhaps the most tranquil inside and outside drinking spot in Leeds. As a gastropub, the Pourhouse is perched neatly on the waterside and on the edge of the city centre, but its 19-strong Gin menu is worth the short stroll.
A winding staircase takes us upstairs to ‘Gin Lane’, a homage to William Hogarth’s famous 1700s art prints called ‘Gin Lane’ and ‘Beer Street’ depicting each bevvy as a slippery slope towards negligence, poverty and death. It is quite fitting therefore, that we are lead upstairs to an isolated bar where we can covertly sup from an illicit menu of some of the more traditional Gins – Plymouth, Hendricks and Sipsmiths - and others gaining rapid popularity – Gin Mare, Junipero and Bols Jenever.
The Pourhouse, Canal Wharf, Water Lane, Leeds LS11 5PS
Pintura
As a Basque Tapas restaurant, Pintura offers an authentic and award-winning eating experience which merits a visit on its own. If you add in the dedicated Gin bar downstairs it is clear that this is one of the most popular and eye-catching fruits of the adjacent Trinity development. Boasting over 100 Gins, Pintura’s mouth-watering menu offers a veritable ocean of delights for Gin lovers, indeed the 100th Gin added to the list was Pintura’s own-distilled ‘Cien’, a Leeds/Spanish fusion of Yorkshire honey and Yorkshire Gold tea, with Spanish tomato and lemon.
With seven lavish Gin-based cocktails called ‘Copas’ bearing names like Ginebra Con Zumo and Cortador De Niebla, which come in Goldfish bowled-21 Oz goblets, and a helpful ‘Gin & Tonic’ menu which offers a range of gins alongside their recommended tonics and garnishes, you can see why Gin is Spain’s favourite spirit. Finely-crafted drinks, beautiful décor and a natural, vibrant atmosphere this is genuine Mediterranean regality in the middle of Leeds.
Pintura, 1 Trinity Street, Leeds LS1 6AP
61a The Gin Bar at The Wrens
Old school town drinkers might baulk at the prospect but the latest Wrens incarnation has a Gin Bar incorporated into one of its rooms. Boasting over 85 local, national and international gins, 15 garnishes and 30 different cocktails, 61a The Gin Bar is a bold stab at bringing this mainstay of the new/old Northern Quarter back to life. Any former regulars hoping to recline in the smoking room will be in for a shock as elderflower-infused concoctions mix with flamboyant cocktails rarely-before seen since the pub’s 1913 inception.
Jake’s Bar & Still Room
This legendary staple of the Leeds club scene is celebrating its tenth birthday, and the tantalising journey down those steps into a speakeasy den that transforms into a bubbling disco as the night goes on has never been so well-frequented. The evening builds around you as you sample the specialist cocktails made using artisan liqueurs and distillates made from Tabitha, the 30 litre Copper Still housed like a Victorian exhibit in a Still room next to the bar. Jake’s continues to retain its youthful energy and an air for experimentation and their impressive Gin selection reflects the passion that tempted Jake Burger to find his fortune in London. But his legacy in Leeds is one of invention and pride in how popular Gin has become in his home city.
Jake's Bar & Still Room, 29 Call Lane, Leeds LS1 7BT
Words: Jon Howe
