An Eldon Square restaurant will be showcasing local gin at a special tasting event this March and for the city centre venue you can't get more local than Newcastle Gin.
Ask Italian in Eldon Square is now stocking the spirit which is distilled just 200 metres along the road from the restaurant at Bealim House. And it will be hosting two gin tastings so that customers can sample the new addition to the menu.
The restaurant company is also introducing Newcastle Gin at its Metrocentre branch in Gateshead and says this is 'the first step' of a journey to bring 'more of the local community into our restaurants'. To celebrate this, its upcoming tasting events in the city will include a cocktail from the new 'community spirit cocktail menu' alongside some nibbles and a main course for £20.
Read more: Newcastle's newest cocktail bar announces April opening date
Similarly, Ask is exploring local gins to serve in all of its restaurants across the country, saying it wants to celebrate the best local producers in each area to feature as its 'pouring gin' and also in the likes of its signature Lemon Drop Spritz cocktail. The Newcastle Gin Company was founded by Harry Vaulkhard in 2013 and its home at the Bealim House bar-restaurant is said to be the city’s only working in-house gin still.
Its showcase product is hand crafted over 72 hours and taken to bottling strength using highly purified Newcastle water. The result is a light floral gin infused with subtle notes of juniper, sumac, orange peel, Iranian hibiscus, rose petal and coriander - and a couple of secret ingredients. There's a pink gin and flavoured variety too.
The founder himself will be guiding the Newcastle gin-tasting sessions which will take place at Ask on March 27. There are two slots available to book, at 6.30pm and 7.30pm, and - while having a chance to meet the maker - customers can try a range of drinks alongside pizza or pasta, including their choice of Community Spirit gin-based cockails.
To book, select the relevant date and event online and pick a slot - see here - or call the restaurant, in Greys Quarter of Eldon Square, on 0191 435 2104.
Read Next
