With the sun finally starting to show its face in a somewhat dreary summer, Bankside will see an exciting, new al fresco gin pop-up, The Little Garden, launch at The Distillery bar in the recently launched 5* Hilton Bankside hotel
Passionate about working closely with their surrounding South East London neighbours, The Distillery will collaborate with Little Bird Gin, an Independent Gin Brand that lovingly produces its London Dry gin in small batches using unique botanicals such as grapefruit and orange. With a regular pop-up bar at the neighbouring Maltby Street Market, Little Bird will be taking up an additional post on the pedestrianised Price’s Street with the terrace bar extending out of The Distillery, providing the perfect al fresco spot to enjoy refreshing cocktails and light bar snacks from now until early September.
The Little Garden will be beautifully decorated by All for Love, an independent florist and recent runners-up at the renowned Chelsea in Bloom, People’s Champion Award. Adorned with outside seating and blankets, All for Love florists will use a mismatch of various planters and vintage barrels filled with herbs and colourful summer plants. In addition, the garden will feature a floor of grass, mismatched pots of flowers, and flower-filled, upcycled gin bottles, creating the perfect, relaxed garden setting in the middle of the city to enjoy a tipple!
An exclusive cocktail menu has been designed by both Little Bird and The Distillery mixologists to enhance the gin’s smooth citrusy taste and will include the perfect G&T, Negroni and a special A Little Bird Told Me, a take on the Last Word cocktail originating from the prohibition era. Speaking of the pop-up, Laura Sullivan from Little Bird comments, “We’re delighted to be working with Hilton Bankside. Their unique design-led Hilton hotel, matches Little Bird Gin’s ethos in terms of being unique, individual and never following suit. We have a huge amount of love for this area of London! Being a London Dry, made lovingly in South London, there simply could not have been a better fit for us in terms of brand partnership and we can’t wait to sip Little Bird gin cocktails in the sunshine with our friends at Hilton Bankside.”
To add to the experience, Executive Chef Paul Bates has created a gin-infused tasting menu, perfectly paired to the cocktails on the new menu with dishes such as Miss Ginger’s Gin and tiger milk tuna with red onion ceviche and Negroni marinated tiger prawns with vermouth and herb emulsion. For ultimate summer dining, a seasonal BBQ menu will also be available, prepared in the next-door restaurant, OXBO Bankside.
A programme of events will take place in The Little Garden throughout the Summer months including Bankside’s MERGE Festival and the celebrated London Design Festival, with Little Bird cocktail masterclasses, Terrarium Workshops, Summer BBQs hosted by Executive Chef Paul Bates and an exciting art installation with Adobe Creative Resident, Craig Winslow.
On the site of Stevenson & Howell’s Standard Works, a renowned essence factory in 1800s, The Distillery pays homage to its heritage, serving a range of signature cocktails incorporating homemade aromatics, infusions and bitters. The bar also serves a range of sharing platters and bar snacks, prepared by the restaurant kitchen and served until late. Lining the Thames, Bankside is one of London’s oldest and most culture-rich areas in London. For over 2000 years, entrepreneurs, artists and revellers alike have flocked to the area. Now this riverside district shares a wealth of historical landmarks and a tangle of gentrified streets, boasting some of London’s most popular spots including the world-renowned Tate Modern, Borough Market and Shakespeare’s Globe.
©Photography: Amy O’Boyle / Flowers: All for Love London
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