Gin Mare At Eneko Basque Kitchen & Bar at One Aldwych Review

To help us survive this dreary January, Gin Mare has teamed up with Eneko Basque Kitchen & Bar at One Aldwych to create an oasis of botanicals and freshness. The Mediterranean gin brand is encouraging Londoners to switch to a ‘Med-mindset’, where moderation takes precedence over Dry January.

Since re-opening earlier this month, Eneko Basque Kitchen & Bar have incorporated a brand new garnish garden, alongside a single unit serve, Gin Mare cocktail and pinxtos pairing menu, ranging from £15 – £18.

We started the evening with the Maretini, which was pleasantly smooth due to only being a single shot of gin and a perfect aperitif to kick the night off. Mixed into the Maretine was olive brine, which paired well with the first pinxtos we tried: the hand dived scallop in a thyme butter foam. Being a huge fan of scollops I was looking forward to this dish, and I was not disappointed. The single scollop was perfectly cooked with generous amounts of thyme butter – in keeping with the botanicals found in Gin Mare.

We then moved onto the Med Sour, paired with a Traditional Mini Talo. Despite being a ‘sour’, the cocktail was on the sweeter side, however this sweetness was balanced out by the tangy heritage tomato and black olive mini talo. This little pinxtos is vegetarian, too!

The final pairing was the Fresca Thyme Smash, a mix of strawberry puree, lemonade and a single shot of Gin Mare, served in a highball glass over crushed ice. The rosemary and thyme muddled into the cocktail offset the sweetness of the strawberry, resulting in a delicious drink. I’m not a huge fan of beef tartare, which was the suggested food pairing, but this was just a small bite and I was pleasantly surprised.

As well as spectacular service from our very informative, attentive and simply lovely waiter, there was also an interactive element of the evening: the garnish garden. With each cocktail you are invited to the living wall to snip off a garnish of rosemary, thyme or basil and add it to your drink. As well as allowing us to get a bit creative with our drinks, we were also fortunate enough to sit right next to the living wall and benefitted from the botanical aromas all evening.

The partnership between Gin Mare and Eneko Basque Kitchen & Bar is one of delicious proportions, and with all the cocktails containing just one unit of gin you don’t feel too guilty for breaking away from those new year resolutions.

http://www.eneko.london