
Winter Gin Garden: Sipping History with Sipsmith & Ham Yard Hotel Review
Ham Yard Hotel’s annual winter rooftop pop up in collaboration with Sipsmith has returned. The theme of this years’ Winter Gin Garden is ‘Sipping History’ which invites guests to drink through 400 years of history and dine on the usually private roof terrace, hidden within the central London skyline.
Sipsmith, the pioneers of the craft gin renaissance, are celebrating the launch of their latest limited-edition release, Origin 1639. The name comes from it being based on a historic recipe from 1639. Master Distiller Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller, who were gifted an original copy of “The Distiller of London” by The Worshipful Company of Distillers, uncovered a recipe featuring juniper, orange peel, lemon peel, and orris root—a precursor to modern London Dry Gin.
Sipsmith’s Origin 1639 Gin is a mix of classic juniper, vibrant citrus and rich berry notes. It sounds delicious to try in a g&t. We were able to try it in the Milk Punch, a twist on a 17th-century recipe. It also contains whole milk, Ruby Port, Sipsmith London Cup, and Ham Yard’s bespoke tea blend, Sailor’s Farewell. It’s served in a glass in the shape of a milk container and was very easy and light though it wasn’t as memorable as other drinks that night. We also had Original 1639 in Sailor’s Gimmet, which also contains cabbage cordial and citric solution. I didn’t even know there was such an ingredient as cabbage cordial. It’s not quite as weird as it sounds and I was pleasantly surprised with the taste.
Hot Buttered Gin was the absolute standout. This 17th Century concoction is a twist on the much-loved hot buttered rum, popular at this time but with a Sipsmith Origin 1639 gin and berry (raspberry and blackberry) twist. Our table loved it and declared we’d drink this again and again. Served hot and with both a berry and light spice taste, it was just such a perfect winter drink. It’s a must-have when you visit.
I really liked how there was a combination of cold and hot cocktails. I tended to alternate them a bit for more variety. Staying with the warm cocktails, I felt with the Ginger Blazer that the honey, lemon grass and citric acid overpowered and it reminded me of cough medicine whereas the Hot Toddy had a more balanced combination of gin, cider and lemon and honey. Admiring the various glassware the cocktails come I is also part of the fun. Though the Negroni Caldissimo was my least favourite in terms of taste its glassware (tall with a handle) was my favourite after the milk carton one.
My second favourite was the Ode to Ankrah 12. Pornstar martinis are one of go-to drinks and this was a twist on that. It features passionfruit washed Sipsmith London Dry and had a lovely a velvety vanilla foam. I really wanted to try The Hot Chocolata (17th Century) but didn’t get the chance with so many others to also have. It sounds delicious- a warm and rich chocolate and zesty orange cocktail with Sipsmith Zesry Orange, Sipsmith Lemon Drizzle white cocoa liqueur and chocolate sauce. It’s inspired by physician Henry Stubbe’s creation of the hot chocolate we know today.
The space is beautiful. The fourth floor roof terrace has wicker furniture with light green cushions and flowered pillows. There’s a seasonal vegetable garden that grows produce for the restaurant, there’s beehives and herbs are the only flowers used which gives the space a more natural feel. For the colder nights there’s heaters, hot water bottles and blankets. The night we went it was quite warm considering the season so many pf us took of our jackets and scarves. It was a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
The rooftop experience will also feature fire-cooked dishes, such as Toasted Black Pepper, Pecorino and Black Truffle flatbread which we didn’t get to try. I’m not the biggest mushroom fan but the kombu and soy glazed mushroom skewer smoked over juniper, bay and rosemary has me reconsidering this. We commented hinting taste like mushroom and that we’d eat more of more mushrooms were cooked like this. We also tried rock oyster shooters with finger lime, grapefruit bitters and Sipsmith Origin 1639. I keep trout oysters and rah time they grow on me but gin definately contributes to a better tasting oyster. TheToasted S’mores with Toffee Apple Crackers were goey and delicious. I went back for seconds straightaway and I wish I could have eaten more of them they were that good. So a is it would not be complete without ordering these.
We enjoyed sipping our way through the centuries, discovering four hundred years of cocktails. It was a quiet place to catch-up with friends.
Winter Gin Garden: Sipping History runs from 6th November through to the 31 December. Open Wednesday to Saturdays in November and Tuesday to Saturdays in December 6pm-9:30pm, with special sessions on New Year’s Eve. Cost is £24 for a regular ticket which includes a welcome Milk Punch and a cocktail of your choice or £20 for a non-alcoholic ticket which includes a welcome Temperance Punch and a non-alcoholic ‘cocktail’ of choice.
For Sipsmith
Website: https://sipsmith.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sipsmith
For Ham Yard Hotel
Website: https://www.firmdalehotels.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hamyard_hotel
Written by Caitlin Neal Neal

