Bullards Gin: award-winning & hand-crafted in Norwich

For this week’s Tuesday Tipple, we sat down with local gin distillery Bullards Gin – award-winning makers of hand-crafted gin, based in Norfolk’s county town of Norwich – to discuss the various factors involved in running a distillery in lockdown, their special at-home recipes, and how they get the party started with some rather eclectic playlists…

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How has lockdown affected you guys? What are your plans for the coming months?

Lockdown has been super tricky for us, just like all others in the industry. Twelve months ago, 80% of our business dried up overnight when our pubs, restaurants and bars closed – and it’s been a long road, for both our customers and ourselves, to pivot and strengthen our direct-to-consumer offering. Luckily, we launched our Bottle For Life and Eco-Refill Pouche concepts at the beginning of the pandemic, offering letterbox friendly gin which continues to be a huge success. We are really fortunate to have fantastic loyal customers, both in trade and at home, who have rallied and supported our small business and kept us going!

For the coming months, we’re planning some exciting new additions to our collection that will (hopefully) be the perfect accompaniment for the return of live music, events, picnics and all the things we’ve been missing! Watch this space…

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What have you been concocting at home during lockdown? Any special cocktails?

We’re loving really easy two-step cocktails – they make the 5 o’clock G&T a little more exciting, and we’ve been experimenting with different gin bases, syrups and garnishes just to keep things interesting. My favourite is a ‘Rambling Strawberry’ with Bullard’s Strawberry & Black Pepper Gin – it needs only a few ingredients, loads of ice and a cocktail shaker!

What is your perfect festival drink? Aside from your own, of course!

Can’t beat a super cold, dry apple cider 🍎

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Who is your go-to artist and top track to get the party started at the bar?

Tough one on artist, something groovy like Tame Impala or Fat Freddy’s Drop. But track-wise, the classic Gimme Gimme Gimme by ABBA always does the job!

Food & Drink, LocalStrawberries Creem