www.marissa.co The Laverstoke Cocktail Strawberries no Cream

The Bombay Sapphire Distillery Tour

Let the fun be-gin!

If you enjoy history, beautifully restored Grade II historic buildings, learning how the unique Bombay Sapphire is distilled, and sipping exciting gin cocktails, the Bombay Sapphire Distillery Tour is for you.

My family and I created a wonderful, life-long memory at the distillery. We arrived for the guided tour at 11:30 a.m., not quite gin o’clock, but after the 1 1/2 hour tour, our lunch (which we had pre-ordered while checking in) and a complimentary cocktail at the end of the tour. Everything fell into place perfectly. The staff was patient while we debated which meals to order, and the service was prompt when we picked up our meals at the end of the tour.

What is Included in the Price?

The Discovery Tour costs £17.50 per person, which includes a complimentary cocktail. This is less than the price of a single cocktail in Bristol, London, and Cambridge, where my children are/have studied.

When we went, you could have your drink at the end of the tour in the beautifully restored Mill Bar, or if the sun is shining, which it was, you could sit outside next to the beautiful stream.

Non-drinkers/drivers are also catered for with THE tastiest cocktail, which is called Do You Yuzu (the recipe is shown below). I bought everything there and a few bits online to make the drink.

The drivers were given a takeaway bag containing a miniature bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin and a can of Fever-Tree tonic water. I think the drivers were the day’s winners!

There are a few new additions, including a self-service gin bar, which is a recent installation and sounds like fun!

The Gin Shop 

There is a gin gift shop which is stocked with all sizes of gin, and the prices are not dissimilar to getting the alcohol on sale at the supermarket. They do sell online too. Baccardi owns the Bombay Sapphire brand and also stocks the mixers and other alcoholic beverages used in their cocktails. Their gin gifts can be personalised and would make great presents for friends and family.

The website has generously shared the recipes for all the cocktails, and they can be printed off in recipe card form. This would make a great takeaway menu or DIY masterclass addition for everyone to refer to if you wanted to host a cocktail evening.

Let’s chat about the cocktail you are offering.

I don’t want to give you too many spoilers. However, I know that at this time, many of you do not have imminent travel plans to the UK, so I have attached a Youtube video below of the grounds and linked the cocktail menu and recipes for you to perhaps recreate a cocktail at home in the interim. I know Bombay Sapphire is loved and enjoyed all around the world, and you can, of course, use whatever gin/or alcohol-free spirits that you have indoors. The recipe card we used to choose our cocktail is shown below, and on the website, you can click on your flavour profile and it will recommend drinks to mix to your preferred tastes. They really have invested a lot in the site, and it is a joy to navigate. Have a look around when you next need an exciting drink.

Cocktail Recipes and Ideas 

A Virtual Tour 

If you can’t get to the UK and fancy escaping virtually, this clip shows you what a beautiful environment you will walk through.

Bombay Sapphire Distillery

The Mill Cafe’s Menu

We had checked out of our hotel and were heading home, so we tied lunch into the tour. I did have a trawl to see if there was anything exciting around the area to try and settled on lunching in situ. It was a great choice. The sun was shining; we sat outdoors (we did have a heater overhead, which was needed) and the stream bubbled to the side of us. It was a calming setting, and we had space to stretch our legs before our homebound 2-hour journey. This is a little taster of the food served and how the drinks were presented. Click here to read the full menu. There are some lovely sandwich ideas to read and make.

My daughter chose: The Hampshire Charcuterie and Cheese Sharing Platter: a selection of meats from The Hampshire Salami Company, along with creamy Laverstoke Park Farm buffalo mozzarella (owned by former F1 driver Jody Scheckter), cheddar, and gouda cheese, served with fruit salad, butter, and ciabatta. It was a very generous meal for two.

Some of us chose the sandwich option, and you can choose from three sides for your sandwiches. Some of us chose the sandwich option, and you can choose from three sides for your sandwiches. I photographed the Mediterranean Tapas side: crudites, houmous, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. It was a very generous side. They had amazing gluten-free bread, soft and fluffy for the sandwiches.  It was great to see coeliacs and gluten-free dietary requirements being catered for.

Mediterranean Tapas side
Cocktails with Bombay Sapphire The Laverstoke (front right) Do You Yuzu (back) and Strawberries and No Cream (front left).

Bombay Sapphire Cocktails The Laverstoke (front left) Strawberries no Cream (back left) Do You Yuzu (front left)

The beautiful bar in the Mill Room is cast in the beautiful hues of the distinctive Bombay Sapphire bottle. The bar was manned by a wonderful team, with table service for us. They have installed self-service gin machines, which look fun.

At every turn, your safety and comfort are taken into account. Everything gleams! The public group size is 12, and whilst wandering around, your experience feels very personal.  We rarely crossed paths with another tour group.

This was a lovely memory to make with my family, and every time we enjoy or see a bottle of Bombay Sapphire, we reminisce.

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