To celebrate St Patrick’s Day on 17^th March, The Doyle Collection are partnering with fellow Irish brand – the award-winning Dingle Distillery – on a series of events at The Bloomsbury Club. We’ll be painting the town green white and gold with a selection of delightful cocktails and entertainment. To mark the day, we sat down with Elliot Hughes from Dingle Distillery and the Porterhouse Brewing Company to discuss his favourite bars, beverages, and how the brand celebrated their recent win for ‘World’s Best Gin’.

The 'Irish Mermaid' Cocktail - available at The Bloomsbury Club

Dingle was recently named the ‘World’s Best Gin’ at the World Gin Awards. What makes your gin so special?

• Its sense of place; in terms of both the local botanicals we use and the water we take from our own well, in addition to the culture of the area we are in really gives us that point of difference. We often say, The Difference is Dingle, and we really mean it!

How did you celebrate the win?

• We went for a couple of Dingle Gins in the The Bloomsbury Club Bar, one of my favourite spots in London for a really well-made drink. The Virginia Woolf, made with Dingle Gin, is certainly a must try. 

Which drinks do you predict to grow in popularity this year?

• There has been a lot of talk about premium vodka growing in popularity over the next couple of years while I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve heard “rum is the next big thing”. Gin will still have its place and continue to grow I feel. In terms of beer, it looks like the trend is going wackier and wackier hop forward beers; dominated by interesting IPAs. I do see an increase in the amount of interesting stouts that are appearing in off and on trade but think it will be a slower growth curve then the light, hoppy ales.

What’s your favourite cocktail combination?

• My first order every time I’m at a cocktail bar is always; Dingle gin with egg white; simple syrup with different citrus flavours to give it that sweetness. I then usually like to peruse the menu for something interesting. I will generally keep it to something gin or rum based.

Dingle Distillery was launched by the Porterhouse Brewing Company. What makes the company different to other breweries?

• Partly what makes us different is our history in the Irish beer scene. We were the first brewpub to open up in Dublin and we also operated pubs (we still do!) where we don’t serve any Big Brewery beer on tap. What makes us different nowadays is our unique variety of beers. Over the course of 2019 we will have, either permanent or seasonal beers, six different stouts as well as numerous different ales and four lagers.

How do you unwind after a long day?

• The office is above one our bars so usually after a long day, I will pop down and enjoy a pint or two of our Porterhouse IPA; have a chat with a couple of the regulars and then head on home. A nice way to de-stress before getting in the door. 

Favourite place for a pint?

• I love popping into PMacs in Dublin for a pint as the range of new and interesting beers is always good to try. The Globe, again in Dublin, is also a firm favourite of mine. They have a really decent selection of beers and always has an excellent atmosphere. My favourite place though is really any pub down in Dingle. Whether a cold, winters day or when the sun is shining down on you, there is no place I would rather be! 

How will you be celebrating St Patrick’s Day this year?

I’ll be over in New York this St Patrick’s Day. We have a couple of bars over there so it will be interesting to see how they celebrate, and how New York is in general, over that weekend.

The Bloomsbury Club Bar will be celebrating St Patrick’s Day with a special Dingle Distillery menu, available from Monday 11^th to Sunday 17^th March.

'Pat Sours' cocktail

On Monday 18^th March, The Bloomsbury Club will welcome Aaron Wall and Ciaran Smith from Homeboy Bar, who will be taking over for a St Patrick’s Day ‘Hooley’.

Special Irish-inspired small plates will also be available over the weekend, from Friday 15^th to Monday 18^th.

These include:

Dingle Whiskey Cheese Toastie £10

Lamb Chop, Mint Sauce & Tayto Crisps £10

Colcannon & Bacon Fritters with Whiskey Peppercorn Sauce £8

Aaron and Ciaran from Homeboy Bar