Gin 71

I was really looking forward to visiting this place — but came away feeling very underwhelmed.
The venue itself is stunning. Beautiful high ceilings, chandeliers hanging, candle lit tables. It had a classy and relaxed feel that I really liked. Oddly it was table service rather than bar service. But this too I quite liked the idea of. I thought wow! This place is great.
Between 3 of us we decided to have one of the sharing drinks to start. This was classed as a cocktail and was the ‘Gin Sangria’. When we ordered the waitress seemed very surprised that we wanted to share this between 3 of us. She quite abruptly questioned this. I’m still unsure why as the menu clearly states that it serves 2 – 4 people.
The drink was nice enough. Refreshing and came with lots of garnish — which was a lovely touch. However it took agessss to arrive. We finished these drinks and sat there for an awfully long time waiting for somebody to ask us if we’d like more drinks. This didn’t happen… instead I flagged one of the waitresses.
One of my friends and I both decided on the ‘Eden Rumba’ for our second drink. Based on the recommendation of the waitress and the fact it said that it was their take on a Pina Colada. Apparently, according to the menu, ‘we were unsure if it would work’. Funny that, because it doesn’t! It wasn’t even substandard, or not nice — it was horrible! Genuinely never in my life have I had such a nasty tasting drink presented to me. My friends all agreed. It was really heavily perfumed and the texture was hideous. To add insult to injury — the minute we got our drinks the lights turned on and the music stopped. Apparently it was time to drink up and leave.
Nobody had told us this upon ordering our drinks… plus our drinks took 20 minutes to arrive after ordering. The waitress came over after the lights went on to tell us that they were closing. She asked how the drinks were and I was honest. ‘I really don’t like it I’m afraid’. To which she said ‘Ahh, well you either love it or hate it!’. Hmm… not the response I was expecting.
After just ordering our drinks to be told we needed to leave… my friends of course wanted to drink theirs. But yet another staff member told us we needed to leave as the bar had closed 10 minutes earlier.
We were charged in full for all of the drinks that we were unable to drink.
Disappointed. Won’t be back in a hurry.

As it was my dads birthday on Thursday I thought for a treat we would pop into Gin 71. I had been there for an afternoon tea and it was lovely and myself and my dad are huge gin fans. It was pretty busy which I’ve come to discover is the norm but we still got a nice table after only a few minutes waiting. Our server was an extremely lovely lady who explained the menu to us and was very helpful. I had a raspberry gin and tonic and my dad opted for a bonsai martini. The drinks arrived after a few minutes which was great especially considering how busy it was. My gin was delectable. So easy to drink but easy to savour. While we were there, there was some live music provided by 2 lads playing an acoustic guitar and a drum. The music was very cool and was the perfect addition to the atmosphere.

I’ve been in twice now for a drink with a friend, and both times it’s been pretty great. It’s a lovely environment, really nice vibe to it. The cocktails are a little pricey, but they have all the gin ever and know all about it, so you’re paying for selection and expertise. Finally, there’s a Cup there and you can order cupcakes to go with your gin — even gluten free ones. Now if that’s not a winning combination, I don’t know what is.

of all the gin joint this has to be most beautiful with its tiled interior.
Looking for somewhere lovely to catch up with a friend this was the perfect place. You could just order a gin and tonic or, like us, you could look through the book and choose a gin, flavoured tonic and extras. There are clear info of each of the gins, where it’s from, flavour and even tips. love the fact the ice cubes are made from tonic water so they melt slowly and don’t make your drink watery.
It’s not rowdy though one guy obviously had one gin too many and tried to entertain us with a striptease which the staff calmly refrained him from doing. Talking of staff the woman who looked after us was a font of gin knowledge. I recommend talking to them as they’re friendly with it.
Their website said they did sharing food platters (eg chilli) but there was no food on the night we went :(so best to double check before you go.

This will be a small initial review, as I didn’t actually imbibe any of the lovely looking gins here as I’m partaking in January of the Dry Variety. However, my not-​so-​kind friend who was with me (Looking at you, Neil M!) decided he was going to have three very dry Martini’s anyway — despite the look of sheer panic & horror in my alcohol free face.
Anyway, I digress. The martini’s looked lovely — apparently they were as dry as my Martini-​loving friend likes them, and the service was attentive (although bringing water over to us as we were leaving was a bit of an oversight!).
My soda water and lime was… well, wet and tasted of fresh lime. So I can’t complain about that at all.
I do want to come back here — the décor is very nice, vintage looking without being in your face… and on a rainy night like this was, the lovely ceiling heater as you walk in the door is HEAVEN. I shall be back, get the booze ready for me in February!

Nice place. The good thing about it is the high prices keep most undesirables out.

Awesome venue, with ultra friendly staff.
I had never had Gin before until my visit to Gin71 but the staff were ultra helpful and knowledgable and managed to help me find the perfect Gin for me.
The staff even stayed open later than usual because they could see we were enjoying ourselves — and of course behaving ha!
The only thing that surprised me, was at first they turned the group of us away from having food, so was forced to go next door to eat. But we returned to give Gin71 a second chance.

Absolutely loved it here. It’s a tea shop by day and gin bar by night. The service was super friendly — though that’s probably attributed to Glaswegians being a friendly bunch of people in general. Anyhow, I had the corpse reviver first — which was delicious. I’ve had plenty of other corpse revivers and this was the ceiling, I tell you. I opted to follow up with straight up gin and settled for the Makar (local Glasgow). It was so smooth with no bitter after taste — opened my eyes to a gin-​ormous new world of possibilities. I really wish there’s a place like this back at home cuz I’d patronize the hell out of it.

Oh Gin, how I love thee. Visited here twice now, and had fab service and nights both times.
Yes it’s pricey, but the location is gorgeous, I could stare at the roof and chandelier all evening and I really like the table service aspect. Upon being seated, we were immediately brought water, popcorn and had the menu explained to us. Having loved it previously, we first went for the Hendricks gin tea pot. Perfect for Instagram (yes that’s how I choose my drinks).
During our first round, a local Glaswegian band started playing all types of songs, from Bare Neccesities to more recent hits. Such a nice touch and really gives the place atmosphere.
For seconds (and lasts), we had a Botanist and tonic, and Rock Rose and tonic. I’m all for Scottish gin! The price does include the tonic and a double measure, so it’s actually not terrible value!
The gin flights look like a great way to spend an evening. My brother is a bit of a Gin snob, so will take him here when he’s next down and re-​review.
You have to be seated to get in, so the table service can work efficiently. Some people love this, others don’t. I like it, it never seems overly busy, and you can actually enjoy the company you are with. Not have to awkwardly sit as your company queues at the bar for a drink!

I do love this place but I would advise not to head in during the changeover time from Cup to Gin71(sometime between 4.30 and 5.30pm). Although there were 7 – 8 staff members passing us all the time, it took about 15 minutes for someone to take our order.

I had to queue up for around 15 minutes to get in on a busy Saturday night. The staff were up front and honest about this though and we didn’t mind having some extra time to tackle the extensive menu.
It was well worth the wait to get in. Really nice setting and perfect for a date. We had the Scottish gin flight, at £15. This had three double measures of gin, which come with tasting notes. The flights are good fun, with fruit tonics (home made?), tonic ice cubes, a soda stream and the correct garnishes for each gin.
Staff were friendly and knowledgable, and would make time for you even though it was clearly busy and they had a lot to do.

If you like your gin, this is the place to be.
These people know their gin! The gin menu is extensive — as you may have guessed from the name, they have 71 gins. They set these out on a very clear menu that seperates them into easy to understand categories eg spiced, floral, fruit ets. This makes it very easy to understand what you’re drinking and educate yourself in all things gin.
The flat pricing structure also makes it easy, although I would say it is a bit pricey if you were planning to stay here for more than a couple. Most of the drinks are £8 or £9, with a few at £7. However this is for a double measure, and includes any mixers as well as garnishes. I’d say it’s value for money when you consider the whole Gin 71 experience, but it adds up a bit if you’re out for the night. In terms of gin accessories, they have Fever Tree and Fentimans mixers (I wouldn’t drink any other brand, dahlings!) and you won’t find garnishes like these at any other bar — grapefruit, cinnamon and lemongrass amongst others.
Do not stress however about whether you should have orange peel or ginger with your Darnley’s View Spiced — they have a default option for every drink, and if you want to bespoke it, the very gin-​educated staff will help you decide.
The surroundings are beautiful — it used to be the Bank of India, so it is very classic and elegant — just perfect for a modern gin parlour.
The only thing that I thought was really quite peculiar is that you can only drink if you are seated, and can’t book a table on a Saturday. This results in people queing at the door (not ideal if it’s hammering with rain and you have a hairdo to protect), and makes it difficult if you’re in a big group and are not quite sure how many people will be joining the party and at what time. I can only imagine that it’s something to do with licensing laws, as it does seem to be a particularly stupid tactic for a city centre bar, and doesn’t make for a great customer experience. If there’s only a few of you though, you should be all right.
I have my In for Gin education planned for 2015, and am very happily going to work my way through the menu here. On my first outing I was distracted by the cocktails (delicious) but am now going to focus the mind on serious gin business at Gin 71.

First things first, this is a beautiful building. It’s full of old period details, offset by a nice modern bar. There are loads of mirrors that mean that no matter where you look you get a lovely view. In terms of somewhere to spend your time it’s a really comfortable environment. It’s all table service as well, and this adds to the atmosphere.
If you love gin then you’re in heaven. With about 70 different gins split into sections based on flavour (old school, aromatics etc.) and a good cocktail list you can spend ages choosing different drinks to try. There is a flat pricing structure which makes life easier as well. I tended to ask the waiting staff what mixer to have with each drink, and although it was mostly tonic I’m sure you could get something different if you wanted.
The weird thing, and the reason for the 4 stars is the fact that it’s all seating. As a result, you have to wait outside for a table, and like us, if you have a lot of folk coming in at different times it can be a lottery as to whether everyone can get in. While the seating environment helps the atmosphere I’d happily sacrifice a little standing space to make sure everyone could get in.
Other than that, it comes highly recommended. Well worth a look.

It’s gin Jim, but not as we know it! In the last year or so, I’ve been lucky enough to have some great g&t’s in some of Seville’s swanky bars. So when I heard about a Unilocal meetup here I was really eager to give Gin71 a visit.
When I arrived I was somewhat confused by the queue at the door. A queue for a bar seemed somewhat strange, especially as the staff were grouping people into tables. Is it a restaurant or bar I thought. Well it turns out that you can only get a drink (via table service) if you’re sat down, not exactly the smartest plan for a bar!
Having located the other Unilocalers & half perched on a seat I was sharing with Graeme, I had a look at the two menus & found myself thoroughly lost. With a choice of 71 gins & a cocktail menu, this place is less like a bar & more like a gin library! I decided to stay clear of the cocktails & went for a Caorunn and tonic, (sadly I pronounced the as cow-​run to the somewhat bewildered staff member).
As I settled in for the night I had a look around & noticed that Cup/​Gin71 is located in a really beautiful venue, I dare to say that it’s actually one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve had the pleasure of drinking in (although the carpets do seem a bit of an odd touch.) The pillars in the centre of the room are ornately tiled with clam shell style enamels & the archways have alternating coloured & white tiles which reminded me of the ceilings in the Mezquita of Cordoba. The bar itself is all black wood & white lights, illuminating all those sweet, sweet gins!
The nice thing about the bar is that all servings are 50ml & you can choose your garnish & mix based on your taste & the flavour of gin. The staff are really friendly, if a little run off their feet, and will provide suggestions should you be a bit baffled or freeze under pressure.
What bugs me about this place apart from the enforced seating, the weird mini tables (not much taller than your average coffee table) is the music (oh god the music!) The music was a classic mix of 90’s cheesy pop, which really didn’t fit with the surroundings or general vibe of the bar. It was played at a level which wasn’t overly loud, but was noticeable, so that every time a new song came on (possibly from a now 90’s playlist) my attention was drawn to it. Given that Gin71 is a coffee shop by day, you still have the odd soul ordering coffee at night, the aromas of coffee and gin don’t go together very well (gip)
This bar is a strange mix of early 1900’s gin palace & Wetherspoons. At £7+ a go it’s not the cheapest & perhaps there are bars with a more complete idea of what they are. If you’re a fan of gin & want it served well then I’d really recommend giving this place a go. You won’t find hipsters in here wearing fascinators & doing the Charleston (you might see a bowtie or two though), so come here for the drinks not the scene. I’m glad that Glasgow has such a beautiful venue (& gin selection). IMO what’d make this place better is just a few tweaks to the existing setup. I’ll be back to check this place out again, so hopefully there’ll be a bit more cohesion next time (no Wigfield either ta.)

Since Gin71 opened, I’ve popped in quite a few times, so thought I’d update my review.
Last night was the inaugural meeting of the Unilocal In For Gin club — thanks to Lucy B for organising this for us all to enjoy :)
So, each time I come here, the original Bank of India décor totally takes my breath away — I spot something new every 10 mins!
The staff are extremely knowledgable, friendly and fast. Table booking can only be done Sun — Thurs. When we were here last night, the place was full, and folks were queued out the door waiting for a seat. I’m not sure if it’s just their policy or part of their licence, but if you can’t get a seat, you won’t be served and the staff will ask you to wait.
The only gripe I have (out of all the times I’ve visited) is that they don’t replace spilled drinks. Last night the Mr accidentally knocked over his drink — the staff were really quick to come and help clear it up but didn’t offer to replace it. Given that it was an £8 drink which had clearly not been touched, I thought this was pretty poor show.
That aside, I’d highly recommend popping in — but maybe don’t spend more than a couple of hours (note the drink price).
I can also recommend trying out the Sacred (a bit peppery); London No1 Blue (really crisp and strong); and my personal favourite Death’s Door (robust and spicy).
Oh, and apparently I also like a Pinna Colada. Getting caught in the rain… ;)

This is no dingy gin joint, but an emporium of the finest juniper-​based delights. By day it serves cake and tea, by night it’s an awesome gin emporium.
It’s the kind of place you could so easily walk past, but my advice, fellow Unilocalers, is please don’t!
Inside it’s decorated with tiled walls, like a very posh wally close with chandeliers. Now, this should make it cold and uninviting, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. With comfy, relaxed seating, some well designed mood-​lighting that shows off the décor to it’s fullest and giving the place a warm and luxurious glow, proper old-​time elegance.
We were shown to a table by a very smartly dressed server who explained how to order from the gin menu, then left us to look over the wide selection on offer and popping back quite promptly with a dish of salted popcorn. At first the gin menu can look a little daunting if you don’t know what you like; and Gin 71 have a very large selection. Choose your gin, then your mixer and add a garnish — if in doubt, ask your server — they really know their stuff.
Gin 71 is in the former Bank of India building — which explains the Indian-​inspired tiled décor, many of the features being original from it’s banking past. So, in keeping with the India theme, I opted for the Opihr — a spiced London gin with Indonesian cubeb berries, Indian black pepper and Moroccan coriander — with tonic and a slice of orange to garnish. It didn’t disappoint.
If you want to try a number of gins without being poured out of the door at the end of the night you can opt for a flight. This is a selection of three gins of martinis, each with a mixer and garnish that goes well with them.
I could happily have spent an evening here and the next time I visit I think I will.
Gin is in and I love it!

Gin seems to be everywhere just now, not that I’m not complaining! As a recently gin convert, I’m more than happy that Gin 71 exists, but I only recently had my first visit before visiting Burger Meats Bun (nearly) next door.
I’ve been a few times during the day while it’s Cup Tea Lounge, and so was expecting more of the same. Yes, the décor is the same but they turn on some funky green lighting which gives it a different atmosphere so you could almost think you’re in a completely different place.
On this visit, I tried the apple & ginger mojito — «lime, mint and apple juice muddled with smooth dark rum and poured over crushed ice. Topped up with ginger beer and garnished with mint.» It arrived quickly and was absolutely delicious, and not a bad price at £7.00.
We stayed for about an hour and enjoyed the endless complimentary popcorn that was placed on the table (genius idea). Service was a little slow however which is the only reason this is a 4 star rather than 5 star review. That being said, I had a really great time and can’t wait to go back to try the gin selection properly!

I love gin.
I can’t remember when I started drinking it but find the right gin and I’ll happily sit, quietly, and get nicely sloshed whilst enjoying the subtle aromatics.
I say this only to highlight my shame. This was my first visit to Gin71 (to be fair, I had an aborted attempt a couple of months back because it wasn’t open on a Sunday).
What a wonderous place! The art deco/​vintage interior sets the tone, with swing music also suggesting eras gone by, welcoming you in to a larger than I expected space that feels cosy and comfortable.
And then you see the wall of gin. All hail the mighty juniper!
I started with a Sipsmith, and was delighted to see they have a choice of tonics, Fever Tree being the default option which was fine by me. A couple of wedges of lime and I grabbed a seat to peruse the cocktail menu.
Thankfully it was then I noticed a small note… ‘All our measures are doubles’. Hic!
Undeterred, whilst I waited for my companions to join me I made my choices and, with perfect timing, the first two arrived in time for me to order my first cocktail, The Aviation. Gin, Crème de Violette, Maraschino liqueur and lemon juice which was wonderfully sweet with a nice sharpness from the lemon juice. Plus it had a cherry in it, sunk to the bottom of the martini style glass. Looked and tasted wonderful.
I was almost finished that when more people turned up so, purely to be polite (it’s terribly bad manners to sit without a drink, don’t you know) I ordered my second cocktail, a Victorian (a Mojito variant).
A chunky jar with a handle appeared, but that didn’t distract from the wonderful cucumber, lime and mint mix, which was muddled together with sugar syrup and Hendrick’s Gin, all topped with apple juice and soda water.
A distinctly sharper flavour but equally as good.
Alas, we then had to leave. In hindsight that was probably a good thing as Gin 71 isn’t the cheapest place but with good service, knowledgeable and friendly staff, I think you get what you pay for.
Ohhh and we were offered little pots of popcorn as snacks, personally I can’t stand the stuff but it’s a nice touch (I’ll hope for something else next time I visit!).

What, oh, what can turn the quaint afternoon tea haven that is Cup into a wonderful gin emporium come nightfall?
Does a teacup-​adorned cupboard spin, in traditional panto style, revealing a thirst quenching hidden gin-​bottle cavern? Or do the lights dim — a back catalogue of jazz pouring from the speakers? (Gin is a classy affair, of course!) As the clock strikes six, I imagine a large glowing disco ball slides from the ceiling, declaring one thing and one thing only; that, ladies and gentlemen, it has struck that fine hour of gin o’clock. — Now grab yourself a G&T for it is time to party!
You won’t be surprised to know that there is none of this. — Gin71 is simply Cup with gin. And lots of it at that! I was a little apprehensive because Cup is so perfectly suited to afternoon tea and cake. — Just how would it fare come gin time?
The gin selection is impressive, it really is! Holy moly, there’s gin from here, from there, from everywhere. And homemade tonics and garnishes and gin flights and a gin tasting platters. (Oooh, fancy!) Gin, gin, gin! Just looking at the stuff makes me giddy. This is gin heaven. All I really wanted was a no-​frills gin and tonic so I did feel a little bit swamped by fancy tempting gins and opted for an old favourite. — Elderflower Edinburgh gin. I had it with tonic and an apple garnish. — Delicious!
The staff seemed a little pre-​occupied as it had just struck six and they were getting things ready whilst the place was quieter but as soon as we were ready to order/​pay it wasn’t long till someone friendly was at hand.
I’d say it’s a 3.5 from me for now due to the fact that we arrived very early and it was slightly lacking in atmosphere.
Although, if you ask me to try Gin71 a little later in the evening, you can count me in!

And who says Gin is a perfume, old women smelling drink!!! Move over oldies this place is HAPPENING! So I manage to win a pair of tickets to the launch party. An evening of Free Gin? Canapés? Ehh I’m ok thanks?
So let’s start with the building it’s self, small but beautiful with classic décor and chandeliers. Tea and cake during the day and classic Gin bar at night!
First up we ordered 2 martini’s one wet one dry. I had never had a Martini before so I wasn’t sure what I was expecting taste wise. This was pleasant. Next up was a Hendricks TeaPot! Yes a full tea pot of Gin and Tonic. This was delicious and it will be my first drink when I go back! The tonic was so smooth it tasted like strawberries and was nice and refreshing.
I really like this place, it has a good vibe. Live music, Gin and homemade Tonics.