Tom Flint: Range of events to toast Sussex gins

Blackdown Gin (Photograph: Julia Claxton)

I cannot quite believe it is August already. Autumn is drawing in and the days are getting shorter, wetter and colder.

This negativity is enough to drive anyone to drink, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. I like a drink, lots of people do, and I am excited about the prospect of Sussex Gin Week.

Running from August 24 to September 3, Sussex Gin Week is a celebration of the tipple. Good old mother’s ruin has been going through quite a rebrand lately, and you cannot move for artisan gins in Brighton pubs these days. I’ve been a long-time fan of gin, and the explosion in new varieties and producers has been a fascinating time for people like me.

Sussex Gin Week is part of the Brighton Food Festival celebrations that take place around the bank holiday weekend. Gin week will be taking place across the city, with more than 20 venues already signed up to offer gin lovers a variety of special offers. There will also be a number of gin-themed events.

Brighton’s lavish seafront seafood specialists The Salt Room will be hosting the gin makers dinner on August 29. The superb Salt Room bar already stocks 27 gin varieties, and this dinner will feature gins from East London Liquor Company, Chilgrove and Blackdown. Experts from the brands will be on hand to answer your gin-based questions as you tuck into a three-course meal with matched drinks.