In a possible effort to totally sabotage Dry February, the second annual Gin Fest is gearing up for a February 25 start—the event will be preceded by Prague Gin Cocktail Week, during which a number of Prague bars will offer special gin menus.
This year’s festival will be held at DUP36 on Národní třída an historic and spacious multi-function venue (secondhand bookstore/club/auditorium) that opened late last year; British cuisine and DJs will liven up the proceedings.
Photo: DUP36 / Facebook
True gin enthusiasts can attend workshops led by Czech bartenders that include a range of topics from the history and production of gin to how to create the perfect gin and tonic.
(Talks are in Czech but we’re guessing no language skills are required to spend an afternoon sipping martinis and gimlets.)
According to Martin Kraut, Barlife magazine editor and organizer of GinFest, gin is gaining popularity throughout the Czech Republic.
“Gin is experiencing a great renaissance in our country. The category of imported gin in the Czech Republic has grown by 23% per year.”
Kraut adds that the spirit’s current trendiness led to the relaunch of the festival which had its first outing in 2014 followed by a hiatus.
Visitors to GinFest can sample more than thirty-five varieties of gin from eight exhibitors, including Czech distiller Martin Žufánek who will debut the label’s limited-edition OMFG 2017 gin.