In celebration of Earth Day last month, which was on the 22nd April, East London’s newest hotel, The Gantry in Stratford, has teamed up with popular South African gin brand Inverroche to help launch its Spring terrace just in time for the better weather and summer just around the corner, with a pop-up seasonal G&T menu that gives back to nature.
Spring is a wonderful time of the year, as seedlings awaken from their slumber and buds appear on the trees as nature wakes up. With this in mind, The Gantry’s outdoor terrace has been transformed into a captivating wildflower garden, filled with aromatic meadow flowers and greenery.
The drinks menu is presented on seeded paper menus as are the coasters, and the cocktails are garnished with take home tags, which you are encouraged to keep and plant in your own garden, which is a great idea given the devastating decline of bees in the UK and consequences for our ecosystems. The seeds are just a simple way to help protect the UK’s biodiversity by creating habitats for these hardworking pollinators. And as someone who loves honey, I think it is a such a good idea and will hopefully make people more aware of nature and the important role it plays in all our lives.
The seed mix has also been planted out on the hotel’s terrace, so that when the warmer months approach, vibrant poppies and English daisies will begin to blossom. The terrace garden will also be scattered with some pretty little plant pots filled with plants and fragrant herbs, some of which will be used in the cocktails themselves.
The secluded wrap-around terrace is located just off the hotel’s main restaurant, Union Social, which we reviewed last December, and offers panoramic views across the city’s skyline. It is the perfect quiet oasis for after work drinks, weekend cocktails and sipping a cocktail or two as the sun sets on those long summer evenings, with the two large open-air fire pits to keep you warm on chilly evenings.
Inverroche has worked with The Gantry’s bar team to create a selection of refreshing and refined cocktails that encapsulate the regenerative nature of a UK summer. The menu explores the full range of South African botanical gins, from the crisp Classic Gin to the appealing, tannin-rich Inverroche Amber, as well as the silky-smooth Verdant expression, which has been infused with late summer blooms to give the gin a subtle green hue.
A few of the cocktails you will find on the menu include Temple Garden, which is made with Inverroche Verdant Gin, Lime, Sugar and Cucumber and topped with Ginger Beer. Reviver on the other hand, is a mix of Inverroche Classic Gin, Lemon, Cointreau, Cocchi Blanco and Absinthe. While Pollination is prepared with Inverroche Amber Gin, Chambord, Lemon and Local Honey and topped with Ginger Ale for the perfect refreshing summer drink.
The seasonal seeded menu at The Gantry is part of Inverroche’s new By Nature campaign, aimed at creating sustainable practices not only in the way Inverroche makes its gin but also in the ways it can be enjoyed in cocktails.
For more information on Inverroche, please visit: www.inverroche.com and for more on The Gantry, please visit: https://thegantrylondon.com.
The Gantry London Hotel is located in Stratford’s East Village close to the Westfield Stratford City shopping centre and Stratford International Station. The hotel is actually just across the road from the Stratford International stop on the DLR. So, if you take the Jubilee or Central line from central London, hop on the DLR for one stop.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor of Our Man On The Ground, a member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Photographs courtesy of The Gantry
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