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The World’s First Hotel Dedicated to Gin

Who Needs a Minibar When You’re Sleeping Above a Distillery?

By Chris LaMorte ·
None 16 Photos The Distillery
A solid minibar inside your hotel room can do wonders to improve your stay.

So imagine the wonders of putting your hotel inside the bar.

Well, that’s the kind of forward thinking behind the Distillery, a London gin maker, bar, restaurant and, yes, three-room hotel, now open in Notting Hill.

As you know, the British take gin seriously. But some local spirit makers worried they weren’t taking it seriously enough. Therefore, they created what can only be called the grande dame of gin distillery/bar/hotels. Just take a look around.

See, there’s the Resting Room, a cozy ground-floor Portobello Road hangout where you’ll rub elbows with locals over small plates of things like ox tongue bruschetta while tippling buttered gin or avocado-and-olive-oil vodka.

There’s GinTonica, a Spanish-inspired upstairs tapas joint, where the gin and tonic has evolved into goblets of gin and cold-brew coffee and cocoa bitters garnished with cocoa nibs.

There’s the Ginstitute, where you’ll work with a gin-making professional—they call them “ginstructors,” for better or worse—helping you create your own gin blend and giving you a look-see at their 400-liter copper still.

There’s... a place to sleep off all that gin.

It’s in the form of three homey-but-mod double-room accommodations, featuring good views, comfy beds and a vinyl selection curated by legendary Rough Trade Records, who happen to have a shop across the street. Oh, and—guess what?—there’s a minibar stocked with everything you need for a nightcap martini.

Or a breakfast martini.
Chris LaMorte

Chris LaMorte’s favorite lapel: peak. Favorite bulldog: French. Can you offer him a glass of champagne: yes. Often mistaken for: Zach Galifianakis. Often mistakes himself for: Bradley Cooper.

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