Those of you who’ve been keeping an eye out may have noticed our Lime and Ginger Gin in our online shop through the Emporium of Food & Wine.

This is a limited-edition batch that is already proving extremely popular. If you’ve not had a chance to order yours, good news! The second batch is in production.

Not only that, but we’ll soon be releasing a second variation, with focus on a rather extraordinary Pomelo botanical.

Chef Askew has followed the same principles used when crafting a dish, selecting flavours and creating combinations between different elements. With gin, we’ve balanced citrus, soft, sweet and sour. It also feels like a natural evolution for The Art School as we work to maintain a high standard of beverages for our guests in addition to top quality food.

The two gins have been produced alongside John O’Dowd, from the Ginsmiths of Liverpoool and Love Lane Distillery and Brewery. The initial project was conceived around six months ago, and lockdown gave Paul and the team the opportunity to get the wheels in motion.

The Lime & Ginger Gin was the first to arrive with flavours selected by Paul, reminiscent of his time in Singapore, as these are commonly used in Asian cuisine. There’s also a note of vanilla for the more discerning palate. The Art School recommended serve of the Lime and Ginger Gin pairs it with Mediterranean Fever Tree tonic and with a wedge of lime, a slice of fresh root ginger and an edible orchid.

The second in the growing Art School range is our Pomelo Gin. Pomelo is a large citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia and is an ancestor of the grapefruit. The gin blends these citrus notes with florals as well as the core juniper botanicals.

It took four evolutions to settle on the right one to go into the Art School Emporium, but Paul is confident it’s a winner. It will be served in The Art School Bar and Restaurant with Aromatic Fever Tree tonic water, a segment of Pomelo fruit, juniper berries, zest and a strawberry or raspberry.

The Artwork

Both the gin bottle labels feature a unique artwork hand-drawn by local Liverpool artist and illustrator Katherine Caldwell, who has a strong history with The Art School, having produced the illustrations that appear in and around the restaurant and on our tea towel of the loveable pig in a chef’s hat and the signature Peterhead hake. Katherine’s artwork has become a key part of the Art School branding and so it felt natural to continue that into this project.

With the Art School building having formerly been the art and design faculty for Liverpool John Moores University, inspiring the restaurant’s name, Paul feels it’s important to commission local talent, and thus far Katherine’s contribution has been invaluable. Now her work can feature pride of place in your own home.

The Bottle

In keeping with the “artisan look and feel” of the labels, the bottles have been purposely selected to stand out on the shelf. The Pomelo Gin is to include a wooden stopper and a preserved piece of the pomelo fruit skin. With a development coming for the next batch of Lime and Ginger, which is also going to include some preserved zest.

Both bottles will soon be available in the Emporium and online, so will make the perfect gift for the gin lover in your life.

Shop for yours while it’s still in stock.