Fezziwigs Gin Yard Launches in Liverpool
Although the great British summertime is a little temperamental, when the sun does actually decide to shine through the clouds, us Scousers love nothing more than a beer garden to sit in and enjoy the sun, bevy in hand. There has been a few outdoor venues popping up sound the city in recent years and last Friday, we headed down to a brand new gin themed garden, Fezziwigs Gin Yard, which has launched just in time for some summertime fun.
Fezziwig’s gin yard is situated in the totally cool, quirky and quite frankly iconic Furnival’s Well in the contemporary Campbell’s square. Furnival’s Well, which has been serving Liverpool drinks for many years originates from a prison and has kept its original design so customers can cosy up in a prison cell style booth to enjoy their drinks. Whilst a popular venue, the vibe is generally quite wintery, with the interior being dimly lit and atmospheric. Fezziwig’s has taken the garden space of Furnival’s Well, plus the outside area of Campbell’s square and set up an exciting new gin yard – the perfect warm weather, weekend hangout.
In contrast to Furnival’s, Fezziwig’s exudes British garden party vibes with floral décor, quaint outdoor seating, a spacious patio and of course, gin. Serving trusty Bombay gin, the guys at Fezziwig’s have carefully put together a small but creative menu of gin cocktails to be enjoyed in their tranquil outdoor space. The brand new venue is guaranteed to make for a knees up at any time of the day because let’s face it, is there a better combination than sunshine and gin? And if the weather fails (as it so often does) there’s covered benches, blankets and patio heaters to save the day (or night).
As we arrived at the launch party, we were waiting no longer than 10 seconds before we had a cocktail in hand and were soaking up the sounds of the live music that played in the background. Our first drink was the Port and Portal consisting of Bombay dry, Nieport white port, Absinthe, Aromatic Tonic and lemon oils. The combination of flavours worked really well together and the drink itself was pastel pink in colour which went down a treat. If someone asks me if I want a pink gin at 6pm on a Friday my answer is always going to be yes. Other gin-based cocktails available were the Bridge Street Blue which is full of grapefruit flavours and served in a balloon style glass, the elegant Fezziwigs Summer Syrup complete with a swig of rosemary and slice of refreshing lime and The Routes of Bombay – sweet, laced with the unmistakable spice of ginger.
We enjoyed our drinks outside in the charming Campbells Square and then ventured into the garden to enjoy the live music. A couple of hours in and just as we were feeling peckish the canapes arrived. In keeping with the British garden theme, we were served delicious afternoon tea on a three-tier stand. The sandwiches were as you’d expect, smoked salmon, cucumber and cheese, followed by moist slices of cherry and sultana scones served, of course, with clotted cream and jam. Slices of tasty cake donned the middle tier and I was excited to see a slab of traditional Victoria sponge, as well as popular favourite; red velvet cake. With the royal wedding happening just the next day and Fezziwigs preparing for an epic garden celebration, the afternoon tea was the perfect canape option.
We can only hope that this lovely British sunshine plans to keep its hat on throughout our upcoming summer months, because with Fezziwigs Gin Yard now providing an amazing outdoor, gin drinking experience, there really is nowhere better to while away your weekend – Liverpool’s new summer hangout.
Laura Nicholson
