The Edit meets Sam Brotherton
Manager of Gin & Juice
8th January 2024
How would you sum up Gin & Juice in a nutshell?
Gin & Juice is a one-of-a-kind bar in Cheltenham. Nowhere else sells over 400 gins, 200 rums, 100 wines, cocktails and everything in between. We have a vast range of products to suit everyone.
What is the vibe at Gin & Juice?
During the week, people tend to come here for an after-work drink. At the weekend, customers love to come for the music we play which is funky soul. No other bar in Cheltenham plays this type of music.
There is a spectacular range of gins at Gin & Juice. What are your favourites?
We have quite a lot of our own gins which are made in the Gower Gin Distillery in Swansea. I like the Club Tropicana gin which is a passionfruit and mango gin, very tropical. It’s a very easy drinker which is a bit dangerous. It’s perfect with a Mediterranean tonic which I think is very underrated.
What is your favourite cocktail?
I am very partial to an amaretto sour. It’s such an easy drink but I can only have two of them since it’s made of egg white so very filling.
What is the key to a great cocktail?
The best thing is the balance of taste, perhaps with citrus and sugar. There is nothing worse than a very sour cocktail. The spirit is very important – a bad spirit can ruin the cocktail. For example, take a dark 'n' stormy. The go-to rum is Goslings, they essentially invented the dark 'n' stormy, so it would be a bit naughty not to use Goslings and go for, say, Captain Morgan.
Gin & Juice often has themes throughout the year. When you are creating a new cocktail, what inspires you?
Seasonal ingredients. We keep in mind the trends and what’s going on for cocktails at that time. For example, the Old Fashioned was recently in trend so we did an Old Fashioned menu and it did really well. So, we go with the times. Cocktails are currently going through a health phase so there’s a trend for using vegetables at the moment.
This month, many people do Dry January. What should they order at Gin & Juice?
We offer non-alcoholic drinks all year round. However, we do a special menu in January. We have eight to 10 non-alcoholic gins alongside a vast amount of mocktails so there is always something for people who don’t want to drink. We’ve also got non-alcoholic beers and non-alcoholic prosecco.
What can we expect from Gin & Juice in 2024?
We update the cocktail menu seasonally so I am looking forward to showing off new cocktails. We have a great winter menu which includes Clarified Rum Punch, Sloe & Steady and the Dude Abides and are enjoying buying in new products to excite people.
