It’s not everyday you’re invited to a Mad Hatter Gin and Tea Party so when I arrived at The Cheshire Club, I was super excited. As I entered I could see that the colour scheme was pink which was very eye-catching.  There were pictures of cats everywhere, little cat ornaments and a huge Cheshire cat statue above the bar. The decor made me very curious as to what the Mad Hatter’s Gin and Tea party experience would be like.

Who doesn’t want to be the Mad Hatter?

Mad Hatter is a character from Alice in Wonderland, a film that I shockingly haven’t watched fully. I know the plot and the characters and get the gist of it so I was expecting to be hypnotised. I was just hoping there was no physical activities. However thank goodness the only physical activity I had to do was pick up my glass and fill it with ice.

The Mad Hatter’s Gin & Tea Party was an experience which included a mini performance intertwined with a cocktail making class. As a drinks connoisseur I was in my element.

We love Boë gin

The Gin was provided by Boë gin and had three flavours, these were Violet, Passionfruit and Original. Gin is a drink I have only recently started to enjoy but I thought I’d take a risk and try the Violet cocktail first. The Violet gin cocktail for some reason was fruitier than the Passionfruit (which I had a cheeky sip of) and I will definitely indulge in one again.

Boë Gin is created in small batches with rare hand picked botanicals and spices infused in the finest neutral grain spirit. It  is triple filtered creating a high class gin, characteristically citrus with extraordinary balance and smoothness.

For the experience we were led into the building next door and introduced to our hats for the tea party. There was a huge collection of mad hats. Yet I chose a simple green hat with black lace as it reminded me of all the powerful women who wore similar hats before me. After we selected our hats we were greeted with more cocktails of course.

The experience introduced us to a variety of lovable and funny characters. Each cocktail during the Mad Hatter’s Experience  was created for parts of the story and included; 

JaBoëwocky: Passionfruit gin, lime juice and vanilla

Alice’s Boë: Violet gin, lemon juice and lemonade

Drink Me Boë: Violet Gin, Scottish Bramble and Rose Lemonade

Creative Cocktail names that inspire

My favourite was the JaBoëwocky, it was a bit bitter but I’m pretty sure that was due to my heavy hand while pouring the lemon juice. But hey, I’m no professional cocktail maker and that’s the point of the experience. I also felt the Passionfruit complimented the lemon really well and gave it that extra sweetness.

We were also given Cucumber flavoured ice cream, which tastes exactly how you think. Odd, the ingredients include whipped cucumber, creamed cheese and fresh white loaf filling in a mini ice cream cone, topped with black and pink peppercorn. A mixture of sweet and salty which is for a more refined palette than mine. While I tasted the ice cream I tried to imagine who thought it would be a good idea to make such an unusual concoction.

The vibe in the Mad Hatter’s Gin & Tea party was amazing as everyone was buzzing, each character had everyone laughing and engaging. I was able to have fun and mix with strangers who were just as curious and active as myself. The experience was also very inclusive so great to attend alone even. Trust me the cocktails are worth it.

I really enjoyed the experience as it allowed you to have a laugh, have some drinks and even make your own, all while watching and interacting in a play. My favourite character was the Duchess as she reminded me of many of our own reality tv stars. You have to love our British culture! The party is on show until January 2020 and officially launches Friday 13th September. If you want to experience this fun, exciting Mad Hatter Gin Tea party head down to The Cheshire Club and tell Mad Hatter we sent you.