Little Rum, Little Gin Night at Merchant House

You could say this was my first true intimate Unilocal event. Having lurked on the web for just over a year, my only other events have been a «Key Hunt prize giving» and the epic «Time Travellers Ball». This in contrast gave me the opportunity to meet a few Unilocalers and have a proper chat.
«The badger» who took us through the history of rum and gin managed to make it both interesting and funny. I found myself recounting his facts in the weeks following, although I do question how true some of them were.
It was great tasting some of the premium spirits. I wish I could say it changed my opinion of gin but I’m still not a fan. But it’s opened my eyes to different rums and I’ll explore more of them in the future.

I almost broke my mouse in the excitement to rsvp to this event after I saw the location — a hop, skip and a jump from my office. It was a tapas bar for ages so I was keen to see what the new owners had done to the place.
And what a transformation! It’s now a beautiful downstairs bar from a bygone era — I’m talking centuries before the speakeasy was born, more the kind of place merchants and explorers would’ve gathered to smoke pipes and plan their next voyage. The wood-​panelled walls are lined with books (yay) and gin and rum bottles (double yay), with the odd bizarre stuffed fox in the corner.
I was happy to be greeted by a welcome g&t — well actually just ‘g’ on ice. I stood there thinking Alex and Hannah had gone pretty hardcore to start us off with neat gin… until the barman realised his error and called me back to add the tonic! Then my +1 and I squished onto a table of other Unilocalers for the boozy history lesson to begin.
The 2 bar owners are refreshingly hands-​on and run the masterclasses themselves. I was in The Badger’s group and he took us through the merchant and naval history around the birth of gin and rum. I was always more of a geography over history girl at school (except for maybe the ancient Egyptians and Romans stuff — but give me a volcano over the black death any day!), so I was not looking for a detailed lecture on Britain through the 1700s. I was looking for tasters, learning, oohs/​ahhs and a few laughs — and that’s what I got.
No, it wasn’t the most slick or polished delivery, and he lost his train of thought a couple of times when we sent him on a tangent with questions. But it was earnest, enthusiastic and amusing, and felt more like you were in a bar with a knowledgeable rambling mate. Plus he happily chatted away with us informally as he came round to pour drinks. I learned such gems as where the word groggy comes from, though he was unable to answer our (admittedly ridiculous) question about the origins of the game gin rummy…
We got 4 tasters — I liked the more unusual rum (spiced in-​house) and the second gin (which I thought really tasted of the ‘english woodlands’ scene we were told to imagine — though that may have been influenced by a crazy strength one before!). I think they do food with their official masterclasses but this was booze only, so I led a few peeps to the nandos round the corner afterwards for some much-​needed absorption!
The 2 owners were so friendly, and I really like what they’re trying to do with this place — I’m sure I’ll be back soon to make a dent into their massive spirit collection. Thanks Unilocal for hooking us up with top people (and top booze) yet again! Meanwhile I’m wondering how I can get my office to reinstate the Navy-​style rum rations of the past — half a pint of rum a day and I reckon everyone would be so much happier… ;)

I really enjoyed the night and I think there was a good balance between the history of the alcohols and the drinking in between.
I did feel the event was little hardcore for me however as I’m not used to drinking these spirits neat so I would have enjoyed them a little more if I could’ve squeezed a mixer in — though I probably would not have appreciated the unique flavours so much.
The venue was really cute, a nice little discovery tucked a way that had great quirky and cosy feel to it, I’m definitely going to make another visit this winter.

This was easily my favourite Unilocal night so far and I think I’ve only just about recovered from it! Rum is my favourite tipple and Alex managed to line up some incredibly knowledgeable guides to take us on an alcoholic adventure.
Andrew veered from his script slightly and took us through the history of rum before moving onto gin which I have to admit didn’t interest me anywhere near as much however the best was yet to come.
When everyone started to leave I found myself perched at the bar and the amount of information and tasters that made there was over from all of the staff was incredible. These guys definitely know their stuff and they are passionate about what they do. In Andrew’s own words their ideal customer is someone who wants to come for a drink but is also interested in learning about what they are drinking although they don’t try and force this on you.
The highlight of the night was the Mai Tai cocktail I had just before leaving which left me unable to remember much of the journey home. All in, I had an absolutely fantastic time!

I’m a little late in writing this, forgive me, but Berlin Marathon got in the way (review to come!). For me, this was a spectacular night, with information mixed in with some very nice spirits. I wouldn’t have thought of looking there for a bar, as I don’t often come to the City anymore (those days are hopefully a little behind me!), but tucked off of Bow lane is this unassuming place, downstairs though, is where the magic happens. I ran into Alex while waiting for my friend but he had to rush off in order to organise, thankfully though, he pointed me in the right direction to walk.
A small upstairs but it’s only a reception, the magic is downstairs. We walked into a nice big space to be greeted by Hannah, and then obtained our tasting glasses and a nice G&T each. We settled in and waited for the start. Our speaker — Special Nate corralled a couple more tables together and we ended up sitting with a number of great people to share an evening with.
Special Nate (I have to say this as there were two Nates, one at our table and one as our guide) was knowledgeable, witty, quick thinking and gave us alcohol so a big thumbs up in our books! Everything had a story, a background, or an anecdote. I’ve heard that maybe the other guy wasn’t as good but in our books, Special Nate was King. I didn’t manage to grab the names of the rums and gins on offer (although some were flavoured in house). A nice night all round, good location, good people and good drinks!

This is my first Unilocal event in London (and hopefully not last). Interesting venue and informative history of gin and rum! I really appreciated the knowledge and passion the owners had. Sometimes it’s nice not to get too boozy and learn a bit about what we’re drinking.
I would definitely come back to the venue to try their extensive list of gins.

Smashing night spent in the educational and enthusiastic company of Andrew from Merchant House and his fab team. For me this event was my favourite from Unilocal so far. Great mix of the history behind 2 of my favourite tipples with tasters to boot. Andrew kept us entertained with weird and wonderful facts about ‘booze’ as well as answering ANY questions thrown at him by the Unilocal crew. Seriously this guy knows his stuff! The recently opened Merchant House is stylish, comfortable and very well laid out. Even at full capacity it has been arranged so that 1 bartender has a max of 8 guests to mix magic for. Thus ensuring the quality over quantity ethos. Huge to thanks to all involved in an evening I hope to repeat in the very near future…

I am not a regular consumer of serious booze, but gin and rum feature in my list of favourites and not only did they fuel the expansion of the British Empire (as we apocryphally ‘learnt’ during the evening) but also guided my hand to push that RSVP button for this event.
I kind of liked the venue, the recently opened Merchant House. It is really hard to find, tucked away as it is like a seedy tavern of yon days of yore. I believe it is supposed to remind us of the British past naval and mercantile glory, which a bit it does, assuming that the sailors back then had a passion for taxidermy.
Having previously been to gin tasting events at the Sipsmith distillery and at the City of London Distillery, I knew a couple of facts about that fine spirit. But my knowledge of rum had many a hole, and so I was curious to hear what our guide ‘The Badger’ had to say about that. And admittedly, he did say a few interesting things, mixed with a humourously jingoistic and slightly political incorrect rendition of British naval history.
The choice of the samples to taste was rather unorthodox. On the rum side, we first tried a home made spiced version which I would describe as ‘interesting’. It was followed by a Pusser’s rum, which at about 55% ABV was a killer for the palate (and oesophagus and bowels)! Good on the nose, though.
On the gin side we started with a Bathtub gin, which was meh!, followed by a London Dry perhaps a little wee spoiled by too much flavouring with all kinds of flowers. But not too bad. Pity there were no snacks, but otherwise a pleasant evening.
I definitely would like to visit the venue again, although boozewise I would probably try something slightly less controversial.

I really enjoyed listening to the badger chap speak about the history of booze. I’d learnt quite a lot about gin (and tonic) at a previous Unilocal event, so it was pretty cool to learn about rum as well. I loved that he let himself be led off on tangents… although some of his «facts» were a bit dubious once he veered away from his prepared text.
I understand that they sell these master class sessions, so although I did have a great time, I have a few ideas to make them even better:
— Maybe pour the samples of gin/​rum while you tell us about the history, so people can sip them while you chat.
— I didn’t really enjoy some of the «rougher» versions of the gin/​rum. I liked learning about them, but I wasn’t able to drink all of my samples as they were just a bit too strong and ‘burny.’ I was especially worried when we were told that these versions can give you a bad hangover… Maybe concentrate on samples of the good stuff/​non hangover-​esque versions?
— To save lightweight folks that can’t cope with straight, strong alcohol… it might have been good to leave a few bottles of fevertree tonic on the table. That way we could top our samples up with a little tonic after we’d tried a taste straight.
— Some sort of alcohol soak-​up food would have made the whole thing better. I had a snack in my handbag… so I was okay, but I think our group would have been happier if everyone had some nibbles to soak up the alcohol. Even if it was something simple like bread an oil.
Anyway, all in all I had a great night and I made friends with a whole table full of lovely new Unilocalers. Yay!
I loved the bar, and I’d be happy to come back for some gin or rum next time i’m in the City.
Thanks Alex and Mr Fox and Mr Badger.

What a wonderful night we had at Merchant House.
We were greeted in their beautiful bar with a large cold G&T — the perfect way to start the night. After some time to mingle and chat with fellow Unilocalers our host «The Badger» regaled us with stories of Gin and Rum, sailing the seven seas, pirates and war, also known as a brief history of the British Empire! And it was fascinating. Our host was so passionate about what he does and it was truly infectious. I didn’t want it to end and I loved how we were able to distract him and send him on a tangent so we really got the most of his knowledge. I left wanting to know more!
In between our history lessons we got to enjoy some seriously good shots of Rum — a spiced rum first followed by a Pusser’s Rum, and following this some damn good Gin — the first gin was lovely and I thought pretty smooth until I tasted the second which was a seriously smooth London Dry Gin.
The Merchant House has only been open six weeks though you wouldn’t know it. There was no hint of nerves or disorder. This place is run by extensively knowledgeable staff who we had the pleasure of chatting to afterwards and an overall air of calm. I can’t wait to come back again!
I really really enjoyed last night and it is the best Unilocal event I have been to so far. Thank you Unilocal,Alex and Hannah and thanks Merchant House!

Great bar… great staff… great event.
The Merchant Hosue has been open just 6 weeks but it looks as if it could have been there for a couple of centuries. It has that aged look while also being very fresh and slick.
In homage to all things British Empire this bar specialises in gin and rum, over 350 different ones no less. Any event where I am welcomed with a declious g&t has started well and really set the tone for the night ahead.
The rest of the night didnt disappoint. ‘Special Name’ took us on a journey through history exploring the the roots of rum and gin. Along the way trying 2 rums and 2 gins. This chap knows his stuff, knows how to engage a group and how to make it fun. The right balance of booxe to history was key and they got it just right.
I will bbe back for sure to try and few of their cocktails and to enjoy the fantatsic jazz music theyhad in the background.
Thanks Alex & Hannah and thank you to the Merchant house

Really fun night with other Unilocalers. Our speaker Nate was like a comedian, funny and entertaining throughout the whole night and I learned a lot about Gin and Rum. We tried a lot of different brands. Will have to come back to try the food too because when we left the amazing smell of steak was intoxicating!

What a smashing evening — there rum, there was gin, there was gin & tonic and even more rum and gin. The expert who led the masterclass was absolutely fantastic! — who knew history (all be it the history of booze) could be so fun) — very entertaining. And what a lovely friendly bunch of Unilocalers too — thanks Alex for organising a great event!

A beautiful night meeting new Unilocalers, tasting Gins and Rum and learning about the history of these spirits and more.
And where? A recently opened Gin and Rum bar which as you walk pass that doesn’t look like your traditional bar, until you see the sign telling you the bar is downstairs, which as you walk down you are welcomed with a large bar with surprisingly large open area with many eye catching pieces.
So tonight being a Empire Masterclass, we learnt about the Mercantile story, which will touch on the spice trade, Genever/​Gin production, Navy Strength Gin, Rum, Grog banter and spiced rum. Where Special Nate did amazing job being informative as well as entertaining. We had two tasters of gin and two tasters of rum, which has opened my eyes to trying different types of gins and rum
without mixers to appreciate the full flavour.
Thank you Unilocal and merchant house for organising an amazing night!

I feel like a bit of a hater, but for me the event was a bit meh. The venue is kinda cool, and it’s clear that the owners have a real passion for alcohol, but the event really suffered from four words:
More booze, less talking.
Seriously. The history was interesting, but it could have been condensed down. It seemed like the guy in our room was really into his own voice, as he felt the need to constantly repeat himself about everything (as in rephrasing a sentence in three different ways and not actually telling us any more information about anything in those three sentences) and get side-​tracked completely on unrelated tangents that had nothing to do with the history of rum and gin.
What also made it kinda frustrating for me was that my +1 and I didn’t have much time to eat before we came, so we grabbed a snack, thinking that the event would be finished at 8:30. So half an hour after that, he’s STILL talking. We rush out, and unsurprisingly, everything in the area is closed. So finding a place to grab a bite wasn’t easy.
It seems like the other room was a bit more organized and possibly lead by a better presenter. Unfortunately, this event just wasn’t that enjoyable for me. I was expecting a great night with booze, and I got a night of a really unorganized history lecture. As an academic, one of my pet peeves are unorganized lectures, and it was incredibly frustrating for me.

Lots of fun, interesting to hear the histories of rum and gin– not sure quite how accurate some of those facts were though!
Anyway, it’s a cute tucked away bar that’s worth the hunt… I’ll be back!

Yet another in a long line of great Unilocal events!
Such an unexpected location (slightly hard to find, but apparently that’s the idea!), but with a great sort of old school private club sort of feel. Our hosts offered some great incite and information about the history of the rum trade (more exciting than it sounds!) complete with tastings.
The staff is obviously knowledgeable, and they only stock top quality spirits — this one will be a perfect spot for the upcoming cold, dark winter!

Ok, three things I love:
History: sailing to America, exploring 1800s China, visiting ancient Rome, all I need is a good story and then my mind can fly on it;
Pirates: arr, I mean, who doesn’t love that fake common image of pirates flying on the Caribbean seas, fighting, looting, burying treasure chests?! Damn, everybody dreamed about being a sea wolf at least once!
Booze: do I need to say anything else?
Now, take all these three ingredients at their finest quality, mix them together and you’ll have an idea about what this place was all about!
The storyteller was great, making me flight from London to Guadalupe to shanghai, the rum and gin tasted were spot on, everyone with its own story and its own reason to be in my glass, there is no reason not find this event amazing! Thank you Alex!
Could we please have more boozeducational history!?! I would loved that in high school, and I do love it even more right now!

If history at school contained rum, gin and swearing, it would have been a lot better, but still wouldn’t have been as good as last night.
Our host Special Nate was hilarious and full of knowledge. He even ‘threw together’ a meat and cheese platter with olive tapenade, so I didn’t have to go outside and order a dominos. He managed to have the whole audience hanging on his every word as he talked about exploring, the spice trade, why navy rum is the strength it is, and how vodka + juniper berries = gin.
The G+T on arrival was quaffed down, and the tasters were great. My favourite being the first rum we tried!
I don’t work in the city, but I’ll most certainly be back with fellow booze aficionados
Another brilliant Unilocal event, thanks Alex and the team at The Merchant House.

What a fantastic night!
The venue is gorgeous — old, quirky, stylish and beautiful all wrapped one.
We had a really fun time meeting up with new Unilocal friends and meeting new people too.
Special Nate was a fantastic host, very charismatic and engaging. His story telling skills are fantastic — he had us all listening to him and laughing lots.
I learnt a lot about the navy and the history of rum and gin, all whilst having a really good time.
Who knew gin is made from vodka?! Okay, well some people may have known this, but it was new to me!
Having the opportunity to try two runs and two guns was the perfect amount. My favourite was definitely the last gin.
The staff went out of their way to make sure we had a good time, even bringing our table a platter of meats, cheese and breadsticks when one of our party mentioned they were hungry. Fantastic service to say the least!
Despite not working in the city, I will definitely be making a trip to the Merchant House again soon. Perhaps only to test their gin knowledge and to ask them to select the gin best for me :)
Thanks Unilocal and Merchant House for a really great night. G&T on arrival, lots of laughter, fun host, interesting tasting sessions, a lovely setting, fun Unilocal friends and lovely smelling hand cream in the toilets (yes, some of us girls were talking about this!)… What more could you ask for?!