A few weeks ago I was kindly invited back to The Botanist York for their blog event, to celebrate their first birthday. I absolutely adore The Botanist and I always recommend it, they do some of the best blog events that I have ever been to and their cocktails are to die for. I can’t believe that the York branch is now a year old, and it is still as amazing as when it first opened. If you have read my blog for a while you will know just how often I go to The Botanist, it’s without a doubt one of my favourite cocktail bars!
I had a plus one alongside by ticket, so me and my boyfriend went together. I love it when we go to events together and he gets to see other parts of my blog, as he tends to only see my blog as me sitting in my bedroom over my laptop! I think it makes me more proud when I can show someone what my blog has actually achieved and being able to take a friend or my partner with me is always fun. It was an evening event, so we got the train after college so that we arrived in good time. Most of my blog events that I attend are in York so I’m pretty used to the journey and I actually don’t mind it… although I am excited for when I can drive back and forth next year!
The event started at 6:30pm although we got there a little early, so we decided to go and have a drink on our own beforehand. I opted for my absolute favourite, the raspberry disaronno sour, which is served in a plant pot filled with crushed ice. Not only does it taste incredible, but the bartender pours some liquid into the cocktail before it is served which means it starts to steam with dry ice. It is so fancy and I honestly love it, so unique and pretty!
We were then taken to the room at the back of the bar, which is usually part of the restaurant but was sectioned off for this particular event. Megan greeted us, who is the lovely woman who was organising the evening. I have actually never met her before (another lovely lady organised the previous event) but we have spoken online a few times and it was so nice to meet her. Megan talked us through all of the different sections of the night and the activities that were going on, which definitely got me very excited!
We sat down at a table, and we were given some prosecco to start the drinking off. I took a few photos and we just talked for a while whilst waiting for the other guests to arrive. There were some fantastic bloggers that attended and I wish I had spoken to some of them more! There were many different tables around and people just sat wherever they wanted to, which I really liked. The whole event was very causal and I really liked that chilled out atmosphere. Nothing was forced, and that is probably the reason why I love the Botanist events so much!
There were two different ‘stations’ that bloggers could go to, and the first one was a gin table. The bartender was giving everyone recommendations on different gins and the ones that he would serve us depending on our tastes. The Botanist has a very extensive gin range, so it was nice to see a few that are on offer for customers. I told him that I love fruity flavours in drinks so I opted for brockmans gin with elderflower on his recommendation. He finished the glass off with blueberries and a slice of orange, which really added a strong taste of fruit to the drink. I am usually not the biggest fan of gin however I loved how it paired with the fruit flavouring and I would definitely order it again.
The next ‘station’ was a cocktail masterclass, where we had the opportunity to make our own ‘strawberry and cucumber breeze’. Led by a bartender, we learnt which ingredients to put in and we even got to try pouring two bottles into the glasses at once… I’m not sure if I explained that very well but it’s a lot harder than how it looks! I loved having more insight into how a cocktail is actually made and all of the different components involved. It’s so interesting seeing how many different cordials go into a cocktail, even down to the little pieces of fresh fruit and mint leaves. Mine definitely didn’t taste as good as the bartenders but it was still nice to have a go and create a cocktail then drink it! I will definitely order it again in the future… but this time get a professional to make it!
After about an hour of drinking and talking, the employees brought out a large table of food for all of the bloggers to tuck into. There was a variety of starters and sharing platters for everyone, and I particularly liked trying some of the starters. The food at The Botanist is gorgeous and I have never been disappointed with the food that I have tried there, I would definitely recommend! There was more than plenty for everyone and the majority of people ended up taking platters back to their individual tables.
We had to leave a little earlier than everyone else because we needed to catch the train home, however I absolutely loved the time that I was there. I don’t say this lightly but The Botanist events are probably my favourite that I have ever been to, they treat us so much and I am so lucky to get opportunities to work alongside businesses like this. Overall I had such an amazing evening and it was so nice to just sit and relax with good food, good drinks and good company. I would 100% recommend The Botanist if you want to go for a few cocktails with your friends or with your love, most certainly one of my favourite cocktail bars that I have been to. Thank you so much to the lovely team at The Botanist for inviting me and for treating me and my boyfriend so well, we had the best time and look forward to coming back in the future.
