As a birthday treat, my parents and I visited the Bombay Sapphire site in Hampshire for one of their Gin Distillery Experiences. It was a gorgeous day, and although I was driving, I was very in the mood to get my hands on some gin and see how the famous blue bottle came to be.

The tour lasted about 90 minutes, starting with the most important thing - a drink. For drivers, there was a non-alcoholic option available, but otherwise it was a guide to making the perfect gin and tonic. There are only four steps to it - ice, gin, tonic, garnish - but it turns out the way I make my drinks is wrong at every single stage. Whoops!

Then a five minute film in the supremely comfortable cinema before heading out to the iconic greenhouses.

We were told about the buildings and the history of the location, before getting a look around the greenhouses at examples of the botanicals, and then getting a sniff and taste (if you want, I certainly didn’t) of the same. A quick look at the stills and overview of the process and then we were out the other side and headed for the gift shop… which was stocked full of gin, obviously, but also lots of accessories and some other drinks made by the parent company, Bacardi.

A lovely day and I headed home afterwards for a well deserved gin & tonic… still made my way, I’m afraid!