Wirral Life January 2019 | Page 39

Liverpool is home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe. From the first Shanghai and Cantonese seamen arriving in the 1850s, through to families from Hong Kong immigrating a hundred years later, the bonds of friendship and blood have overcome many trials and tribulations. Liverpool’s Imperial Arch, the largest outside of China and a gift from the people of Shanghai stands as an imposing testimony to the strong links and the twinning of the two Cities. To mark this friendship Middle Kingdom Gin has been crafted in a small local distillery only a stone’s throw from the Arch. Produced in limited quantities this premium gin has a smooth rounded taste, the botanicals including honesty (also known as ‘Chinese coins’), orange and jasmine tea bring subtle hints of the Orient to this very British drink which celebrates the meeting of two cultures. Middle Kingdom Gin can now be enjoyed at: The Red Fox - Thornton Hough, Wirral A Tavola Italian Deli - East Village, Duke Street, Liverpool Love Lane Brewery - 62-64 Bridgewater street, Liverpool Hanover Street Social - 16-20 Hanover Street, Liverpool The Angel Restaurant - 52 Hanover Street, Liverpool Rocket & Ruby - 55 Castle Street, Liverpool The Belvedere - 8 Sugnall Street, Liverpool Bacaro - 47 Castle Street, Liverpool Produced and bottled by: The Ginsmiths of Liverpool 62-64 Bridgewater Street, Liverpool L1 0AY For Middle Kingdom Ltd.