Friends to open new gin and tonic bar in popular Northampton nightspot

Max Taylor-Smith of Abington is to launch Gin & Temple with his co-owner, Cillian. The duo say their vision for the new bar is to mix and serve the finest gin and tonic flavour combinations as well as to educate customers on how to pick the best drinks to suit their taste buds.

Max said: "We want to come in with the statement of being the place to come to for a gin and tonic in town. There is a lot of drink specialists around, but often you find they own a few fancy bottles and the staff aren’t educated in the depth knowledge and appreciation of each flavour combination we aim to bring.

"There is so much history and science involved in every gin and that is something we hope to bring out when people come to the bar. "The whole vision for this is to be a relaxed place to come out for a drink and a chat. Whether it’s a Friday catch up or first Tinder date people can hopefully learn a little something about their favourite gins or even discover new favourites."

The bar will be next to the Wig & Pen pub in St Giles Street and, if it is given the green light by the planning committee at the borough council, will open in early November.

Max added: "We’re at a stage in life where, if we head out, we typically want a nice location that serves a drinks menu that’s been given real thought and prioritises atmosphere and staff above loud tunes and low-priced student deals.

"Unfortunately, we feel the options in Northampton are quite limited for that kind of offering, so we thought we could help.

"We’ve all lived in and around Northampton for a few years now and wanted to make the most of a great spot in town that has so much character and surrounded by lively people."

The two-storey bar will have a different atmosphere on both floors. Upstairs, customers can ease back and enjoy their drinks slowly while downstairs will aim to be a vibrant bar area with quirky furniture.

He added: "I’d encourage anyone who doesn’t like or know about gin, and even those who reckon they do, to come down and try one.

"We plan on rotating a selection of flavour profiles – sweet, sour, spicy – and will also stock a great range of fantastic gins with loads of opportunity for experimenting."For those who really, really are against the stuff, or who are may be driving, we will offer a small number of hand selected beers, spirits and light drinks as an alternative."

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