OF ALL the gin joints in all the towns in all the world . . . you don’t expect to find one in Woodstock.

But the rather refined Cotswold town has what it claims to be the UK’s first ever gin bar.

We visited for a press event which included a tasting and dinner – and it’s testimony to the quality of the food that it still made an impression after we’d tried four varieties of the spirit, along with the Ultimate Gin & Tonic (see panel below).

The boutique hotel, just down the road from Blenheim Palace, has recently been refurbished and boasts charming, art-filled public areas, along with a classy but comfortable 17th century antique panelled dining room serving modern English cuisine.

After an amuse bouche of asparagus soup, we tucked in to a beef tatare starter. Good quality, finely chopped lean beef was formed in to patties and served in a variety of ways – with a potato mousse, with caviar and with a fried quail’s egg and a swirl of horseradish cream. The flavours were well balanced and the dish – as with all the others – was beautifully presented.

Next was a fish course; I’m not sure if there are seasons for different species or whether brill is just having a fashionable moment but it was the second time I’d been served it in as many weeks. I’m not complaining though, the fish was succulent and tasty.

Then it was on to quail – leg, breast and egg. The food was so good even my egg-hating companion managed his (well, they’re hardly very big!) along with the succulent meat.

Dessert was a dark chocolate delice with a salted caramel centre and porridge ice cream before rounding off with coffee and petit fours.

The restaurant offers a menu at £38.50 for two courses and £44.95 for three and a tasting menu of five courses plus amuse bouche and pre-dessert at £55.

A bistro menu is also available and The Feathers has a supper club where for £5 you can chose how to have your fish cooked (battered, grilled or poached) and your potatoes cooked (chips, new potatoes or mash), add £2.50 side orders of mushy peas, green beans with garlic butter or side salad and enjoy a bottle of wine for £10.

Another great deal is the re-opening special which runs until June 30. You can enjoy dinner, bed and breakfast for £79 per person per night. The package (based on two people sharing a double bedroom and subject to availability) includes a complimentary cucumber Martini or Hendricks gin and tonic, accommodation in a Woodstock double bedroom, a three-course dinner and a full English breakfast.

And believe me, after a couple of The Feathers G&Ts, you’re not going to want to drive home!

Fancy a G&T darling?

IF YOU dodn’t think there is much difference between one brand of gin and another . . . think again.

Or maybe that should be drink again!

The new gin bar at The Feathers boasts more than 50 varieties from all over the world, along with a selection of tonic waters which includes the exclusive Q Tonic at an eye-watering £10.75 for a 187ml bottle.

Q Tonic features in creating the bar’s Ultimate Gin & Tonic – a labour of love for The Feathers’ Luc Morel. Many hours have gone into researching its history, discovering new gins, experimenting with glassware and having a little taste of all trial runs along the way.

The tonic, crafted by Jordan Silbert in Brooklyn, has been described by Gourmet Magazine as “amazing”. Its secret formula includes hand-picked cinchona bark (quinine) from the Peruvian Andes and organic agave as a sweetener.

For the alcoholic content Luc chose Blackwood’s 2007 60 per cent Vintage Dry Gin, made using botanicals – wild water mint, sea pink and meadowsweet flowers, coriander, angelica root, juniper, turmeric, orris and citrus peel – from Shetland in the far north of Scotland.

And even the ice cubes are exclusive – they are made from Blenheim Palace Natural Mineral Water. The spring is located just one mile from the Feathers. The finished result is served in a Riedel crystal highball, garnished with a freshly cut lime segment and costs £18.75.

If that’s a little steep, there are plenty of alternatives. More than 50 gins are in stock at any one time, each one with its own distinctive fragrance and flavour profile. Theys are sourced from eight countries including the USA and, of course, England. Each gin, be it dry, semi-sweet, bitter or smooth can be paired with a complementary tonic.

And due respect is given to the Martini. As well as serving its Ultimate Martini (using Martin Millers Westbourne Strength gin and a drop of Vya Extra Dry Vermouth by California’s Andrew Quady), the bar offers the precursor to the Martini, the Martinez, a James Bond Martini, Cucumber Martini and French Martini. All are made to order at the customer’s table and can be shaken or stirred. A selected offering of gin cocktails such as the Negroni and forgotten classics like the Delilah are also listed.

And what does that Ultimate G&T taste like? Well, what do you think . . . pretty damn good!

www.feathers.co.uk