A new public university opened its doors in Barcelona, and Casa Capell became the epicentre of gin. Spain is the second-largest consumer of this drink in the world, but what do we know about it? The Beefeater London Gin College was presented as a place to learn all the secrets of the fashionable cocktail and earn a degree for those who unlocked the key. Gin enthusiasts had the opportunity to learn more about it in a space such as Casa Capell, transformed into an authentic English college, with classes led by Beefeater’s finest master distiller, Desmond Payne. To ensure the training was comprehensive, after the students were welcomed at the rector’s office and attended the lesson in the Botanicals Room, they moved on to the Gin Classroom to learn about the process of creating this drink and experience the difficulty involved. And there was no better way to delve deeper into the subject than with a comparative tasting of different types. The practical session continued in the Cocktail Pub, where, in the purest English style, students could learn from the best professionals how to prepare original mixed drinks. After a day of study, recognition and leisure, they could enjoy their favourite drink in the campus garden and have their picture taken in their graduation uniforms. The Beefeater London Gin College is a fun initiative that aims to bring a more comprehensive knowledge of the drink to a society increasingly accustomed to it; and as Miguel Fernández de Molina, a sociologist specialising in coolhunting, explains, “Trends are cyclical; the key is that everything with history and tradition will become fashionable again at another time.”
