Gin makes the 5pm Dining blog very happy and, judging by the response we get whenever we post anything gin-related, the spirit has quite a following among our readers as well.

If you are a gin-lover then an imminent event at The Two Fat Ladies at The Shandon Belles will provide food for thought.

On Thursday 28th April, the Belles will be playing host to a fantastic tasting event from the Great British Gin Collection.

Guests will enjoy a perfect serve of Greenalls, Bloom, Opihr, Berkeley Square and Thomas Dakin followed by a sumptuous three course meal.

You will learn about the different gin brands, the botanicals used in the making of the gins and a brief history of gin production.

Tickets are priced at £30 per person. The talk will begin at 6pm.

If you can’t wait until Thursday, there are plenty of 5pm offers on offer today. For example, you can tuck into three courses from the set menu with a glass of wine for £15.

Monday Taste Club

We’re all for spoiling ourselves on Mondays and nothing quite lifts the start-of-the-week-blues quite like anticipating a good meal.

Over on Cleveden Road, 111 by Nico is making a regular feature of their Monday Taste Club.

Each Monday, they are running a different five course taster menu for £20 or £30 with matched wine.

Typical dishes might be the duck with sprouting broccoli, celeriac and spiced jus or the pear lime cheesecake with amaretti.

As we noted last week, 111 by Nico got a big thumbs up in the latest edition of The List Eating and Drinking guide where it was named as the Newcomer of the Year in Glasgow.