Ginstitute: Make your own batch of gin

Tucked away above a pub on Portobello Road is a charming homage to the Victorian gin palace - The Ginstitute. Decked out with etched glass, a mahogany bar and a collection of rare antique gins, this corner of Notting Hill is where the fun starts.

Your 'ginstructor' for the evening is the jolly northerner Jake Burger. He works along side Ged Feltham - owner of Ginstitute, the bar downstairs, and Portobello Road Gin, to create a gin lover's paradise.

For the first forty mintutes – over an deftly-shaken Martini – Jake regales you with tales of London's gin love affair. An entertaining raconteur, he whizzes through 1,000 years at a rattling pace – from the seadog who served gin illegally from behind a wooden cat (customers called out "puss, puss" and got a "miaow" back if the deal was on) to greedy gin-sellers who poisoned their customers with sulphuric acid.

If you ask really nicely, Jake might even give you an illicit sip of Applejack, a gin from prohibition-era America that he keeps behind the bar – or at least let you have a peek.

After your potted history lesson, it's time for the Willy Wonka-style gin magic to start in Jake's laboratory, The Still Room. Taking notes as you taste different flavoured spirits, you choose a recommended 8-12 to blend together from an array of enticing liquors, from Fortnum and Mason tea and apricot stone to wormwood and orris root.

As a novice gintern you get plenty of careful guidance and suggestions, but there's something childishly fun about pretending to be a gin hotshot: "I believe this needs a touch more orange peel" or "I'm not so sure of the merits of this cardamom". Jake patiently interprets your vague whims even if you come out with: "I'm thinking sort of summery... but a bit autumnal... with some citrus notes, herbiness, and a warm finish". Somehow, you seem to end up with what you wanted.

With all the pleasurable tasting going on, it's easy to get carried away. So unless you don't mind staggering home, I would advise arriving with a full stomach.

After Jake approves your concoctions, your masterpieces are bottled up for you to take home. Not only will you be taking away your own precious ginnovation, but a full-sized bottle of Portobello Road gin as well.

Should you want to order more of your bespoke gin in the future, your recipes are kept at The Ginstitute and extra bottles can be purchased for £37.50. One journalist, who will remain nameless, is already on his 12th re-order.

It's the ultimate night out for gin lovers and a brilliant idea if you want to personalise a special occasion; one thoughtful groom-to-be recently created a gin for his wedding so that guests could drink something inimitable on the big day.