The Mint Gun Club is a local Tea House, Bar and Delicatessen launching on Brooke Road in the heart of Stoke Newington on Friday 21st July 2017. The brainchild of renowned bartender and drinks expert, Richard Hunt, the Mint Gun Club will specialise in delicious apéritifs, globally-inspired cocktails, fine teas and an array of exotic delicacies.
Three times awarded International Bartender of the Year from 2007 to 2009, Rich has done almost everything the drinks industry has to offer. Previously Head Bartender at Milk & Honey, The Player as well as Mahiki and Hawksmoor, Rich Hunt has also worked extensively across the world and was Eastern European brand ambassador for Bacardi, Global brand ambassador for Oxley Gin and regularly features on Jamie Oliver’s Drinks Tube.
Having lived and worked around the globe all his life, Rich’s inspiration for the venue comes from his love of travel and from growing up with his family in ex-patriate communities in exotic, far-flung destinations. From fanwafted apéritifs on sun-baked terraces to refreshing teas in blossom-shaded gardens, the Mint Gun Club aims to transport a slice of this exciting, convivial world to North London through an innovative menu that draws inspiration from this diverse cultural thread.
The Mint Gun Club is a small, bright, relaxed space just off Stoke Newington High Street: the design references remembered details from a life spent in expat communities and reflects this cultural overlap. The space combines Modern European and Scandinavian elegance with rustic furnishing and splashes of exotic detail, including Moroccan tiling, Polynesian artefacts and Indonesian house boards and palms fronds.
Served throughout the day in beautiful individual tea pots and crockery will be the Mint Gun Club’s selection of single-estate and rare blended teas from all over the world. Dealing only in loose-leaf, each personally selected blend is from responsible and sustainable producers. Alongside the untraditional house tea – a blend of Mint, Gunpowder Green, Brunch Club tea – the inventive menu will also showcase underused Tisane with a wide selection of herbal infusions.
The Mint Gun Club High Tea will be the cornerstone of the venue and an exotic take on afternoon tea. Two alternative high teas will be available: the smaller “Tiffin Tea” and elaborate High Tea. The “Tiffin Tea” will be served in a hand-painted Indian layered lunchbox – a tiffin tin – lined with banana leaves while the High Tea will be an extravagant affair, served with English sparkling wine. Both tea menus will feature three or four layers of exotic sweet and savoury treats including mochi, proper marshmallow, Turkish delight, semolina cake, cucumber kimchi sandwiches and the MGC twist on the staple Club Sandwich.
The pantry-style food offering at the Mint Gun Club draws ingredients from Middle Eastern, Asian and Mediterranean larders: featuring ingredients as diverse as kimchi and daikon, labneh and chermoula. Whether they are made in-house or sourced from the finest suppliers, the food at the Mint Gun Club is all about guests picking and choosing their favourite specialties to form a platter of spreads, salsas, breads, pickled fruits and salads. These delicious morsels can be combined at the whim and will of the individual diner.
Without a full kitchen on site, the pantry food is all made freshly that day or preserved in jars, and is tailor-made to pair with the beverage of choice, whether guests are looking for a light brunch with a Bloody Mary or “para picar” nibble on the side of an apéritif. Keen to encourage the use of these unusual delicacies in day to day eating, all the ingredients across the Mint Gun Club menu are available to buy and take away to spruce up a picnic or enhance home cooking.