Johdi the Gintern
Johdi Dinsdale landed a dream job when she became ILoveGin.com’s new ‘gintern’, a role that took her across the UK and Europe tasting and reviewing some of the world’s best gins
Loving to experiment trying different gins, botanicals, mixers and garnishes, Johdi Dinsdale spotted an advert on Facebook that made her stop and look again.
London-based on-line gin club ILoveGin.com was looking for a ‘gintern’, a part-time position paying up to £20,000 requiring the successful candidate to travel around the UK and Europe to visit gin distilleries and taste their products.
“I’d already started a lifestyle blog, and my posts usually ended up being gin related,” recalls Johdi from Barrowford.
“Different brands started sending me samples of their gin to review and it went from there.”
The ILoveGin.com ad requested that ‘gintern’ applicants write a review of a gin and submit it, which Johdi did: “I submitted a link to my blog and a review of a Pinkster gin.”
Johdi also bakes with gins and has developed a number of recipes including a Pavlova featuring Pinkster gin as well as a Malfy Gin Lemon Cake, which features on the ILoveGin.com website.
Not surprisingly there were more than 5,000 applicants for the ‘gintern’ job, and Johdi was thrilled to go through to round two, which required that candidates submit a ‘gin related’ video of themselves.
Johdi had already formed strong links with Batch gin in Burnley after blogging about their collection of superior gins: “I asked if I could film my video at Batch with head distiller Ollie – ILoveGin.com wanted to see what we could do creatively as well as writing about gin.”
“On the video I talked a lot about my personal collection of gins, and to my surprise I got through to the final eight!”
Round three of the interviews saw candidates at The Distillery in Notting Hill, London, being filmed making a gin cocktail behind the bar with a brand ambassador for Portobello Road gin. This saw Johdi make a Breakfast Martini featuring her homemade Portobello Road gin grapefruit curd.”
And it was after this round of interviews that Johdi was named ILoveGin.com’s new ‘gintern’!
“It was so surreal!” says 28-year-old Johdi, who has travelled the length and breadth of the UK (she has also visited Hamburg) tasting, reviewing and writing about different gins.”
“I have visited many distillers learning about the brand and their different products, then I blog about them on the ILoveGin.com website.”
“A lot of the brands are so passionate about what they do, they are constantly developing new products, and they are sustainable in how they do it, which is what I like about it. It is a very exciting industry to be a part of.”
Johdi also bakes with gins and has developed a number of recipes including a Malfy Gin Lemon Cake, which also features on the website where Johdi writes: “The first ever gin-based cake I baked was a lemon drizzle, so as well as paying tribute to Malfy Con Limone Gin, this cake has all kinds of nostalgia floating around the kitchen as I bake. You can’t beat an old classic, and the flavour combo in this bake is simply divine.”
Becoming an expert on gin, Johdi sees no signs of the gin craze subsiding: “I don’t see things shifting at all,” she says. “It is such a great industry that just seems to be getting stronger. It’s understandable as gin is such an interesting drink as there are all kinds of different combinations with specialist mixers and garnishes.”
And her favourite? “I could never choose! I have tried so many! I recently tasted a seaweed gin by a company called Damrak, which was lovely. I’m also impressed with Batch Innovation – a monthly limited edition and there’s a really interesting gin from Tappers in West Kirby.
“To enjoy gin you have to pair well and get creative! Pick a good mixer and don’t underestimate what a good garnish does. Don’t be afraid to experiment either – I have almost 60 in my collection and I still can’t decide on a favourite!”
