Hundreds of people will celebrate “Mother’s Ruin” when they visit Dundee Gin Fest this weekend.
The event at the Bonar Hall will coincide with World Gin Day.
There are also gin festivals taking place in Glasgow and Edinburgh but Dundee’s will be unique because only gins made in Scotland will feature.
It will feature a range of gins and a cocktail bar where bartenders from some of Dundee’s top venues will be making gin-based cocktails.
Organiser Carrie Shannon said: “Saturday is World Gin Day so there are a few festivals taking place around the country and the world.
“I’ve been involved with events before and done some work with a gin brand so there needs to be a festival for Scottish gins.
“This will be the first one and then I will be taking it to Pitlochry in August and then Inverness in October.”
Carrie also plans to run the festival in Aberdeen and Edinburgh next year.
Visitors will receive their own Gin Fest balloon glass, brochure and a voucher for a complimentary drink for their £15 entry fee.
There will be 15 Scottish gins featured at the festival including Verdant Gin from Dundee, Arbikie from Abroath and The Gin Bothy from Kirriemuir.
Although once branded “Mother’s Ruin” because of its harmful social effects, a recent resurgence in gin’s popularity has seen dozens of new brands spring up around the UK.
Scotland’s links to gin go back centuries with many crediting Edinburgh-born George Cleghorn with creating the first gin and tonic after discovering quinine could cure malaria.
The quinine was drunk in tonic water with gin to make it more palatable.
More than 70% of the UK’s gin is now produced in Scotland.
Sales of gin rose by 12% last year and more than 43 million bottles were sold last year.
The surge in gin’s popularity saw the Treasury’s tax take from spirits rise by seven per cent to £3.1 billion.
This meant that more money was raised through the sale of spirits than beer for the first time in history.
Carrie said the wider variety of gins available had helped boost its popularity.
She said: “It’s not just your basic gin and tonic any more.
“There are loads of different flavours so people who don’t think they like gin will find there is one they enjoy.”
There will be three sessions at Saturday’s event at 1pm, 4pm, and 7pm.
Tickets are available online but will also be available on the door.
Carrie said: “We are expecting about 1,000 people over the three sessions.”
