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What's Katie Doing?

Gin Travel Food

April 10, 2018

Copenhagen gin guide – the alternative CPH guide

The alternative guide to a weekend in Copenhagen!

Whilst this Copenhagen gin guide isn’t a complete guide, it should inspire you for lots of gin related ideas for a weekend in the Danish capital of Copenhagen. It’s ideal if you’ve visited Copenhagen before and done the main attractions (Tivoli Gardens, the Little Mermaid etc), or if you just love gin!

Copenhagen gin guide - Danish flag at Nyhavn port

The colourful and pretty area of Nyhavn port – but you’ve seen that before…

This guide covers:

  • Copenhagen Gin Festival
  • Copenhagen Distillery tour
  • Street art in Copenhagen
  • Gin bars in Copenhagen
  • Where to eat to sober up
  • Where to stay
  • How to get there
  • Getting around the city

 

Copenhagen Gin Guide

 

Alaine from Travel with Alaine and I were in Copenhagen mainly because it was Copenhagen Gin Festival that weekend.

However Alaine’s weekend in Copenhagen did not get off to a great start. Unfortunately she was targeted by professional robbers who relieved her of her new iPhone within 10 minutes leaving the train station…. 🙁 Cue trying to track the phone down, locking it, informing Apple and her mobile phone company and reporting it stolen to the police. Please note Alaine wasn’t mugged, there was no violence, but they picked her phone from her backpack when her hands were full of luggage. Copenhagen isn’t a hot bed of crime, but people will take any opportunity you give them. The police said that mobile phone theft was very common around the central station, so please be cautious in crowded places.

Not fun… But here I’m focusing on the fun bits – we still managed to have a good time on our gin weekend, starting with Copenhagen Gin Festival:

 

Copenhagen Gin Festival

Copenhagen Gin Festival overview

It was a large gin festival!

We attended two of the Saturday sessions (they had three on Saturday and also some on Friday afternoon). As it was so vast you need a lot of time to get around all the stands – I certainly didn’t manage it! You can read the full review of our escapades at the gin festival here Copenhagen Gin Festival 2018

Obviously they don’t hold a gin festival every weekend, so read on to find out more things you can do in Copenhagen.

 

Copenhagen Distillery tour

Everyone knows about the Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen, but did you know about Copenhagen Distillery? Well this is where I headed after arriving Friday afternoon.

The distillery is open to the public between 1- 4pm on Friday afternoons, so you can turn up and have a look and a taste and buy bottles to take with you. Which is basically what I did!

Sune from the distillery took me around and explained how everything worked. Copenhagen distillery has been selling their products since 2015, but only moved to their current industrial premises in 2016. They have big plans to expand the distillation area, storage and aging space and even focus on their bar area, making. You can read my full experience here: Copenhagen Distillery Visit.

The three types of gin they make at Copenhagen Distillery

The three types of gin they make at Copenhagen Distillery

 

 

Master distiller Henrik Brinks holding his award winning Oak Gin

Master distiller Henrik Brinks holding his award winning Oak Gin

 

The full range of Copenhagen Distillery products available to buy.

The full range of Copenhagen Distillery products available to buy.

 

But of course there is more to do in Copenhagen than just gin! The walk back from the Copenhagen Distillery location takes you through Christiania, which is always good for people watching & street art. However as it’s in a lot of guides I’m not focusing on that area, but introducing you to some different ones:

 

Street art in Copenhagen

If you follow me on Instagram or have read my blog before, you will know that I love finding street art when travelling. One particular area in Nørrebro has a public park, Superkilen, that has some fantastic street art and the whole area celebrates diversity.

'We love Norrebro' sign

‘We love Norrebro’

From ‘traditional’ street art graffiti in the skate park, to full size wall murals to design quirks in the main park area, the whole place is vibrant and interesting. Well worth jumping on a bus to check it out or taking a leisurely walk out of the center.

Statue of a red heart with 'We want to live together' in all the languages of the local people on it

‘We want to live together’ in all the languages of the local people

 

5 storey mural on the side of a building

5 storey mural on the side of a building

Colourful graffiti art walls

I love the colours in these graffiti art walls

Another colourful graffiti wall

A colourful background to the park

 

Haha! Found the missing photos from my Copenhagen trip on the other memory card!! Here is a grinning @travelwithalaine in front of the red wall in Superkilen Park (I did say it was colourful and then posted a black & white picture – doh!) . do you like finding the splashes of colour and street art when you travel . #superkilenurbanpark #superkilennorrebro #nørrebro #copenhagenbreak #copenhagen #denmark #københavn #streetart #urbanart #secretstreets #secretcopenhagen

A post shared by Katie Hughes (@whatskatiedoing) on Mar 4, 2018 at 7:56am PST

 

Gin bars in Copenhagen

This is not a definitive list, as a) we didn’t get to go to everywhere that was recommended and b) new gin bars are opening all the time!

The Bird and Churchkey

We ended up popping in here after the gin festival as The Boatyard Gin were doing a launch – cue free g&t!

The Bird and Churchkey Boatyard gin launch voucher

FREE GIN! (can you tell I’m a little excited?!)

 

The outside of the Bird and Churchkey on a rainy afternoon

The outside of the Bird and Churchkey on a rainy afternoon

However this is a very popular spot and was absolutely rammed on a Saturday night at 12:30. So after moving around to try and find a space (and failing) we finished our drinks and headed down the road to Ruby:

Ruby

Sune from the distillery used to work here and the classiness of the place shows!

The Ruby Cocktail menu

The Ruby Cocktail menu

Arranged over two floors there is a light and high ceilinged bar as you walk in and rooms converted from the town house. It was busy, but not as manic as The Bird and Churchkey.

An eclectir decor of candles and random statues in the window

An eclectic decor…

However we kept exploring and headed downstairs where the decor was much more gentlemen’s club, with dark wood, armchairs and cabinets of whiskey.

The cosy whiskey room area

Clubhouse atmosphere – now all you need is the keys to the whiskey cabinet!

Here I went with a version on my go to drink, a negroni twist, using Tanqueray Old Tom, Cointreau, Campari and Noilly Prat. This was a ‘frenchified’ negroni in honour of France’s most famous fencing champion – Lucian Guadien.

Close up of the negroni

My French twist on a negroni

 

Close up of my friend's cocktail in a pretty glass

I have no idea what Alaine ordered, but that glass is pretty!

 

Cube

Cube was the gin and tonic bar at the hotel we stayed at. I was pleasantly surprised to see the extent of their gin and overall liquor list! This is where we met my cousin Mette for a pre-dinner G&T before exploring more of the Vesterbro area Friday evening.

Bon Accord tonic and gin in a copa glass

Trying a new tonic – Bon Accord

Gin garnished with basil and grapefruit

Grapefruit and basil garnish is so refreshing and one of my top tips for summer

They had a great selection of gins and also some tonics I hadn’t tried before.

 

Lidkoeb

Mette took us to Lidkoeb after our Friday night dinner to enjoy some more cocktails. I loved the individual vibe that each floor in this 3 floor converted building had. Each had a specific theme and if I’m not mistaken it has a connection with Ruby. (It certainly has a similar vibe).

Lidkoeb finger pointing the direction

Follow the sign to find this bar tucked behind the main street

Us girls posing in front of the main door

Everybody pose! We found the building right at the back

Lidkoeb logo lit up

It felt like being part of a secret society

Walking sticks lined up on the entrance hall

This is where you leave your walking sticks, obviously

Whiskey room with dispensing chemist decoration

A very similar whiskey room to Ruby

At the top was the whiskey room, however we settled on the middle floor for cocktails.

My Tvye Tyve gin cocktail with carrot garnish

This was the Tyve Tyve cocktail. Made with gin and carrot and parsnip syrup, cocoa nib infused Lillet Blanc and served with scorched carrot. Unusual and very tasty!

 

Where to eat to sober up

With both of us being foodies, our weekend wasn’t just about the gin…

Madklubben

Madklubben means food club in Danish and so this restaurant was perfectly suited to three foodies like us! There are several restaurants in the chain around Copenhagen and we headed to the one in Vesterbro nearest our hotel and not far from the meatpacking district.

The Madklubben bar area

The Madklubben bar area – we washed down our dinner with gin and tonics (naturally!) and wine, but they also do cocktails.

They have the honour of being ‘the most visited restaurant in Denmark’ and focus on tasty food, inspired by the whole world. You can order dishes individually from the menu or go for one of their budget friendly 2 or 3 course combinations. 1 course is DKK 125, 2 DKK 200 and three DKK 225, which all include still or sparkling water.

My starter of Asian salmon

My starter of Asian salmon

The seasonal fish dish - the roasted parsnips were delicious

The seasonal fish dish – the roasted parsnips were delicious

I had the Asian style salmon and seasonal fish for mains. They change the dishes fairly frequently, so there’s always something new to try.

Alaine just dug into a burger and Mette hit up the meat dishes, starting with beef tartare and then the pork chop. I think Mette won that meal, the pork looked superb!

The beef tartare starter

Yes there is beef tartare hiding under those leaves!

 

The Corner at 108

Alaine has a relationship with Noma, that resulted in her visiting for her birthday lunch in 2016. It looked like she had an awesome time. So it came as no surprise that she suggested we head to 108 – it being a Noma spin off. However as we were there for lunch, we headed to The Corner café, rather than the main restaurant.

An industrial feel inside the corner cafe

An industrial feel inside the corner cafe

The café is dinky and does a roaring trade in coffee and cake, but you can also get a pared down menu there. Alaine decided to go for the breakfast option:

108 breakfast

108 breakfast, or is it brunch when you have it at lunch?!

Her breakfast included strong coffee (naturally), a boiled egg, sausages served with a chunky mustard and a beautiful dish of apples (I can’t remember if they were cooked or not, but they looked stunning!)

Close up of the pork belly

My Pork belly

I went for the grilled pork belly with crispy kale and an onion sauce. The pork came with a raddichio salad and was perfectly cooked. All the fat was soft and the meat fell apart.

Overview of pork belly and its accompanying salad

This made me very happy! We also both dug into the sourdough bread – me with whipped cream and Alaine with a lactose free oil alternative.

I’d totally recommend popping in here after walking across the bridge from Nyhavn. It used to be around the corner from Noma, but they moved the same week we were there! Instead Alaine recommends the new beer hall that has opened in its place (they also serve wine).

 

Torvehallerne food hall

This is my kind of place. A mix of sit down eateries (with counters or tables), cafes, market stalls, grocers and specialist shops, you can come here for a meal or for shopping. A really famous porridge shop Grod is nearby the food hall, but I’ve never been one to limit myself to just one cuisine (especially when its lunchtime and there are tonnes of stalls to try).

Fresh produce at the food hall

Great table of fresh produce

We visited snagged a seat at the Lele Vietnamese Bao counter. The bao were plentiful and probably not badly priced given the size (and the fact that Copenhagen is NOT cheap!). They were certainly tasty – my favourite was the beef – perfect hangover food?

Beef and chicken Vietnamese bao

Yum, bao! We shared the beef and chicken ones between us

Then we just had to get a coffee and one of these sweet chocolate covered marshmallows from Summerbird:

Close up of marshmallow treat

Aren’t these marshmallow treats so cute?!

Hidden caramel and other flavours in the middle of the marshmallows

The marshmallows have flavours hidden in the middle!

Monday morning requirement…. . I wish I could get this beautiful Cortado right now… but unfortunately this one was in Copenhagen and I’m now back in London (and waiting for the dentist 😭) – coffee fortification comes afterwards when I can feel my face again! #shouldbroughtastraw #canyoudrinkcoffeewithastraw?! . One of the advantages of travelling with @travelwithalaine is never missing a fika moment! 😂👍 . #copenhagenbreak #danishcoffee #fika #copenhagenginweekend #thedayafter #cortadolove #❤☕ #lovecoffee

A post shared by Katie Hughes 🍸✈🍴 (@whatskatiedoing) on Feb 19, 2018 at 1:15am PST

 

Danish hot dogs!

You can get these everywhere – they are very much a Danish staple. We had these beauties at the gin festival before we started drinking:

Danish hot dog with all the trimmings!

All the trimmings!

I have fond childhood memories of hot dogs like this.

 

Shawarma Grill-House on Stroget

Apparently my flatmate Michael thinks this Shawarma house does better than London… I’m not so sure, but it did a great job in mopping up some of the gin after the festival, so much so that Alaine and I headed out for cocktails afterwards! (maybe not the best decision…..?)

 

Where to stay

I stayed at the Scandic Webers Hotel near the Central Station – mainly because I got a discount from the Gin Festival. However as you may have worked out the area around the Central Station doesn’t feel the safest, so definitely be careful with your belongings when fully laden with luggage.

As most accommodation is expensive in Copenhagen I would recommend doing what Alaine did when she stayed on mid-week: check out Airbnb! I have no affiliation to Airbnb, but she did manage to find a decent space at a reasonable price in central Copenhagen. This is significant, as most hotel rooms are very small! Not only was the Airbnb cheaper, but it had that extra space and the flexibility of a kitchen etc.

 

How to get there

Getting to Copenhagen is easy via direct flights from around Europe. SAS, British Airways, Flybe, Brussels Airways, KLM, Lufhansa, Norweigen Air easyJet and Ryanair all fly there. When you land its super easy to get into the center of the city via the train or metro for DKK 36 and you can use cards to pay for the ticket in the machines. There are lots of people to help you also at the airport ticket area.  Check out the Visit Copenhagen website for more details.

 

Getting around the city

Taxi

There is no longer any Uber service in Copenhagen 🙁 However you can pay in most taxis with a card, which makes things easier if you don’t have cash. Just make sure to ask before you set off on your journey!

Bus

Alternatively the bus is simple and cheap – a ticket to most places around the center is DKK 24 which you can pay with coins on the bus, or use the DSB/DOT mobile phone apps.

Walk

In general we walked around, except when we had a lot of luggage. Copenhagen is not a large city and if you are based in the center then you can easily walk to and from the main attractions. And anyway its the best way to get to know a place and see all the little details you wouldn’t otherwise spot!

Bike!

Do like the Danes do and cycle around! My cousin and most Danes living in Copenhagen have a bike. But even if you don’t have a bike you can hire one easily – either from your hotel/accommodation or from the public bike racks that use an app to unlock (you’ll need a credit card for this). In fact with all the bikes and canal look to the harbourside, Copenhagen reminds me of Amsterdam in a lot of ways.

 

I hope you enjoyed my Copenhagen gin guide and that I’ve inspired you to visit Copenhagen, whether for gin, or just for food and drinks.

Let me know in the comments if you go or are planning to go and if you find anymore great spots!

 

Copenhagen gin guide - an alternative guide to Copenhagen, Denmark

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Filed Under: Denmark, Europe, Gin, gin club outing, gin guide, travel Tagged With: alternative Copenhagen, gin guide

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Eva says

    April 14, 2018 at 6:47 am

    Poor Alaine, it’s horrible when you get robbed of something and even worse when travelling! 🙁 Despite that it looks like you gals had a great time together! I have never been a gin person, but I must admit that that grapefruit and basil combination did inspire and I might want to try making it at home!!
    As for Copenhagen, I only had the pleasure to travel there a looong time ago, but that city stole my heart. In a different way from other cities to which I returned time and again – I haven’t been back to Copenhagen yet, and I am always afraid going back will break the magic I felt the first time. But I would like to bring my boyfriend there so I will go back. And will make sure to sample some gin, thanks for the recommendations!

    Reply
    • Katie Hughes says

      April 14, 2018 at 8:53 am

      You’re welcome Eva – I know what you mean about breaking the magic. I used to visit as a child and going back to Tivoli Gardens as an adult will be very different! But it’s the perfect excuse to try out other things!

      Reply
  2. Mona Mirmortazavi says

    April 14, 2018 at 7:17 am

    I don’t really drink, but this was really interesting! I really liked all the locations, especially all of the street art! 😀

    Reply
    • Katie Hughes says

      April 14, 2018 at 8:56 am

      Thanks Mona – as you could see it’s not just about the gin! 😂

      Reply
  3. Lizzie Lacey-Brennan says

    April 14, 2018 at 9:11 am

    What an absolutely brilliant idea for a post! I love gin, and I love Copenhagen, the two will definitely have to meet soon 😀

    Reply
    • Katie Hughes says

      April 14, 2018 at 9:14 am

      Hehe excellent Lizzie 🙌

      Reply
  4. tanya says

    April 14, 2018 at 9:26 am

    Yikes that is a horrible start to the trip, but I’m glad it only got better! This post is absolutely brilliant, gorgeous looking bars and amazing gin cocktails, The tyve tyve sounds right up my street, I love checking out more unusual cocktails.

    Reply
    • Katie Hughes says

      April 14, 2018 at 9:38 am

      Thanks Tanya – it’s always good to check out the different things!

      Reply

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