BEING a lover of gin, I was quite excited when I was offered the opportunity to enjoy a variety of gin pairings that would be used in the forthcoming Gin Festival taking place in Newport.

The festival organised by Niche Hospitality - which owns Mojo The FoodBar and Riverside Sports Bar and Kitchen- will run from August 1 to August 31 and aims to offer a variety of speciality gins, gin masterclasses, dinners and more.

With more than 200 gins on offer at Mojo The FoodBar, I was rather excited to go along and give some a try. I’m not a regular drinker but every so often I do like a gin and tonic or a cocktail.

Upon entering the bar I was greeted by head mixologist Andrej Madaras who was polite and friendly, and promptly prepared me a gin and tonic.

He explained that the festival will be held over the the entire month, with guests being able to try some speciality gins.

My colleague Estel and I tried out some of these gins in a pairing session - which is when a speciality gin is paired with a speciality tonic water.

Some of the gins included in the pairing was the 46 per cent Silverback Mountain gin - where every £1 from the bottle goes towards helping gorillas in Africa. This was paired with Fever Tree tonic water and a slice of orange.

Another gin which was used in our pairing testing was Elephant Gin. This is handmade in Germany and is made with African botanicals. It was paired with a slice of grapefruit along with tonic water for me to try.

This pairing was one of my favourite combinations, as the grapefruit slice delicately infused the G&T. The gin itself was so flavoursome, containing 11 different botanicals, including ginger, baobab and African wormwood. However, even with the long list of botanicals, the gin still had a delicate flavour - you could taste the different botanicals but it was not overpowering.

Next up to try was Cardiff gin - which Andrej said was specially made just for Mojos. This was paired with mint and an elderflower flavoured tonic water. This had a light flavour and was subtle in taste, but still delicious.

Although there are many people who love a G&T out there, some prefer gin in a cocktail or are not a fan of tonic water.

For the people who want something a little different, Mojo offers the Cymru Caresse.

The cocktail contains Cardiff Dry Gin, tarragon infused grapefruit juice, a dash of Heering cherry liqueur and is topped off with Chio Rose Prosecco, a viola flower and a spray of strawberry rose gin.

For cocktail lovers, this is the ultimate delight. The gin is enhanced by the rest of the flavours in the drink, but can still be tasted.

This is the ideal drink for those who might want to give gin a try, but are a little wary of G&Ts. Alternatively, for those who enjoy gin, this is something a little different to a G&T. Be careful though, this is quite boozy and more than one may leave you feeling fairly tipsy.

I must say, it was very hard to chose a favourite drink, but the last one Andrej made for us sort of stole the show (for both Estel and myself). It was a gin and tonic made with Masons Lavender Edition Yorkshire gin. I can say for a fact this is one of the most delicious flavoured gins I’ve ever tried. It’s easy to get flavoured ones that taste synthetic and unrealistic but this was definitely real lavender –giving a subtle flavour rather than one which attacked your tastebuds.

Overall, the evening was a fantastic look into the upcoming gin festival, and taught me about how gin is paired, the different types of gin available and what flavours they have. One of the gins I saw but didn’t try was a Yorkshire tea infused gin. Tea. Infused. Gin. I mean, what more can you ask for?

The staff at the event were great, and Andrej was more than happy to explain what was in each and every gin. He also told us that at Mojo classic recipes are taken and given a twist by the staff, with drinks being thoroughly tested for quality before being placed on the menu.

So for all of you out there who love gin, the Gin Festival from August 1 to the 31 is perfect for you.

For the festival, bars will operate on a token system and will not take cash. Tokens are £5 each - with one token paying for a single measure of gin, garnish and a Fever-Tree mixer or cocktail.

Tokens can be bought on the day or in advance via their website at bit.ly/2sLayGr

For more visit facebook.com/newportginfest