Express & Star

Gin bar and distillery to open in former Wolverhampton Costa Coffee

A specialist gin bar and distillery has been given the go-ahead to open in Wolverhampton city centre.

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The site of the old Costa Coffee in Victoria Street

Crazy Gin Ltd, which is run by husband and wife team Bruce and Paramjit Nagra, is now set to open for business on the premises that formerly housed Costa Coffee in Victoria Street.

The business was first set up by Mr Nagra in 2016 and currently only does business online.

It was first inspired by conversations he and his wife had about growing up in England as part of an Indian family, Mr Nagra said.

“My wife and I sold our house in London to come back to Wolverhampton with the sole purpose of setting up this company, which we finally managed to do three years ago. It is our absolute passion,” he added.

“We are the world’s first British Indian distillers and make the world’s first clear Lassi Gin, which fuses British and Indian cultures to create a range of flavoured gins.

“We will be regularly distilling on the premises so groups of people can come in and watch the process and experience tasting sessions.

“This will also be visible to passers-by on the street, so we are hoping that this will attract more people into the city to come and use the shopping centre as well.

“We will also have a bar on site and as the business expands we will open on select days as well as conducting off sales from the premises. Until then we will keep the premises locked and people will be admitted by invitation or appointment. At full capacity we will be able to accommodate 60 people.

“This will be a reputable, specialist business that will provide visitors with a unique gin experience. We are not looking to encourage quick drinkers, so there will be no special offers, discounts or happy hours,” he added.

“Since becoming established, we now sell to Harvey Nichols and a number of other leading retailers such as Debenhams. We have also hosted events for Porsche UK, Manchester City Football Club and various A-list celebrities.”

Wolverhampton Council’s Statutory Licensing Sub-Committee granted the premises licence this week, following an adjournment for mediation earlier this month to agree on some of the finer details about how the business would operate.

The new addition for the Mander Centre comes after KFC closed down its restaurant on Queen Square this week.

Mr Nagra said he was very pleased with the decision and looked forward to welcoming customers into Crazy Gin in the coming months.