Aldi is recruiting people to test its new summer gins, and will send the lucky applicants a bunch of bottles to try for free.
At this point, we all know that Aldi’s ‘Wine Club’ is pretty legendary, right?
But if wine isn’t really your cup of tea – or, should we instead say, your tipple of choice – and you’d consider yourself to be more of a “self-proclaimed gin-ius” instead, then the budget supermarket retailer might have just the side hustle for you.
It’s been a long time coming, but Aldi has now launched its first ever – and the first in the UK, too – supermarket ‘Gin Club’, and is now in the process of carrying out a nationwide search for 30 gin enthusiasts to trial its award-winning gins before summer arrives.
Image: Aldi
Oh, and the best bit? Not only will the lucky recruits get to try some of the supermarket’s newest gins before they hit the shelves, they’ll also get sent them for completely free of charge.
Each selected Gin Club member will receive three bottles of Aldi’s latest summer gin launches over an eight-week period.
Packages will include everything needed to craft the perfect cocktail masterpiece.
Then, once the lucky recruits have tested each of the gins sent to them, all they’ll have to do in return is review each gin, create their very own cocktail, and share it on TikTok or Instagram using the dedicated #AldiGinClub hashtag, before getting to “sip back and enjoy”.
Image: Unsplash
All reviews shared will help guide and inform Aldi’s booze-buying teams ahead of key decision-making for 2025.
“We’re excited to be launching the UK’s first supermarket Gin Club,” commented Julie Ashfield, who is the Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK.
“We’re recruiting a panel of gin enthusiasts that are passionate when it comes to cocktail creation, as Aldi’s award-winning gin range has gone from strength to strength, and this provides us with a fantastic opportunity to hear directly from our shoppers, helping to improve and develop our ranges for next year.”
Fancy it then? To apply, you’ll just need to be 18 or over, a legal UK resident, and provide 150 words explaining why you think you should be selected as an Aldi Gin Club member, as well as what your favourite Aldi gin is and what the best cocktail to make with it is.
Applications are now open, with a closing deadline of 25 June. Find out more here and apply by emailing aldiginclub@clarioncomms.co.uk.
We're basically half way through the year, so let's see what else we've got to look forward to...spoiler alert, it's a lot.
So far we've had everything from ice bath cafes to listening bars open up in Leeds, and it seems like 2026 is the gift that keeps on giving.
Allow us to get you excited about what's coming to the city...
Dishoom
68–78 Vicar Lane, LS1 7JH
Images: The Hoot Leeds
This one is a biggun' as the ever so popular Indian restaurant is set to open on Friday 14 August in a beautiful Grade-II listed building on Vicar Lane which was formerly Flannels.
First opening in London, Dishoom now has restaurants dotted all over the UK including a huge site in Manchester. The group is famed for its lavish and grand interiors, as well as its home-style curries, grills and breakfasts including its legendary bacon naans.
Acai and the Tribe
88 Vicar Lane
Image: The Manc Group
Acai and the Tribe first opened four years ago in Manchester, and ever since then it's only gone from strength to strength opening up three other locations across the country.
Next stop? Leeds. And we couldn't be happier about it.
So, what can we expect from this aesthetically-pleasing and ultra trendy female-owned business? Well, loaded acai bowls that look almost too good to eat, superfood smoothies, coffees, matcha and savoury options like avocado toast.
This Japanese restaurant serves a menu full of sushi as well as grilled meats on sticks, sharing sides and build-your-own hand rolls. All of this is wrapped up in the most gorgeous interior, which you can see from their jaw dropping new Manchester site.
Occupying the Grade II-listed space on Vicar Lane, the three-storey building will include a 220-cover dining room, 30-cover terrace and an upstairs bar.
Introducing Moods - a new all-day cafe, bar and events venue that will open to the public at First White Cloth Hall on Kirkgate on Friday 31 July.
Created by husband-and-wife founders Will and Hayley Moody, the team behind Buzz Club Tattoo, Moods will occupy the ground floor of the Grade II* listed building.
Alfonso's
Horsforth
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Famed for it’s toasted Cuban sandwiches, stacked subs and loaded breakfast bagels - Alfonsos Deli has made a name for itself for serving some of the best sandwiches around the city.
Such a good reputation in fact, that they’ve just announced a second location over in the leafy suburb of Horsforth. Get in.
Leeds rallies around independent wine bar after thieves smash windows to steal… an empty bottle
Clementine Hall
An independent wine bar in Leeds city centre was broken into over the weekend.
And do you know what the sneaky thief stole? An empty bottle.
Latitude Wine Bar on The Calls issued a statement about the break in over the weekend, they said: "Some unscrupulous ______________ (insert expletives in the comments) decided to smash our window last night to grab a magnum of chartreuse out of our window.
"Obviously it was a dummy bottle, so more fool them, but it also makes this criminal damage more pointless. DON'T THEY KNOW HOW MUCH GLASS COSTS!?
"Well, this puts a real dampener on the month so if any one feels like popping in to buy a bottle in the shop or a glass in the bar or heading online to place an order this weekend it would really help to support an independent wine merchant and bar.
Images: Latitude Wine Bar
"Thank you to one of our customers who found the abandoned dummy bottle and returned it to us today. Legend! Santé and happy Friyay!"
So not only did the thief smash the window to steal an empty bottle, but they didn't even take it home with them.
In classic Leeds fashion, fellow indies flocked to the comments to support Latitude with many promising to pop in over the weekend for a glass or two.
One comment read: "Do you need a sign in your window saying “this is a dummy bottle you dummy”" whilst another said "Damned spit buckets! I’m sure we’ll be in soon, keep your chins up fam."
So if you've been meaning to pop in for a glass of the good stuff, there's no better time than the present.
Emily Sergeant -
29th May 2024 
