The Diary

The Diary: Cap Gin x Zuma Summer Launch

Gentleman’s Journal joined forces with Cap Gin and Zuma to toast summer in style, hosting a sun-soaked soirée at Hotel Byblos in St-Tropez — complete with cocktails, cruising, and just a few sore heads.

Words: Joseph Bullmore

There's an old saying we rather like in this neck of the woods: 'St-Tropez is always a good idea”. Well, this June it certainly was. In the midst of a glorious continental heatwave, Gentleman’s Journal headed down with a gang of old friends including Harrison Osterfield, Mathias Le Fevre and Sam Way, to host a party in celebration of Cap Gin’s partnership with Zuma — and celebrate we did.

Zuma’s latest outpost is located in the iconic Hotel Byblos, the St Tropez's hotel known as the pinnacle of jet-set glamour — a sceney den for Brigitte Bardot, Mick Jagger et al. It was here where we would start our forty-eight hour stint in St Tropez, sipping basil-infused Cap Gin cocktails before diving into a sumptuous Zuma feast.

At the centre of the evening stood the debut of the Basilic Smash — a limited-edition cocktail crafted exclusively with CAP Gin for Zuma St. Tropez and served throughout the season. This refreshingly drinkable blend features CAP Gin, basil, and green apple cordial, brightened with lemon and cool cucumber, and finished with a light basil foam. Already, it’s being hailed as the drink of the summer.

As the sun sank, guests revealed in the debut of Zuma’s signature Japanese cuisine on the Côte d’Azur, raising glasses to a summer brimming with style, sunshine, and sensational gin.

The following day, with a few ever-so-slightly sore heads, guests cruised across to the port before jumping aboard a brand new Wajer 55s. The handsome craft skidded around the rugged coast of the Cap de St-Tropez before dropping the team off at Loulou for a quick five-hour lunch — all washed down with buckets of Rock Angel Rosé. On afternoons like this, St-Tropez seems like a very good idea indeed.