More than 10,000 gin lovers will be celebrating World Gin Day this weekend (Saturday 11 June) on board P&O Cruises with its Great British Gin Menu, the company said in a statement.

Passengers will also be sampling and sipping four new local gins which have been added to the popular menu. “Available across seven ships, The Great British Gin Menu serves up 20 of the country’s finest gins from small, artisan brands such as Tarquin’s Dry Gin (Cornwall), Ely Dark Chocolate Gin (Cambridgeshire) and The Botanist Islay Dry Gin (Argyll), as well as tried and tested triumphs such as Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray and Hendrick’s,” the company said.

New gins to join The Great British Gin Menu for 2016 include:

• Two Birds London Dry Gin (Leicestershire) with hints of juniper, citrus and Orrisroot. For something different to the usual G&T, P&O Cruises mixes with apple juice and elderflower cordial to create a refreshing cocktail ‘Countryside Spirit’
• Caorunn Gin (Speyside) with hints of Rowan Berry, heather, dandelion and Coul Blush apple. P&O Cruises ‘Bees Knees’ sweet and sour cocktail mixes Caorunn Gin with honey, fresh lemon juice and fresh orange juice
• Poetic License Northern Dry Gin (Sunderland) with hints of juniper, eucalyptus and Persian lime is delicious mixed with fresh lemon juice and sugar syrup to create a ‘Northern Sour’, a northern version of the classic cocktail
• City of London Gin (London) with hints of liquorice, lemons and pink grapefruit packs a punch in a ‘City of London 008’ cocktail served with apple juice, fresh lemon juice, elderflower cordial and basil

Complementing these gins is a selection of tonic waters including Fever-Tree and Fentiman’s, as well as a full range of creative and customised cocktails. P&O Cruises senior vice president Paul Ludlow said: “Gin is Britain’s best loved spirit and what better way to enjoy a quintessentially British drink than on one of our ships, soaking up the incredible views from the Crow's Nest.”