Hendrick’s Impractical Bicycle Share

What better way to celebrate the next bank holiday weekend than with gin? On May 1 and May 2, Hendrick’s Gin will be paying homage to a rather unusual mode of transport in Munich’s Hofgarten (Odeonsplatz, right by Tambosi). Hendrick’s has organized some penny-farthings for the long weekend, and with Hendrick’s Impractical Bicycle Share, you can pop along to test out your cycling skills.

I’d have trouble just mounting one of those, but if you fancy your chances, Hendrick’s are setting up a slalom parcours for you to test your expertise. Professionals will be on hand to help you pedal without problems (and I’m very much looking forward to meeting a professional penny-farthing cyclist), and to make sure no one ends up creating chaos by hopping on a bike after too many gins.

While Scotland may be most famous for mountains, Burns, whisky and Hendrick’s, it was the birthplace of the pneumatic tyre, invented by the veterinary surgeon John Boyd Dunlop in 1887 for his daughter’s tricycle. His invention transformed cycling – and throughout the late-Victorian era, after the boneshaker and its wooden wheels were made redundant, thanks to Dunlop’s tyres. Thus, if you’re looking to enjoy a very British (or more specifically, Scottish) weekend, the Hofgarten really is the place to be.

And, of course, once you’ve mastered the art of elegantly riding a high wheeler (or not), Hendrick’s will be providing drinks to cool you off. Head down there from 12pm-6pm on May 1 and 2 to borrow a bike (completely free!), to achieve your certificate in penny-farthing riding and to enjoy a gin in the spring sun.