In my continued mission to make the best gin and tonic, today I’m exploring a fairly new brand, Merchant’s Heart, who launched in 2015. Despite their youth, they have a mighty range. I’ve already tried their classic tonic as part of my tonic taste test – which you can read here – along with a light version but they have a number of other flavours available.
Month: November 2017
Daffy’s Gin
Daffy’s gin came about after four years of experimenting. The result: a base of pure wheat grain from northern France which is then distilled in a single batch copper pot with unique botanicals such as Lebanese mint and a rare variety of lemons. They decided to bottle the gin at 43.4% – higher than the average 37.5% gin. They believe that this is the perfect level, any higher and the alcohol overtakes the botanicals, any weaker and the complexity of the gin is diluted. It sounds like a complex gin, they say it has notes of citrus, mint, toffee, caramel and chocolate. I’m concerned this might be a bit too much for my liking. They also have a very specific way they recommend serving their D&T (Daffy’s and Tonic) – it involves a lot of lime and ice (see it here). Before I give it a go, I’d like to thank Orla for giving me a sample from her bottle – make sure you check out her ridiculous dachshund puppies here. Continue reading
Audemus Pink Pepper Gin
Audemus Pink Pepper gin hails from Cognac in France, when founders Bob and Bert met in 2014, over soup. Obviously. Their Pink Pepper gin is widely known as their flagship product and they dedicate each batch of their gin to their family, friends and people who have helped the brand over the years. They say the flavour changes as you drink the gin. The first prominent flavours are pink peppercorns (yup, who’d have thunk it), juniper and cardamom, however when served over ice the vanilla, tonka and honey come out. I’m very excited about trying this – on which note I’d like to thank Orla for kindly donating a sample to me. I highly encourage you to check out her Instagram account to see her puppies Kyuss and Paloma. Continue reading
Double Dutch
With the number of mixers now available, how do you know which one is best? Well, luckily I’m here to take one for the team and to try them all. Netherlands born and raised Double Dutch have won an award from Richard Branson for their innovative brand. I’ve tried their Indian tonic as part of my tonic taste test blog – which can be read here – which also has a slim version. But they also have a number of slightly different flavours… Continue reading
Marylebone Gin
I’ve wanted to try Marylebone Gin for a while now, and was gutted when it was included in a delivery from the Craft Gin Club…which I didn’t get as I don’t get deliveries every month. However, my good friend Orla (who, by the way, has two insanely cute dachshunds which obviously have their own Instagram account) did get that delivery and kindly shared the gin love with me. Founder Johnny Neill is the eighth generation descendant of John, a Liverpudlian solicitor, and Isabella, the daughter of Greenalls gin founder Thomas Greenall. With distilling in his blood, Johnny set out to make his name in the gin world, and launched Marylebone. He matches traditional botanicals juniper, orange and lemon peel, and liquorice root with newer flavours such as grapefruit peel, cloves, lime flower, lemon balm and chamomile. These botanicals were carefully selected from around the world to bring together balanced flavours and aromas designed to reflect the magic and excitement of the old London Pleasure Gardens. Continue reading
Monkey 47 Distiller’s Cut
If you haven’t heard of Monkey 47 gin before, then where have you been? It’s delicious – I actually reviewed their regular gin here. Thanks to having gin friends from Twitter (Hi Andy!) I’ve managed to get a sample of their Distiller’s Cut gin. The Distiller’s Cut edition of their gin is made but once a year, bottled in a limited run of just 4,000. So what make’s it different? The 2017 edition is their traditional 47 botanicals with added musk yarrow leaves and flowers which are macerated, distilled, distilled again and then left to mature for three months. This year, the team trekked up a Swiss mountain to ensure their special ingredient is as fresh as possible – with a lovely photo story over on their website. Continue reading