As the World celebrates gin day (Saturday 8th June), we’ve quizzed our bar team on their favourite juniper-based tipples and some of our most popular g&ts. Gin has been around since 1689, and although the process of making if differs from distillery to distillery, the ingredients still start with a vodka base which has juniper and other botanicals added to it.
Whether you always have a go-to favourite or never try the same one twice, our pick of the gins of the moment may help you discover a new favourite. Cheers!
Monkey 47
Afine gin which is from the Black Forest in Germany and contains a unique ingredient – cranberries. The 47 refers to both the number of botanicals and the gin’s abv of 47%. We like to serve it with Fever-Tree Indian or Meditereanean Tonic and a slice of grapefruit.
Slinsgsby London Dry
First released in late 2015, the Harrogate-based distillery’s classic version has made waves. Produced in small batches and with fewer botanicals than Monkey (27 in Slingsby), its ingredients include primrose, nettle and Taylors of Harrogate green and jasmine tea. We like to enjoy it with fresh lime and juniper and classic Indian tonic.
An absolute favourite of Manny from our bar, this is a must for earl grey fans and is reasonably local in Macclesfield. Manny says it has a refreshing and crisp quality to it as the base is Forest’s classic gin. The tea is then infused through it to give those unmistakeable citrus and bergamot flavours. Try it with Mediterranean tonic and a lemon slice to really make it sing.
The newest gin to our collection has arrived this week, completing the lovely Malfy range we now have on the bar. Its light, summery and Sicilian pink grapefruit flavour, which blends beautifully with the other botnicals sourced from Italy, including juniper and rhubarb. It has to be served with Mediterranean tonic and a grapefruit garnish but it is a versatile spirit to add to lemonade or a seasonal cockail.
Martin Millers
Named after its inventor, Martin Miller was a bon viveur and connoisseur of the finer things in life. A maverick, iconoclast and an entrepreneur, his first business venture was publishing an etiquette guide called ‘Success with the Fairer Sex’. Him and two friends set themselves a challenge to produce a gin that could be drunk neat. The result is a fine drop made using Icelandic spring water with juniper and citrus. If you prefer your gin with tonic, add elderflower and a slice of cucumber.
We love the Batch story – a gin from humble beginnings in the distiller’s cellar to a world-class, multi award winner that continues to be distilled just down the road in Burnley, although they have now moved to larger premises. The Whinberry fruit had fallen out of fashion, but this gin puts it firmly back on the map, with Sicilian lemon tonic and fresh blueberries, it’s a gin you just have to try.
Aviation
A gin cocktail with a turbo boost! We take 50ml Broker’s Gin, 25ml Briottet (violet liqueur), 25ml Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, 25ml lemon juice, sugar syrup (to taste) and mix vigourously with ice. Strained into a martini glass and garnished with a maraschino cherry, it’s purple hue and citrus violet aromas make it a classy after dinner drink and it’s on our cocktail menu all year round.