We are back with another “Virtual” G&T Tasting extravaganza! This time, for the first time ever, we will be streaming LIVE from The Gin To My Tonic Show in Liverpool.
This month, we are delighted to be welcomed by the creators, makers and champions of 6 O’clock Mango, Ginger & Lime and 6 O’clock Sloe, Poetic License Northern Dry, Hills & Harbour Gin and Gyre & Gimble Callooh Callay.
We pride ourselves on selecting gins that are pretty special, and this month is no different with rich heritage, hard graft, award-winning realness creating this month’s line-up. As always, each distillery will open their doors LIVE and share their story to date, tasting notes, and perfect serves, entwined with distillery tours, gin making, cocktail making and fascinating gin trivia to enrich your own personal gin journeys.
We can only thank you all for continuing to join our virtuals and celebrating our friend the mighty juniper berry…
Love,
Em & Paul – Co-Founders, Best Friends & Fellow Gin Enthusiasts
6 O’clock Mango, Ginger & Lime – Fever-Tree Indian Tonic & Lime Garnish
6 O’clock Sloe – Fever-Tree Sicilian Lemonade or Bitter Lemon Tonic & Lemon Garnish
Gyre & Gimble Callooh Callay –Fever-Tree Mediterranean & Samphire and Grapefruit Peel Garnish
Hills & Harbour Gin – Fever-Tree Indian & Mango Garnish
Poetic License Northern Dry – Fever-Tree Indian & Grapefruit Garnish
PLEASE NOTE you may wish to purchase an additional Fever-Tree Indian Tonic for Gyre & Gimble. Fever-Tree Mediterranean is the recommendation of The Gin To My Tonic and Fever-Tree.
Explore the history of 6 O’clock Gin in this fascinating masterclass. Starting with a tasting of their latest release Mango, Ginger & Lime, you will be taken on a journey of discovery at their distillery, including their story so far and their wider range, ending with a tasting of their fantastic Sloe.
Nearly 30 years ago, Edward and Penny Kain owned a fruit farm. As a sideline, they started making delicious fruity liqueurs and sold them with some considerable success. The first incarnation of the family’s gin recipe was created as a base for their delightfully piquant Sloe Gin.
Some years later, Michael and Felicity took over their parents’ now prosperous distillery. Guided by the family expertise in liqueurs, they set about perfecting the gin recipe. The wonderful flavour of 6 O’clock Gin emerged through experimentation: carefully selected botanicals, precisely balanced for a refreshingly clean taste.
The name was inspired by their long-held family tradition of indulging in a G&T at 6 O’clock; a custom still enjoyed at the distillery and shared by gin-lovers all over the world. It’s only apt that 6 O’clock should therefore present at 6 O’clock.
Can you tell us about your distillation process?
6 O’clock Gin is a range of strikingly smooth artisan gins, handcrafted in small batches, using traditional skills and only the best natural ingredients.
The signature smoothness that defines our gin flows from ‘Kathleen’, our unique ‘double sphere’ copper pot still. The spirit has prolonged contact with copper during distillation and only the pure heart of each run makes the cut. Together this creates the strikingly smooth 6 O’clock experience for you to enjoy.
Can you tell us about Romy’s Edition?
Romy’s Edition is a deliciously moreish gin packed with flavour. We worked closely with celebrated chef Romy Gill MBE to craft a gin that portrays the unique flavours of India, using herbs and spices commonly found in Indian cooking and infusing the gin with the juice from the native mango.
The recipe is inspired by the memoirs of Romy and strikes the perfect balance between rich fruity sweetness and reserved spice.
Do you have any exciting plans for the future?
Cracking the US market while keeping the product and values that make us special.
With our roots firmly in our home city of Bristol, 6 O’clock Gin is spreading its wings. Already widely available in Waitrose and other quality outlets up and down the country, we’re now exporting to Europe, USA, Canada, Southeast Asia and beyond.
After all, it’s always 6 O’clock somewhere!
Poetic License are an independent small-batch distillery making big, bold gin in the North East of England, with Gracie their Still located in the Roker Hotel.
Poetic Licence believe in breaking traditions and being bold, and it’s why they believe in their booze and their craft. When it comes to their handmade spirits, expect the unfamiliar. Additions here and omissions there have transformed the original you know so well, into something with much more character.
Can you tell us about your distillation process?
Gracie is the name we affectionately gave our still: She’s a 500 litre hybrid which allows us to use her as both a pot still and column still.
Pot distilling is the traditional method and how gin has always been made, where all botanicals are macerated in the pot and then boiled. Column stills are a newer invention; Gracie’s column has 6 plates which purify the alcohol meaning we can make pure, smooth vodkas. In short, Gracie has the best of both worlds so we can use her to create all manner of tasty tipples.
What has been your biggest achievement so far?
We recently won 3 stars from the Great Taste Awards too, which was huge. Less that 1% of all 80,000 entrants received the award, so we were over the moon.
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
I know its cliché but surviving Covid has been huge. We know a lot of distilleries struggled, so that has been pretty big.
What is your perfect serve for your Northern Dry?
A classically simple serve. Tons of ice and a pink grapefruit help!
Ingredients:
Double shot (50ml) of our Northern Dry Gin
Fever Tree Premium Indian Tonic
Pink grapefruit, wedge/wheel
Method:
Pour the Northern Dry Gin into a stemmed balloon glass filled with ice, top up with the tonic and garnish with the pink grapefruit.
Winner of Best English Contemporary Gin, we are celebrating Norwich and the coastal delights of Callooh Callay, an incredibly flavoursome gin with prominent notes of Salty Samphire, Floral Lavender, Peppery Spice and Fresh Citrus throughout.
Gyre & Gimble is best known as a bar and being one of the newest additions to Norwich’s ever growing Cocktail Bar scene, with a unique, fantastical vibe broken up with splashes of greenery, it’s definitely one of a kind. Boasting one of the largest range of spirits in Norwich it wasn’t long before they looked to create their own range of gins.
Callooh Callay is a homage to the Norwich coast. A beautiful blend of 10 ethically sourced botanicals that together create a herbaceous spirit with waves of fragrant lavender, rock samphire, sea air and in their words, two spoons of wishful thinking. On the nose, it’s floral with hints and fresh sea air. Herbaceous notes develop on the palate and twist into floral lavender and rock samphire. To finish a long, aromatic and warming pepper spice balances the floral and herbs, and leaves the gin with a pronounced finish.
Based in Dumfries & Galloway, Craft Distillery is reigning Scottish Gin Distillery of The Year.
Flagship creation, Hills and Harbour, is distilled with local Noble Fir needles and Bladderwrack Seaweed, it leads with juniper and is balanced with hints of forest fir, tropical fruit, citrus spice, tangy sherbet and a subtle scent of the shore.
One of the rare gins in Scotland to be distilled with their own base spirit, they take local wheat and water combine in their 7 day fermentation process to create maximum character and mouth feel. This process takes more time, energy, cost and know-how, but delivering a gin that lives up to the true meaning of ‘craft’ is essential to them.
It’s nothing short of impressive what Crafty have achieved, not only have they brought a superb gin to market, but they’ve also turned their distillery into a successful visitor attraction as well. It’s a personal favourite at The Gin To My Tonic HQ for a number of reasons, one of which is that it’s always great to see real people achieve great things through hard-work.
Can you tell us a little bit about your Multi-Award Winning Hills & Harbour Gin?
This gin is one of the rare gins in Scotland to be distilled with our own spirit, we take local wheat and water combine in our 7 day fermentation process to create maximum character and mouth feel. This process takes more time, energy, cost and know-how, but delivering a gin that lives up to the true meaning of ‘craft’ is essential for us.
With local Noble Fir needles and Bladderwrack Seaweed, it leads with juniper and is balanced with hints of forest fir, tropical fruit, citrus spice, tangy sherbet and a subtle scent of the shore.
What is your perfect serve?
Pour a 50ml measure of Hills & Harbour Gin over plenty of ice, add some Fever-Tree Indian and a slice of fresh mango to garnish.
What is your favourite cocktail recipe?
The Galloway Forager Cocktail:
Add 50ml of Hills & Harbour Gin, 25ml of Elderflower Cordial and a dash of Grapefruit Oleo (made with molasses sugar) to an ice filled shaker. Add a sprig of Noble Fir and shake. Strain into a glass over ice and top with soda. Garnish with a sprig of Noble Fir and a slice of grapefruit.
Fever-Tree began in 2003 with a meeting of minds and one simple premise: if three quarters of your G&T is the tonic, wouldn’t you want it to be the best?
It became apparent that Charles and Tim had both come to the same conclusion – namely that the growing prevalence and popularity of premium spirits had not been matched by what was on offer in the tonic category.
From the very beginning, Charles and Tim approached their business in a different way – there would be no compromise at Fever-Tree. Flavour and quality were of the utmost importance. This mindset led them on an 18-month adventure from the archives of the British Library to facing the wrong end of a Kalashnikov in the Democratic Republic of Congo and concluded with the launch of our Premium Indian Tonic Water in 2005, with the belief we still operate by today.. If 3/4 of your drink is a mixer, mix with the best. As well as quality, Charles and Tim wanted to put the choice back into the category.
The whole company has been built on innovation. Constantly developing new mixers, new flavours, new ideas, thus creating, an array of flavours to pair with the myriad of premium Gins, Vodkas, Whisky’s and Vermouths.
We are back on Saturday 31st July, 6pm-8.30pm where we’ll be enjoying FIVE new gin creations.
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