This is definitely the most self-indulgent gin review I’ve ever written, you can’t taste this gin, there will never be another bottle of this gin. I distilled this gin myself with William McHenry from McHenry Distillery. I was at the Australian Drinks Festival at the Royal Exhibition Hall (hence the name) in Melbourne last year, and … Read more
Though I’ve always been very mindful of supporting Australian gins, I’ll admit I have been a little remiss in not featuring our antipodean cousins when New Zealand make some many fine gins. Distilling in Auckland since 2014, Rogue Society is noticeable in the market for its strong brand voice and aesthetic. From the moment it launched with … Read more
Sasha La Forgia started Adelaide Hills Distillery in 2014, but he confessed to me recently that he may have done a bit of backyard stilling when he was a teenager. I’m confident to guess that his spirits have come a long way since then! Sasha trained in winemaking and spent many years travelling the world working on … Read more
Killara Distillery is owned and operated by Kristy Booth. It’s of only a handful of distilleries worldwide to be owned and operated by a woman. And Booth is one of only a few female distillers in Australia. And she’s doing her bit to develop careers for women in distilling as a founder of the Australian Women in … Read more
Simply posting the French 75 as a gin cocktail will be controversial. Many claim that the classic French 75 features congac rather than gin, but I’m going to take my lead from The Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930, the first known recipe, which definitely uses gin. There does seem to be a general consensus that the French 75 … Read more
You’ve almost certainly heard of a Manhattan, it’s one of the most popular and famous cocktails in the world. But did you know there is a cocktail for each of the five boroughs of New York? And two of them are gin based? Today we’re taking a close up look the Bronx. Like most cocktails, there … Read more
In the summer of 1874, spirited young men would race to a friend and say this lout Tom Collins is saying terrible things about you at the local bar, and when you got there the bouncer or bar man would tell you that he had headed off to the nearest bar. So you chase all … Read more
It’s finally here! It’s World Gin Day and the last of our Six Classic Gin Cocktail count down. I’ve saved a special one for today. As a feminist and gin writer and cocktail enthusiast, Ada Coleman is one of my great heroes. Ada, or Coley as she was better known, was head bartender at the … Read more
Are you concerned about nutrition? Cos this cocktail was designed as a health supplement. Yes really! Back in day when navy sailors were at sea for endless months with no fresh food, they had a serious problem with scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency. To combat scurvy they were given limes. These ships were also carrying … Read more
This week is Negroni Week all over the world. And I am so pleased because I adore a Negroni! I am so pleased they have come roaring back into fashion of late and they are being really well made. The Negroni is one of the few cocktails to have a relatively undisputed heritage. It was … Read more