Gin, Cricket & England’s Victorian Society

Did the Victorian social habits of botanically infused spirits and a penchant for the game of cricket ever mix?

Gin is famed for the 18th century craze that showcased London as a bit of a mad-pot town, filled with damned souls sodden on Old Tom from the bathtub. True as it might be the late Victorian era (1850s onwards) also had a bit of a penchant for gin,

Gin Cocktails

A selection of tempting gin cocktails from December’s Bartender magazine.

CLASSIC: The Florodora

I’ve always been a fan of a good story and of a good gin drink too. The Florodora (often spelt misspelt in bar books as the ‘Floradora’) is a great marriage of both these wonderful things and so is not to be passed up in these pages. Here’s how the story goes…

CLASSIC: French 75

There are few Champagne cocktails that have enjoyed the success that this little number has; a gin infused libation named after the French 75-mm field gun. This quick-firing field artillery piece is recognised as being the first technological weapons advancement of the 20th century with its long recoil mechanism which kept the gun’s trail and wheels perfectly still during the firing sequence meaning it need not be re-aimed after each shot. The French 75 could deliver fifteen rounds per minute on its target up to a range of approximately 8,500 meters.

Moore’s Vintage Dry Gin

Award-winning micro-distiller and wizard of all things herbal, Philip Moore, has created a gin for connoisseurs using distinctive Australian botanicals. Distinctive flavours such as Wild Lime, Cinnamon Myrtle and Illawarra Plum imbue the gin with a blend of liveliness and sophistication. Moore’s Vintage Dry Gin is the result of seven separate distillations - one for each botanical - in one of the world’s very few Carter head-style stills.

VIDEO: The Beefeater 24 Challenge

In glamorous London style, Ben Davidson and the Signe team, headed on a bar crawling jaunt (while sipping tea) around the country. Check out this clip which showcases all the highlights from The Beefeater 24 Challenge:

DRINKS WITH Desmond Payne, Beefeater Gin

Having taken care of James Burrough’s 1820 recipe for Beefeater London Dry Gin for so many years, in 2008 Desmond created his own masterpiece the new Beefeater 24. We put him under the spotlight for six quick questions before he comes to Sydney in September for the BarShow…

2-4 Baby! Beefeater’s New Wave London Dry Gin

Signé, Pernod Ricard Australia’s luxury division, has announced the release of its new super premium Beefeater 24 London dry gin. Drawing on over 40 years of experience, master distiller Desmond Payne (who will be visiting Sydney BarShow this year - www.barshow.com.au) has created his own expression of James Burrough’s (Beefeater’s original creator) 180 year old recipe.

London Update… Walk In Gin

Let me say first off, to save a flood of corrective comments, that yes, I know a gin and tonic is not technically a cocktail. At least it isn’t when served in a glass, but what if it is atomised and suspended as a cloud in a tiny room and inhaled by intrepid cocktailians in boiler suits?

Austrian Vintage Gin Hits Australian Shores

Austrian Blue Gin is has arrived in Australia in limited quantities. This new premium product boasts the use of not only 27 different botanicals, Austrian spring water and small batch copper pot stills, but also lays claim to being a ‘vintage gin’ using only botanicals from the latest harvest. The makers of blue gin [...]