Drinkin' that gin again, alright!
So it's International Gin & Tonic Day, and what better time to talk about my favourite tipple! I know what you're thinking, "How does gin fit in with a beauty and fragrance blog?". Well, let me tell you, my friends... When I wrote about The Gin Festival (here and here), and got into the nitty gritty of writing about each of the gins I tried, I realised that there really wasn't much difference between writing about fragrance and writing about gin, each has different notes and accords. It's nice to take a step back and write about something different, and of course it gives me an excuse to drink more of our fave juniper-based spirit (for testing purposes, obvs...)
I picked up a bottle of the Warner Edwards Harrington Dry Gin recently and as I'm coming to the end of the bottle I thought it'd be fun to take a look back over the many gin-fuelled nights (and by that, I mean nights on the sofa) and give it a bit of a review. Warner Edwards is a brand that I hadn't really heard of, but I found it in Emerson & Wests alongside other local delights (like Two Birds, which is distilled in my home town of Market Harborough - review coming soon!). Warner Edwards is based just down the road in the village of Harrington in Northamptonshire, which is said to be build on rock and water, with natural springs just 300m away from the distillery on Falls Farm. Warner Edwards was founded in 2012 by Tom Warner, who has a family history of farming. Their original idea was to distill essential oils, but that soon was trumped by distilling spirits using the farm's unique botanicals. The brand claims to be passionate about creating award-winning, authentic artisan gins, and to save the world from mediocre gin (now that's a superhero if I ever did see one!).
Harrington Dry is just one of a line up of six different gins which also includes sloe, elderflower, rhubarb, melissa and honeybee varieties. It was the first gin in their range, and has won a number of global awards (it's easy to see why!) with its sophisticated blend of robust botanicals. It hits the nail on the head with its intense notes of cardamom and nutmeg, being smooth and well-flavoured, and doesn't lose its sparkle when paired with tonic - my go-to is the Fevertree Naturally Light Tonic Water. I always opt for slimline as it's less sweet than traditional tonics. I love garnishing my G&T with orange or grapefruit slices (orange is my fave!), and these really complement the aromatic nature of the Harrington Dry Gin, adding a refreshing twist.
I enjoyed every last sip of the Warner Edwards Harrington Dry Gin, and it was exactly the kind of blend that wets my whistle. I'm not so much a fan of the sweeter "sipping" gins, and so something robust and cardamom-heavy really goes down a treat. The bottles are really luxuriously designed, and I love the whole branding of Warner Edwards, not to mention the fact it is a local brand. The price was also great too, starting at £14.95 for 20cl which lasts me a good amount of time seeing as I'm the only gin lover in the house (much to my despiar!). I will definitely be buying the Harrington Dry Gin again, and I think it would work well as a winter gin, but I'm very keen to try some of their other varieties too. The Rhubarb one is very high on my list, and although floral gins don't necessarily call out to me, the new Honeybee Gin sounds fantastic! I'm definitely going to be following some of their cocktail recipes too, this elderflower gimlet sounds amazing!
What is your favourite gin?
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