It’s a smooth, London dry with a well-rounded finish that will please all palates – plus, its link to the navy and history make it an excellent introduction to the genre.

The bottle has sustainability at its heart; Atlantic Distillery is the only Soil Association-certified spirit producer in Cornwall and uses 100 per cent organic ingredients to create their navy strength, many of which are grown onsite or handpicked from the surrounding area. The front of the bottle depicted the ship, Mayflower, based upon the fact that when the Pilgrim Fathers set out for their journey to the New World, bad sea conditions and damage forced them to put into Plymouth harbour for shelter and essential repairs. Added to the distillates of sweet, zesty citrus and decadent flavours of mission figs (I think this is a great addition that reminds me of Japanese Gin), which are cold distilled at room temperature. For answers, we sat down with Dan Smith, general manager of Chicago’s Queen Mary,a cocktail bar that’s got a thing for old maritime traditions and the drinks behind them.It will raise the standards of any gin-based cocktail, but try it in a Hanky Panky, a shamefully forgotten concoction devised by the first ever female barmaid at London’s Savoy Hotel, circa 1920. The term “Plymouth gin” is often used to identify the brand, but also a specific style of gin production. There were so many wonderful gins that we tried from big names and small batch distillers, that this list could easily have been twice as long.

For some it is the ultimate gin, with a rich but balanced taste that takes a Martini or a Gin and Tonic to a new level, perfect for the demands of today’s more adventurous spirit drinkers and mixologists. One of the most well-balanced gins we sipped, Conker Spirit’s navy strength option blends spicier notes such as cassia and coriander with the sweet citrus of Seville orange. For his Gimlets, Ford likes to shake 2 ounces of navy strength gin with 1 ounce of fresh-squeezed lime juice and three-quarters of an ounce of simple syrup. An image of a monk was depicted on the label, paying homage to the Black Friars who once resided exactly where the gin is produced.

Their reasoning is that it is idiotic to make and sell a hundred thousand units of something and make a profit of thirty cents a unit, when you can increase advertising, sell five million units, and make a nickel profit a unit. Originally a combination of Plymouth Gin and Rose’s Lime Cordial (taken on-board ship from 1867 to prevent scurvy). Their use of native finger limes and fresh ginger give their navy strength gin a refreshing zesty flavour with power and intensity that is a perfect addition to cocktails.

And for the Brit who thinks Americans don’t know anything about Plymouth, it happens to be the city where the Pilgrims sailed from so we know more about it than you might guess. It was widely consumed by the poor and was generally believed to be a major contributor to the considerable social problems of the time, in what became known as the Gin Craze. With that extra kick of alcohol comes additional flavor, making navy strength gin perfect for mixing into cocktails. You find that the gin lasts a bit longer because a smaller measure is required in the highball glass with a high end tonic and a slice of citrus fruit.Finally, Elephant Gin’s use of unusual botanicals, sourced from South Africa, gave it a spicy, deep flavour that really livened up a tonic. Those visiting the distillery are welcome to enjoy a drink in the building’s Refectory Room, which dates back to 1431 and is the oldest and most intact section of the distillery. While traveling from harbor to harbor, Navy sailors tasted a number of gins, and Plymouth proved to be one of the favorites among them.

With that said, I find the juniper and citrus very subtle and normally drink it with a light squeeze of lime and in those cases of extreme summer a splash of tonic (need to try with a drop of bitters as Doc suggested. stated that all spirits with protection must issue a technical file with ” a description of the spirit drink including the principal physical, chemical and/or organoleptic characteristics of the product” and “a description of the method for obtaining the spirit drink and, if appropriate, the authentic and unvarying local methods. Although I’m hesitant to endorse it outright, if you’re looking to make 1 part gin, 2 parts orange juice, this is the kind of gin you want to use. and there are many famous gins around the world… but I have to admit it – Plymouth is just untouchable.A. It will soon be available in the States, but generally very readily available overseas in the UK. The name is no coincidence – 15 per cent of profits from each sale are donated to elephant conservation charities and bottles are inscribed with the name of one of seven elephants from Kruger National Park. For all the Americans out there who seem to know very little about the British Isles, Devon is in the South West of England and just about as far away from Scotland as you can possibly get in the UK. This also happened to be a good way to determine if a gin supplier was diluting the product and pulling one over on the ships’ officers.