The sun has been teasing us lately with flashes of warming rays as a hopeful prelude of what to expect during the hot summer. Whatever the mercury tops at in the tepid or scorching heat, a refreshing cocktail never goes amiss. It’s likely one of those cocktails will contain gin so your drinks cabinet should be stocked accordingly. So our recommendation for the discerning gent’s drinks cabinet this week is Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin.

 

A good gin should be a drinks cabinet essential for any discerning gent. Its versatility is its strength – perfect for any strength of cocktail. Bombay Sapphire is as old as gins come, and this one’s original story started way back in 1761 when it was known as Warrington Gin, although the bottle we see today has a more recent year of inception – 1987.

 

The beauty of Bombay Sapphire is the way the botanical ingredients are infused with the spirit. In a method called Vapour Infusion. Rather than heat the botanicals at the base of the spirit, this one instead suspends them above the spirit in a mesh so that vapours flow past as it’s heated. Of the multitude of botanicals, the ten used here includes lemon peel, coriander, liquorice, juniper berries and grains of paradise to give the gin its distinctive essence.

 

The result is a light and fresh gin that is sweet. It’s not heavy on the juniper as some gins are trademarked for either. On the nose is citrus from the lemon peel with earthy botanicals, whilst on the palate you have a very smooth ride with varying degrees of botanical throughout with a spice finish on the back on the tongue. That’s of course if you drink this London Dry Gin neat. It’s more common use is the main ingredient in numerous summer cocktails – there’s plenty to choose from for the discerning gent and lady.

 

Finally, if you’re wondering about the name – the distinct blue bottle was created with the Star of Bombay in mind (a blue sapphire), hence where the name is derived from. Think of this nugget of knowledge as ideal garden BBQ banter as you’re cooking the meat feast whilst enjoying a refreshing cocktail.

 

Bombay Sapphire is 40% ABV and available in 70cl bottles from The Drinks Shop, RRP £21.15

 

For more details and gin cocktail ideas, visit: www.bombaysapphire.com