April spirits BY TOM FIRTH
I
t’s spring—need we say more? We’d suggest celebrating by getting down to your nearest liquor store and indulging in a new crop of flavourful gins for sipping neat or for making your next new favourite cocktail! Collective Arts Plum and Blackthorn Gin, Canada With an ever-so-delicate hue, this gin is a pretty one from start to finish. Great aromatics with a delicate edge perhaps from the plum fruits with plenty of pepper, while the palate is refreshingly not too overpowering—yet still decidedly ginlike. A limited release for a limited time, this does rock a gin & tonic with style (Collective Arts recommends it with plum slices and a cinnamon stick) and looks great on the back bar. CSPC +825106 $52–55
No. 3 London Dry Gin, Berry Bros & Rudd, England The quintessential British gin, and awarded World’s Best Gin four times, everything about this gin exudes quality. You’re greeted with sweet grapefruit and orange peels followed by aromatic coriander, cardamom, and juniper for a beautifully balanced and spicy sip—and put away your tonic; No. 3 is a wonderful martini gin and doesn’t need anything added to make it the most enjoyable sipper.
Kokoro Gin, Cherry Blossom Liqueur Forest Spirits, Great Britain Sniff it; just sniff it and you’ll be transported to Japan just in time for the famous cherry blossom season that happens in April! It’s pretty and pink, just as you’d hope, with a sweet smelling nose that is definitely cherry but almost with a hint of almond like a Bakewell tart. 10 percent of the sale of every bottle of these gin liqueurs goes to help preserve the forests, which are close to the founders of Kokoro Gin, the Darnell family’s, hearts.
Kokoro Gin Yuzu and Ginger Liqueur Forest Spirits, Great Britain It was a delight to open this gin, with its wooden and cork stopper and delicate lemon colour, and charming and appealing label—who would have guessed it was actually English and distilled in London in the traditional London Dry method, with the addition of fresh sansho berries from the Nagano prefecture in Japan. At 20 percent ABV, this is a lovely and flavourful drink that could be the base to any number of cocktails.
Luxardo Sour Cherry Gin, Italy Proudly made in Italy (and boy, do they need all the help we can give right now!) this gin is infused with marasca cherries from Luxardo’s orchards, for which they are rightly famous. At only 199 years old, Luxardo are better known for their maraschino liqueurs, sambuca and amaretto, but add this to your list of faves, and add tonic or make into a Cherry Martinez with the addition of sweet vermouth, Luxardo maraschino and a dash of bitters.
CSPC +741108 Around $55–$60
CSPC + 823841 500 mL $38 36 Culinaire | April 2020
AND LINDA GARSON
CPSC +823842 500 mL $38
CSPC +801015 Around $37–$41