Bombay Sapphire

BOMBAY GINS CAN BE TRACED BACK TO THE 18TH CENTURY – WHEN GIN FIRST BECAME POPULAR IN ENGLAND. THE HISTORIC BLEND ON WHICH THE THREE BOMBAY GINS ARE BASED IS A 1761 BOTANICAL RECIPE BY INNOVATIVE GIN DISTILLER THOMAS DAKIN.

AS WITH ALL GINS, THE HEADLINE flavour is juniper, but unlike many other gins, Bombay gins have a much more complex taste. The smooth taste of Bombay comes from a historical eight botanical recipe – a blend of juniper berries, lemon peel, angelica, orris, coriander, liquorice, cassia bark and almonds sourced from around the world. The addition of cubeb berries and grains of paradise to the original Bombay botanical mix adds subtle lavender notes and a long peppery finish.

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE GIN

Bombay Sapphire was launched in the 1980’s as a premium version of Bombay Dry Gin, which was first created in the 1950’s using a long forgotten 1761 recipe discovered in an old established distillery in the north of England. With the creation of Bombay Sapphire, two additional botanicals (grains of paradise and cubeb berries) were added to the original eight found in the recipe, giving it an extra exotic quality and providing the perfect balance.

Bombay Sapphire gin offers an uplifting and tantalising taste experience. It stands apart with its distinctive taste, unique production method and elegant design; an exotic name, evoking a time of poise and elegance during the days of the British Raj in India.

Bombay Sapphire gins are created using the unique Vapour Infusion process, together with the unique combination of the ten botanicals. This process allows Bombay Sapphire to appeal to both gin and non-gin drinkers alike due to it being less “ginny” then other gins; it does not have an intense and overpowering juniper flavour, instead it has a subtle yet complex flavour which is clean, crisp and perfectly balanced.

The name Bombay Sapphire was inspired by the Star of Bombay, a 182.5 carat star sapphire, which was found in Sri Lanka. It was given by actor Douglas Fairfank Snr to his wife, silent movie star Mary Pickford. It is currently held in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, USA.

Bombay Sapphire was first exported to the US in 1987 in a stunning, translucent blue bottle unlike any other gin – because the taste of Bombay Sapphire was unlike any other gin. It is now one of the world’s favourite premium spirits and available in over 120 countries across the globe.

ABOVE: The home of Bombay Sapphire in Hampshire, UK – Laverstoke Mill.

ABOVE: Bombay Sapphire at Project Botanicals in Sydney 2015.

OPPOSITE: Bombay Sapphire, Australia’s number one Premium Gin. BOMBAY DISTILLERY AND DISTILLATION

When the Bombay Distillery at Laverstoke Mill opened its doors to the public in Autumn 2014, it was the culmination of a journey that began back in 1761 with a young man named Thomas Dakin; a classic recipe for gin; and, a revolutionary distillation technique.

It is a journey – and a story – full of character; one which traces the history of the spirit that helped to shape the British Empire; fuelled a generation of fun-loving flappers; defined a new cocktail scene; made stars of mixologists; and, remains the spirit which continues to take pride of place at the top table.

Thomas Dakin was a remarkable young man. He was just 24 when he listed his occupation as ‘distiller’ and created the classic gin recipe that remains the basis for Bombay Sapphire gin to this day.

The opening of the Bombay Sapphire Distillery marks a new era in this story. The Distillery at Laverstoke Mill reflects the heritage in the skills used still today on site. The four Bombay stills are contained in two separate still houses – India House and Dakin Still House.

Although its history is incredibly important (after all, their home in Laverstoke dates back more than 1,000 years and is recorded in the Domesday Book), this is anything but a museum.

Deep in the heart of the Hampshire countryside in southern England, wrapped around one of the most treasured chalk streams in the world, stands a sustainable and state-of-the-art distillery.

Although the gin created here has its roots in a 250-year-old recipe, the ingredients and production process have been refined and finessed over the years to produce something thoroughly unique.

All of the stills at Laverstoke Mill use the unique Vapour Infusion distillation process to produce a far more complex gin than alternative methods, where the botanicals are boiled with the spirit.

They are a testament to the Dakin family’s innovation, ingenuity and creativity.

VAPOUR INFUSION DISTILLATION

In 1950s England, virtually all gin was made the same way – in a pot still where the botanicals were steeped in a base spirit and then boiled to embed the flavour of the botanicals.

It was efficient – in six hours you could produce 10,000 litres – but with so many gins being crafted in this way, the spirits began to lack individuality and variation.

There was an exception, however. At a distillery in Warrington in the northwest of

England, distillers were creating something significantly more refined and complex using a different technique. The process started by heating neutral grain spirit in copper pot stills dating back to 1831 and 1836. This produced vapour, which passed through a perforated copper basket holding the botanical ingredients. There, the vapour became infused with the intricate flavours and aromas of the exotic botanicals, adopting their bright, fresh and engaging qualities.

Having passed through the botanicals, the vapour was condensed back to liquid and cut with only purified water to bottling strength. The result? A tantalising, complex and aromatic gin.

Today, every bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin continues to be produced using the same Vapour Infusion distillation process. Over the years, advances in distillation techniques have made the end result even better – the neutral grain spirit used as the base today contains no trace of the impurities that would have been present in the past, making it the perfect blank canvas for capturing the botanicals’ individual flavours and aromas.

A BOTANICAL BASKET

In a quest to produce the highest quality gin, the Dakin family in Warrington purchased a revolutionary steam-jacketed still with a Carterhead.

Designed by the Carter brothers, the still head was specially designed to remove the previously present impurities from the lower quality neutral grain spirit. A historical 1836 still receipt shows the innovation adaptation that was made to the Dakin family’s brand new Carterhead still – a separated copper basket to hold the botanicals.

This change marks the creation of the unique Vapour Infusion distillation process. Today the Vapour Infusion distillation method lives on – and, along with the 1761 recipe on which all Bombay gins are based, it is the brands most powerful link back to the Dakin family to whom they owe the Bombay heritage. SINGLE FOLD STANDARDS

All Bombay gins are one shot gins, which means that – in order to retain the quality of the fresh, natural flavours captured by the Vapour Infusion distillation process – the recipe is made up to the exact proportions and purified water is the only other ingredient added to reduce the alcohol content down to bottling strength.

Although there are quicker, easier and less expensive ways to produce gin, Bombay Sapphire Gin prefers to use the time-honoured methods associated with the quality and heritage of the brand.

CAREFULLY CRAFTED

The 10 botanicals hand-selected for Bombay Sapphire gin are placed by hand into the perforated copper basket – with the larger botanicals at the base of each section and the powders placed on top.

The botanicals are placed in the basket in the same order every time and are arranged in such a way to ensure that the powders do not fall through the basket.

Like the recipe, this technique and learning has been passed down from distiller to distiller – however, only the Master Distiller and Master of Botanicals know the exact ratio of botanicals, a secret carefully kept.

The painstaking distillation process means that Bombay Sapphire gin takes longer to produce than other gins, but the resulting bright and fresh flavour is well worth the wait.

STAR OF BOMBAY

The Star of Bombay is the newest addition to the Bombay family. Made from 12 unique, hand-selected botanicals, the bergamot brings the spicy citrus flavour while the ambrette seeds add a floral muskiness for a bright, smooth, deeply captivating gin. Vaper infused and and distilled at 47.5%, The Star of Bombay is a complex gin, smooth enough to enjoy over ice. ❧

Tasting notes

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE

Appearance: Clear

Aroma: Aromatic and bright, with the spicy green scent of piney juniper. Look out for the leading scents of a slight earthiness with tree bark and woody herbaceousness, followed by fresh, sharp coriander notes and a hint of lemon zest

Flavour: A lively, fresh juniper and mellow, lemon tart sweetness lead the taste, followed by warmth from a rounded peppery finish. Fresh and spicy, with a light, woody dryness. Look out for a refreshing peppery tingle and a long spiciness on the sides and back of the tongue

Signature serves

THE ULTIMATE GIN & TONIC

Glass: Highball or Balloon

Ingredients: 45ml Bombay Sapphire Gin 90ml premium tonic water (chilled from the fridge and freshly opened) Good quality cubed ice

Garnish: Lime wedge

Method: Add clear cubed ice to the glass until it is three quarters full Stir the ice well with a bar spoon to chill the glass, then strain off any excess water produced so as not to dilute the drink Squeeze in a freshly cut lime wedge over the ice and place into the glass Pour in Bombay Sapphire gin then swirl the glass to mix and chill Finally, pour in 90ml of premium tonic water while very gently stirring the mix to retain the fizz. Garnish with a freshly cut lime wedge BOMBAY SAPPHIRE NEGRONI

Glass: Old Fashioned

Ingredients: 30ml Bombay Sapphire Gin 30ml Bitters liqueur 30ml Martini Rosso Good quality cubed ice Freshly cut orange slice

Garnish: Orange wedge

Method: Add clear cubed ice to the glass Stir the ice well with a bar spoon to chill the glass, then strain off any excess water produced so as not to dilute the drink Pour in Bombay Sapphire Gin, bitters liqueur and Martini Rosso into Old Fashioned glass and gently stir. Garnish with a freshly cut orange slice TOM COLLINS

Glass: Highball

Ingredients: 45ml Bombay Sapphire Gin 25ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice (approximately the juice of half a medium-sized lemon) 15ml Sugar syrup 45-70ml Chilled soda water Good quality cubed ice

Garnish: Lemon wedge

Method: Freshly squeeze the lemon juice into a clean Highball glass Add the sugar syrup and Bombay Sapphire gin Stir well with bar spoon to mix Add plenty of cubed ice and stir a gain to chill Top with chilled soda water then stir gently for final time. Garnish with a lemon wedge