TRANSATLANTIC GLAM
Queen Mary 2 departing from New York
From the Queen Mary 2 to London’s best bars, one devotee of the spirit begins a quest to find Britain’s best gin cocktails by Janice Tober
Samuel Cunard originally launched the Cunard Line in 1839 to carry mail between the UK and North America. He would never have imagined that, a century later, his ships would be carrying some of the world’s most glamorous passengers – celebrities and royalty among them – during the golden age of transatlantic crossings. I was keen to experience some of that glamour myself when I boarded the Queen Mary 2 in New York, the starting point for the journey to Southampton, England. From there, I planned to head straight to London. I wasn’t there to see Big Ben or Westminster Abbey. My goal was to explore the city that made gin famous. As a devoted gin connoisseur, it was my happy place. But first, it was my cruise onboard the QM2. I expected it to be quintessentially British and offer a proper afternoon tea, a full English breakfast and
— most importantly for me, at least — a happy hour that included plenty of gin and tonics. I had visions of imbibing them on the windswept deck, wrapped in a warm blanket, while sitting on a wooden lounger watching the ocean waves swell and sway as I sipped. The ship delivered on all counts and more. My heart leapt when I discovered Cunard not only has a fine selection of gin, but also its very own exclusive brand, 3 Queens Gin from Edinburgh-based Pickering’s Gin. (Coincidentally, it is owned by the great nephew of a former Cunard captain.) Of the brand’s three gins,
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