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LOCAL GINS
RAISE A GLASS TO LOCAL GINS G
in goes back a long way. Some credit 16th century Dutch doctor Franciscus Sylvius de la Boe as the inventor of gin, but there are previous mentions in a Flemish manuscript dating from the 1200s. Genever arrived in England in the 17th Century and proved popular. By 1733, the population of England and Wales was around six million people, who collectively got through 47 million litres of gin. G&T became possible in 1858 when the first tonic water was launched by Erasmus Bond. Nowadays we have a crop of artisan producers across the North East, marrying traditional techniques with interesting botanicals.
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Roehill Springs ___ Take Roehill Springs Distillery, where Duncan and Shirley Morrison produce small-batch gins on their family farm near Keith. Their Honeyberry Gin which combines a tart opening with a sweeter finish. If you want to confound your friends, try Roehill’s Blue Gin, which changes colour from blue to pink or purple when the tonic is added thanks to the inclusion of Butterfly Pea flowers. If you’d prefer something equally magical, but more traditional, Roehill Springs No. 5, combines juniper with coriander, citrus and floral notes for a great mouthfeel.
