GIN MARE

It's a well known fact that I'm a gin fan. And also a fan of a good party on a beautiful rooftop setting in West London. So put the two together on a Friday evening and I'm one happy little food blogger. A couple of Fridays ago we headed to Gin Mare's rooftop soireé at Searcey's in Knightsbridge. We were greeted with a gin cocktail on arrival and headed up to the rooftop which was teaming with gin drinkers. We settled into a corner, snacked on nibbles by Mark Hix as they were whisked past by the waitresses desperately trying to get to the other side of the roof before all their canapés got eaten - we sampled delicious oysters, octopus and cannellini bean shots, various croquettes and mini scallops in their shells. And lots of wonderful cocktails made with Gin Mare.

 

I hadn't come across Gin Mare before, though it's not new to the market, having been created in 2007. It is however a gin that really pushed the boundaries of what we think of as being gin. Normally gin is made with botanicals including juniper, citrus peels, spices and roots. Gin Mare is made with botanicals including rosemary, thyme, olive and basil which together are very unusual in gin making. This creates a savoury essence to the drink, which pairs perfectly with a good tonic, slither of lemon peel and sprig of rosemary. It also works really well in Aperol based cocktails due to the herbal qualities in the gin.

 

If you're a gin fan and haven't come across Gin Mare I really recommend getting hold of some. It's such an interesting addition to the gin brands I know and like, and is wonderful in summer cocktails.