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We never need an excuse to clink a chilled glass of gin and tonic with our fellow discerning drinkers, but we love the story behind International Gin & Tonic Day on October 19th and will definitely be saying cheers to that.
Legend has it that International Gin & Tonic Day was founded in honour of Mary Edith Keyburn, who died at the grand old age of 95 on October 19 2010, with a teacup full of her favourite G&T by her hospital bedside.
According to a Facebook page set up by her friends who established the day in her memory, Mary so loved a G&T that her family smuggled it into the hospital in a water bottle and she’d drink it in plain sight out of a teacup.
Seasonal flavours
We love us some rebellious spirit here at Lyme Bay Winery – just look at the origin story of our Jack Ratt inspired products – and if you are after some fresh takes on the classic G&T to raise a glass to Mary yourself, here’s some gin-spiration for you.
It will come as no surprise that we focus on flavour and quality in our range of award-winning gins. Rather than seeking bold overwhelming notes, we’ve gone for a layered citrus character that allows other flavours to blend with our different gins. This means you end up with a sophisticated, yet refreshing drink, no matter which of our botanical blends you choose – and the selection has something for every palate.
To start, there’s our fresh and invigorating Lyme Bay Dry Gin which has all the traditional botanical flavours of juniper, floral and citrus notes alongside intoxicating aromas of verbena and the freshness of orange peel, lemon and lime.
If you’re looking for something with a bit of a twist, Lyme Bay Orange and Thyme Gin adds a zingy update to cocktail hour, and the spicy, earthy notes of our Lyme Bay Winter Gin layers black pepper and nutmeg over elderberries, blackberries and a hint of burnt orange.
All of these are fabulous served straight up over ice, or take your time and pair with your favourite tonic of choice for a longer drink.
Sloe Gin Fizz
The famous gin fizz cocktail is usually a mix of a citrus addition alongside sugar, sparkling water, and sometimes even egg white – if that’s to your taste.
We prefer our eggs for breakfast and like to reinvigorate our gin fizz by substituting Sloe Gin to pep things up a gear. Ours is hand made in small batches using the finest hand-picked sloes, steeped in high-quality London Gin with a little added sugar.
To make a fizz, pour 50ml of Lyme Bay Sloe Gin over ice, add a squeeze of lemon, a teaspoon of sugar syrup and top up with sparkling water. If you want an even faster route from cup to lip, we recommend simply combining our Sloe Gin and ice with plenty of refreshing Frobishers Sicilian Lemonade – a dry and light sparkling lemonade drink with Sicilian lemon juice, botanical extracts and hops made with carbonated Devon spring water.
Damson Gin Royale
Softer and drier than our Sloe Gin, we use hand-picked damsons, quality London Gin and a little sugar to make our Damson Gin, which makes the perfect substitute for the Crème de Cassis of a traditional Kir Royale and turns it into a decadent Damson Gin Royale. Take your preferred serving size of Damson Gin and add a generous pour of English sparkling wine.
And for those of you who can’t make up your mind which G to add to your T, our Lyme Bay Mini Gin Gift Box contains miniatures of some of our best sellers, to help you find your new favourite.
Order drinks online for delivery
Whatever you choose, you can buy all our Gins at our Cellar Door so do pop in if you are passing. If you’re not nearby you can always get in touch with our friendly team via email at [email protected] or by calling us on 01297 551355 if you’d like to order by phone.
