This past June, CraveOnline traveled to England as part of a unique opportunity to learn the history, distillation process and cultural association of Plymouth Gin and Beefeater Gin. The experience allowed us to not only make our own gin, but to witness firsthand one of the fastest growing trends in modern nightlife – the long-awaited return of classic cocktail culture.
We embarked on a weeklong journey from London’s Beefeater distillery and various fine restaurants in the city to the Southern coastal town of Plymouth, where the Mayflower first set sail for America and where Plymouth gin is exclusively bottled to this day, over two hundred years running. We were given the secrets to Beefeater, the five-hundred year old gin that still stands as the only major gin produced in London, and guided through its rich history by the man responsible for much of it, Master Distiller Desmond Payne. England’s finest gin ambassadors personally escorted our team of journalists through a one-of-a-kind experience that provided us with enough knowledge, hands-on production and field exposure (aka bar-hopping) to make a gin aficionado weep with jealousy.
There was only one problem. I hated gin.
The challenge of the journey ahead first came into full view during an introduction dinner at a beautiful restaurant named Comme Ça on Melrose in Hollywood – each of the five beautiful courses was accompanied by a different gin cocktail. The company was wonderful, but the cocktails underwhelmed. Half of them I simply didn’t know how to appreciate, and rejected after a few uncommitted tastes. There was no mistaking or masking it – I’m a selective drinker, and gin has never worked for me.
I arrived in London feeling like I had a terrible secret. I was about to spend a week in England learning about a spirit for which I’ve never enjoyed, let alone developed any sort of appreciation for, and ungodly amounts of money was already spent to ensure my experience was as informative and enjoyable as possible.
I soon learned that I’d been a fool, and like most Americans, had believed that Tanqueray and Bombay represented a true quality gin standard. Looking back months later, I may as well have been calling gasoline champagne. And after several days learning about – and drinking – gin with some of the leading experts in the world, I can say with certain conviction that, when the quality is cared for and the brand carefully selected, gin is among the most flavorful and rewarding spirits in existence.
As we arrived in London and embarked on our Tale of Two Cities experience, I was introduced to my company on the trip; in addition to the host of lovely & copiously accommodating representatives from Pernod Ricard (the company funding the journey) as well as both Plymouth and Beefeater, we were joined by some of the most esteemed bartenders and master mixologists in the world. It was through them, as well as the Master Distillers of Beefeater and Plymouth, that we’d learn about the gin-making process and gain an intimate insight into why the two brands hold such significance in England.
We visited the Beefeater Distillery and met with gin legend and Master Beefeater Distiller Desmond Payne, an affable man with endless stories, inextricable ties to the brand and a captivating sense of dedication to the craft. He walked us through the true history of gin as well as the process of botanical selection, in which we learned of the painstaking process of finding precisely the right flavor mix for quality gin.
Crushing the juniper berries in my hand, the source of gin’s flavor became immediately clear; it’s the true core flavor of the spirit, supplemented in the steeping process by a painstakingly balanced mix of various other botanicals including coriander, lemon/orange peel, almonds, orris root and more.
Desmond explained the process behind his three current gins: Beefeater, Beefeater 24 (which he personally crafted) and the new Beefeater Summer Edition. It was through our comparative nosing/tasting of various gin brands that we came to fully discover and appreciate the quality difference between other familiar brands and that of Beefeater and Plymouth. While Tanqueray’s juniper overload is heavy-handed enough to drown out flavor subtleties, and Bombay Sapphire leaves a horrendously musky, dry alcohol flavor on the palette, by contrast the Beefeater 24 is a soft delivery of short bursts of citrus with juniper understatements. The Beefeater Summer had a surprisingly long, soft finish with a very low juniper presence, while Plymouth was shown to sport a citrus-led flavor with no sharp flavor edges, allowing for optimum mixability and a meticulously balanced taste.
We experienced some of the finest restaurants and cocktail bars in London, discovering new definitions of fine dining while meeting with world-renowned cocktail celebrities such as Tony Conigliaro and the hilariously charismatic Nick Strangeway. If you’re in town, the following eateries and watering holes should be sought out at top priority: HIX, Milk & Honey, PINCHITOtapas (where I learned the art of “cocktail throwing”) Calooh Callay, 69 Colebrook Row and last but certainly not least the Dukes Bar, legendary for their peerless gin martinis.
