Celebrity pub owner Heston Blumenthal’s perfect G&T
High-quality ingredients, experimentation and a wide-rimmed glass are the secrets, Blumenthal told the Daily Mail.
He added that where most go wrong is by adding the tonic immediately after pouring the gin. Instead, this should be added after garnishing with citrus and putting plenty of ice in the glass as it allows the flavours to mix without the need to stir too much.
Blumenthal introduced the new gin to his Heston from Waitrose range earlier this week (20 November).
Apple-based gin
The Citrus Sherbet Lazy Gin is an apple-based gin made using natural citrus botanicals including lemon verbena, lemon thyme, basil, eureka lemons, Persian lime and liquorice root, lemon peel and pink grapefruit peel. The spirit has a fresh, summery aroma with a touch of lemon sherbet.
Blumenthal said: “Who says making cocktails shouldn’t be easy? Made with a magical twist of flavours and taste-tested to perfection, my new Citrus Sherbet Lazy Gin is certainly set to play with your senses this Christmas.”
Waitrose spirit buyer John Vine said: “Gin has been enjoying a revolution recently, thanks to people experimenting while making their own cocktails at home.
“This gin is exciting because, in Blumenthal’s own genius way, he has stripped back and analysed what defines a good gin and tonic. Every element in this gin works towards creating the perfect G&T.”
Next big thing
Meanwhile, though gin is still on a high, data experts CGA predicted that golden rum would be the next big trend in spirits, outpacing gin in the next three years.
CGA commercial director Graeme Loudon said golden rum volume will rise by 33% by 2020. He added: “Golden rum is forecast to grow faster than gin by 2020 with Tequila and malt whisky also performing well.
“Forecasted volume percentage change also shows that gin volumes will rise by 28%, Tequila by 13%, and malt whisky will be up 9%.”
