BUSS N°509 Cherry Gin

Cherry gives this limited bottling in the BUSS N°509 Author Collection its colour and its name. Buss Spirits works in Antwerp at 40% ABV, distilling from pure grain with fresh botanicals, herbs and fruit, and the deep red in the glass comes from macerationMacerationBotanicals soak in alcohol, from a few hours to several days, before distillation to release their aromas.Glossary rather than from any dye.

Limited Edition · Floral · Fruity

Eleven ingredients make up the recipe: juniper, coriander, liquorice, angelicaAngelicaThe root of a tall umbellifer, earthy and musky. After juniper and coriander it is the most common botanical: it binds the aromas and holds the finish.Glossary, vanilla, cardamom, iris, orange, lemon, almond and cherry. The almond is the detail that makes the fruit work, echoing the stone of the cherry and giving the middle of the palate a marzipan-like softness. Fruit maceration and gin distillation are combined here rather than layered, so nothing is sweetened or flavoured after the fact.

The nose is floral and fruity with juniper clearly present, cherry reading as fresh fruit rather than confectionery.

On the palate the red fruit stays measured, supported by citrus definition from orange and lemon, while coriander and cardamom lift the aromatics and vanilla rounds the texture. There is a faintly woody undertone, and the close is long, dry enough to keep the bottle firmly on the gin side of the line.

Use a neutral tonic and almost no garnish. Pour 4cl over large iceLarge iceOne large block melts far more slowly than several small cubes, so the drink stays cold without watering down.Glossary, add 10cl of tonic and, if anything, a single cherry: a citrus wheel would cover the fruit the gin is named for. A measured highballHighballA long drink served in a tall, straight glass with plenty of ice: a spirit topped with soda or tonic. The word also names the glass.Glossary is the format that shows it best, leaving room for the red fruit, the botanical frame and the dilutionDilutionThe water added by melting ice. In the right amount it opens the aromas and softens the alcohol; too much flattens the drink.Glossary to stay in balance. Serge Buss founded the house in 2013, alongside Bar Bounce, the first gin and tonic bar in Belgium, which explains how much thought goes into the serve. Cherry belongs to the Author Collection, the part of the range reserved for limited runs rather than permanent bottlings.