James Bay Navy Strength Gin

Mermaids and sirens, rather than battleships, decorate the label of James Bay Navy StrengthNavy StrengthGin bottled at 57% ABV or more. Royal Navy lore holds that at this strength, gunpowder soaked in gin would still ignite.GlossarySee Navy Strength gins Gin. The distillery, based at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, chose them as a nod to Homer's Odyssey and to the question of who really rules the waves. Launched in 2021 on a grain base, it comes in at 57%, the traditional navy strength, a level that popular naval lore links to gunpowder still igniting after being soaked with the spirit.

Dry · Spicy · Floral · Navy Strength

The botanical bill starts classically with juniper, coriander, angelica, orris rootOrris rootIris rhizome dried for years, then ground. Powdery and violet-like, it mainly works as a fixative that binds and lengthens the other aromas.Glossary and cassia. Two further ingredients change its character: elderflower and vanilla, chosen to echo the flavours of a British royal wedding cake. Cassia, a close relative of cinnamon, supplies warmth, the roots bring an earthy, dry base, and the two newcomers soften the middle without taking any of the strength away. Both are soft, sweet-leaning flavours, which is why the high proof helps them stay distinct.

The nose opens on green juniper with hints of bitter orange, lemon and spice. On the palate, sweet juniper leads into vanilla and elderflower, with impressions of custard and crème anglaise next to bitter orange, before the spice returns. Lemon and orris root shape a sweet, earthy finish, and the high proof carries every step with real length.

That double nature explains how the gin behaves in mixed drinks. In a NegroniNegroniAn Italian cocktail of equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and red bitter (Campari), served over ice with orange peel. Born in Florence in 1919.Glossary or a MartinezMartinezThe presumed ancestor of the Martini: gin (often Old Tom), sweet vermouth, maraschino and bitters, stirred over ice and served straight up.Glossary, juniper stays in front and cuts through the vermouthVermouthAn aromatised, fortified wine flavoured with herbs and barks; its name comes from the German Wermut, wormwood. Dry vermouth goes into a Martini, sweet red into a Negroni.Glossary; with tonic or soda, vanilla and elderflower come forward instead. The distillery also suggests sipping it over ice. For a long drink, an Indian tonicIndian tonicThe classic tonic: sparkling water, bitter quinine and sugar. The name recalls colonial India, where quinine warded off malaria.Glossary keeps the bitterness firm against the vanilla, a long piece of lemon peel points to the citrus in the finish, and a vanilla pod recalls the wedding-cake idea behind the recipe.