1881 Pavilion Gin

At Peebles Hydro, in the Scottish Borders, a Victorian pavilion once overlooked more tennis courts than Wimbledon. 1881 Distillery, which works from the same hotel together with its gin school, named this bottle after it, and Pavilion is the fruit-led member of its four-gin core collection, alongside Hydro, Honours and Rafters.

Limited Edition · Spicy · Floral · Fruity

It is a gin infusedInfusionFruit or plants are steeped in the spirit to release their flavour. Done after distillation, infusion often adds colour too, and the gin can no longer be called London Dry.Glossary with Borders berries and hibiscus. Raspberry and strawberry lead, hibiscus adds a tart floral note and the pink tone under which the gin is also sold, and cardamom and grains of paradiseGrains of paradiseWest African seeds related to cardamom, also called melegueta pepper: peppery and warm, with a citrus note.Glossary bring a gentle spice that stops the fruit from turning jammy. The rest of the recipe draws on the Scottish landscape: hawthorn, milk thistle, birch and fir needles, with juniper as the backbone. Birch and fir needles stay in the background, giving a green, woodland freshness behind the fruit rather than a flavour of their own.

On the nose, silky red fruits and a creamy note come first, backed by juniper, spice and citrus.

The palate brings fresh raspberry with strawberry and hibiscus over the gentle warmth of cardamom and grains of paradise. At 40%, the infusion stays light enough to drink long, and the spice keeps a dry edge under the berries. It comes in a 70 cl bottle and a 5 cl miniature. Hawthorn and milk thistle are hedgerow plants rather than garden ones, and they give the gin a wild, slightly bitter undertone that keeps it from tasting of dessert.

Elderflower tonic water brings a floral lift that suits the hibiscus. Pour 4 cl of gin over firm ice, lengthen with 10 cl of chilled elderflower tonic, and add a few fresh raspberries and a sprig of mint. The raspberries repeat the leading fruit, while the mint gives a cool contrast to the creamy softness of the berries. Keep everything cold and stir only briefly.