Wimbledon gave Sipsmith a specific brief: bring its summer strawberries into a gin while keeping the dry character of its London Dry base. Strawberry Smash was made for the distillery's partnership with The Championships, using fruit from Hugh Lowe Farms in Kent, Wimbledon's exclusive strawberry grower. The producer says the bottle used 122,000 berries from the 2020 harvest and was pot-stilled, then vapour-infused on the experimental still Cygnet. English mint joins the fruit; its strength is 40% ABV.

Citrus · Fruity · Herbal

The recipe is deliberately easy to understand. Juniper remains the foundation, with strawberry and mint shaping the seasonal variation rather than replacing the gin's familiar structure. Sipsmith describes a nose of fresh strawberry, light citrus and mint.

On the palate, juicy berry comes first, then a cooling herbal note and a drier juniper finish. The citrus keeps the fruit lively, while the juniper prevents the impression from becoming that of a sweet strawberry cordial.

That balance makes the gin versatile across long drinks and shaken cocktails. In the producer's courtside highball, 50 ml is poured over ice and lengthened with soda or premium tonic, then finished with sliced strawberry. It also appears in the Wimbledon Collins, where lemon and soda add a sharper edge. For a simple G&T, the fruit garnish is enough: extra syrup would blur the contrast between ripe berry, mint and dry spirit.

Strawberry Smash belongs to Sipsmith's limited Sipping Series and reflects the distillery's Wimbledon partnership rather than a permanent change to the classic recipe. Its appeal is the recognizable meeting of English strawberries and mint with a London Dry framework. Served cold, it moves from fresh fruit to citrus, then settles on juniper and mint. It is best suited to warm-weather serves where the garnish can be fresh and the drink can stay crisp.