Belgin St Cruyt

Belgin St. Cruyt draws its name and botanical idea from the old Dutch word for "holy herb." The Belgian distillery says the recipe uses fifty herbs and plants found in the gardens of Belgian abbeys. It bottles the distilled ginDistilled ginGin made by redistilling neutral spirit with juniper and other botanicals. Unlike London Dry, flavourings may be added after distillation.GlossarySee Distilled gin gins at 43% ABV and highlights fennel seed, rosemary, bay, elderflower and marjoram among the principal herbs. Their link to traditional medicinal gardens gives the name a real reference point, while the drink itself is presented as a complex, distinctly herbal gin.

Spicy · Floral · Herbal

The herbs are maceratedMacerationBotanicals soak in alcohol, from a few hours to several days, before distillation to release their aromas.Glossary in a soft base spirit for at least sixty days, distilled separately, and blended until the components are balanced. The finished blend then receives an eight-hour dry hop, a method used across the Belgin range. This sequence gives St. Cruyt several layers to draw on, from the sweet-green notes of fennel and marjoram to rosemary's piney edge and the floral note of elderflower. The fifty-plant recipe draws on herbs associated with Belgian abbey gardens.

At 43% ABV and 50 cl, St. Cruyt is made for drinkers who enjoy an assertive herbal profile. The product description calls it both complex and soft, with a long finish, and the distillery records a gold medal from the Gin Masters in 2016. Those details point to a gin whose character rests on herbs and its maceration-and-blending process, rather than on a single citrus or fruit accent. The name refers directly to the herbs at the heart of the recipe.

Try 5 cl with 10 cl of Fever-Tree Indian Tonic WaterIndian tonicThe classic tonic: sparkling water, bitter quinine and sugar. The name recalls colonial India, where quinine warded off malaria.Glossary over firm ice. Add a rosemary sprig and a small bay leaf inside the glass. A restrained amount of tonic keeps the herbs in focus, while its bitterness gives the longer finish a clean line. Add the tonic slowly and stir once. The rosemary and bay echo two of the herbs named by the distillery.