BLOSM Gin Maribelle

Co&Co Distillery builds BLOSM Gin Maribelle around the Maribelle apple, a variety selected for this Belgian gin. Made in Heers and bottled at 43% ABV, it combines that orchard fruit with juniper, citrus, flowers and a broad range of spices. The recipe names coriander, grains of paradise, elderflower, angelica, orris, orange blossom, sansho pepper, lavender, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon and sweet woodruff. It is an unusually detailed botanical list, yet the apple remains the clear point of entry.

Citrus · Spicy · Floral · Fruity

The nose combines fresh apple with blossom and coriander. In the first sip, the fruit gives a crisp, lightly rounded impression; citrus keeps it bright, while juniper supplies the familiar dry ginDry ginGin with no perceptible sweetness: in the European Union, the word "dry" allows at most 0.1 g of sugar per litre.GlossarySee Dry gin gins note. The spices develop gradually rather than arriving as a single hot accent: grains of paradiseGrains of paradiseWest African seeds related to cardamom, also called melegueta pepper: peppery and warm, with a citrus note.Glossary and sansho suggest a peppery lift, and cardamom, cinnamon and star anise add warmth. Floral botanicals soften the edges without turning the drink perfumed. The producer recommends tasting it well chilled, between 3 and 6 degrees Celsius.

Maribelle is the name of the apple used in the recipe, not a reference to mirabelle plum. The fruit character comes from apple, supported by citrus and the botanicals listed above. Together, these ingredients make a fruit-led gin that still retains juniper and a substantial spice register at its centre.

For a long drink, fill a balloon glassCopa glassA large stemmed balloon glass, popularised by the Spanish gin and tonic: it stays cold for longer and gathers the aromas above the drink.Glossary with clear iceClear iceIce without air bubbles, made by slow, directional freezing. Denser, it melts more slowly and dilutes less.Glossary, pour 5 cl and add 10 cl of Fever-Tree Clementine Tonic Water. Finish with a thin apple slice and a small orange peel. The apple recalls the gin's main fruit, while the tonic's clementine note links naturally to the citrus and blossom. Keep the garnish restrained: the bottle already contains a wide aromatic palette, and a large handful of fruit or herbs would blur the clean passage from apple to spice.