Bath Rugby x Witchmark Spirited Union Gin

Bath Rugby and Witchmark made Spirited Union to mark the club's treble-winning season. The limited release is distilled from single-origin barley grown near Bath's Recreation Ground and bottled at 40% ABV. The bottle combines the club's blue, black and white with Witchmark's label, but the partnership is also reflected in a gin made at the distillery rather than a flavoured spirit simply packaged for the occasion.

Citrus · Dry · Limited Edition · Spicy

The recipe names juniper, orange, bay, coriander, cinnamon and cubebCubebIndonesian tailed pepper: hot and resinous, with a hint of pine and citrus that extends the juniper.Glossary. Juniper leads with a clean pine note, followed by bright orange. Bay leaf lends a savoury, green quality, while cinnamon and cubeb bring a restrained warmth; coriander links the citrus and spice. The distillery describes the palate as crisp and dry, with a refreshing finish in which juniper and coriander remain clear.

Witchmark makes its spirits at Fonthill Bishop in Wiltshire and presents this release as a one-off collaboration connected to the club's historic season. The grain-to-glass approach starts with barley grown close to Bath, giving the base a specific local source. The product is intended for both a long drink and a martiniDry MartiniGin and a little dry vermouth, stirred over ice and served in a well-chilled stemmed glass, with an olive or a twist.Glossary, and the producer's notes support those two different ways of serving it without changing the botanical profile.

For a G&T, fill a highballHighballA long drink served in a tall, straight glass with plenty of ice: a spirit topped with soda or tonic. The word also names the glass.Glossary glass with ice, pour 5 cl, add 15 cl 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 and garnish with an orange wheel and a bay leaf in the drink. Place another orange wheel and bay leaf on a small plate beside it. The citrus lifts the juniper, while the leaf repeats the savoury note in the recipe. For a shorter serve, stir 6 cl with 1 cl dry 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 and finish with an orange twistTwistA strip of peel twisted over the glass to release its oils, then dropped into the drink.Glossary.