Ubald Gin fin épicé

Gin fin épicé starts from rye grown and distilled on the Ubald estate in Quebec. Ubald works from farm to bottle, growing, fermenting and distilling its own grain, and bottles this gin at 44% ABV. Its botanicals are juniper, wormwood, elderflower, mugwort, dune pepper and star anise, which make it the most spice-driven gin of the range.

Spicy · Herbal

Juniper and anise come first on the nose, followed by pepper and dried herbs. On the palate, the rye gives a broad, rounded entry before wormwoodWormwoodA bitter, aromatic plant, the one behind absinthe and vermouth (Wermut in German).Glossary and mugwort bring a firmer, bitter herbal register. Dune pepper, a wild coastal pepper from Quebec, and star anise make the spice particularly clear and carry it into the finish, while elderflower softens the transition with a floral note. The rye adds structure and warmth rather than sweetness. Ubald describes the gin as full-bodied, complex, peppery and aniseed-led. Wormwood is the same plant that gives absinthe and 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 their bitterness, and here it keeps the spice dry.

At 44%, the spirit has the weight to carry its spices, and Ubald specifically recommends it for a NegroniNegroniAn Italian cocktail of equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and red bitter (Campari), served over ice with orange peel. Born in Florence in 1919.Glossary and other vermouth-based cocktails, where the wormwood naturally echoes the vermouth's own bitterness. A MartinezMartinezThe presumed ancestor of the Martini: gin (often Old Tom), sweet vermouth, maraschino and bitters, stirred over ice and served straight up.Glossary or a Hanky Panky suits it for the same reason. Neat, the dune pepper is easiest to pick out at the end.

For a tonic 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, 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 ice, pour 5 cl of Ubald Gin fin épicé and add 15 cl of Fever-Tree Indian Tonic Water. Stir once without breaking the bubbles, then add a fine lemon peel and one star anise pod. The citrus brings a bright counterpoint to the pepper, and the star anise mirrors the recipe. Keep the peel fine, so the citrus stays a light accent.