Forty Spotted Tassie Bush Honey Gin

Tasmanian bush honey and rooibos tea give Forty Spotted Tassie Bush Honey its warm, rounded character. Made by Lark Distillery with fragrant juniper and a range of Tasmanian natives, it is sold at 40% ABV. The distillery's idea was simple: few things could make a gin more Tasmanian than local bush honey.

Spicy · Floral · Herbal

The honey brings a sweet, silky character and the rooibos a warming, slightly woody tea note, and the two blend smoothly on the palate. JuniperJuniperThe one compulsory botanical: gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Its "berry" is really a small conifer cone, resinous and peppery.Glossary and the native botanicals add floral, meadow-like notes and a welcome peppery warmth that keeps the honey from becoming heavy. A subtle hint of caramel appears towards the finish. Rooibos, a South African red bush tea, has a naturally sweet, nutty quality that suits the honey well, and the result is soft and warming rather than sugary. Bush honey carries the scent of the flowering plants the bees visit, which gives it a floral depth beyond simple sweetness.

Forty Spotted calls it wild by nature and suggests enjoying it outdoors with a dash of soda and good company. It also features in the brand's Bush Marg, a refreshing gin take on the Margarita, where lime cuts through the honey. Over ice, the rooibos and caramel come through most clearly. Honey and lemon also make it an obvious match for a Bee's Knees.

For a gin and tonic, pour 4 cl of Forty Spotted Tassie Bush Honey over clear iceClear iceIce without air bubbles, made by slow, directional freezing. Denser, it melts more slowly and dilutes less.Glossary in 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, add 10 cl of chilled Fentimans Valencian Orange Tonic Water and stir gently. Add a fresh orange twistTwistA strip of peel twisted over the glass to release its oils, then dropped into the drink.Glossary and a small sprig of rooibos. The Valencian orange tonic brightens the honeyed, tea-like profile, and the orange lifts the aroma.