Weekender Peach Gin

Juicy, smooth and a little bit cheeky, as the brand puts it, Weekender Peach Gin won the Trophy for Best in Class New Zealand Flavoured GinFlavoured ginGin with flavourings, often fruity, added after distillation. It may be coloured and lightly sweetened.GlossarySee Flavoured gin gins at the 2024 Juniper Awards. Blush Merchants, which also makes Blush Gin and Russell Rum, bottles it at 41% ABV and calls it the ultimate taste of a Kiwi summer. Ripe, juicy peach is at its heart, blended with sweet, tangy stone fruit, a touch of floral acidity and delicate hints of juniper and spice. Like the rest of the Weekender range, it comes in 700 ml bottles.

Spicy · Floral · Fruity

The nose suggests fresh peach flesh, fragrant rather than syrupy. On the palate, ripe fruit meets a tangy stone-fruit edge and a floral acidity that keep it lively. JuniperJuniperThe one compulsory botanical: gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Its "berry" is really a small conifer cone, resinous and peppery.Glossary and spice sit further back, giving a dry frame and a gentle warmth through the finish. It is the most fruit-forward gin in the Weekender range, yet it finishes like a gin rather than a peach liqueur. Served cold with a dry mixer, the peach stays bright and the juniper stays clear. The floral acidity recalls white peach and keeps the sweetness in check.

Weekender's signature serve for it is the Peach Fizz, and the brand pairs it with a classic Indian tonicIndian tonicThe classic tonic: sparkling water, bitter quinine and sugar. The name recalls colonial India, where quinine warded off malaria.Glossary. It also suits a Bellini-style drink topped with prosecco, or a summery Collins with lemon and soda. Over ice with a fresh peach slice, it needs nothing else. A dash of peach bittersBittersHighly concentrated bitters (Angostura, orange…), added in dashes to season a cocktail.Glossary, if you have them, deepens the fruit further.

For a softer, aromatic G&T, pour 45 ml of Weekender Peach into 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 filled with ice and add 100 ml of Franklin & Sons Elderflower Tonic Water slowly down the side. Add a fresh peach slice and an orange twistTwistA strip of peel twisted over the glass to release its oils, then dropped into the drink.Glossary to the glass, and serve the same garnish on a small plate beside it. Elderflower meets the floral edge without hiding the peach, and the orange adds a fresh top note.