Top Shelf Library Gin

Top Shelf Library Gin is based on the oldest known gin recipe in the British Library collection, translated from old Dutch, which the Te Puna Foundation was given permission to use. Dancing Sands distils it in Golden Bay, at the top of the South Island, as a traditional 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 at 40% ABV in a 700 ml bottle. All the revenue from the gin goes to the Te Puna Foundation, the independent charitable partner of the National Library and Archives New Zealand. The name plays on the library shelf as much as on the bar.

Citrus · Dry · Spicy

The key botanicals are juniper, grains of paradiseGrains of paradiseWest African seeds related to cardamom, also called melegueta pepper: peppery and warm, with a citrus note.Glossary, galangalGalangalA rhizome related to ginger, more resinous and camphor-like, widely used in South-East Asia.Glossary, orange peel, lemon peel, angelica and liquorice root. Bright juniper leads, followed by the warm, peppery spice of grains of paradise, a West African seed related to cardamom. Galangal, a rhizome related to ginger with a sharper, more resinousResinousAn aroma reminiscent of pine or fir resin. It is juniper's signature, due to compounds such as pinene.Glossary bite, adds an unusual, slightly earthy edge. Subtle citrus from the peels lifts the middle, while angelica and liquorice give a dry base and a soft finish. The profile is traditional, as the old recipe suggests, and the gin is sugar-free, gluten-free and vegan-friendly.

Among the projects the foundation funds is the children's reading ambassador, Te Awhi Rito, a national role championing reading for young New Zealanders and their whānau. The gin's classic structure suits a dry 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, 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 or a MartinezMartinezThe presumed ancestor of the Martini: gin (often Old Tom), sweet vermouth, maraschino and bitters, stirred over ice and served straight up.Glossary, a recipe from the era when Dutch-style gin still shaped cocktails. Every bottle sold directly supports the foundation's work.

For the G&T, fill a copa glass with clear ice and add 4 cl of Top Shelf Library Gin and 10 cl of Fentimans Premium Indian Tonic Water. Stir once, then add a lemon twist and two whole black peppercorns. The pepper echoes the grains of paradise, and the lemon brightens the citrus peels.