Roots Norwester Navy Strength Dry Gin

Norwester is named after the strong north-west winds of the South Pacific, which sweep across the Marlborough wine region where Elemental Distillers makes the Roots range on its own estate. It is a navy-strengthNavy StrengthGin bottled at 57% ABV or more. Royal Navy lore holds that at this strength, gunpowder soaked in gin would still ignite.GlossarySee Navy Strength gins version of Roots Marlborough 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, bottled at 54.5% ABV and gunpowder-proofed for authenticity, with two extra botanicals: organic giant kelp from Akaroa and hemp seed from Hawke's Bay. The base gin, distilled in a 200-litre copper pot stillPot stillA traditional still, often copper, that distils in batches. It keeps more texture and character than a column.Glossary after a 24-hour macerationMacerationBotanicals soak in alcohol, from a few hours to several days, before distillation to release their aromas.Glossary, was named World's Best London Dry GinLondon DryA style, not a place of origin: every flavour comes from distilling natural botanicals. After distillation only water and a trace of sugar may be added, with no flavouring or colouring.GlossarySee London Dry gins at the World Gin Awards 2023.

Citrus · Floral · Herbal · Navy Strength

The botanical list reads almost like a map of New Zealand: wild-foraged juniperJuniperThe one compulsory botanical: gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Its "berry" is really a small conifer cone, resinous and peppery.Glossary from North Macedonia, Golden Special grapefruit from Gisborne, coriander seed from Hawke's Bay, organic Motueka hops from Nelson, wild gorse flower from Marlborough and wild kawakawa berries from Northland, plus the hemp seed and kelp. Kawakawa, a native shrub with peppery leaves and berries, and gorse flower, whose blossom smells faintly of coconut, give the nose its perfume, while grapefruit and hop zest follow juniper on the palate. The kelp adds a gentle saline note and the hemp a nutty roundness, and the extra strength keeps every layer vivid. The finish is long and clean, with a silky texture and a lingering coriander note.

At this strength it makes a firm, oily Martini and a Negroni that holds its own against the bitter aperitif. The saline touch also suits a Gibson.

For the G&T, pour 45 ml of Norwester into a balloon glass filled with ice and add 100 ml of East Imperial Burma Tonic Water slowly down the side. Add a grapefruit twist and a thyme sprig to the glass, and serve the same garnish on a small plate beside it. The tonic's quinine keeps the finish crisp, the grapefruit echoes the Gisborne fruit, and the thyme adds a green note.