Little Biddy Gin Black Label

Watercress, snow moss, kahikatea and toatoa, all foragedForagingPlants gathered by hand in the wild (woods, heath, coastline) rather than grown or bought in.Glossary around Reefton on New Zealand's West Coast, give Little Biddy Black Label its rainforest character. Reefton Distilling Co. makes it from its own distilled local grain spirit, wild water and hand-harvested native botanicals, and bottles it at 46% ABV for brighter, more crystalline flavours. The distillery presents it as its most sophisticated and layered gin, suited to quiet, contemplative moments.

Citrus · Woody · Spicy · Herbal

Each native plant has a clear role. Toatoa, the mountain celery pine, brings a vibrant tannic character, with citrus that quickly turns to fresh juniper. Kahikatea, a conifer of the lowland forests and wetlands whose fruit the kererū and tūī love, adds a resinousResinousAn aroma reminiscent of pine or fir resin. It is juniper's signature, due to compounds such as pinene.Glossary, woody depth. Snow moss, a latticed native lichen that grows in snow-like mats in the sub-alpine forest, gives a mineral finish, and watercress, which only grows in the purest spring water, closes with a warm, wasabi-like spice. At 46%, the aromatics feel concentrated and the finish is long and dry.

The Little Biddy range honours a Reefton legend: Little Biddy, a gin-toting gold prospector only four feet tall, who once fossicked in the same rainforest where the distillery now forages. The distillery recommends Black Label neat, over ice or with a drop of water to open up the aromatics. 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 with a lemon twistTwistA strip of peel twisted over the glass to release its oils, then dropped into the drink.Glossary is the other obvious use. Its higher strength also stands up well in 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.

For the serve, add 4 cl of Little Biddy Gin Black Label to a rocks glass over one large clear ice cube. Add a small splash of water if desired, then finish with a fine lemon peel and two juniper berriesJuniperThe one compulsory botanical: gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Its "berry" is really a small conifer cone, resinous and peppery.Glossary; no tonic is used. The water opens the native botanicals, and the lemon brightens the juniper.