Copeland Raspberry & Mint Pink Gin

Raspberries, mint and other botanicals soak in alcohol for 16 to 24 hours for Copeland Raspberry & Mint Pink GinPink ginToday, a gin flavoured and tinted pink (red fruit, rhubarb…). Originally, plain gin with a few dashes of Angostura bitters.Glossary. The macerate enters a 300-litre copper column stillColumn stillContinuous distillation in a column fitted with plates. It produces a very pure, neutral spirit, the base of most gins.Glossary with additional fruit and botanicals. Water is added after distillation, followed by a two-week rest; the gin is then bottled and labelled by hand, without added sugar.

Fruity · Herbal

The fruit comes from local farms in County Down. Juniper leads the tasting, with sweet raspberry and tangy mint alongside: the raspberry brings a soft fruit note, the mint a lively herbal freshness, and juniper keeps a clear presence beside both. With no added sugar, that sweetness comes from the fruit itself. The current bottle contains 70 cl and the gin is bottled at 37.5% ABV.

Founder Gareth Irvine began selling Copeland gin in 2016 after operating from Saintfield. In 2019 the distillery opened in Donaghadee, at a former cinema and bottling site. Copeland also suggests a gin and tonic garnished with blackberries and lemon peel, a darker fruit and a citrus note beside the raspberry.

For a Raspberry and Mint Gin Smash, muddle 4 to 5 fresh raspberries and 6 to 8 mint leaves in a shaker. Add 5 cl gin, 2 cl lemon juice and 2 cl sugar syrup, shake with ice for 10 to 12 seconds and strain into an ice-filled rocks glassRocks glassA short, heavy glass (tumbler) for a spirit over a large ice cube or a short cocktail.Glossary. Garnish with 1 to 2 fresh raspberries and a fresh mint sprig. The muddled fruit and mint give the cocktail their fresh aromas, lemon juice adds acidity and sugar syrup balances it, while the garnish recalls the two flavours that define the gin.