Boplaas 8 Citrus Gin

Boplaas 8 Citrus Gin builds its recipe on juniper and eight citrus fruits. Bitter orange, kumquat, clementine and blood orange bring the less familiar notes, while orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit complete the selection. It is a distilled ginDistilled ginGin made by redistilling neutral spirit with juniper and other botanicals. Unlike London Dry, flavourings may be added after distillation.GlossarySee Distilled gin gins from Calitzdorp, in the Klein Karoo region of South Africa.

Citrus · Floral · Fruity

On the nose, fresh and floral juniperJuniperThe one compulsory botanical: gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Its "berry" is really a small conifer cone, resinous and peppery.Glossary rises over layers of citrus. The palate is bold, with the warm bite of zest: tangerine and lime suggest a fruity sweetness, and blood orange adds an earthier edge. Orange and lemon peel linger on the finish. At 43% ABV, the spirit has enough weight to carry those notes through a long drink.

Boplaas Family Vineyards has distilled spirits on the estate since 1880, and brought its copper pot stillPot stillA traditional still, often copper, that distils in batches. It keeps more texture and character than a column.Glossary back into use in 1989 after almost seventy years idle. Distiller Daniel Nel joined the family business in 2017 to lead the spirits range, and a sixth generation of the Nel family now works there.

For Citrus on ice, fill 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 with ice, pour 4 cl gin and 12 cl Barker & Quin Finest Indian Tonic WaterIndian tonicThe classic tonic: sparkling water, bitter quinine and sugar. The name recalls colonial India, where quinine warded off malaria.Glossary, stir gently and garnish with a blood orange slice, one of the eight fruits in the recipe. The gin can also be sipped with nothing more than a splash of water.