Hope Mediterranean Gin

Western Cape grape spirit carries olives, cardamom and fresh herbs in Hope Mediterranean Gin. Twelve botanicals go into this 43% gin, made by Hope Distillery in Cape Town, with juniper providing a familiar point of reference among the Mediterranean ingredients.

Citrus · Spicy · Herbal

The nose is savoury, with olive and hints of orange peel. Orange peel adds a light, bittersweet freshness that lifts the olive.

On the palate, olive and herbs develop together, followed by a lingering finish reminiscent of fresh basil. Cardamom adds a gentle spicy warmth to the herbal and citrus notes. The grape spirit gives the gin a supple, rounded texture, so the olive comes across as soft and mellow rather than sharp. That character also makes it easy to pair with food.

Lucy Beard and Leigh Lisk founded Hope Distillery in 2014. Based in a former warehouse in Salt River, the distillery uses macerationMacerationBotanicals soak in alcohol, from a few hours to several days, before distillation to release their aromas.Glossary and vapour infusionVapour infusionBotanicals sit in a basket above the liquid, so only the alcohol vapour passes through them, for a lighter, fresher extraction.Glossary for its gins, made on a copper hybrid still named Mad Mary. The grape base ties the gin to the Western Cape, where both the spirit and the distillery are found. This gin is available in 200, 500 and 750 ml bottles.

For a Mediterranean 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, stir 6 cl gin and 1 cl dry vermouthVermouthAn aromatised, fortified wine flavoured with herbs and barks; its name comes from the German Wermut, wormwood. Dry vermouth goes into a Martini, sweet red into a Negroni.Glossary with ice, then strain into a chilled 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 glass. Garnish with a green olive. The small measure of vermouth keeps the gin in front, and stirring with ice chills and slightly softens the 43% spirit without clouding it. The green olive picks up the olive in the recipe and adds a light briny note as it sits in the glass. The gin also works in other classic cocktails, and in a dirty gin and tonic with a green olive and a little brine.