Penrhos Cloudy Rhubarb Gin

A quarter-litre of pure rhubarb juice is blended with Penrhos 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, the producer's own base, for Penrhos Cloudy Rhubarb Gin. The juice gives the gin its cloudy appearance, and it is offered in a 70 cl recycled aluminium bottle at 40% ABV.

Citrus · Floral · Fruity

The tasting opens with a tart burst of fresh rhubarb, followed by softer citrus. The fruit is set against the smoothness of the Dry Gin base, whose named ingredients include juniperJuniperThe one compulsory botanical: gin must taste predominantly of juniper. Its "berry" is really a small conifer cone, resinous and peppery.Glossary, blueberries, rose petals, hibiscus and pink pepper. Rose and hibiscus give that base its floral character, blueberries a soft, dark fruitiness under the rhubarb, and pink pepper a light, fragrant spice. The finish is smooth and rounded, which keeps the sharpness of the rhubarb from turning sour.

Penrhos makes its spirits in small batchesSmall batchProduction in small quantities per distillation run, often in a small still. The term has no legal definition.Glossary at its farm distillery near Kington in Herefordshire, where visitors can explore the orchards. Blending fresh juice into its own Dry Gin keeps this rhubarb edition close to the farm distillery's base recipe. The producer says its switch to 100% recycled aluminium reduced packaging carbon emissions by more than 91% compared with glass.

Fill a highballHighballA long drink served in a tall, straight glass with plenty of ice: a spirit topped with soda or tonic. The word also names the glass.Glossary glass with ice, pour in 5 cl gin and add 12 cl ginger ale. Garnish with an orange slice. The ginger ale adds spice and length to the tart fruit, and orange gives a sweeter citrus accent that rounds the rhubarb, which is why Penrhos advises against lemon: its sharper acidity would add to the tartness of the rhubarb instead of balancing it. It also suggests the gin neat over ice with a generous squeeze of orange.