PICKERING’S GIN SAY #PICKPINK THIS SUMMER
Pickering’s Gin have launched their first ever gin liqueur to market, right on time for the remarkably sunny summer. I have had the pleasure of trying it and it is delicious, the perfect tipple for these long summer days. 
Responding to demand from their fans, the Edinburgh based gin company have used the appeal for flavoured gin liqueurs to celebrate their recommended G&T garnish – pink grapefruit.
Inspired by the pleasure of a Pickering’s gin & tonic garnished with a slice of pink grapefruit, the Pickering’s team based at Summerhall arts venue blended their award-winning gin with real fruit to create a decadent and refreshing gin liqueur.
Tweaking their original Bombay gin recipe, written down in 1947, they have engineered a suitably aromatic base to showcase real pink grapefruit. With notes of lemongrass, cardamom and juniper, the new expression offers an alternative to traditional pamplemousse liqueurs.
As a product inspired by feedback from fans, Pickering’s noted the shifting trend towards low alcohol offerings.
Stevie Watson, UK brand ambassador for Pickering’s Gin commented,
“Drinking responsibly is about watching not only how many alcoholic drinks we consume, but how strong our drinks are and what they’re made with.”
“Our Pink Grapefruit & Lemongrass Gin Liqueur is made with real fruit pulp & juices and uses our double-gold award winning gin as its base. Sitting at 20%, our fruity new expression perfectly fits into the forming trend for lower alcoholic spritz-style drinks.”
Marcus Pickering, co-founder and head of export added:
“Here at Summerhall Distillery we are all about innovation. So, when our loyal fanbase told us they wanted to see some flavoured expressions from Pickering’s we turned to the fruit we know and love best – pink grapefruit.
“The trusty pink grapefruit offers a soft, sweet citrus that balances with our Bombay spice beautifully. Now P&Ts are garnished with pink grapefruit the world over!”
I say
Though not as well qualified as either of the above to comment I do drink a lot of gin and this is a bit special. It has a delicious flavour and can be enjoyed neat over ice, though mixed with prosecco it makes the perfect long summer drink.
It is just sweet enough to offset the natural tanginess of grapefruit and the lemongrass adds a really delicate and uplifting flavour.
A delightful addition to the Pickering’s Range.
Pickering’s have a strong commitment to provenance and transparency. To enable the company to expand production and create a new liqueur Pickering’s teamed up with another Scottish firm to fulfil demand for the latest offering.
Matt Gammell, co-founder & head distiller said:
“We’re very proud to distil, bottle, label and wax every bottle of Pickering’s Gin from our 400 square foot distillery in the heart of Edinburgh. We engineer ourselves clever production solutions around the space we have as time goes on, but with markets like the U.S and China growing for us, we must keep our focus firmly on our distilling schedule.”
“It’s one thing to distil, dilute & bottle. It’s quite another when you’re talking about bringing in equipment to blend distillate with fresh fruit. We simply don’t have the space. That’s why we teamed up with Morrison & Mackay in Perthshire, formerly known as the Scottish Liqueur Centre.”
At a time when discussions are opening up within the industry as to whether production facilities’ locations should be stated on the bottle, Pickering’s have detailed on their packaging that the liqueur is ‘distilled in Edinburgh, blended in Perthshire.’
What you really need to know
The 20%, 50cl bottle retails at £19.95. Now available from www.pickeringsgin.com, local retailers and will soon be available at national retailers.
Disclosure – I was kindly sent a bottle to try, all opinions are my own.