What started as a project to give whiskey and rum drinkers a more elegant offering of mixers has transformed the world of gin, as well. Meet Sekforde and their quinine-free mixer, perfectly calibrated to make your favourite gin shine.

For Talula White, there was one thing standing between her and a love for gin: the taste of quinine, which for her palate was unbearably bitter. So, when she and her husband started up Sekforde – initially to create sophisticated mixers for dark spirits drinkers, which for so long had been confined to a splash of sugary Coca-Cola or overwhelming ginger beer – they wanted to make a gin mixer that even quinine loathers would love.

Their hard work has paid off. The Sekforde Gin Mixer in your August Gin of the Month box is a hugely versatile mixer quite unlike anything gin lovers have tried before. With scents of sage and raspberry, it’s an elegant answer to G&T fatigue.
 
As Talula explains, “We were careful to keep the flavours linked up with one another, as well as the spirit – we wanted the mixer to be a subtle and well-balanced drink on its own as well.”

The development process was painstaking. Talula says, “A very common secondary botanical in gins is orris root, which is mainly used as a flavour binding but actually has a raspberry-like flavour. This gave us the idea to try raspberry as a leading flavour in the mixer, and something about that slightly tart sweetness does seem to work really well with juniper.”

Napue’s Perfect Sekforde Serve

A twist of pink grapefruit and a sprig of rosemary.