Here at Craft Gin Club we know that enjoying gin is about so much more than just the taste - it’s about the experience of drinking the gin, too. If you like the sound of spending a day with a warm breeze blowing against your skin on a golden sandy beach, then this organic craft gin will transport you there, in spirit at least! Who knew a gin could have magic carpet powers?
So what is a Discovery Gin? In addition to the Gin of the Month sent to Craft Gin Club members, every month a panel of experts select an adventurous gin for connoisseurs looking for something out of the ordinary. This month, we’ve got an organic French gin that will whisk you away to a sunny windswept island after one sip…
Melifera Organic Gin
Tasting notes
Elegant citrus and floral aromas come through on the nose. On the palate, the attack is very round and aromatic. The organic juniper expresses itself, especially in its most fruity notes. The heart is complex with the immortelle flower revealing touches of fresh mugwort, cardamom. The finish is long, citrusy, and shows some elegant iodine notes.
Botanicals
Juniper, Cardamom, Angelica, Kaffir Lime, Maceron, Gentiana, and Immortelle Flowers.
ABV 43%.
Beaches are special - we’ve all got fond memories on a beach somewhere, whether that’s childhood memories of playing in the sand or a calm moment of escapism. And the blissful beach behind this gin? An island off the Atlantic coast of France called Oléron. Known for its pine forests and fine sandy beaches, we were tempted to book flights there immediately!
“Melifera was born from precious memories, from when we had a house in the dunes. While going surfing with our kids, I was stroked by the scents of the immortelle flower in the dunes. I wanted to capture these peculiar notes in a gin. Often, our customers recognize this sweet smell which evokes fond memories of time spent with friends and family. ”
Melifera captures the scents of the island with iodine, pine, warm sand, and immortelle flowers. Often used in the fragrance and cosmetic industry for their antioxidant properties, immortelle flowers are the star of the show in this gin:
We’ve got a feeling we’re in good hands…
“It has this duality of being spicy, as well as very floral. It is truly delicate and well-balanced when you know how to use it!” says Christophe.
As so much of this gin is centred around the special island’s roots, support and respect for Oléron is at its core:
“We work with local farmers and are Ecocert certified. It’s important that the growth of Melifera benefits the local community”. And that’s not all…
“We support the preservation of bees (Melifera is the scientific name for the black bee) through a local association, and have two hectares of organic land where we grow and harvest our own immortelle flower by hand every year”.
The stunning bottle has an interesting history, too: “The bottle is inspired by the fragrance industry.” (And it makes sense… we wouldn’t mind this beauty sitting on our gin shelf OR dressing table!)
“The ‘1152’ on the label is the date when the French queen (Alienor d’Aquitaine) decided to marry Henry II. The crown on the bottle represents the one she wore for her wedding - the legend says that she put immortelle flowers within it to ensure happiness and fecundity in her marriage”. Sign us up…
One thing’s for sure, we’re all for a gin with benefits!
How to drink Melifera Organic Gin
“It’s so delicate and well balanced, that our customers like to drink it neat on ice. It works well in cocktails or with a slightly sweet or neutral tonic to let our gin express itself…”
50ml Melifera Gin
120ml tonic
Ice
Roasted peach slices and lemon thyme, to garnish
Fill your glass with ice cubes. Pour the gin, tonic, and then garnish with roasted peach (roast it or use a blowtorch, sprinkling it with brown sugar beforehand) and a sprig of lemon thyme.
Gin Fizz
40ml Melifera Gin
20ml squeezed lemon juice
20ml simple syrup
Sparkling water
Ice
Egg white (optional)
Fill your cocktail shaker with ice cubes, adding the gin, lemon juice, syrup, and egg white. Stir vigorously for ten seconds. Pour into a long glass, (keeping the ice cubes in the cocktail strainer). Top with sparkling water and serve.
Bloody Ginny Mary On The Beach
50ml Melifera Gin
80ml green tomato juice
15ml lemon juice
Spices (celery salt, pepper, salt)
Ice
Tabasco
Fill your highball glass with crushed ice. Pour into your cocktail shaker the gin, green tomato juice, lemon juice, spices, and tabasco. Shake vigorously, then pour into your glass. Enjoy!
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