With complex fruity flavours, a punchy ABV and a secret ingredient used by Michelin-Star chefs, Victory Pink Gin is a seriously good spirit made for serious gin lovers! The elegant blush colour of a premium rosé, it’s the perfect liquid for connoisseurs to enjoy this Valentine’s Day.
That’s why Craft Gin Club’s team of experts selected it to be our January 2021 Discovery Gin!
What exactly is a Discovery Gin? Each month, as well as the Gin of the Month we send to Craft Gin Club members, we bring our gin-loving community across the UK a special Discovery Gin on our online shop. These craft gins are delicious, unique and adventurous spirits, perfect for gin lovers looking to broaden their horizons. And the moment we tasted Victory Pink Gin we knew it fit the bill. Discover more about this superb spirit and how it is created by its husband-and-wife craft distillers, plus our two favourite ways to drink it, below.
Members can discover this gin by heading to our online shop today.
January 2021’s Craft Gin Club Discovery Gin
Victory Pink Gin
Victory Pink Gin: looks as fabulous as it tastes! Get your bottle here >>
Tasting Notes
On the nose, a bright burst of piny juniper, followed on the palate by an interplay of natural sweetness and complex acidity. Notes of green plum, spring cherry and cranberry are complemented by the freshness of juniper and orange.
Botanicals
Juniper, Coriander, Liquorice Root, Angelica, Orange, Cassia, Orris, Black Pepper, Cardamom, Chestnut
Extra-Special Ingredient:
Verjus
Meet the Makers
Victory Gin is the passion project of Max and Máire Chater, a husband-and-wife team.
Max first got a taste for the stuff when he was 18. He explains, “The owner of a restaurant I worked at in Leeds introduced me to a Gin Martini.”
Fast-forward a few years and Max had made a name for himself in the London bartending scene, and when he and his partner opened up their own basement cocktail bar, they started playing around with distillation.
Max says, “We started distilling a classic gin for the bar – it didn’t even have a name at that point.”
The moniker ‘Victory Gin’ started out as a joke – a reference to 1984 by George Orwell – it’s the only gin the protagonist can get hold of in the dystopian novel.
““People ask me how long it took me to come up with the recipe, but the truth is I was changing it week on week for about a year. But slowly it began to take on a life of its own and people started asking for Victory Gin at other bars and venues. ”
Once Max and Máire launched Victory Cold Distilled Gin in earnest, it soon became the toast of some of Britain’s top mixologists and gin bloggers. But not content to rest on their laurels, the pair continued to experiment with spirits, distilling techniques and new ingredients.
It was while doing a spot of bartending at Three Sheets in London – often ranked amongst the best cocktail bars in the world – that Max discovered an ingredient that captured his imagination.
The secret ingredient that makes Victory Pink Gin so delicious? Verjus (the pressed juice of unripened wine grapes)!
Max says, “At Three Sheets they made this cocktail combining Victory Vodka and red verjus – the result was this delicious pink liquid.”
What is verjus? The secret weapon of the world’s finest chefs and mixologists, it’s the pressed juice of unripened grapes. In terms of flavour, it’s half way between wine and vinegar, with a sophisticated acidity undercut by natural sweetness.
If Max and Máire were going to experiment with this intriguing ingredient, they wanted to get their hands on the best quality verjus they could.
Max says, “We got in touch with Rachel and Brad, a couple who run a vineyard in Canada which produces really amazing verjus. These guys elevate it, and you only really see their verjus in Michelin-Star kitchens and the very best bars.”
When Max and Máire combined it with their award-winning Victory Cold Distilled Gin, they knew they had made something that tasted exceptional. What took them by surprise was just how popular it became.
“ “It ended up being so popular it made its way into our core range. What people love about this gin is that you can pour a measure of it and top it up with soda and tonic and you’ve got a drink that tastes like it’s from a premium cocktail bar.” ”
And while Max encourages people to experiment and find their own perfect serves, it’s undeniably tasty in classic gin cocktails.
Max says, “I personally love it in a Wet Martini. It’s so surprising! The vermouth really brings out the compote-like flavours in the gin.”
How to Drink Victory Pink Gin
Victory Pink Gin and Tonic
50ml Victory Pink Gin
Indian tonic water, to top up
Cranberries and lemon slice, to garnish
Add all your ingredients to a highball or copa glass with a generous portion of ice. Stir well and garnish.
Max and Máire of Victory London Distillery not only craft amazing gins, they also champion eco-friendly distillation techniques. (As if we needed another reason to love this gin!) Here’s how:
They use cutting-edge technology to conserve energy.
They were among the first to use refillable Eco Pouches.
They’re carbon negative, offsetting their carbon footprint by planting trees in the south of England.
The Victory London Distillery team uses an electric vehicle.
By the end of 2021 they aim to be plastic free.
How to drink Victory Pink Gin
2. Victory Pink Gin Wet Martini
60ml Victory Pink Gin
30ml dry vermouth
Sage leaves or rosebuds, to garnish (optional)
Add your gin and vermouth to a mixing glass with ice and stir well until your ingredients are chilled. Strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass, garnish and serve.
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