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A post shared by @ margotrobbie on Dec 16, 2016 at 12:29am PST

A Truly Unique Gin: What's In Ink Gin?

Ink Gin is a premium dry gin made from 12 organic botanicals, a recipe distiller Paul Messenger took three years to master. Messenger initially discovered the natural colour-changer legume "Butterfly Pea" (Clitoria ternatea) in 2012 when travelling in Thailand. The exotic flower has the ability to naturally colour the gin to a deep violet blue, which turns a pale violet when mixed with tonic. 

The Butterfly Pea is added post-distillation through floral infusion, giving the stunning blue seen in the bottle. The magical change with your mixer happens because the flower is pH sensitive, meaning it changes colour when mixed with an acid, i.e. tonic water.

Juniper, as with all gins, leads the way on the botanical mix. It's backed up by floral tones from the native Australian bush tucker flower, lemon myrtle leaf, coriander seed, Tasmanian pepper berry and sun-dried sweet orange peel.

Ink Gin is distilled in hand-beaten copper pot stills at the Husk Plantation Distillery, where it is combined with Australian grain spirit and water from the volcanic rocks of the caldera that originally fell as rain.

On the nose and palate the gin delivers intense floral notes, a smooth body, peppercorn spice and warm notes of cardamom, liquorice and orange peel.

Available to buy from Novel Wines for £44.99. Buy it here.

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Here's our brand new Ink Gin from @huskdistillers that has the butterfly pea botanical, a naturally organic ingredient that turns your electric violet gin to pink. We have this gin on taster if you wanna pop by for a drink at Cork Place, our new shop in Bath. #inkgin #gintasting #gin #australia #mothersruin #spirits #ginlover #fevertree #butterflypea #bath #NovelWines #discoverwine

A post shared by Novel Wines (@novelwines) on Nov 18, 2019 at 1:13pm PST

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Ink Gin in the Press

"Ink gin is as distinctive in flavour as it is in colour. The change in colour is novel and gets the drink noticed but this gin would stand on its own and is a great addition to the flowering and innovative gin scene in Australia."

- The Gin Man (full review)

"Seriously tasty gin."

- Ginstagram (full review)

"A gin to really impress your friends."

- From the Gin Shelf (full review)

Brits bought more than 60 million bottles of gin in one year, a rise of 38% year-on-year. These sales amount to over £1.6bn with more than £500m in revenue from UK gin exports.

The WSTA chief executive Miles Beale projected sales of over £3bn as soon as 2020 with the industry showing no signs of slowing down. He cites huge investment and innovation in the sector as the main growth factor. 

There is also an interesting rise in alcohol-free "gins" over the last year. Distillers are bringing out their own examples, while many start-ups such as Caleno drinks are offering innovative alternatives. We also have an array of tonic waters available that simply didn't exist 5 years ago. This is testament to Brits' love for the taste of gin beyond all else, marking an exciting time for the industry as a whole with consumers becoming more discerning over their drinks.

Psychopomp "Old Tom" is a take on a traditional style of gin that was sweetened with sugar or honey. Psychopomp have created their Old Tom using sweet botanicals such as almonds, liquorice root, cassia, fennel seeds and white peony, rather than sweetening with sugar or honey.  

The 40% ABV gin makes for a more interesting G&T: mix 50ml of Psychopomp Old Tom Gin with 20ml of sweet vermouth over crushed ice, add a twist of orange and top up with Fever-Tree Aromatic tonic.

So in the spirit of Royal Weddings and great pairings, we thought we'd inspire your next G&T with our ultimate list of 10 garnishes you should try. Need a gin to pair with it? Browse our gins here.

6. Lime & Rosemary Gin & Tonic

To kick off, the Summer needs something lovely and refreshing. We recommend giving your G&T a zippy kick with a squeeze of half a lime, double shot of Foxdenton The Original 48 London Dry Gin, stirred over ice, topped with Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic for sweetness and finished with a sprig of fresh rosemary. Subtle, clean and ever-so-moreish.

5. Kiwi, Cucumber, Lemon & Honey Gin & Tonic

Kiwi is the ultimate, sweet tropical fruit. Peel a whole, ripe kiwi and slice it up. Add to a highball glass with thinly-sliced cucumber, a splash of lemon juice and two tablespoons of honey. Crush the mixture, add ice, and then top with Fever-Tree  Indian Tonic to finish. This one's a delight!

4. Spicy Chilli, Coriander & Lime Gin & Tonic

For those who love a little spice in their life, our favourite chilli garnished G&T wouldn't be the same without a splash of lime juice and a finish of coriander. Slit a fat red chilli lengthways and muddle it in the bottom of your highball glass or a large Burgundy wine glass. Pick a gin like the silky British Polo No. 3 Organic Gin and pour two shots over the muddled chilli. Add plenty of ice, a squeeze of a quarter lime and top with your favourite tonic water. Garnish with a sprig or two of coriander.

3. Bloody Mary Gin & Tonic

Grab your highball glass and rub a touch of tomato passata or purée around the inside of the glass. Drop in a small handful of cherry tomatoes and muddle with crushed ice. Add a little pepper and some basil or thyme to the mix. Drop in hot pepper sauce (2 or 3 drops is good, but more if you want it extra spicy), add 2 shots of clean gin like a London Dry, and top with Fever-Tree Indian Tonic. 

2. Thai Basil, Twist of Lime & Liquorice Gin & Tonic

This is our marmite recommendation because we know with anything aniseed tasting you're going to either queue up or run for the hills. Stir together crushed ice, 2 shots of London Dry gin and a small handful of torn Thai Basil. Thai Basil has all of basil's distinct flavours but with light hints of aniseed, so to bring these out even more, add a twist of liquorice sweets and lime peel for a refreshing aniseed hit. Finally top up with Fever-Tree Aromatic Tonic.

1. Elderflower & Cucumber Gin & Tonic

You've probably tried this garnish before but we want to encourage you to mix it up a little and use the Psychopomp Old Tom Gin as your base. Start by mixing a drop of sugar syrup with crushed ice, a shot of elderflower cordial and a double shot of this bold Old Tom gin. Muddle in some sliced cucumber and then top with the Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic for a silky, refreshing finish. For a quintessentially English feel, serve in a jar.