Berkshire


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Newbury-Races-Botanical-bar-1-scaled-e1622199113764.jpg" alt="Newbury Races Botanical bar" class="wp-image-35522" /><figcaption>Gin Thursdays are back – Botanical Bar at Newbury Racecourse </figcaption></figure>



<p>Monsoon May can do one, bring on summer, the giant yellow ball in the sky and endless balmy evenings sipping sundowners with your pals. Absolute bliss. While wine has overtaken beer as the nation&#8217;s favourite tipple, we reckon gin is a close third. Although it&#8217;s top of the podium in the Muddy household as the perfect summer serve.</p>



<p>Let&#8217;s be honest, there&#8217;s a lot of gin being produced these days. Even the Queen has one available in the Buckingham Palace gift shop. To celebrate the return of Gin Thursdays at Newbury Racecourse (on every Thursday from 1 Jul) we thought we&#8217;d take a boozy gin flight to give your tastebuds a holiday even if you&#8217;re stuck on home soil. Buckle up, charge your balloon glasses and tuck into the in-flight menu.. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DESTINATION: USA</h2>



<p><strong><a href="https://www.aviationgin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Aviation American Gin (opens in a new tab)">Aviation American Gin</a></strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="720" height="480" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Ryan-Reynolds-AVIATION-AMERICAN-GIN-720x480.jpg" alt="Ryan-Reynolds-AVIATION AMERICAN GIN" class="wp-image-35524" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Ryan-Reynolds-AVIATION-AMERICAN-GIN-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Ryan-Reynolds-AVIATION-AMERICAN-GIN-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Ryan-Reynolds-AVIATION-AMERICAN-GIN-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Ryan-Reynolds-AVIATION-AMERICAN-GIN-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Ryan-Reynolds-AVIATION-AMERICAN-GIN-787x525.jpg 787w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Ryan-Reynolds-AVIATION-AMERICAN-GIN.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></figure>



<p>No point taking a gin flight without Aviation American – it&#8217;s like American Airlines but drinking it gets you one step closer to the lips of Ryan Reynolds. The Hollywood actor bought into this gin in 2018 and sold to the big boys for $610m – but has to be the face of the brand for the next 10 years. We&#8217;re not complaining, easy on the eye and the palette, this is a spicy gin, floral notes and a strong juniper flavour.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DESTINATION: GERMANY</h2>



<p><strong><a href="https://monkey47.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Monkey 47 Gin (opens in a new tab)">Monkey 47 Gin</a></strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/MONKEY-47.jpg" alt="MONKEY 47 gin" class="wp-image-35526" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/MONKEY-47.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/MONKEY-47-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/MONKEY-47-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/MONKEY-47-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/MONKEY-47-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/MONKEY-47-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>A boutique gin with cult status. There&#8217;s not a posh cocktail bar or restaurant that doesn&#8217;t have it on its shelf. Produced in Germany’s Black Forest, this critically-acclaimed gin is a surprise hit from a region more famous for fruit brandies and cuckoo clocks. Even more surprising is that its heritage comes from RAF Wing Commander Montgomery Collins who fell in love, moved to the Black Forest and started making gin at his Wild Monkey guest house. It&#8217;s made with a unique combination of 47 botanicals, with plenty of spice, fruit and herb flavours. Definitely packs a punch.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DESTINATION: ICELAND (and ENGLAND)</h2>



<p><strong><a href="https://www.martinmillersgin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Martin Miller’s Gin (opens in a new tab)">Martin Miller’s Gin</a></strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Martin-Miller’s-Gin-–-Iceland.jpg" alt="Martin Miller’s Gin – Iceland" class="wp-image-35527" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Martin-Miller’s-Gin-–-Iceland.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Martin-Miller’s-Gin-–-Iceland-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Martin-Miller’s-Gin-–-Iceland-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Martin-Miller’s-Gin-–-Iceland-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Martin-Miller’s-Gin-–-Iceland-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Martin-Miller’s-Gin-–-Iceland-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Martin Miller&#8217;s Gin is something of a curiosity. It starts its journey in London – distilled twice to get the perfect balance of citrus and juniper. The liquid is then blended to strength using Icelandic spring water. The result is a gin that&#8217;s as smooth as an Nordic fisherman&#8217;s bottom. No need to artificially demineralise or distill it, the gentle citrus bouquet simply shines through. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DESTINATION: FRANCE</h2>



<p><strong><a href="https://audemus-spirits.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Audemus Pink Pepper (opens in a new tab)">Audemus Pink Pepper</a></strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Audemus-Pink-PepperGin.jpg" alt="Audemus-Pink PepperGin" class="wp-image-35528" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Audemus-Pink-PepperGin.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Audemus-Pink-PepperGin-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Audemus-Pink-PepperGin-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Audemus-Pink-PepperGin-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Audemus-Pink-PepperGin-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Audemus-Pink-PepperGin-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p><em>Sacré bleu</em>! A gin from France, what will the wine producers say? Made in Cognac, Audemus Pink Pepper gin is a small-batch spirit with each batch dedicated to family members, good friends&nbsp;and people who are part of the Audemus story. How cool is that? This is a full-bodied, aromatic gin with its spicy notes of pink pepper, juniper and cardamom. Plus notes of patisserie; vanilla and honey. It&#8217;s like breakfast with a kick.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DESTINATION: SCOTLAND</h2>



<p><strong><a href="https://www.thebotanist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The Botanist Islay Dry Gin (opens in a new tab)">The Botanist Islay Dry Gin</a></strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/THE-BOTANIST-GIN-SCOTLAND.jpg" alt="THE BOTANIST GIN SCOTLAND" class="wp-image-35530" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/THE-BOTANIST-GIN-SCOTLAND.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/THE-BOTANIST-GIN-SCOTLAND-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/THE-BOTANIST-GIN-SCOTLAND-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/THE-BOTANIST-GIN-SCOTLAND-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/THE-BOTANIST-GIN-SCOTLAND-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/THE-BOTANIST-GIN-SCOTLAND-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>If you wanted to taste the wildness of Scotland, pour yourself a shot of Botanist Islay Dry Gin. It&#8217;s the first and only Islay dry gin, created using 22 hand-foraged local botanicals which are then added to nine berries, barks, seeds and peels during an achingly slow distillation. This is a gin with a lot going on. The flavour profile is nothing short of complex, but it&#8217;s quite delicious.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DESTINATION: LONDON</h2>



<p><strong><a href="https://www.oxleygin.com/oxley-gin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Oxley Gin (opens in a new tab)">Oxley Gin</a></strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="716" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Oxley-Gin_1000x716.jpg" alt="Oxley Gin_1000x716" class="wp-image-35531" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Oxley-Gin_1000x716.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Oxley-Gin_1000x716-300x215.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Oxley-Gin_1000x716-698x500.jpg 698w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Oxley-Gin_1000x716-150x107.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Oxley-Gin_1000x716-768x550.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/05/Oxley-Gin_1000x716-733x525.jpg 733w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Coming into land, London&#8217;s Oxley Gin is a bottle to have on your radar. While Heston&#8217;s science lab approach to cookery caused ripples in the world of fine dining, Oxley Gin is doing the same for gin. It&#8217;s distilled under vacuum &#8211; the distillate boils at -5°C, and re-condenses at -100°C! What?! It sounds like it can&#8217;t possibly work, but it does. This Willy Wonka wizardry captures some delicate flavours from the botanicals that might be lost when distilling the conventional way (y&#8217;know, with heat and all that). The texture is creamy, and the gin is soft and smooth enough to be drunk neat. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DESTINATION: BERKSHIRE</h2>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.137gin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="137 Gin (opens in a new tab)">137 Gin</a></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/137-Gin-Country-Garden.jpg" alt="137 Gin Lumber's Bartholomew Country Garden wooden block limes stripy straw" class="wp-image-21712" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/137-Gin-Country-Garden.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/137-Gin-Country-Garden-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/137-Gin-Country-Garden-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/137-Gin-Country-Garden-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/05/137-Gin-Country-Garden-720x480.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Time to taxi back to Berks. Distilled just down the road from Newbury Racecourse, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://137gin.com/" target="_blank">137 Gin</a>&nbsp;is as local as you can possibly get. Launched in early 2019, this award-winning Berkshire gin now has five varieties – Navy Royal, Berkshire Dry, London Dry, Navy Strength and Country Garden. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://137gin.com/p/lumbers-bartholomew-country-garden/" target="_blank">Country Garden</a> is a Muddy fave, a beautifully balanced gin, with a hint of floral botanicals that tastes like&nbsp;summer without a hint of soapiness. That’s because those&nbsp;floral notes&nbsp;are&nbsp;tamed by a delicate dry herbal finish.&nbsp;Fill your chilled glass with big ice cubes, pour Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic gently on a bar spoon to keep the fizz. Garnish with a few juniper berries and a sprig of rosemary.</p>



<p><em><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Gin Thursdays are back at Newbury Racecourse&nbsp;from 1 Jul  (opens in a new tab)" href="https://newburyracecourse.co.uk/racing/racedays-tickets/" target="_blank">Gin Thursdays are back at Newbury Racecourse&nbsp;from 1 Jul </a>a for a cheeky double and a night of racing.</em> All the gins mentioned and more will be available at the Botanical Bar. </p>



<p><strong>Need more ginspiration?</strong></p>



<p><a href="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/pubs-inns/best-artisan-gins/">THE 30 BEST LOCAL ARTISAN GINS</a></p>



<p><a href="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/home/drinks/grow-your-own-cocktail-garden/">GROW YOUR OWN COCKTAIL GARDEN</a></p>



<p><a href="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/reader-treats/win-four-vip-tickets-to-newbury-racecourse/">WIN FOUR VIP TICKETS TO NEWBURY RACECOURSE</a><br></p>


Buckle up for the Muddy gin flight

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