Plymouth gin and the story of the friar. Do you have a bottle of Plymouth gin in your collection? It’s certainly an interesting style of gin which is worthy of a place in any spirits collection.
What’s Plymouth gin like?
Compared with other types of gin, Plymouth gin is a softer, more delicate flavour. Consequently it can give an interesting twist to some of your favourite gin based cocktails. The bottle I had in my collection for a few years was the navy strength gin which I bought at the distillery.
At a punchy 57 percent alcohol by volume it will certainly give any cocktail you make some additional kick. I must admit that this time around the price difference between the navy strength version and the standard version was significant so I’ve opted for the cheaper 40% variant. Nevertheless to me having a navy strength version of gin made in a strongly navy dominated city just seems like a perfect fit somehow. Furthermore, there are few navy strength gins on the market in any case, so all other things being equal I would have preferred to replace like for like.
However there is an interesting story about the bottles for Plymouth gin.
Were you aware that there is a little white outline image of a friar on the back of the bottle? I must admit that I wasn’t until it was pointed out to me whilst on the tour at the Plymouth gin distillery a few years ago. I love these quirky little details which makes the whole subject of spirits, liqueurs and collecting them all the more interesting.
What’s the story behind the friar?
The story told by the distillery is that you musn’t let the friars feet get dry. Consequently when you get near the bottom of the bottle the level will show you that the friar is about to get dry feet. Oh no! It’s now your cue to buy a new bottle of Plymouth gin. And everyone lives happily ever after. The distillery, you and your guests of course.
Is the gin boom over?
The gin boom that lasted between 2014 – 2019 is officially over. Gin sales have been declining since then in the major mature markets of the world such as the UK. I learned the other day that the largest gin market in the world is the Philippines. Who knew?! And apparently Nigeria is second. 3rd is the USA where gin and tonic is not such a thing as it is here but where gin features heavily in cocktails.
Bramble
I admit that I don’t use Plymouth gin in many cocktails but perhaps I should be more experimental. I found that Plymouth gin works beautifully in the classic Bramble cocktail.
It gives a lovely soft feel which seems to fit perfectly with the blackberry hit you get from the creme de mure. If you want the recipe for the Bramble, you’ll be able to find it easily on Google. It’s one of my Top 10 of all time, so I will post a recipe here at some point.
It was Dick Bradsell who created the Bramble in a London cocktail bar. He also invented the Espresso Martini. Sadly he passed away in 2016, aged just 56. But that’s incredible legacy isn’t it? Two of the world’s great cocktails invented by one man.