New Savoury Gin launches
Created by Portobello Road Gin co-founder and renowned gin historian Jake F. Burger, the Savoury edition has been launched in rebellion to the sweet, fruity pink gins that have dominated the market in recent years, yet tend to lack any of the traditional gin botanicals such as juniper.
Set to become a favourite with foodies, this complex and characterful spirit has been specifically designed to enjoy around the dinner table as a refreshing aperitif or to be paired with dishes as an alternative to wine. Presented in a beautifully weighty white bottle with a charming hand painted style label, the gin is the perfect addition to any dinner party or back bar.
Commenting on the launch, Jake F. Burger, said:
“Never being distillers to follow the crowd, we initially created this gin as a rebellion against the burgeoning popularity of sugar-loaded, fruity, “Pink Flavoured’ gins, the type of gin whose flavours are reminiscent of the candy shop or the dessert bar, and which typically pack a lower alcoholic punch. So we instead went in the opposite direction, adding no sugar, no colour, sticking to wholesome flavours, and keeping the gin at our signature 42% abv. We very much designed this gin to be consumed before or during lunch or dinner, or in a dry cocktail like a Martini.
We don’t want to stomp on sweet gins, there is clearly a market for them and many are very tasty indeed, and of course, the addition of sugar or fruit to gin is nothing new - indeed throughout history gin was a sweeter product for far longer than it has been a dry product. However, many of the tautologically named ‘Flavoured Gins’ we now see on the market today are, in our humble opinion, not really gin at all. They are fruit liqueurs or fruit vodkas, where the juniper - if it's noticeable at all - is certainly far from being the predominant flavour.
“We believe it’s important to protect the character of the spirit that has been such an intrinsic part of our nation’s history, whilst still embracing innovation. So that’s why we created Portobello Savoury, a new style of gin, but one that respects the traditions of the category.”
While the gin’s flavour profile is a nod to the Mediterranean, in true Portobello Road Gin fashion the inspiration for creating the the gin came from the original London gin craze and the 19th Century colloquial name for gin “King Theodore of Corsica”, which was a popular synonym for the cheap penny-a-glass gin sold in the Old Kent Road area. However, it wasn’t a gin inspired by the botanicals of Corsica but was instead named for one Theodor Stephan Freiherr von Neuhoff, a man whose extraordinary life saw him crowned the King of Corsica in 1736, but saw him condemned to a debtors prison in London by 1749. Perhaps with a healthy dose of schadenfreude “King Theodore of Corsica” became something of a cult hero amongst London’s working classes after his death, and as such they celebrated him in the name of their favourite tipple.
Shop Savoury Gin HERE.
