Beefeater London Market Gin – Information & Cocktails

Not so long ago Beefeater only had one Gin in their portfolio then came along Beefeater Crown Jewel (discontinued), Beefeater 24 as well as the Beefeater Summer and Winter limited editions.  The latest creation by their Master Distiller Desmond Payne is Beefeater London Market.

It’s a new limited edition bottling that takes the normal Beefeater botanicals, and adds in pomegranate, cardamom and Kaffir lime leaves.  Apparently the thought process is that when Beefeater was first created James Burrough (the founder) was experimenting with exotic botanicals he was finding from around the London markets.

Desmond took a look around the markets and looked for new ingredients to use.  The pomegranate adds more fruit notes, the lime leaves impart more citrus and the cardamom pods give more spice and help perfume the gin.

By using these exotic botanicals, I wanted to create a gin that captures the drinker’s imagination, reminding them of all the colourful aromas, taste and charm of London’s bustling markets.

I was introduced to this at an event where we got to make our own cocktails with it, led by Dre Masso who is also editing the new website Gin and Tales.  The site features articles about bartenders, a bar school area of tips and techniques as well as cocktail recipes.

Even though some people will have cocktail equipment at home, it was also a practical experience of how to make cocktails without any ‘professional’ equipment and we made a Kaffir Lime-ade and London Market Cooler.  As you can see above, the shaker was a big kilner jar!  Both the drinks were very refreshing, and if you are going to make the Pomegranate Fizz then definitely include the lemon twist, without the lemon oils the drink is a bit unbalanced.

Cocktail picture courtesy of Sumerfruitcup.