“Our Haggis Gin is either drunk neat, like a fine Scotch whisky, or served with a dash of Scotland’s ‘other National drink’ – Irn Bru!” says Debbie Rutherford, who, with husband Simon, runs the Deliquescen Distillery in the Scottish Borders town of Kelso.
“Our still is called Gypsy, and she is wild and free! The Haggis Gin is also totally vegan and meat and gluten-free.”
Instead, raise a glass and say “Slaite!” to Scottish Gin Day (October 1st) with a Kinytre Legbiter Martini, an Orkney Old Man of Hoy or Lone Wolf Bramble, and start planning your Scottish Gin Trail journey.
Sweet Vermouth Martini
75ml Tarbert Legbiter Gin
15ml Sweet Vermouth
Shake over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with maraschino cherries.
The Old Man Of Hoy
60ml Orkney Mikkelmas Gin
10ML Hickory Smoked Nori Seaweed Syrup
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Stir, strain over ice cube, and garnish with seaweed.
50ml LoneWolf Bramble and Raspberry Gin (Made in Elgin)
15ml Lemon Juice
15ml Sugar Kick Syrup
Blackberry liqueur
Blackberries for garnish
Once shaken and strained, add a few drops of blackberry liqueur and top with a blackberry.ζ
The Good Ship Badachro
Scottish gin now accounts for 70% of UK gin production/ In a decade, Scottish gin sales to the US alone have grown 500 per cent. Scottish gin is now exported to over 140 countries, including China.
There are now over seventy micro-distilleries in Scotland, producing over 140 types of gin and using all kinds of locally-sourced ingredients and hand-picked “key botanicals”. From hawthorn blossom to seaweed
There is also a Scottish Gin Trail, which you can follow to visit small-batch craft distilleries offering gin schools, tours, and tastings.
And you can bring back some “bonnie wee gin cocktail recipes” to try at home, such as:
Strathearn Oaked Highland Juniper Brownie
37.5ml Strathearn oak gin 15ml dark crème de cacao
10ml sugar syrup
15ml lemon juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Lemon rind to garnish
Tussetto
60ml Teasmith Gin
30ml Fino Sherry
2 Dashes Absinthe
Pre-Chill a coupe glass. Prepare a garnish of lemon zest twist (optional). Stir all ingredients with ice. Fine strain into a Martini Glass.
Isle of Islay Gimlet
60mls of Navy Strength Gin
45mls Rose’s Lime Cordial
22mls freshly squeezed lime juice
Place your Gin goblet in the freezer for 30 minutes. Add all the ingredients, mix, and add ice if you like it cold and long.
Old Sins and Ginger
50ml
Old Sins Gin
Top with Premium Ginger Beer. Garnish with an Orange Wedge. Use Highball glassware
West Coast
50ml Stornoway Gin
25ml Lime
20ml Sugar
6 Basil Leaves
Add all ingredients to a shaker. Lightly muddle basil leaves. Add ice and shake for 10 seconds. Double strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a mint leaf.
Scottish Breakfast Martini
50ml Esker Valencian Orange Gin
10ml Cointreau
20ml Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Marmalade
Slice of Brown Toast (to garnish)
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake hard/ Double strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with an orange zest and serve with a small triangle of toasted brown bread on the side.
Speyside Vesper
25ml Eight Lands Organic Gin
25ml Eight Lands Organic Vodka
10ml Dry white vermouth
Unwaxed lemon peel garnish.
Galloway Forager
Fill the Boston shaker with ice
Pour 50ml Hills & Harbour Gin over ice
Pipette 5 drops of Grapefruit Oleo Saccharum
Pour 25ml Elderflower Cordial
Add 1 sprig Noble Fir
Shake and double-strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with a grapefruit half-moon and sprig of Noble Fir. Top with Soda
Pictish Gin Buck
50ml Theodore Pictish Gin
125ml dry ginger ale
Garnish with ginger and thyme
North Uist Rockpool
45ml Downpour Scottish Dry Gin
20ml Cointreau
15ml Lime Juice
10ml Sugar Syrup
1-2 Crushed Cardamon Pods
1 Sprig of Lemongrass for Stirring
Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a chilled glass. Top with ginger ale (optional).
Hendrick’s Ayrshire Sunspell
25ml Hendrick’s Sunspell
25ml Sweet Vermouth
Top with Sparkling Wine
3 Thinly Sliced Rounds of Cucumber
Orange Twist
Dunnet Bay, Caithness Garden
50ml Rock Rose Gin Citrus Coastal Edition
25ml Lemon juice
25ml Chambord Raspberry Liqueur
25ml Hibiscus syrup
1 Egg white
Garnish with Edible flowers
Cromarty Firth Negroni
25ml GoodWill Gin
25ml Campari
25ml sweet vermouth
Orange wedge to garnish
Fill a frozen glass with cubed ice and add all the ingredients. Stir for 30 seconds, then garnish with a wedge of fresh orange.
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Also, with help from www.masterofmalt.com, why not have a go at building yourself a:
Crossbill Long Staghorn Sumac Ramos, Edinburgh Cannon Ball & Tonic, Fochabers Gordon Castle Plum Fizz, Dundee Dry Gin Collins, Arbroath Aviation or Arbikie Climate Positive Nadar Pea Gin Aviation, Biggar Sour, Lind and Limes Leith French 75, Shetland Reel Last Word, Porter’s Aberdeenshire Tuxedo, Isle of Bute Oyster Rickey, Seven Crofts Fishermen’s Strength Monkey Gland, Benromach Bijou, Glaswegian Angel Face, Kinrara Southside, Red Door, Diamonds and Rust, Misty Isle Skye Gibson, Tobermory Negroni, Fairytale Bee’s Knees, Borders Clover Club, Boe Tartan Lady, Devil’s Staircase Highland Sling, Stornoway Raspberry Sling, and of course, a McMartinez!
