This week we’re celebrating World Gin Day and in particular Cornish gin distillers. From large producers to small-batch distillers Cornwall is lucky to have award-winning gins on its doorstep.
Gin has become more and more popular over the last decade, due to its taste, versatility and variety of flavours. Classic gin cocktails include the bramble, negroni and tom collins but surprisingly the classic G&T is still the firm favourite; you cannot beat the taste of a simple gin served with lashings of tonic and a slice of lemon.
Did you know that some of the Cornish gin distillers now have tours and experiences where you get to taste all the gins and, in some cases, even have a go at marking your own to take home – these tours make perfect gift ideas for gin lovers.
You can find many Cornish spirits on our website but here’s a little bit about our gin brands.
St Ives Liquor
Made in the heart of St Ives, this family-owned business is run by three brothers with a passion for the food and beverage industry. The original St Ives Gin is blended with botanicals gathered from the Cornish coastline and cottage garden. The 8 fresh botanical ingredients make it a truly vibrant, colourful and fragrant spirit, unlike old-fashioned dry gins.
Cornish Blue Flamingo
Full of unusual and scarce botanicals, describing itself as rare, beautiful and mythical. Blended using a precise combination of some locally sourced ingredients and some from as far away as South America, this tried and tested Cornish Blue Flamingo gin is named after the legend that is the blue flamingo and the luck that comes to you if you spot one.
Falmouth Distilling Company
Friends Ruth, Chloe and Daisy started distilling during the pandemic and their aim was and still is to create spirits with a meticulous eye on craftsmanship and flavour. Drawing on the landscape in which they exist, their Cornish gins are distilled with fresh botanicals. If you’re a bittersweet gin lover then you’ll enjoy the Loveday golden hour – ‘a toast to the warm light and long shadows that make get-togethers so beautiful’
Curio
Curio by name and even more curious by nature the team behind the brand took their first Cornish gin to the optics in 2014. Their Wild Coast Gin is four times distilled and captures the light, fresh, sea spray aromas of the Cornish Coast – blended with hand-foraged rock samphire and local seaweeds, it’s no surprise this gin has won awards.
Tarquin’s
A Cornish gin brand we all recognise and love, but did you know it all began with the very humble beginnings of one man and his suitcase stuffed with weird and wonderful botanicals – he went on to win the World Best Gin in San Francisco in 2017 with the Seadog’ Navy Strength Gin. These days there are so many delicious flavours to choose from and you can now buy Tarquin’s Comish Dry Gin and Tonic grab-and-go cans – perfect for festival-goers.
Cooperfish
This Looe-based brand has been distilling craft spirits since 2018 with their first gin being trialled in 2019. This year they’ve released a single batch limited edition Pink Grapefruit Gin to awaken your tastebuds; its sharp flavour means it’s best enjoyed simply with a quality tonic, over ice.
Elemental Cornish Gin
Its feet firmly on the ground in Cornwall, Elemental Cornish Gin has been on a bit of a journey as it was bought by Nicki and Jo in 2020 on the eve of the pandemic lockdown. Bottled in their own distillery at the bottom of their garden (quite literally) they capture Cornwall in every bottle by using locally sourced ingredients like Cornish spring water. The award-winning apple gin uses 12 botanicals and oozes apple and elderflower blossom while maintaining the light, fresh and fragrant notes you’d expect from any gin.
Falmouth Black Rock
Gaining its name from the entrance to the world’s 3rd deepest natural harbour, these Falmouth-based distillers seek inspiration from the town’s landscape and harbour heritage to influence the design and taste of their gins. The original Falmouth Black Rock Cornish is crisp and juniper-forward with lemon verbena and lemon peel for a citrus edge bringing in elderberries for smooth earthy notes. Serve with a Cornish tonic and garnish with a slice of lemon.
Mainbrace Rum
New to the gin marketplace Mainbrace rum released its first gin to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this year. A twist on a London classic dry gin, it’s infused with kelp, dulse and sea spaghetti to capture the spirit of the sea, its fresh citrusy flavour comes the lemon and lime botanicals.
Cornish Rock Gin
Last but by no means least is the Cornish Rock Gin – who is on a quest to uncover the true spirit of Cornwall – an idea they had after many hours on Cornwall Rock beach. Now they distil small batches of gin using pure spring water and fresh botanicals and each batch is tested by a team of artisans before it is bottled. Perfectly suited for summer is the Orange Sunset gin – its citrusy notes make it the perfect tipple to enjoy while watching a Cornish sunset.