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First there was a Buckingham Palace spirit, and now there’s a tipple made with flowers from her garden in Northern Ireland
Last July, Buckingham Palace launched its first gin made from a botanical blend of ingredients from the Queen’s garden, including lemon, verbena, hawthorn berries and mulberry leaves. It was such a hit among fans that it sold out in just eight hours. Described as “the perfect summer thirst-quencher”, thankfully it’s now on wider release and is available to buy for £40 a bottle.
But there’s even more good news for fans of the royal family, since the Queen’s official residence in Northern Ireland is following suit and has launched its own limited-edition gin flavoured with rose petals from its grounds.
Read more: Best flavoured gins to upstage the classic G&T
Hillsborough Castle, located in County Down, has collaborated with the nearby Rademon Estate distillery to create a version of the brand’s award-winning Shortcross gin.
According to Historic Royal Palaces, the charity that looks after the estate, the recipe has been created with “rose petals handpicked from the Queen's Granville rose garden", which have been “blended with apples and pears foraged from the 18th-century walled garden”.
As a celebration of the castle’s natural landscapes, it has a scent of summer roses and green orchards, which is bound to transport you to sunnier days.
Following the huge success of Buckingham Palace’s debut gin, you’ll want to act fast to avoid disappointment, particularly since there’s a limited run of just 400 bottles. To help you get your hands on it before it sells out, here’s where you can buy it and similar botanical blends.
Having welcomed royalty to its grounds, Hillsborough Castle clearly knows a thing or two about perfection, so it’s certainly not one to miss.
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This limited-edition botanical gin is a product of a partnership between Hillsborough Castle, Her Majesty’s official residence in Northern Ireland, and the Rademon Estate distillery. Using rose petals handpicked from the Queen’s rose garden, blended with apples and pears from the walled garden, the spirit is said to have a long, sweet citrus taste and smooth, oily finish. We’d suggest it’s best enjoyed over ice with tonic water (Ocado, £3.99).
A relative newcomer, Salcombe Gin’s rosé sainte marie took the top spot in our guide to the best British gins. Similarly to the Hillsborough Castle Edition Shortcross gin, it’s made with rose petals, but this time blended with a range of other hand-sourced botanicals including lemon verbena, orange blossom and pink peppercorns. “If you closed your eyes, you could indeed be forgiven for thinking you’re drinking this on the cost of the Mediterranean,” noted our writer, who recommended teaming it with tonic and garnishing with a “twist of lemon peel and a juicy strawberry”.
This is another one to try if you’re taken with the Queen’s Shortcross gin, since it contains key botanicals of hibiscus and fragrant rose petal, with a sweetness from strawberries. Featuring in our guide to the best pink gins, our writer suggested replacing “ice cubes with frozen berries” and topping up with elderflower tonic for the ultimate serve. Sounds perfect for a sunny spring day.
Giving the traditional London dry recipe a twist, this is distilled with rose flowers, cherry blossom, pink grapefruit zest and hibiscus – it certainly sounds like a concoction fit for the Queen. In our guide to the best pink gins, our writer noted that the “result is this delicate, slightly sweet gin”. Garnish with a slice of pink grapefruit for a fragrant beverage.
If you’re looking for a botanical blend that is more apple than rose, try this variety which featured in our guide to the best flavoured gins. The brand has “taken its classic, award-winning sage gin and combined it with oil from the pip of the russet apple. The result is gloriously fresh, elegant and natural-tasting,” said our writer. “A superb gin, this should appeal to those looking for something a little different, and, with 10 per cent of profits going towards clean-water projects around the world, it will also do some good,” they added.
Looking to discover new botanical blends? Read our review of the best flavoured gins
