Introducing our exclusive release for June… A Club member collaboration, this is a Mediterranean inspired gin – It’s All Greek!
In February we ran a competition with Innovations Club members – we challenged our members to submit three botanicals they thought were interesting, we chose the most inspiring and interesting entry, then crafted a gin around those three botanicals.
The winning entry
We received lots of delicious botanical ideas but the entry that caught our eye the most was the savoury submission of Kalamata olive, tomato and oregano. This Greek inspired selection of botanicals was definitely interesting and uncharted territory for Batch.
Club member Anna submitted the winning entry, we caught up with her ahead of the release – “I was so excited when I heard I’d won this competition as my entry was done spur of the moment, not imagining I would ever win, and very personal to me. To think the folk who make the incredible double gold wining Industrial Strength Gin, were going to make my gin was an absolute honour!”
We asked Anna a few questions about her winning entry and the Batch Innovations Club.
We loved your botanical suggestion, and selected it from the many submissions. What was your inspiration?
My inspiration for this was Greek Salad which is pretty my favourite thing to eat. Being half Greek I’m often putting photos of food on my social media posts, especially of Greek food that more often than not my mum has made. Gin is my absolute first love though, so getting a marriage of the two was the idea behind this gin, and I hoped that the gin would be able to be enjoyed alongside not only this but many other dishes.
What Greek drinks do you enjoy?
The area we visit in Greece is fairly low-key, and we tend to stick to Greek lager (Mythos, Fix and Alfa) and more recently local wines which are sold in the small village shop and are all excellent. Although there are a few bars around they tend to sell bigger brand gins like Gordon’s and Tanqueray though we managed to have a try of a Greek gin called Grace. My family always has a bottle of ouzo and mastiha liqueur on the go so they often come out after dinner while we are relaxing, but cocktails are a rarity when we visit.
Why did you think those flavours would suit a gin?
The three botanicals of tomatoes, oregano and Kalamata olives are the holy trinity of a Greek salad and with all three having been used successfully in other gins in some form (though not all together as far as I’m aware) I was hoping that this combination would work well in this gin.
Having tasted your gin, how would you serve it?
How did you discover Batch?
I first discovered Batch when the frankincense and myrrh gin was included in Craft Gin club’s December 2017 box. After that I came across their Industrial strength when I won a bottle, then I bought another bottle from Batch. When I saw a flyer for their innovations club in my parcel I decided to give it a go and have been a member since
What do you like about the Club?
The innovations club gives its subscribers a chance to try exciting new spirit recipes every month which have been thought up by the team and distilled by Ollie, they are always unusual, fun and creative.
How would you describe the products we release in the Innovations Club?
The releases from the club are not exclusively gin, as other drinks (for example the recent botanical blend and rum) are also available but if you are an absolute gin head, they offer gin-only subscriptions where they let you know ahead of sending out the parcel if it’s not a gin month and you can swap out the new release with a previous gin release.
What has been your favourite release in the Club?
My favourite innovations release so far has been the garam masala gin which I still have a tiny bit left of- a perfect balance of Indian spices, and lovely with aromatic tonic
The gin
Your dose of the Mediterranean, no boarding pass required – we’re all missing stepping off the plane to that welcomed wave of heat, this summer. This savoury and herbaceous gin will transport you to the Med.
Distilled with sun dried tomato, oregano, rosemary, bay leaves, fennel seed, Kalamata olive, green olive, lemon and a touch of honey, this savoury and herbaceous gin evokes laid back memories of late afternoon lunches, as you refresh from sun worshiping.
Botanicals
Anise
Bay leaves
Blood orange
Chilli
Chios mastic
Cinnamon
Coriander
Fig
Honey
Olives
Lemon
Oregano
Orris root
Peppers
Rosemary
Sun dried tomatoes
Serve
This month we have two perfect serves for you to try, always over plenty of ice.
Indian tonic garnished with a slice of orange, a sprig of fresh rosemary and a single Kalamata olive. We found this pairing really brings to life the subtle tomato notes in the gin.
Schweppes cucumber tonic, fresh oregano and pink peppercorns. While cucumber tonic is not for everyone, we found this ultra refreshing, especially with Schweppes, over other brands of tonic.
Both serves are best enjoyed in the sun with an antipasto platter. The savoury flavours of this gin are well matched and complemented with a selection of savoury nibbles.
Or try June’s cocktail of the month!
