Anno Orange & Honey Gin

Orange blossom is the fragrant flower of the orange tree. Similar in aroma and flavour to the fruit but with a more subtle and floral citrus flavour.

The rose hip or rosehip, also called rose haw and rose hep, is the accessory fruit of the various species of rose plant. It is typically red to orange, but ranges from dark purple to black in some species. Rose hips begin to form after pollination of flowers in spring or early summer, and ripen in late summer through autumn.

These bluish purple berries are the basis and therefore the signature of all gins, and the prominent flavour in traditional gins. Although it has a berry-like appearance due to its fleshy skin, the juniper berry is not actually a true berry but a female seed cone from a conifer. Juniper berries have a strong and assertive pine flavour; the flavour is mostly woody, but it can have some slightly citrus and floral tones to it.

Nutmeg brings a complex, sweet and seasonal flavour which compliments and enhances the fresh orange taste.

Coriander is the second most common ingredient in gin.  Although all parts of the plant are edible; the fruit or dry coriander seeds only a few millimetres in size are the part we use as a spice to flavour Anno gin.  When distilled the seeds have a warm, spicy, nutty flavour that can also combine citrus and orange notes.

Although thought similar in taste to star anise and fennel, the liquorice plant is unrelated as it is actually a legume associated to the family of beans and peas. The name liquorice was derived from the Greek word meaning sweet root, descriptive of its long lasting, mellow, sweet, woody flavour.

The orris root is the rhizome (mass of roots) of the iris flower.  Once important in herbal medicine, orris root is more commonly used in the manufacture of perfumes for its scent which is reminiscent of violets.  It has a heavy flowery and woody flavour that helps bind the other components in the gin together.

Angelica, also known as Holy Ghost or Wild Celery, grows in many countries of the Northern Hemisphere and is often found near rivers and lakes in damp soil.  Cultivated in the 10th century as a medicinal plant, angelica’s sweetly scented edible roots add a nicely balanced earthy and floral combination to our Kent Dry Gin.

Sweet orange zest is the outer orange peel, packed with essential oil it contains the aroma and flavour, bringing characteristics of freshly squeezed oranges.

Pure raw honey is the only unprocessed sweetener found in nature, it adds to the mouthfeel and gives character, natural sweetness and often a mildly floral flavour.

Also known as bee bread or ambrosia, bee pollens are small pellets of tighly packed flower pollen mixed with nectar. The content varies depending on the flowers visited by the worker honeybees. It is thought to be packed with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other goodness. This is then infused to add more floral sweet flavour to the gin.

Considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese medicine Cassia is often used as an alternative to cinnamon, which is in the same family and genus.  This often leads to confusion between the two botanicals in both taste and texture.  Cassia bark adds a strong cinnamon style flavour with an extra peppery punch.