Gin, the juniper-flavoured spirit once
ostracized as the drink of the poor and given the nickname “mother’s ruin,” has been rising in stature
lately. The arrival of upscale, artisanal, micro-brewed Sipsmith Gin further proves this. Produced in a
tin-roofed shed in Hammersmith, West London, two childhood friends have been making by hand — with the help
of Prudence (the lovingly named swan-necked copper pot that Sipsmith is distilled in) and with water
from a spring on the Thames — small batches of their high-end London dry gin with botanicals including
orange. They also make a barley vodka and a sloe gin. Incredibly, after a painstaking two-year journey, they
are the first new company in nearly 200 years to be granted the distiller's licence in London. And after
personal tastings of their smooth, creamy-tasting, superior gin, the verdict is in: Their pain, our gain.
•
Photo Courtesy: Sipsmith