Best Gifts for Dad

If Pops is a Top Gear fan then why not skip gifting him a Lamborghini this year and go for the next best thing - Gin crafted by the man himself. James has teamed up with award-winning Hugh Anderson at Downtown Distillery, dubbed the 'Willy Wonka of Gin' to create a small but perfectly formed range of gins including Asian Parsnip, American Mustard and London Drizzle, (designed to smell like fresh rain). The James Gin Mini Gift Set of all three flavours is £18.99, 70cl bottles are priced from £36.95 and if you want a gin that really packs a punch, try the Asian Parsnip Navy Strength (57% ABV) for £50.50. The perfect accompaniments to rainy days in the garden during the Great British Summer.

Best Father's Day Cocktails

All of our recipes have been created by James Maudsley, Head Mixologist, Operations Manager and all round good egg at The Royal Oak Swallowcliffe. With a touch of mad creative genius from our Distiller, Hugh Anderson, Founder of Downtown Distillery, the man responsible for turning James's ideas into award-winning gin.

Asian Parsnip Sour

Asian Parsnip is our award-winning aromatic gin created using a unique blend of exotic Asian spices and British sweet parsnip, a humble vegetable valued by Romans and hated by schoolchildren.

• Locate 50ml Asian Parsnip, 15ml fresh lime juice, 10ml yuzu juice, 25ml sugar syrup, 1 egg white
• Shake all ingredients over ice and double strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a dash of angostura bitters
• Enjoy

London Drizzle Beet

James wanted to make a gin that evoked 'the smell of rain on a hot pavement in Regent's Park.' That distinctive scent that hangs in the air, just as those first drops of rain hit the ground on a summer day is called 'petrichor' - one of the key components of which is also present in beetroot. 

• Locate 50ml London Drizzle, 50ml Beetroot juice, 25ml Apple Juice, 25ml Sugar Syrup.
• Shake all ingredients over ice and double strained into a chilled martini glass.
• Enjoy

The Bloody May

To reward our loyal American customers we decided to create 'The Spirit of America.' American Mustard (or 'Ramstud' in America because the authorities were worried they'd put it on their burgers) is blended from fresh mustard seed and dill pickles as the perfect accompaniment to every traditional American fast food recipe.

• Local 35ml American Mustard Gin, 4 dashes of celery bitters, 4 dashes of Tabasco, 6 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce, 1 tablespoon of Brown Sauce, 150ml Tomato Juice.
• Add all ingredients to a tall glass, stir well, add ice and garnish with a lemon wedge, celery, salt & pepper.
• Enjoy

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For PR enquiries please contact Jo Baird | Joanne@joannebaird.com | 07814267444

About James May and his Gin

Bristol born James May is an English television presenter and journalist. Best known as a co-presenter of Top Gear, The Grand Tour, Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure. He wrote a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph's motoring section from 2003-2011. He spent his teenage years in South Yorkshire, and went to study music at Pendle College, Lancaster University, (he plays piano and flute). After various roles - working in a hospital and the civil service, he took up journalism and broadcasting in his thirties. It was stints studying metalwork and working as a moulder that formed his interest in mechanics. In 2020 he became the Co-Owner at The Royal Oak Swallowcliffe,  a traditional country pub set in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside, dating from the 18th Century. He passed his driving test on the second attempt, and has a light aircraft's pilot's license.

Asian Parsnip                               https://www.jamesgin.com/products/asian-parsnip                                          Sweet ● Parsnip ● Spicy ● 40% ABV ● from £36.96 for 70cl                          “Asian Parsnip celebrates both my homeland and the pleasures I've enjoyed over many decades of international travel at other people's expense. I came up with the idea of blending the flavour of parsnip - because it reminds me of England and its dampness - with Asian spices, because they add excitement. Parsnip, a humble vegetable valued by Romans and hated by schoolchildren - was used historically as a sweetener and has a uniquely nutty profile. Combined with spices of the Far East – ginger and green cardamom – Asian Parsnip is a warming gin with lingering light sweet notes.”                                                                                                  

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Asian Parsnip: Navy Strength https://www.jamesgin.com/products/navy-strength-asian-parsnip                     Sweet ● Spiced ● Intense ● 57% ABV ● from £50.50 for 70cl                        “Every gin needs a good naval counterpart, and Asian parsnip is no exception. The flavour profile is the same as Asian Parsnip, just more intense. This has the same spiced & subtly sweet flavour as our award-winning Asian Parsnip gin but with an extra kick of 57% alcohol. An American customer asked when we were going to make a Navy Strength version of Asian Parsnip. We didn't know what he meant, so we looked up the history of Navy Strength Gin. With no help at all from the Royal Navy, we created Asian Parsnip at 57% ABV.”                                                   

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American Mustard                                 https://www.jamesgin.com/products/american-mustard                                    Savoury ● Mustard ● Warm ● 40% ● from £36.95 for 70cl                             “Don't be fooled by its name; this gin has won multiple awards for its warmth & savoury profile. We've combined mustard seeds & gherkins to create something really spectacular. American Mustard (or 'Ramstud' in America because the authorities were worried you'd put it on your burger) is blended from fresh mustard seed and dill pickles as the perfect accompaniment to every traditional American fast food recipe. The mustard is front and central and provides warmth while being light on the tongue. We paired it with gherkin to counterbalance the heat by giving a briny note to the finished product. As a result, it's a savory style gin that is both light and warming, with tomato providing a smoothness to the profile.”                                             

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London Drizzle                                https://www.jamesgin.com/products/london-drizzle                                       Umami ● Beetroot ● Majesty ● 40% ABV ● from £36.95 for 70cl                     “With London Drizzle we wanted to re-create the sensation of petrichor - the smell of fresh rain. Research showed that others had tried - and failed dismally. Petrichor is created from chemicals in spores in soil - and these chemicals exist elsewhere - for example in mushrooms, carrots and beetroot. Mushroom has a very dominant flavour (we tried eight different types), carrot has no flavour profile that comes over the still and so beetroot became our best option. But then we have to select exactly what type of beetroot. Since most gins are designated 'London Dry' - and London generally isn't, James came up with the idea of making one that evoked 'the smell of rain on a hot pavement in Regent's Park.' That distinctive scent that hangs in the air, just as those first drops of rain hit the ground on a summer day, is called 'petrichor'. One of the key components of petrichor is also present in beetroot - so we've combined a sweet variety of that with lovage, bay, orange, and ginger to create a gin designed to instantly invoke the majesty of our Sceptered Isle.”