Type Gin | Producer Plymouth Distillery | Region England > Plymouth | ABV 41.2% | Volume 700 ml | Price (AUD) ~$70
House notes
Plymouth is the Goldilocks gin. Softer and earthier than a proper London Dry, nowhere near as aggressive as the new-wave Australian botanicals, but unmistakably juniper-forward in a way that puts every cocktail it touches back on its axis. It has been made more or less the same way since 1793, and it tastes like confidence that has nothing to prove. Neat, it’s round and slightly creamy with cardamom and orris coming through the back. In a Negroni it is the bottle that stops the Campari from bullying the vermouth. In a Martini it is what you pour when you do not want to make a production of it. A very grown-up gin for people who have stopped performing.
What it pairs with
The Negroni is where Plymouth earns its keep. Four Pillars is loud, Archie Rose is loud, Tanqueray is loud. Plymouth is the one that lets the Campari speak and the vermouth breathe, which is exactly what a Negroni needs. Also works beautifully in a Gimlet, a Vesper, and any martini where you want gin to be a texture rather than a lecture. Food-wise: olives, Spanish anchovies, manchego with quince paste, or anything salty and rendered. Avoid with delicate whitefish; the juniper will steamroll it. This is the bottle for the hour before dinner, not during.
About the producer
Plymouth Gin has been made at the Black Friars Distillery since 1793, making it the oldest working gin distillery in England. It lost its protected geographical status in 2015 but kept the recipe exactly where it was, which is the point.