Hoxton Gin

A review of Hoxton Gin

I am, if truth be told, something of a gin novice.

I've tried it only a few times and, whilst able to mention the names of various brands, could not tell you which are supposed to be better than others.

My perception of gin is a neutral, white spirit most commonly flavoured with juniper berries.

Crisp and refreshing, it has a rasp of bitterness derived either from the juniper berries themselves or the quinine in the tonic water with which it is most commonly mixed.

Hoxton Gin, however, is something quite different to this - it is flavoured with coconut, tarragon, grapefruit, ginger, juniper and iris.

On the nose, the sweet coconut dominates - the aroma takes me back to coconut rums from the Caribbean.

On the palate, first impressions are of lots of sweet coconut, followed by the more interesting flavours of the other ingredients - sharp grapefruit and juniper bitterness.

Unlike traditional gin, the flavours here do not lend themselves to food matching - except perhaps with a chili, which benefits from a touch of sweetness and coconut.

It is pleasant and enjoyable - easy to sip neat whilst relaxing in front of the television after dinner.

We end up watching a re-run of Dr Who and afterwards #2 child announces he is making a "tardis shield generator" from his lego - and that's a bit like how I feel about this gin.

Like Dr Who, all the individual elements are well done and it is pleasantly entertaining - it does not aim to be either challenging or complex, and does not benefit from being overly analysed; it's just enjoyable as it is. But probably won't appeal to gin purists - who'd rather watch Star Trek.

£26.19 for a 70cl bottle from Tesco; provided for review.

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Links
Hoxton Gin - website