Bloom Gin, is one of Joanne Moore‘s gins and it’s recently become more widely available in Australia.
Joanne is one of only a handful of female gin distillers in the world and one of the most creative, having come up with not one gin recipe, but three – Bloom (2007), Berkeley Square (2007) and Opihr (2012), as well as being the custodian for Greenall’s gin.
When I met Joanne she told me the background to Bloom Gin’s creation, which was her first open brief. Back then, there was a gap in the gin flavour wheel for a herbaceous and floral gin. Joanne took this as a starting point and looked towards the English garden for inspiration, selecting chamomile and honeysuckle as botanicals together with pomelo (a chinese grapefruit).
These were added to the more traditional botanicals like juniper, coriander and angelica. Joanne told me that working with chamomile and honeysuckle was tricky, due to their delicate nature. During one experimentation she ended up with green gin due to reflux, so decided that the honeysuckle and chamomile would be best preserved by putting them in a muslin cloth and hanging that inside the still. Like a gin bouquet garni!
Bloom Gin is certain to appeal to the novice gin-drinker who doesn’t like to be overwhelmed by juniper. It is delicately floral on the nose and palate, with the citrus from the pomelo and coriander cutting through to create a nice dry finish. It has a smooth feel in the mouth and good length.
It makes a delightful G&T and you can go wild with floral garnishes like rose petal or lavender, or in my case, both!
However, because it is such an approachable gin, it’s a good one to try out with some of the more boozy cocktails that beginner gin-drinkers might shy away from, like a martini.
In this version I used a 2:1 ratio of gin to Lillet Blanc vermouth. It was a little sweeter than my usual martini, but still as delicious!
Bloom Gin
Country of Origin: UK
ABV: 40%
Price: Medium
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