Cometh the hour

Few of us pass the six o’clock watershed, between the dry hours of the working day and the evening ahead, without indulging in some form of light libation. It’s a tradition and traditionally for many, the first drink has always been the G&T.

But just what is gin made of? I needed to know and to learn about the science of its making I met Desmond Payne, master distiller of Beefeater.

Desmond, guardian of James Burrough’s virtually unchanged 19th century Beefeater recipe, is widely accepted as the world’s leading gin expert. His enthusiasm is infectious but given he is Irish and works in the drinks trade I suppose that was to be expected. What I hadn’t expected, with the continuing growth in wine sales, was the current renaissance in gin.

Beefeater has a traditional and a contemporary side to it,” explains Desmond, “and neither compromises the other. It is a timeless classic that is able to re-invent itself again and again. I really admire the new wave of bartenders.They are looking for authentic, original brands and really care about how and where they are being made. They experiment, they make up their own minds, and they are amazingly dedicated. That’s why the quality of cocktails in London is so good.”

For Beefeater it all started in 1820 when John Taylor and his wife founded a small distillery in Chelsea. For many years their business thrived as they refined their recipes for gins and liqueurs. Meanwhile, in 1834 in Ottery St Mary, Devon, James Burrough was born. As a young man he aspired to be a dynamic entrepreneur and his main interest was in discovering new and exciting gin recipes.

By 1850 he had developed his first recipe for blackcurrant gin before travelling to North America to train as a pharmacist. There he began to understand how flavour and alcohol worked together and by 1860 he returned to the UK to work with Wright Francis & co (Chemists) in London. His passion for experimenting and developing flavours culminated in the take-over of John Taylor’s Chelsea distillery in 1863.

By then he was unstoppable. During one of his many experiments he discovered that blending a particular recipe of botanicals (plant extracts) produced a bold, full-flavoured gin. He also started to use a unique process of steeping his blend of nine natural botanicals in the grain alcohol for 24 hours prior to distillation.

This was a radical diversion from the basic techniques used previously which required distilling grain alcohol with botanicals in a pot to produce flavoured spirit. His success resulted in the creation of arguably one of the finest premium gins in the world.

Burrough’s gin was given a full branding makeover.Inspired by the Yeoman Warders, also known as ‘Beefeaters’, who have guarded the Tower of London for more than 500 years, he settled on the now internationally recognized Beefeater London Dry Gin. Unlike any other premium gin, Beefeater’s recipe still involves steeping the peel of lemons and Seville oranges, whole juniper berries, angelica and coriander seeds, ground almonds and other natural botanicals for 24 hours prior to distillation.

And, unlike any other gin maker, it is the only internationally recognised brand still distilled in London. After 40 years in the business, Desmond Payne probably knows more about making premium gin than anyone else in the world. His CV starts in the cellars at Harrods before a stint at Seager Evans & Co, the wine merchants and gin distillers where he started to develop his skills of tasting and nosing that are still so crucial to his work today. After that he climbed the ranks at The Plymouth Gin Distillery from assistant distiller to distillery manager until 1994 when he arrived at Beefeater.

His breadth of experience is unique. A member of the Worshipful Company of Distillers, he is a rare example of a master distiller who does everything, from selecting the juniper berries to discussing the latest cocktails with the new generation of bartenders. “I get involved in everything”, says Desmond. “In many of the larger gin companies, the buying of the juniper and other botanicals is done by a separate purchasing department. I’d hate that to happen here - choosing the Seville oranges, the juniper and all the other botanicals that provide the right balance for Beefeater is the most skilful part of my job - it’s also the bit I enjoy most”.

Back in the 17th century, G & T’s were, like gin itself, originally developed as a medicine. Gin added flavour to the quinine in tonic water that proved useful for protection against malaria. Gin was also used to induce ‘Dutch courage’ for English soldiers and sailors from 1618-1648 during the Thirty Years War in Europe. But for one 21st century slack traditionalist, tonight’s tipple will not require a corkscrew, just tonic, an ice cube, a slice of lemon and a trip down memory lane with the gin.