Bombay Sapphire
London Dry
- Bombay Sapphire Distillery
- Laverstoke Mill in Hampshire England
- 40% ABV
- London Dry
- 700 ml
- Moroccan cubeb berries, West African Grains of Paradise
Classic dry
A London Dry at 40%, with delicate juniper at the centre. Bright citrus and a subtle spice follow. Angelica root and bitter almonds are among its ten botanicals, and it drinks smooth.
Serve
1:2 — the brand's own recipe: 50 ml of gin to 100 ml of tonic
Garnish — Lime wedge
Cocktails
Martini
Cold, dry and close to neat spirit — the vermouth adds weight and a faint bitterness rather than much flavour of its own. The gin has nowhere to hide: juniper needs backbone here, and any softness in the botanicals shows up whole. Lemon oil sharpens the first sip and keeps it from going flat.
Juniper takes centre stage in Bombay Sapphire, and the Martini's small measure of vermouth leaves it there.
Negroni
Bitter first, then sweet: Campari's rind-and-root edge held up by the vermouth's dark, herbal sugar. The gin has to push through both, so juniper and a firm backbone read clearly where softer florals get buried. Stirred over ice, it drinks cold and slow, the orange peel lifting the bitterness.
With Campari and sweet vermouth at equal parts, Bombay Sapphire's bitter almonds, cubeb berries and grains of paradise make up the gin side of the drink.
Gin & Tonic
Long, dry and bitter-edged, the tonic's quinine pulling against the gin's botanicals while the lime wedge sharpens both. Refreshing rather than contemplative. The gin has to hold its shape against all that dilution: juniper and citrus carry through, where delicate florals tend to vanish.
This is the drink Bombay Sapphire gives its own recipe for: 50 ml over cubed ice, a squeeze of fresh lime, 100 ml of tonic.
