Drumshanbo
Gunpowder Irish Gin (ceramic 1L)
- Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim
- 43% ABV
- 1000 ml
Smoky / toastedHerbal / greenBitter / root
Juniper first, then the smoky-green pull of gunpowder tea through the middle — dry, faintly tannic, like strong leaf left a minute too long. Citrus oil around the edges, a warm peppery finish at 43%. Dry rather than sweet, and it holds its shape in a glass.
Serve
1:2 — enough to open it, not enough to wash out the tea
Garnish — Grapefruit peel, twisted over the glass
Cocktails
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.
The gunpowder tea tannin in this Drumshanbo bottling meets Campari's bitterness head-on, and 43% keeps the gin audible under the vermouth.
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.
Quinine and the gunpowder tea tannin are the same kind of dryness, so the smoky-green tea runs the length of the glass while the citrus oil meets the lime wedge.
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.
Stirred cold and nearly naked, this bottling has nothing to hide and doesn't need to: juniper leads, the tea's faint tannin does the work dry vermouth usually has to, and 43% keeps the peppery finish warm.
