Beefeater 24 Hits the U.S.

Six long months after I first tasted Desmond Payne's new gin Beefeater 24, I've finally written about it. (Well, for print. I've written about it several times on this site.) Why the wait? Well, because I live in America and it took it that long to get here! Actually, at various points, it was suppose to debut March 1, then April 1. May 1 ended up being the money date.

Here's the piece I wrote about it for Time Out New York, as well as a new Beefeater 24 cocktail recipe provided by Joachin Simo over at Death & Co.

Holy juniper!

Englishman Desmond Payne has done nothing but make gin his entire adult life; first at Plymouth, where he helped resuscitate the reputation of that venerable spirit, and then at Beefeater, where he has been master distiller since 1994. So considering that—after 40 years of closely adhering to other people's botanical recipes—he has finally created a premium gin of his own, attention must be paid. Beefeater 24, which launches stateside this month, is the product of a year and a half of experimentation. An arch-traditionalist, Payne did not veer far from Beefeater's classic cocktail of nine botanicals, created by James Burrough in the 1860s. Payne added only three ingredients to the mix, but that trio makes all the difference. Spanish grapefruit peel complements the spirit's already strong citrus character. However, it's the inclusion of Chinese green and Japanese sencha teas that gives the spirit its distinctive personality, combining two defining English culinary traditions—gin and tea—in one elegantly perfumed product. Beefeater 24 (named for the number of hours the neutral spirit is steeped in the botanicals) makes for a particularly thought-provoking martini, with a noted tannic hit at the beginning and a remarkably long finish. And it adds a welcome new element to the often too-simplistic classic, the gin and tonic. If you're feeling more adventurous, a newly minted libation using the stuff can be found at Death & Company (433 E 6th St between First Ave and Ave A, 212-388-0882), where Joaquin Simo is serving the Kew Gardens Cooler (muddled cucumber, Aperol, grapefruit juice and tea-infused syrup). Only one question remains: Do we do teatime later, or cocktail hour earlier? A 750ml bottle is $30 at most liquor stores.—Robert Simonson

Kew Gardens Cooler
From Joaquin Simo of Death & Company

In a cocktail shaker, lightly muddle two thin cucumber slices. Add:
• 2 ounces Beefeater 24
• 1/2 ounce Aperol
• 3/4 ounces grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce Scarlet Glow syrup*

Shake briefly with 3 ice cubes to chill, then strain over crushed ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a cucumber ribbon (use a vegetable peeler to carve out a thin seedless slice of cucumber, then skewer it with a cocktail pick).

*Scarlet Glow syrup
Heat 1 cup water on the stovetop. Add 1 cup of sugar and stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil, then add 4 to 5 tablespoons of Scarlet Glow tea (hibiscus and elderflower tea made by In Pursuit of Tea). Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to steep for 45-60 minutes, then strain the syrup into an airtight container and refrigerate. The recipe makes approximately 1 1/2 cups of syrup. It should keep in the refrigerator for 1 1/2 weeks.

The Mourning Cocktail

I was recently in London for the launch of Beefeater 24, the venerable old gin distillery's new creation, and its bid to compete in the super-premium gin category—the world of Tanqueray 10 and (shudder) Bombay Sapphire.

The new gin is the work of Beefeater master distiller Desmond Payne. It's funny to think that this is the first distillate Payne has ever come up with, given that he's spent 40 years making gin, first at Plymouth, then at Beefeater. But such is the case, and it's hard to imagine a more experienced hand going at the task.

Not to take away from Payne's achievement, which is considerable, but the formula of Beefeater 24 is pretty simple. He basically took the botanical cocktail found in regular Beefeater (including Lemon and Orange peel, Juniper, Angelica Root, Angelica Seeds, Coriander Seeds, Liquorice, Almonds, Orris Root), and added three new botanicals: Japanese Sencha tea, Chinese Green teas and Spanish grapefruit peel. Tea is fairly pronounced on the nose and palate of the resultant brew, as you might guess (though it was the foundation of the familiar Beefeater bouquet that struck me first when I dunked my nose into the glass). And there's a singular, subtle tannic hit in the finish, which is very long. It makes for an interesting gin, a thought-provoking gin, and certainly a gin unlike any other I've encountered.

I was given many opportunities to sample the 24 in various cocktails, of course. I was surprised how well it showed in a basic Gin & Tonic; the tea element added an interior layer of depth to a drink that can be a pretty simple affair, taste-wise. It works really well in this cocktail. As for a Martini made with 24, my attitude made a progress through a couple nights. The first time I drank one, I liked it, but was troubled by the fact that the drink was rendered so every-so-slightly unusual that I keep thinking about how it tasted rather then simply enjoying the way it tasted. The following night, however, when I had another such Martini, I admired it much more. It had a regal bearing, a certain weight to it, and I liked the flavor edge the 24 gave the cocktail rather than being simply distracted by it. I suspect I will grow more fond of 24 Martinis as I continue to sample them.

The launch offered more unfamiliar cocktails, devised by the likes of Sasha Petraske and Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller. A couple drinks emphasized the tea aspect of 24 by adding further tea-influenced ingredients. These were not my favorites. I felt they took the wrong tack; by pointing emphatically to the tea botanicals, the libations made 24 out to be a more simplistic product that it is. (They also made for unpleasantly tannic cocktails.) My thoughts are still percolating on the matter, but I have a feeling that 24 will perform best when it takes a step back in a cocktail, adding a flavor dimension that informs, but does not bully or command, the tastebuds—exactly as it did in the Gin & Tonic.

Following these thoughts, I paged through a book of classic gin cocktails, looking for one that might welcome 24 as a playmate. I stopped at the Obituary Cocktail. Of course, I thought. Moreso than a Martini, 24 need not have the pressure of bearing the weight of the drink's success on its shoulders. It has both vermouth and absinthe to contend with. Plus the various herbs and plants in absinthe might marry well with the botanical mix in absinthe.

I mixed one up, using 2 oz. of 24, 1/4 oz. of vermouth and 1/4 oz. of absinthe (I used the Pernod, which I'm liking best these days). Sure enough, it was the best Obituary Cocktail I had ever stirred, one of dignity and profundity, one with a lot going on. I'm no great mixologist, but I figure the use of the new Beefeater 24 instead of regular gin is a change of ingredients of sorts, so I gave the drink a new name: The Mourning Cocktail. (Mourning as in Obituary, and also a play on Morning, as in when you might drink tea.)

Here's the recipe:

THE MOURNING COCKTAIL

2 oz. Beefeater 24
1/4 oz. dry vermouth
1/4 oz. Pernod absinthe

I'll probably be writing some more about Beefeater 24 in the future—it's now on the shelves in the UK, but won't reach the U.S. until March—but those are thoughts for now. Until I see how it works in a Bijou.