A Great G&T Deserves a Great Glass

It should be no surprise to hear that we love our cocktails at Rusty Barrel. But when we looked at our product range, we realised we had a bit of a gap we needed to fill.

Sure, we make some of the best cocktail shakers on the market (check out the Rusty Barrel Mayfair Cocktail Making Set. We also have flexible silicone ice cube trays that you can actually get the ice out of without having to bash it on the bar repeatedly. 

We've even got stylish metal straws that are kind to the environment and make a great gift.

But what we don't have, is anything to drink your cocktail out of.

That is, until now.

[DRUM ROLL…]

Introducing the Rusty Barrel Gin Glass Gift Set! 

[HOLD FOR APPLAUSE]

See, you just can't miss the fact that gin is everywhere these days and has been for at least the last 13 years.

It wasn't so long ago that a gin and tonic in a bar meant a choice of two brands (if you were lucky), served in a half-pint glass with flat tonic from a mixer gun. 

In the more up-market establishments, you may even get a wafer-thin slice of lemon floating on top.

We're glad to say those days are well behind us, and to celebrate, we thought our first foray into glassware should be a gin glass!

So, sit back and take a sip as we take a closer look at the meteoric rise of this tasty spirit.

The Craft Gin Domination

There are now more than 820 gin distilleries in the UK, and the majority are small, independent brands doing amazing things with some interesting ingredients. Ingredients such as Thai basil, rooibos tea, and even seaweed.

One brand can probably claim more responsibility than most for the explosion in Craft Gin—Sipsmith.

You see, In 1823, His Majesty's Customs and Excise (for George IV was on the throne at the time) passed a law which made it illegal to distil gin in a still of less than 1,800 litres. 

In 1823, that was intended to curtail the production of make-you-go-blind backstreet gin, but in the 21st Century, it presented startup distillers with one or two problems.

1,800 litres is pretty huge and required pretty huge premises to house it, resulting in pretty huge production costs.

Sipsmith, whose still was only 300 litres, set out to do something about it. They successfully petitioned the Government to repeal the act enabling them and hundreds of small gin distillers that followed in their wake to put their own spin on such a versatile spirit.

Endless Versatility—Of Taste, Strength, and Age

Gin, by law, must contain juniper as a flavour. These small, jade-green seeds of the juniper bush give gin its distinctive taste. However, there isn't a law to say distillers have to stop there.

In fact, Monley 47 has, well, 47 different botanicals flavouring their Mother's Ruin.

And it's not just the flavour adding to this amazing variety. To be classed as Distilled Gin, the drink needs to have a minimum strength of 37.5%ABV. However, Anno Extreme 95 have, as the name suggests, taken this to the extreme and produced a 95% ABV gin. 

Gin at that strength just makes our eyes water! 

At the other end of the scale is a new brand seeking to make a mid-week G&T a little more guilt-free. Quarter has produced a ¼ strength G/N (see what they did there?), which comes in at a 12.5%, around the same strength as a glass of wine.

Another factor in gin's rapid success is the speed distillers can get it out of the door. So depending on the flavour you're after, you can have a tasty gin in your hand in a matter of hours—non of that "aged for 475 years in oak barrels" for this young upstart.

So it's safe to say gin is here to stay for some time. 

We'll drink to that. And from our lovely range of Rusty Barrel Gin Glasses!

And Now for the Recipes

The Classic Gin and Tonic

• 50ml of gin
• 150ml of tonic
• Lime wedge for garnish

The How 

This one's easy!

Grab yourself a Rusty Barrel Gin Set, and add a couple of ice cubes to the glass.

Measure out your gin using the jigger, add the tonic and stir.

Squeeze your lime into the glass, sip, and enjoy.

There is a wide range of cocktails made with gin, but the Tom Collins, part of the Daiquiri family of cocktails, has to be one of our favourites.

The Tom Collins

• 50ml of gin
• 100ml soda water
• 25ml lemon juice
• 10ml sugar syrup
• Half a slide of orange for garnish

The How

Pour the soda water over ice into a Rusty Barrel Gin Glass and shake the gin, sugar syrup and lemon juice with ice for 8-10 seconds and pour over the gin.

Cheers!