Balcombe Mabel Dry Gin

Balcombe Mabel Dry Gin is a versatile dry gin from the Mornington Peninsula team.

Mabel is made in Richmond alongside Brogan Carr, whom Cam Marshall calls a genius for the way she turns their ideas into liquid. The build is deliberately simple: a soft juniper base as the canvas, green cardamom for fragrance, samphire for salty umami, and pepperberry for a citrus tang and a lick of spice on a subtle finish. The botanicals are not really the story though. Texture is. This was designed to carry the depth and body of a Balcombe gin while being easier to use across a range of drinks. The name honours Dame Mabel Brookes, who by all accounts managed any situation she was put in.

Silky, medium-weight and quietly saline, with cardamom perfume and a peppery close. It works in a gin and tonic, a Vesper or a Negroni, garnished with citrus, herbs or flowers as the mood takes you. Serve it cold, with plenty of ice.