Gin Mare, the Mediterranean Gin

Gin Mare is a made in a 19th century chapel in the small Spanish fishing town of Vilanova i la Geltrú on the Costa Dorada (“the gold coast” in English) which is an area located on the coast of Catalonia next to the Mediterranean Sea. Gin Mare is marketed as “the Mediterranean Gin”. When you read the list of botanicals, it is easy to see why, they sound more like a the ingredients for the recipe from a dish one might have had on one’s summer hols! Gin Mare was developed and created by the Giro Ribot family, who have been making cordials and selling wine since 1835, and Global Premium Brands (also owners of G’Vine Gin, U’Luvka Vodka and 1724 Tonic Water) in 2007. It was launched for sale in 2008 but is still relatively unknown in the UK.
Available to buy here.

What are the Botanicals in Gin Mare?

The Mediterranean botanicals include,

Arbequina Olives – Catalonia, Spain
Thyme – Turkey
Rosemary – Greece
Basil – Italy
Cardamom – Sri Lanka
Coriander Seed – Morocco
Juniper Berries (of course) – Spain

There are also some more traditional botanicals in Gin Mare such as bitter orange peel, seville orange peel and lemon peel. The really unusual ones are the Arbequina Olives, Thyme, Rosemary and Basil. The botanicals are sourced from the around the Mediteranean and all of the botanicals apart from the citrus peels are macerated for around 36 hours in neutral grain alcohol prior to distillation in a specially designed copper pot still. All of the botanicals are macerated and distilled separately and then finally blended together afterwards to create Gin Mare. The citrus peels are macerated for even longer, for three hundred days in special clay jars.

Gin Mare Tasting Notes

Nose: The nose is deep and herbaceous with aromas of rosemary, black olives and subtle, tangy, salty marine notes.

Palate: The palate is pretty full flavoured but is well-balanced and has initial flavours of juniper, and coriander leading to the more herbaceous rosemary, basil and thyme notes before a spicy, peppery note comes in at the end. There are also olive flavours present throughout.

It is a completely different style of gin and whilst the botanicals are quite powerful, the juniper flavours are not dominated (and juniper is what gin is all about, after all).

Serving Gin Mare

I love this more savoury style of Gin, the coriander notes remind me of Cold River, which I prefer to more floral styles – this is, of course, just my personal taste. So how should you serve this Gin?

Personally I would keep the Gin Mare in the freezer and serve it ice cold in a Martini glass garnished with a couple of black olives.. If you are into Gin and Tonic then serve over ice with Fever Tree tonic and garnish with a stick of rosemary, or some basil leaves, but it is recommended to leave out the lemon or lime and they overpower the character of the gin. This is a gin that is really pushing the boundaries of what some might consider the “classic” gin botanicals which means that it lends itself to all sorts of unexpected cocktails, and there are plenty of cocktails recipes at the Gin Mare Website.