This spring, The Botanist Gin, an artisanal hand-crafted and distilled gin from the Scottish island of Islay, have announced their collaboration with iconic London venue sketch for their new range of martinis, each inspired to epitomise the four different sketch rooms – The Glade, The Parlour, The Gallery and East Bar.
To create these exceptional martinis, The Botanist Gin organised a day with the sketch bar team at Crucible, a creative hub and laboratory for bartenders to meet, work, exchange ideas and play with the latest hi-tech equipment.
Through experimenting with seasonal and foraged flavours and ingredients, the martinis were each created with unique precision to represent the four different bars within sketch, and to be on the menus of each of these bars exclusively for one year.
Each martini was drawn from the sights, smells and feel of the unique and exceptional rooms within sketch, bringing four different twists on the classic, made with the smooth taste of The Botanist Gin.
Pepijn Vanden Abeele, Bars Director at sketch says of the collaboration: ‘The Martini, probably one of the most iconic classic cocktails, doesn’t leave much space for reinvention. We wanted The Botanist Gin to shine and accentuate one aspect of the multitude of botanicals per serve inspired by the different atmospheres and décor in each bar.
‘Each bar came up with its own very distinct Martini serve using different techniques and distinct botanicals and other ingredients. One even has a sensory spray made of soil, peat, fern amongst others. They all show a different aspect of The Botanist staying true to the ethos of the bar they are served. It was a truly inspired effort by the sketch bar team, and a joy to develop 4 different serves.’
In The Glade you can enjoy the fresh Forest martini made with The Botanist Gin, fresh botanicals such as nettle and linden blossom, served on a moss bed with a lemon twist, and finished with an aromatic spray made from soil, hogweed peat, douglas fir, and re-distilled The Botanist Gin.
In the Parlour you can tuck into the smooth Herb Garden martini, made with The Botanist Gin, a tincture made of fresh botanicals, Sichuan pepper and re-distilled The Botanist Gin, and a botanical bitter made with neutral spirit, garnished with a simple lemon thyme twig.
Moving down to The Gallery you can try the nautical Seaside martini, made with The Botanist Gin, a bitter blend of seaweed, galangal, Timut pepper, and re-distilled The Botanist Gin, garnished with a perfectly pink pickled shallotte, and served with pickled purple and yellow cauliflower, carrot with dill, seaweed, black pepper, and red wine vinegar.
Finally you can sneak off to the East Bar to sip the tangy Orchard martini, made with The Botanist Gin and a bitter of apple mint, horseradish, Sichuan pepper, and re-distilled The Botanist Gin, garnished with a clean apple mint leaf.
The martinis will be available on each of the four bars’ menus at sketch, exclusively for one year, until April 2020.
About The Botanist Gin:
The Botanist is an artisanal hand-crafted and distilled gin from the Scottish island of Islay. As the first and only Islay Dry Gin it is truly unique, with 22 hand-foraged, local herbs and flowers delicately and slowly distilled with nine classic gin botanicals. The botanicals are gathered responsibly from the hills, shores and bogs of the Hebridean Island by The Botanist’s expert forager and the mixology of the liquid captures the heart and soul of the remote island. Its experimental nature encourages drinkers to explore flavours and #BeTheBotanist with wild and foraged garnishes for cocktails, such as elderflower, lavender and edible botanicals. The Botanist is stocked in premium retailers nationwide, RRP £37.00 (700ml) and ABV: 46%. For more information visit https://www.thebotanist.com and follow @thebotanistgin, #BeTheBotanist on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About sketch:
Opened in 2002, sketch London was conceived by legendary French chef Pierre Gagnaire and restaurateur Mourad Mazouz. Mazouz and his team of chefs and designers created a destination for food, art, music, and decadent drinks in a converted 18th century building in Conduit Street, Mayfair. The site consists of the Lecture Room & Library, the Gallery, the Glade, the Parlour, and the East Bar.
For those who can’t get down to sketch, here’s how to rustle up the marvellous martinis at home:
The Glade Martini: Forest
– 75ml The Botanist Gin
– Bitter made with: Oak moss, chamomile, linden blossom, wood sage, heather, grains of paradise, mugwort, Sichuan pepper, nettle
– Aromatic spray made with: Soil, hogweed peat, douglas fir, The Botanist re-distilled
– Garnish: served on a moss bed with a lemon twist
East Bar Martini: Orchard
– 75ml The Botanist Gin
– Bitter made with : Apple mint, horseradish, Sichuan pepper, The Botanist re-distilled
– Garnish: apple mint
Parlour Martini: Herb Garden
– 75ml The Botanist Gin
– Tincture made with: Mugwort, pink grapefruit, hogweed, rhubarb, Sichuan pepper, The Botanist re-distilled
– Bitter made with: Artemisia, peat, lemon balm, seaweed, neutral spirit
– Garnish: lemon thyme twig
Gallery Martini: Seaside
– 75ml The Botanist Gin
– Bitter made with: A blend of seaweed, galangal, Timut pepper, The Botanist re-distilled
– Garnish: Pickled shallotte
– Served with pickled purple and yellow cauliflower, carrot with dill, seaweed, black pepper, red wine vinegar
