MARCH SPIRIT OF THE MONTH- MANLY SPIRITS COASTAL CITRUS GIN

In April of 2017 Manly Spirits opened. From day one, the goal of David and Vanessa (owners) was to make delicious spirits that weren’t just distilled in Australia, but to make delicious spirits that represented all that Australia has to offer. That is why all their products are either sustainably sourced from Indigenous growers and other local farmers or foraged by themselves or their collaborative partner, renowned forager and chef Elijah Howard. All these local ingredients are taken to Manly Spirits’ distillery which is located on the Northern Beaches of Sydney and where David takes over the process as Master Distiller. Manly Spirits makes a handful of products, but the one that stood out the most to me was their Coastal Citrus Gin.

This Australian wheat-based gin has native botanicals like lemon aspen, sea parsley, lemon myrtle, fresh coriander leaf (aka cilantro) and meyer lemons. This combination of botanicals creates such a lively a fresh profile that while it makes for a great summer time gin. And given that we live in Southern California, it’s a great year long gin for us! Vibrant notes of lemon peel turn into candied lemon peel. Soft floralness of the juniper and parsley bring along this savory aspect then you get this refreshing and bright cilantro on the finish. Cilantro isn't a complicated flavor profile, but that amount of depth it adds to the gin is amazing. This gin would pair very well with almost any tonic you put it with, but I think this will be my Gimlet gin moving forward.