It’s been a busy few weeks at Anchor & Den and not just because the hustle and bustle of the holiday season but also with all the preparation for the launch of our newest edition to the Anchor & Den brand, the A&D Gin! 

Let us break it down for you on our little love affair story with this magical liquor. We’ve always had a passion for Gin and we love discovering quality and authenticity in our cocktails, which explains our penchant for a classic G&T.  Luckily for us, gin has seen a revival in the last few years. Across Europe and the US, artisan distilleries have been producing traditional small batch gins with exotic botanicals. Over time these ingredients have become more and more adventurous with exciting versions to suit any discerning drinker’s palate. A lot of our local guests have been asking the question for a while now, “you have the largest gin selection on island but when will you bring out your own Gin?”  We listened and contacted the experts at Cayman Spirits Co. to see what they could do for us and with the help of Gabor Molnár our head mixoglist at Anchor & Den we knew we had something special in the works. Let’s just say Gabor has a small obsession for all things botanicals, from his homemade bitters to his love for Apothecary, so we couldn’t think of a better collaboration in the making of this gin!
If you didn’t already know, Cayman Spirits Co. is the largest distillery in the Cayman Islands and with over 15 years in the industry they know a few things about making good booze!
We sat down with Co-owner Nelson Dilbert and head mixoglist Gabor Molnar to get a sneak peek on the making of this one-of-a-kind, (one of the first on island) handcrafted gin.

A&D – “Gabor, what flavour components are the most prominent in this gin and why did you choose them?”

Gabor – “I wanted to achieve a lighter, more citrusy flavour profile that is more approachable than classic London dry gins. We’re in the Caribbean so I believe people want more fragrant and refreshing components to a gin as it pairs well with more citrusy style cocktails and tonics. Some of the supporting botanicals I chose were inspired by my travels in and around Asia, such as lemongrass, white peppercorn and cardamom.

A&D – “Nelson, what do you think makes this Gin so unique compared to others around the world?”

Nelson – “The way we make Gin is very unique. Most gins are made with wheat or corn however we use what we have locally which is sugar cane. This creates a similar yet more robust flavour. There are two processes you can do to create gin. We use a small still for all of our small batch products and with gin you can either steep the botanicals in the alcohol or hand them in a basket which allows the vapours to run through the botanicals creating the flavour profile; we actually did both techniques. The stronger flavours (spices etc.) were steeped and more of the floral elements were hung in the basket.”

A&D “Gabor what are the 14 botanicals you used to create the Gin?”

The core is juniper, coriander seeds, angelica root and lemon peel; there is no surprise here, this is the case for most Gins worldwide. Although we cut back on the juniper a bit and went more citrus forward by adding lime and lemongrass as well. There is lavender and chamomile for the floral notes supported by orris root and cubeb berries, cassia for a little bit of earthy sweetness, and we have fresh, slightly spicy notes from cardamom, caraway and white peppercorns. This creates the perfect balanced Gin to be enjoyed with a good tonic any day of the year.”