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Brad Pitt debuts The Gardener Gin

Actor Brad Pitt has made his first move into spirits with the launch of The Gardener Gin, created with former Tanqueray master distiller Tom Nichol.

Brad Pitt Gardener Gin
L-R: Brad Pitt with The Gardener Gin co-founder Matthieu Perrin

Nichol and Pitt worked with the Fight Club actor’s winemaking partner, the Perrin family, owner of Château de Beaucastel in Southern Rhône, on the launch of the gin.

Pitt, who owns the Château Miraval winery, previously worked with the Perrin family on the launch of rosé champagne brand Fleur de Miraval.

The Gardener is a London Dry gin that celebrates the ‘night and day art de vivre’ (art of living) embodied by the French Riviera.

Pitt and the Perrin family decided to create a spirit that conveyed the ‘light, aromas and flavours’ of the French Riviera after spending many long afternoons and evenings in the area.

Nichol, who has more than 40 years of experience in the distilling industry, was brought on board to bring their vision to life.

The gin is said to ‘bottle the essence’ of the Riviera, from the sunlight to fresh citrus and wild herbs.

Made from wheat in copper stills, the gin combines juniper, liquorice, angelica and coriander with pink grapefruit, lemon, and sweet and bitter oranges from the Cap d’Antibes in the south of France.

Co-founder Matthieu Perrin said: “The light of the French Riviera is a lifeblood. Here, in this place blessed by the gods, the earth is tended by The Gardener.

“The Gardener works in harmony with the shifts of the season, the exchange of warmth and cold, the pleasures of living well. With the wisdom of experience, the gift of intuition, the whim of experimentation, The Gardener builds a recipe that combines the mystery of nature with the pleasure of knowledge.

“The Gardener tends earth, time, all the while guarding a way of life that exists nowhere else in the world.”

The Gardener Gin will make its debut at the iconic Carlton Hotel during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival later this month (16-27 May).

To celebrate the reopening of the five-star hotel after a two-year renovation, Nichol has partnered with bartenders to create the Secret Garden cocktail.

Nichol was honoured with The Gin Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award in May 2015.

He retired in July 2015 after more than nine years as master distiller for Diageo-owned Tanqueray gin.

Since then, he has collaborated with English distillery Harrogate Tipple on the launch of a Downton Abbey-inspired gin and whisky, and created gins for The City of London Distillery and Kansas-based J Rieger & Co.

Pitt is not the only actor taking inspiration from France to create spirits.

Earlier this month, Little Women star Emma Watson launched a new gin inspired by the Chablis wine region, where her family operates a vineyard.

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