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Spirit Master: Hernö Gin

Ahead of National Martini Day on 19 June, we highlight an award-winning Swedish gin perfect for mixing up in the classic gin-based serve.

Create a Hernö Dry Martini for National Martini Day

Every week, SB celebrates some of the top-scoring Master medallists from The Global Spirits Masters blind-tasting competition as part of our Spirits Masters series.

Last year’s Gin Masters competition saw an impressive number of medals awarded, with the count in 2018 four times what it was five years ago.

Storming to success in the London Dry round, Hernö Gin is produced by Swedish distillery Hernö and is bottled at 40.5% abv. The brand was one of four Masters in the flight.

Judges described the expression as “easy to drink with a pleasant finish”. One judge observed: “This gin screamed lychee and rose water. The palate was really smooth and it had a nice earthiness.”

One of the world’s most famous cocktails, the Martini, is made with gin and vermouth, and is normally garnished with an olive or lemon twist. Over the years, the serve has had a number of variations.

The Vesper Martini is the famous drink ordered by James Bond in Ian Fleming’s novel Casino Royale and is named after double agent Vesper Lynd.

To create the Vesper Martini, Hernö recommends:

50ml Hernö Gin

15ml Vodka

10ml Lillet Blanc

Lemon zest

Method: Add Hernö Gin, vodka and Lillet Blanc to a shaker or glass. Shake or stir depending on your mood. Add lemon zest.

To create a Dry Martini, Hernö recommends:

60ml Hernö Navy Strength Gin
10ml Dry vermouth
Lemon zest or an olive

Method: Pour Hernö Navy Strength Gin and dry vermouth into a stirring glass. Fill the glass with ice to ¾ and stir with a spoon for about 15 seconds for perfect dilution. Finally strain the cocktail into a Martini glass. Garnish with either a lemon zest or an olive, or both.

To see the full list of medallists from The Gin Masters 2018, click here. Results for this year’s Gin Masters competition will be published in the July 2019 issue of The Spirits Business magazine and online next month.

If you’re interested in entering your brand into The Global Spirits Masters, contact Rhiannon Morris – rhiannon.morris@thespiritsbusiness.com – for more details.

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