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Silent Pool Rare Citrus Gin

21st October 2020

The folks at Silent Pool Gin have been rather busy of late. Travelling the globe in search of the world’s rarest and most intriguing citrus fruits to grace their new gin – the first major launch under the Silent Pool Gin brand since that iconic teal and copper bottle first burst onto the craft gin scene back in 2014. So cue a not-so-silent fanfare for Silent Pool Rare Citrus Gin. They may have taken a path less travelled to arrive at this alluring new gin but one sip and you realise that the destination is every bit as rewarding as the journey. This wonderfully complex spirit balances bright and zesty with subtly sweet, beautifully aromatic and delicately spiced for a truly satisfying taste experience.

But what’s so rare about the citrus? Well on their journey to locate the finest citrus fruits, the team at Silent Pool Distillers searched the globe and eventually unearthed two renowned citrus collectors who share their relentless passion for creativity and excellence.  Leaving their busy lives and careers in Paris in 2001, Ann and Jean Paul Brigand moved to the gorgeous Alentejo coast in Portugal and set about building their home, Lugar do Olhar Feliz.

The duo has a particular passion for citrus and have made it their mission to help young Portuguese farmers and chefs (and bartenders, of course) to discover and fall in love with citrus as they have done. Now boasting a citrus collection of more than 300 varieties  imported from the far flung corners of the planet (Yes you read right, 300!) Ann and Jean Paul have one of the largest and finest citrus collections in the world.

When Silent Pool Distillers visited their citrus grove,  it far exceeded all expectations. Head Distiller Tom Hutchings says ‘We were just blown away by what we found. Hundreds of the rarest and most incredible citrus. The aromas and tastes were like nothing we’d experienced before’.

The team sampled dozens of citrus varieties before selecting the most interesting and aromatic flavours to take back to the distillery to begin formulating their distinctive new gin.

After much recipe development the team settled on four lead varieties. Inside the zesty tipple you’ll find Buddha’s hand, Green Seville Orange, Natsu Dai Dai (a hybrid of orange and pomelo), and lastly, Hirado Buntan (a type of pomelo).

Not an easy task balancing all those different types of citrus in the final distillation. How have they done it you ask? The distillers have adopted the same bespoke 4-stage production approach used to create Silent Pool Gin to produce remarkable layers of ever-changing flavour.

The result? A masterfully distilled and beautifully aromatic gin with a unique taste. Call this a flavoured gin though and Head Distiller Tom Hutchings will wince. ‘Please don’t mention the F word. As with Silent Pool Gin, this is a naturally distilled gin where all the flavours are captured in the distillation itself with no artificial colourings or flavour compounds added in afterwards. We’re passionate about making proper gins in the right way. This is a naturally distilled gin with oodles of classic juniper to be enjoyed, complemented with wonderfully complex layers of citrus and spice’.

If that hasn’t got your mouth watering, we spoke to the team at the surrey-hills based distillery to ask how best to enjoy this rare citrus gin. So here are three different ways to enjoy this lovely new gin.

 Rare Citrus G&T

Generous handful of ice
50ml Silent Pool Rare Citrus Gin
100ml Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic
Garnish with a twist of grapefruit

Rare Citrus Negroni

The classic Negroni but with slightly higher ratio of gin to let it really shine through.

 40ml Silent Pool Rare Citrus,
20ml Campari
20ml Sweet Vermouth
Stir and serve on the rocks, garnish with pink grapefruit twist

Rare Citrus Highball:

35ml Rare Citrus
15ml Umeshu
15ml yuzu juice
10ml sugar
Build in a highball, top with soda and garnish with an orange twist and thyme

Rare Citrus Gimlet

60ml Rare Citrus
15ml clementine cordial
Stir and strain into a Nick and Nora/ Coupe and garnish with a bay leaf

Rare Citrus Twist
25ml Rare Citrus
15ml Melonade
10ml lemon juice
Shake and strain into a flute and top with sparkling Sake. Garnish with an edible flower