Whitley Neill Quince Gin 70cl

Product Information

If you're feeling especially intrepid, you can even save the seeds and cores to boost the pectin in your homemade jams and jellies. In typical tiki fashion, this cocktail has a very fruity, very boozy base made up of pear nectar, quince syrup, and both light and dark rum. It was inspired by a fruiting quince tree growing within sight of Adnams Copper House Distillery and it proved to be the most popular of the season’s distillations.

Poaching leaves you with tender fruit for a pie or tart (or for spooning over oatmeal or yogurt) and a gorgeous syrup that—you guessed it—is great for cocktails. We combine this with quince juice which adds its fragrant tropical aromas and fruity flavours, while still maintaining the character of a true gin. Although raw quince give off an amazing perfume, they don't reach their full culinary potential until cooked, softening and becoming a deep, rosy hue. So it should come as no surprise that at the turn of the century, Frederick Neill found himself on a voyage through Persia, where he discovered a range of exotic fruit, herbs and spices to add inspiration to the Greenall Whitley family’s collection of Gin recipes.This limited edition, seasonal offering was inspired by a fruiting Quince tree growing near our Copper House distillery. Best so far has been a crumble, rough as pebbledash, where I tossed together flour, butter, almonds and breadcrumbs and sweetened it with light, butterscotch-scented muscovado. A product with strong botanical flavours might not mix well with extra additions, whereas a classic London Dry-style gin with more neutral notes would take on flavours better. Remove the quince halves with a draining spoon, reserving a little of the syrup for moistening the fruit as you serve it.

I love the elegant faint rose hue that bitters like Peychaud's give to a drink made with clear spirits (like the classic Pink Gin cocktail). I’ve stewed the chopped up Quince fruit, simmered to soften, crush to a pulp and sieve the fruit to extract a gorgeous pink coloured juice. The distinctive flavour of quince dominates the palate, giving way to the sweetness of apricots and peaches, with a long, fruity finish that opens out into orange blossoms and zesty grapefruits.And then I poached some more, to have for breakfast with yogurt, and to eat later with blue cheese – an almost molten gorgonzola.