Mainbrace, a Cornish brand known for its award-winning golden rum, launches Mainbrace Cornish Dry Gin to celebrate The Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
It has announced an extension to its spirits range in the form of a craft gin. Born from the naval term 'splice the mainbrace' that celebrates courage, teamwork, and friendship, Mainbrace's history is rooted in naval traditions.
In the days of sail, the Navy was awarded a daily tot of either rum or gin, with sailors most commonly choosing rum and officers opting for gin. Today, 'splicing the mainbrace' has come to mean a toast to victory, as well as toasting to The Queen.
February 6th marked Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, a huge milestone for the longest serving monarch. In celebration of this, Mainbrace raised a toast to the Queen – God Bless Her – by launching the gin on this day. Distilled in Cornwall, Mainbrace Cornish Dry Gin is made in a traditional copper pot still, made using the London Dry style with no added sugars, sweeteners, essences, or other additives.
The gin is made with Cornish water and local botanicals, namely lemon verbena harvested from St. Michaels Mount, and three different types of seaweed – Kelp, Dulse, and Sea Spaghetti – sourced from the Cornish Seaweed Company in Gweek. The gin has a unique taste, dominated by citrus notes, particularly lime, with secondary umami and slightly salty notes stemming from the seaweeds.
Richard Haigh, Co-Founder of Mainbrace, commented: “We are incredibly excited to be launching Mainbrace Gin, which has been a natural next step for us, particularly since we are based in Cornwall, an up-and-coming hotspot for craft gins! We have lots of exciting plans in the works and are especially looking forward to “splicing the mainbrace” to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022.”
Mainbrace Gin is best served as a Gimlet cocktail, which was named after Admiral Gimlette, a 19th century Royal Navy surgeon who insisted the men mix lime syrup with gin to ward off scurvy. It can also be enjoyed with Dubonnet and a twist of lemon peel, said to be the Queen's favourite cocktail.
