Recently I spent an evening with two of my favourite indulgences: Gin and Mele e Pere. Of course, to use 'indulgences' is to claim that I enjoy either of these things in moderation which, of course, we all know is not the case. Finger pointing aside, I was excited to head to a tasting of a new London gin, The King of Soho, at one of my favourite London Italian restaurants, Mele e Pere.
Guided by King of Soho co-founder Alex Robson and Mele e Pere sommelier Ed Scothern, we were taken through a number of different gin based cocktails, paired with Italian sharing dishes.
We learned that the gin itself is a London Dry in style, quadruple distilled in traditional methods in a steel pot still with 12 botanicals including grapefruit peel, angelica root and cassia. On tasting, the citrus sings through, layered over lovely notes of juniper and pine, and it's good to sip solo, let alone use in cocktails. The other co-founder is Howard Raymond, the son of the 'King of Soho' Paul Raymond, the 50s property tycoon and Soho legend, and the imagery on the bottle plays homage to these very London roots.
We learned that the gin itself is a London Dry in style, quadruple distilled in traditional methods in a steel pot still with 12 botanicals including grapefruit peel, angelica root and cassia. On tasting, the citrus sings through, layered over lovely notes of juniper and pine, and it's good to sip solo, let alone use in cocktails. The other co-founder is Howard Raymond, the son of the 'King of Soho' Paul Raymond, the 50s property tycoon and Soho legend, and the imagery on the bottle plays homage to these very London roots.
My highlights: the most delicious gnocchi fritti – fried pillows of dough, dusted in salty parmesan and stuffed with good quality Serrano ham. Utterly scrummy.
Their calamari was also on point – you can see it peeking out in the photo behind. Perfectly tender and served alongside a zingy tartare sauce.
Their calamari was also on point – you can see it peeking out in the photo behind. Perfectly tender and served alongside a zingy tartare sauce.
Drinks wise, I loved the signature King of Soho Bonfire Night cocktails, inventively named 'Remember Remember'. Made from the gin, apple juice, TOFFEE SAUCE and lemon juice, this made me think of childhood toffee apples!
In short, I enjoyed this gin and it's nice to see one so dedicated to its London heritage. It works well as a base for cocktails, especially those with citrus notes, and makes for a floral gin and tonic. As much as I enjoyed the drinks, I enjoyed the food more – Mele e Pere is perpetually excellent and I've never had a bad meal there. Keep your eyes open for both.
