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ore than 180 years ago, Charles Tanqueray began distilling gin in the booming Bloomsbury district of London, eventually growing in popularity so much that he opened his own hugely successful retail outlet in 1838. Upon Tanqueray’s death in 1868, his son—Charles Waugh Tanqueray—inherited the business. “Waugh was just 20-years-old when he took over the business. A visionary who saw the global potential for Tanqueray, Waugh started promoting the brand internationally,” says current Tanqueray Master Distiller Tom Nichol. “He also engineered the merger between Charles Tanqueray & Co. and Alexander Gordon & Co. in 1898, forming the largest gin house in the world.” During his time at the helm of the brand, Waugh also produced a Tanqueray family recipe book, which contained a process to create a juniper-forward gin affectionately called Bloomsbury. Now, 130 years after the recipe book was written and a century since the distillery moved its main production facility to Scotland, Nichol and Tanqueray are paying homage to Waugh by re-imagining his Bloomsbury gin and bringing it to the market for a limited time. Tanqueray Bloomsbury gin features prominent notes of Tuscan juniper and other botanicals, such as coriander, angelica and cassia bark. According to Nichol, it follows recent upscale limitededition launches from their team, including Tanqueray “Old Tom” gin in 2014, and the citrus-heavy Tanqueray “Malacca” in 2013. “I wanted to make something that was completely different from our other limited editions, and with this gin I do feel we have achieved that. It is very inspirational to work with an original Tanqueray family recipe, and for it to taste this good," says Nichol. Launched in July, only 100,000 bottles will be available nationwide. The bottle pack features a signature and a marque with the initials of Waugh on each label. In further homage, the main label reflects a portion of the original handwritten recipe.
TANQUERAY IN A WHOLE NEW WAY BY ALISON BAILIN BATZ
Tanqueray Bloomsbury Recipes
BLOOMSBURY BEE’S KNEES 2 oz. Tanqueray Bloomsbury ¾ oz. Honey syrup ¾ oz. Lemon Shake and serve up in a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist. TANQUERAY LAST WORD ¾ oz. Tanqueray Bloomsbury ¾ oz. Green Chartreuse ¾ oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur ¾ oz. Fresh lime juice Shake and serve up in a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a Luxardo cherry. BLOOMSBURY BIJOU 1 oz. Tanqueray Bloomsbury 1 oz. Sweet Vermouth 1 oz. Green Chartreuse 1 dash Orange Bitters Stir and serve up in a Nick and Nora or a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist. TANQUERAY BLOOMSBURY BUCK 2 oz. Tanqueray Bloomsbury ½ oz. Fresh lemon juice 4 oz. Ginger ale 2 dashes Angostura Bitters Combine gin, lemon, and ginger ale in a highball glass with ice and stir, dash bitters on top. Garnish with a lemon wheel. TANQUERAY FIFTY FIFTY MARTINI 2 oz. Tanqueray Bloomsbury 2 oz. Dolin Dry Vermouth 2 Dashes Orange Bitters Stir and serve up in a Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. SO SCOTTSDALE! |
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“Given the success of these limited releases thus far, Tanqueray sees it possible to continue to look back to the brand archives and historical journals to create another original recipe for 2016, and perhaps beyond,” says Nichol. Currently, Bloomsbury gin is available at Total Wine & Spirits, AJs Fine Foods, and specialty liquor stores Valleywide.
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| AUGUST 2015
7/23/15 1:32 PM