Head of the hedgerows: Joff Curtoys of Sloemotion, Green Farm, Barton-le-Willows
York. Brother Jules is a mechanical engineer and sister Claire worked in the NHS as an occupational therapist. They now run Sloemotion making award-winning sloe liqueurs. In St Ives, Cornwall, the three Thompson brothers – Tim, Greg and Bertie – make tongue-tingling tipples such as orange-flavoured arancello, limoncello and limecello. They run the SILCo Searoom gastro bar on the wharf. Recommended is a SILCo Fizz concocted from any of their liqueurs with sparkling wine. Says Tim: “We use the whole fruit to produce less waste and more taste. Peeling and juicing by hand, the peel is infused in 96% natural grain spirit for around 48 hours then infused with sugar syrup. The syrup is added back to neutral grain spirit to steep for two weeks.” Paul Currie and Nigel Mills run The Lakes Distillery on Lake Bassenthwaite in the Lake District. They say: “Our elderflower is best served with Indian tonic over ice and our salted caramel vodka liqueur drizzled over ice cream!” Nearby Pennington’s Spirits & Liqueurs makes Kendal mint cake and gingerbread liqueurs. The Cheshire Gin Company was formed by Richard Buxton and Simon Spurrell. Richard moved from finance into property investment and then into cheese and gin. Graphic designer Simon founded technology businesses in the UK and India. Simon says: “Our cherry and almond liqueur is a nod to Bakewell Tart from neighbouring Derbyshire.” Aber Falls Distillery in the Snowdonia National Park village of Abergwyngregyn uses sustainably-sourced ingredients and Welsh-inspired botanicals. Sea salt from the Halen Môn Anglesey sea salt company goes into its salted toffee liqueur. Penderyn in Aberdare makes Merlyn, a combination of cream and the finest Welsh malted barley spirit. Says Jon Tregenna: “Whisky has to be in a cask for a legal minimum of three years and one day. Hence new distilleries produce gin, vodka and cream liqueurs whilst waiting for the whisky to mature.” In Glasgow, based loosely on the Italian Nocino, Angus and Frances Ferguson’s Demijohn’s walnut liqueur combines eau de vie with British walnuts and cloves. Pickering’s, based in a former veterinary school in Edinburgh, makes pink grapefruit and lemongrass liqueur. Stag’s breath is made by the Meikle family in Newtonmore in the Cairngorms National Park. It’s a whisky and fermented comb honey blend named after a brand mentioned in Compton Mackenzie’s novel, Whisky Galore. On Deeside, haroosh is made from blaeberry or brambleberries. Says Peter Dignan of Lost Loch Spirits: “Haroosh is a 1920s’ family recipe using heather, clover and local willow herb honey. Each bottle contains at least fifty brambleberries. Our bees have to travel 4,500 miles to collect enough honey for every bottle.” Will British liqueurs overtake the gin boom? Perhaps, but in their own sweet time. v
26 essence-magazine.co.uk | NOVEMBER 2019