Drink
THE VALLEY OF THE GINS Gustav Temple discovers a fascinating connection between ancient Egypt, King Tutankhamun, The Queen, Downton Abbey and a delicious new gin PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE VINTAGE EGYPTOLOGISTS: JEN SCHULTEN WWW.HERCAMERAOBSCURA.COM @HERCAMERAOBSCURA THANKS TO RENEE LEMIEUX FOR THE INTRODUCTION
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hat connects Her Majesty the Queen, the Earl of Carnarvon, Highclere Castle, Howard Carter, Downton Abbey and Vintage Egyptologists John and Colleen Darnell? The answer lies in a brand-new British gin on the market by the name of Highclere Castle Gin. I joined a cross continental online cocktail party to learn more, hosted by Colleen Darnell, familiar to readers of this publication as a supremely stylish archaeologist who, with her husband John Darnell, is widely known for her extensive field work and
expertise on ancient Egypt. She is also the owner of probably the finest vintage wardrobe this side of The Valley of the Kings. Colleen introduced Adam Von Gootkin, co-founder (with Lord and Lady Carnarvon) of Highclere Castle Spirits, who gave us a potted history of the gin they launched a few months before the covid-19 pandemic in 2020. “Lord and Lady Carnarvon have preserved more than just a castle and an estate; they’ve preserved the quintessentially English country way of life. On the inside of Highclere Castle you have this
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