Buying a bottle of Quinine Gin will not only get you a great bottle of Gin, but it will also be your good deed for the day done.
The brand was launched in 2015 by Maverick Drinks and £5 per bottle goes towards Malaria No More UK, a charity that is dedicated to ending the malaria epidemic in Africa.
One might wonder why malaria, but that’s because of the name and the history of the brand.
Quinine is a common anti-malarial tonic that has been around for centuries. It has been used all over the world and in India; it was first mixed with Gin to make it taste better.
On its own, Quinine can have quite a bitter flavour, but with Gin it obviously tastes much better.
This was the first instance of a Gin and Tonic, and the tradition has lived on to become the Gin and Tonic we all know and love today.
This particular brand is a homage to a lot about malaria treatment, in that the 1897 reference is to the year that Sir Ronald Ross made the discovery that malaria was passed through mosquito bites. This discovery allowed better anti-malaria treatments to be developed.
Even the botanicals it is made from are a nod towards the history of malaria treatment, as cinchona bark is a natural source of quinine and was commonly used by the East India Company to stave off the disease.
The Gin in question has come a long way since those days and tastes much better than the first Gin and Tonics.
It is also made of thirteen other botanicals, including juniper, angelica, coriander, cinnamon, orris, nutmeg, cassia, orange, lemon, liquorice, pink and white grapefruit and lemon peel.
The flavours are bright and well rounded, with lots of citrus and juniper.
The nose opens with sweet notes of lemon and grapefruit and the tell-tale flavours of cinchona coming through as well.
The fruits are fresh and earthy, with lots of moisture and juiciness to them.
The palate is equally full of flavour and has a definite earthy quality to it. The cinnamon and cassia give it a lovely spice.
The citrus fruits are slightly bitter, but this goes perfectly with the cinchona bark. There is a lovely bite to the palate that makes it feel edgy and bursting with flavour.
The finish is fruity, with grapefruit and orange especially coming through. It ends on a lovely note of juniper and cinnamon.