FIRST JOURNEYS - 80 GINS AROUND THE WORLD - PIN 76 OF 80
GIN d'AZUR, France
AROUND THE WORLD, ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME,
PHILEAS FOGG WOULD SURELY APPROVE
When we can't get to many destinations in Europe, we have to holiday vicariously through our gin collections and choose bottles that conjure up those magical feelings of bright summer days and balmy Mediterranean evenings.
It's that "southern light" around Provence that seduced and intoxicated so many Impressionist artists. Even today, artists are inspired by the sunlight bathing the seaside resorts and hilltop villages, as well as the mild climate and culture of the region. So many artists and writers fell in love with the Côte d'Azur that it's no surprise to find gin brands taking inspiration from the landscape and trying to capture a little of it in a bottle.
Gin d'Azur is very much about the south of France, although the gin itself is distilled and bottled in Cognac at the family-run Distillerie Merlet in Saint-Sauvant. Rather than putting all the botanicals into the still together, each is distilled separately in copper pot stills over an open flame, with individual distillation profiles designed to capture the best aromatic compounds.
The botanicals have been chosen to bring together the different landscapes of Provence and the Côte d'Azur: juniper, lavender, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, mountain savory, star anise and Menton lemon peel, with a final touch of salt from the Camargue. The lavender is sourced from the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence area, including Valensole, Manosque and Castellane, while the lemons come from Menton, close to the Italian border.
I love the idea of taking all these very French ingredients, distilling them individually in Cognac and then bringing them together to create something that is unmistakably inspired by the Riviera.
The result is a gin that feels like a little holiday in a bottle — and exactly the sort of bottle I want to reach for when I'm missing the south of France.
Gin d’Azur now also has Citron d’Été, a seasonal, lemon-forward expression made with Menton lemons harvested once a year — another little taste of the Riviera in a bottle.
"Product of the Sun"
Cocktail: Ocean Blue Lady
"Show me a bottle
and I'll tell you a story."