Sometimes, especially in the world of alcohol, a picture will catch your eye, a bottle will draw you to it and you’re always wary. You recall, ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’.
But the bottle for Daffy’s Gin is just so very pretty.
Then there’s the name. Daffy. With a little etymological research you can discover the origin. Daffy was originally a medicine (quoted in Dickens’ Oliver Twist as one for children), that was often mixed with gin. Over time, the term became less associated with the medicine and more associated with gin.
Here, as the goddess of gin herself, her image has been created by Rob McGinnis, an American artist and illustrator, who was responsible for such iconic works as the poster for Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Barbarella, and one or two James Bond films.
It’s no wonder I was drawn to it. Even the bottle itself is a sleek, weighty, elegant thing.
We met the delightfully named Mignonne in BBar in London for a sampling and a tease of of it in a cocktail created by the staff. BBar itself calls for us to visit again, we were drawn by the plant covered outside walls, and while John Lewis held a soiree upstairs, we settled in downstairs, admiring the classic decor and hints of South Africa.
The team behind Daffy’s have spent 4 years, working on this gin and you can tell. The mouthfeel is rich and slightly oily, the higher notes are fresh and green. The only botanical I knew about was the Lebanese mint, that offers a delicious cool top note. Underneath, the coriander sits with the lemon, giving it green and citrus flavours, before the pine of the juniper and the warmth from the cassia reach through.
Created to be sipped, it’s everything a gin for me should be, full of flavour, but not overly powerful, with a texture that begs to be savoured and enjoyed.
And the raspberry, lemon and mint in the cocktail, as yet unnamed, emphasised the flavours, without overpowering, which is all to often the case with a sipping gin.
Daffy’s is definitely one going onto the shelves at home, it’s delicious, and I believe Atlas Bar have already added it to their Scottish gins selection.
Whether it’s a perfect D&T or straight like me, this one’s worth judging.
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