tonic | SusieDrinks

Written by Lauryn Bodden

You should know by now I am an avid gin drinker and I will praise its herbal notes to my grave. A spirit that is meant to be mixed and bring depth to drinks, gin is the most used alcohol in classic cocktails. A friend once told me, “Saying you don’t like gin is like saying you don’t like sauce.” Gin uses juniper as its main ingredient, but ranges with flavor profiles from cucumber and rose to lavender to lemongrass and black pepper.

Citadelle Gin from Cognac Ferrand proprietor, Alexandre Gabriel, combines the delicacy of fresh flowers, jasmine, honeysuckle, and cinnamon—a flavor profile reminiscent of springtime picnics and summer patio sipping. Citadelle is the only gin in the world distilled in small, Charentais copper pot stills over a naked flame. (That sounds pretty sexy.)

Intrigued by flavor possibilities imparted from aging gin in different types of casks, Gabriel began to experiment in the mid-200s and introduced the Citadelle Gin Reserve in 2008. Going back to the style of “yellow gin”, Citadelle Reserve matures for several months in old oak casks to produce the freshness of Citadelle gin with older, cask-aged spirits. Each year since 2008, Gabriel releases a limited edition aged gin each year to give customers new, exciting flavor profiles.

In 2013, Gabriel hit the holy grail of gin production. He came to the conclusion that a cell master should not age gin in just one cask, but several casks and then marry the liquid. This process is called solera, which means you have a “mother solera vat” that maintains the blend profile.

The process appears grueling, but basically involves putting new-made Citadelle into three types of casks from two to five months. Here’s the breakdown of casks used:

1.) ex-Cognac that are rinsed with gin, so the Cognac doesn’t overpower the gin

2.) ex-Pineau des Charente that imparts a full-bodied mouth feel, a little spice and a flowery roundness

3.) American oak casks, which is the mother solera vat that contains a special taste profile created by Gabriel. The gin marries in the mother solera vat and then bottled.

As you prepare to embrace this Texas summer heat with a cool, refreshing cocktail, check out Citadelle Reserve Solera to make the perfect drink by the pool (or, ya know, anywhere).

Here is a recipe for a more exotic Gin & Tonic using Citadelle:

Created by Citadelle’s Spanish team.