This year at Bubble Food, we’ve added a touch of unique elegance to our Christmas hampers by creating our very own gin in collaboration with the sustainable spirits wizards at Jim & Tonic. This exclusive blend, known as Bubble XXV London Dry Gin, is an adaptation of Jim & Tonic’s acclaimed London Dry Gin, but with bespoke botanical twists that bring our culinary philosophy to life. Created in celebration of our 25th Anniversary!
The Art of Crafting London Dry Gin
London Dry Gin is the gold standard of gin styles, governed by strict legal definitions to ensure purity and consistency:
- It must start with a neutral grain spirit.
- Botanicals are added in a single distillation—no post-distillation blending allowed.
- Only water can be added after distillation to adjust alcohol content.
- The distillate must be 70% ABV or higher before dilution.
This meticulous process results in a gin that is a true, unadulterated expression of its botanicals. At Jim & Tonic, they take this standard to the next level by ensuring their approach is sustainable and hyper-local.
The Ingredients: A Unique Blend
Every gin is defined by its botanicals, the natural ingredients infused into the spirit during distillation. For the Jim & Tonic London Dry Gin, sustainability and locality are paramount. In keeping with their ethos, all botanicals are sourced from within the M25 boundary of London, ensuring their gin is a true LONDON London Dry Gin.
Traditional gin staples like citrus and coriander were excluded because they don’t grow locally. Instead, Jim & Tonic’s recipe uses:
- Angelica Root
- Apple
- Caraway Seed
- Juniper
- Lemon Balm Leaf
- Lemon Verbena Leaf
- Linden Flower
- Rose Petals
- Yarrow Flower
The Bubble Twist
To create Bubble XXV London Dry Gin, we introduced two fresh, hand-harvested botanicals from our very own garden: Lemon Verbena and Rose Petals. These additions amplify the gin’s floral and citrus notes, resulting in a vibrant, aromatic profile. Additionally, we incorporated London Urban Honey, sourced from urban apiaries, during the steeping process, enhancing the gin’s natural sweetness and floral complexity.
Crafting the Gin: A Sustainable Process
The gin-making journey begins with a neutral British grain spirit, diluted to 48% ABV before the infusion of botanicals. These botanicals steep overnight, allowing their flavours and essential oils to infuse the spirit fully—a process akin to brewing a potent tea.
The infused liquid is then heated in a copper still. The vaporized alcohol rises through the still’s copper chamber, which removes any unwanted sulphur compounds, ensuring a cleaner, purer spirit. The vapor passes through a plate column, where flavours are refined, before being condensed back into liquid form.
Three distinct cuts are made during distillation:
- Heads – The sharpest compounds, which are set aside for non-consumption uses like sterilization.
- Hearts – The prime distillate used to make the gin.
- Tails – Unwanted compounds that are saved for redistillation, reflecting Jim & Tonic’s zero-waste ethos.
The hearts are diluted with demineralized water to achieve the desired bottle strength and are then hand-bottled and labelled on-site in Stratford, London. Every step, from infusion to packaging, is completed in Jim & Tonic’s 80-square-meter distillery, ensuring quality and authenticity.
Why It Matters
Bubble XXV London Dry Gin is more than just a spirit; it’s a celebration of sustainability, locality, and craftsmanship. By collaborating with Jim & Tonic, a company that shares our values, we’ve created a product that reflects our commitment to excellence and innovation.
As part of our Christmas hampers, this gin offers a festive, flavourful experience that perfectly complements the season. Its bespoke blend of botanicals, hyper-local sourcing, and handcrafted production make it a standout addition to any holiday celebration.
Cheers to the Season
We’re thrilled to share Bubble XXV London Dry Gin this holiday season. Whether sipped neat, paired with tonic, or mixed into a festive cocktail, it’s a gin that embodies the spirit of Christmas and the essence of Bubble Food.
Raise a glass, and join us in celebrating a year of creativity and collaboration. Here’s to many more extraordinary projects to come!