Published 2 July 2022 in Ferment Magazine
Where would we be without bottles? This thought comes to me as I labour my way up a heather-clad peak to a granite outcrop, holding a freshly poured martini. An empty glass and full bottles of its constituent parts would have made my task much simpler. Still, I reach the top without spilling any of my drink and raise a toast as the sun dipped below the Cheviot Hills.
It is not my first martini of the day. In fact, by this point, I am no longer entirely sure what I am toasting. Juniper. The rewilding of the Hepple Estate. The gin made on it. Our wonderful hosts, Walter and Lucy Riddell, who own the estate and its distillery. Chris Garden, head distiller. That we are drinking another martini, at sunset, on top of a rock, as wild horses run through the moorland below. Any of that. All of that. All at once.
If you like your gin to taste of juniper then read on to discover a drink that’s wild at heart and reflects its roots on the Northumberland Moors.
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