A new Yorkshire gin which has been created with foraged botanicals including Sweet Flag, Sweet Cicely, Sitka Tips and hand-picked Juniper Berries will be launched at The Grand Hotel & Spa, York – ‘Defiance Gin’ has been created by wild food enthusiasts, Yorkshire Foragers.
The new gin, which comes in two varieties, Defiance Original Gin and Defiance Wild Rose Gin, will make its debut at The Grand Hotel & Spa in the city, where Head Chef Craig Atchinson will be incorporating it into the hotel’s menus.
Alysia Vasey, Managing Director at Yorkshire Foragers, said, “As one of the only distillers in the country to forage our botanicals, we believe The Grand Hotel & Spa is the perfect location to launch Defiance due to its emphasis on foraged, local produce.
“A key element of the gin is the months of picking wild botanicals through a whole year’s worth of seasons to see what worked and what didn’t. The expertise of Paul Sheerin in crafting gin and my own knowledge of wild botanicals, combined perfection to create a truly artisan hand-crafted gin full of depth and complex flavours.”
“We spent months trying to source locally and by chance came across a particular botanical; Sweet Cicely that was at that time unknowingly related to the Myrrh root that we use to give depth and flavour. The Latin name of Sweet Cicely is Myrrh Odorata and a marriage of the two brought together all of the foraged botanicals to create the perfect classic dry gin.”
In Hudson’s, the hotel’s triple AA Rosette fine dining restaurant, Defiance Original Gin will be paired with an exquisite venison, beetroot, violet mustard, chicory and hedgerow berries dish as part of a wine flight created to accompany the locally-sourced, nine-course tasting menu. The gin will be served neat, over ice with a foraged garnish of wild Juniper, Sweet Flag, Sweet Cicley and Sitka Tips.
In The Rise, the hotel’s small plate sharing restaurant, Defiance Original Gin will be used as an ingredient in a dressing to complement cured salmon served with coastal herbs and radish. Wild Rose Gin will be sold in both bars in the hotel, The Rise and 1906.
The Grand Hotel & Spa’s Head Chef, Craig Atchinson, said, “The foraged aspect of the gin ties in perfectly with the ethos of Hudson’s and The Rise: we focus on fresh, wild food ensuring that each and every dish is nothing short of perfect.
“The menu focuses on nature and luxury and the addition of Defiance Gin, foraged from across the county and hand-crafted here, complements this perfectly.”
The tasting menu at Hudson’s is priced at £70 per person. Wine pairing can be added for an additional £40 per person. The salmon dish available at The Rise. Defiance Gin will also be available in the hotel’s bars. The Grand Hotel & Spa, York, is the only five-star hotel in Yorkshire as designated by the AA’s national star ratings scheme, the Hotel Quality Standards.