It’s common knowledge that Her Majesty The Queen enjoys four cocktails a day, one of which is a gin and Dubonnet, served with two cubes of ice and a slice of lemon before lunch.
As for the gin she uses most? Well, it’s quite likely to be this one: Buckingham Palace’s own spirit with citrus and herbal notes sourced from botanicals in the backyard of her official London residence.
The small-batch dry gin takes flavour components from 12 botanicals including lemon, verbena, hawthorn berries, bay leaves and mulberry leaves, that are hand-picked from Her Majesty’s Buckingham Palace gardens.
The plot spans some 16 hectares and provides a lush habitat for 30 species of bird and over 250 species of wildflower.
The dry gin is described as “the perfect summer thirst-quencher”, and is recommended to be served “into an ice-filled short tumbler before topping up with tonic and garnishing with a slice of lemon”.
Currently available to purchase online from the Royal Collection Shop, the gin will set you back £40 (AU $71.30). Profits from the spirit will be delegated to the maintenance of the antique furniture and collectibles in the Palace, of which there are more than 7,000 paintings.
While the Buckingham Palace Gin is currently sold out (a restock is expected in October), there are other alcohols available from the online store including a Palace of Holyroodhouse Highland 12-year-old single malt Scotch Whisky for £75 and a Buckingham Palace Port for £30.