Gin of the month: Audemus Esprit d'Eté

If you've developed a bit of a collector's habit when it comes to gin here's a truly limited edition one of which only 200 bottles were originally made

It's called Audemus Esprit d'Eté (spirit of summer) and was the winning gin in last year's Waitrose Drinks festival. Laura Parton and Joseph Blenkinsop picked the botanicals which include bergamot, orange peel and galangal which gives it a refreshing citrussy character while retaining its essential 'ginnyness' - something that's by no means true of all new gins. With an ABV of 43% it also makes a good gin and tonic (I used Fevertree's original which lets the fragrant, summery. orange flavour come through)

Six food pairings for gin that might surprise you

If you miss out - and I'd get in quick given the website is claiming there are only 194 bottles - French owned distillery Audemus also makes a delicious pink pepper gin. The Esprit d'Eté costs £39 online from Waitrose Cellar. Expensive but worth it.

Gin of the month: Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin

You like gin? You like shiraz? You’re in luck! Australian distillery Four Pillars has combined the two in a gin they’ve called Bloody Shiraz, the perfect bottle with which to celebrate Australia Day.

Apparently it’s made from shiraz grapes that are steeped in gin for 8 weeks, giving it a luscious dark berry character - a bit like a sloe or damson gin. I enjoyed it most as a shot and on the rocks: although they advise that you can drink it with tonic I actually found it too sweet that way. There are lots of other cocktail ideas on their website including the Bloody Jasmine.

The price in the UK varies considerably. The cheapest I’ve spotted it is on special offer at £34.99 from Ministry of Drinks and Simply Wines Direct and £37.95 from Field & Fawcett while some sites sell it for as much as £51.

Either way it’s not cheap but I know a lot of you gin fanatics out there like to get your hands on something different and you can pretty well guarantee no-one will have a red gin in their collection!

Six food pairings for gin that might surprise you

Drink of the week: Warner Edwards Harrington Sloe Gin

If you’re going to stay with someone - or even just have a meal with them - over Christmas, it’s good to take along a bottle of some kind and if you don’t know their taste in wine why not make it gin?

Warner Edwards, which is run by two good friends Tom Warner and Sion Edwards, was one of the finalists in the drinks category of the BBC Food & Farming Awards I judged earlier this year. I liked their whole range, especially the rhubarb gin but sloe is perfect at this time of year.

It comes handsomely presented in a wax-sealed bottle and a box so looks as if you’ve spend money on it. (Which you have. It’s around £30 from online retailers including John Lewis and Amazon - which is expensive for sloe gin but at 30% it’s higher in alcohol than most which makes it suitable both for cocktails and sipping.) I can strongly recommend trying it with Stilton or pouring it into a hip flask for your Boxing Day walk …

Waitrose Heston Fruit Cup

I’ve never been a great fan of Pimm’s so I wasn’t expecting much from the Heston Blumenthal Fruit Cup which has just been launched by Waitrose.

It’s produced by Chase Distillery and based on the Heston Earl Grey and Lemon Gin which I was also surprised to like as much as I did.The fruit cup also includes elderflower, blackcurrant and raspberry liqueurs.

They suggest you serve it in a tall glass with lightly crushed raspberries and a couple of fine slices of peeled fresh sliced ginger. Pour over 2 x 25ml measures of the Heston Fruit Cup and 150ml ginger ale (so 1:3), add a few cubes of ice, a squeeze of lime and garnish with fresh rosemary and lime zest (not sure about the zest as a garnish but the rosemary makes it.) It’s incredibly good - fruity without being too sweet and with a lovely aromatic note from the bergamot you don’t get with Pimm's.

You can also apparently mix it with lemonade, sliced strawberries and mint.

It’s on an introductory offer at £16 until June 4th when it will revert to a rather pricier £21.35 so I’d snap up a couple of bottles now.