A taste of Rotherham in every glass

Hooting Owl Distillery’s South Yorkshire Gin packs a herbaceous punch, which founder and master distiller Dominic M’Benga says is inspired by people, places and flavours from Rotherham and its near neighbours.

It was suggested to me that the gin was best served over ice with Indian tonic water and a garnish of rosemary and/or mint. I went for rosemary first, then mint, then both (it would have been wrong not to) and really enjoyed the latter combination.

The herbs gave the gin a well-rounded taste of the countryside, and I picked up on the dandelion root and the woody aromas, inspired by natural spaces and woodlands found across the county, including the Centenary Riverside nature reserve. No need to be worried – this tastes of the very best bits of Rotherham; Wentworth Woodhouse, the country parks, maybe even former Millers striker Michael Smith’s “ambitious, but brilliant” Wembley wonder goal.

Hooting Owl was set up by Dom with the aim of providing the finest, smoothest, hand-crafted Yorkshire gins, inspired by landscapes around the county, and he says: “It seemed obvious to me that my love for the county would be built into Hooting Owl’s gin recipes and I experimented a lot to get the right balance of flavours. There’s a reason behind each of the ingredients we include, and our South Yorkshire Gin is heavily influenced by the local landscape.”

Proud Yorkshireman Dom said: “Rotherham and the wider South Yorkshire region gave me lots of food for thought when I was creating the recipe. I was really struck by places such as the walled garden at Clifton Park and included a touch of mint and rosemary in the recipe to pay homage to places like that.

“With all of our gins we have tried to capture the character of the specific area. With our South Yorkshire gin there’s a bit of Rotherham in every glass.”

And, of course, with Yorkshire Day to Celebrate, Dom has worked with mixologists to create a unique gin cocktail.

Here’s the recipe for A South Yorkshire Summer Breeze:

Ingredients:

50ml Hooting Owl South Yorkshire Gin

20ml elderflower liqueur

20ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

10ml Yorkshire honey syrup (mix equal parts of locally sourced honey and water)

4-5 fresh blackberries (locally grown)

2-3 fresh mint leaves

Ice cubes

Soda water

Edible flowers and a sprig of rosemary for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

In a shaker, muddle the fresh blackberries and mint leaves to release their flavours.

Add the Hooting Owl South Yorkshire Gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice and Yorkshire honey syrup to the shaker.

Fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously for about ten-15 seconds.

Strain the mixture into a chilled highball glass filled with ice cubes.

Top up the glass with soda water to your desired level of fizziness.

Give the cocktail a gentle stir to mix the ingredients.

Garnish with edible flowers and a sprig of rosemary for an aromatic touch.

For more information about Hooting Owl’s South Yorkshire Gin visit: www.hootingowldistillery.co.uk or telephone 01904 501911 or 07747 036780 or email: [email protected]