SLTN Award-winning licensee Steve Latto and his wife and business partner, Hazel, have teamed up with Tayport Distillery to produce a signature gin for their St Andrews pub, The Criterion.
Under the Lattos’ management, The Criterion – which was originally established in 1874 – has often been inspired by local collaboration, so to celebrate its 150th year anniversary they asked the Tayport team to produce a gin that used local berries, as such flavours have proven popular with The Criterion clientele.
Tayport Distillery was already producing its own Blackcurrant Liqueur, so only a couple of meetings later, Tayport’s head distiller, Alasdair McDougall, had developed a recipe to suit the Lattos’ brief.
Steve said: “The launch of the Criterion Gin has been a dream of ours ever since we took on the bar.
“Our team is always speaking with customers and gaining insight into what they like and don’t like and this has really shaped how we wanted the gin to come out.
“With the majority of the hard work being done by the fabulously talented team at Tayport Distillery, together we have come up with a unique gin that has been carefully curated using nine botanicals such as juniper, coriander, cassia, angelica, orange peel, orris root, hibiscus, blackcurrants and raspberries.”
Steve continued: “Distilled with precision and passion in small batches, we believe our collaboration has delivered a modern gin that will stand the test of time, very much like The Criterion itself. The Criterion Gin can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, with tonic or as the foundation for inspired cocktails, this is a versatile gin that embodies the spirit of St Andrews and the surrounding areas.”
Co-owner of Tayport Distillery, Duncan McDougall, added: “Tayport Distillery was thrilled to be asked by The Criterion to collaborate on this project. When the team at The Criterion mentioned using local berries, we were excited to get back into how we started – distilling using real fruit!
“The blackcurrants are grown locally, and distilled with the other gin botanicals and this is what gives this gin a unique and delicious flavour.”
Taken neat, the Criterion Gin is said to offer ‘a warm mouthfeel which is bursting with berry flavours, complemented by citrus and base notes of juniper’.
The Criterion’s recommended serve is 50 mls of gin poured over ice with a slimline tonic and fresh local raspberries and blackberries to garnish.
