Sipsmith Summer Cup seasonal ambrosia

A simple and zesty gin sip with a kick of spice and lemon

The British summer of village fêtes, cricket matches and pub gardens will be populated with folk clutching highballs of Pimm’s. Nothing against the drink – we’ve spent fine times in each other’s company – but it is nice to mix things up.

My urbane alternative for summer 2014 is Sipsmith Summer Cup (£19.35 for 50cl) served simply with ice, lemonade and a crescent of lemon. It is not tart but certainly not sweet, and has a refined taste. Summer Cup is infused with lemon, orange, cucumber, Earl Grey tea, spices and home-grown lemon verbena from the garden of Sipsmith’s master distiller, Jared Brown. Let the spirit do the hard work, I say.

The revelation of what I’d been missing happened in a friend’s garden last summer, where I fell hard for the Summer Cup – metaphorically not literally, I hasten to add. Sipsmith started in a shed in Hammersmith, but with wins of 14 international medals since its inception five years ago, the distillery has relocated to the heady heights of a garage in Chiswick. I could go on about how great the copper distillation process is in Prudence, the German-built still, but all one needs to know is that Sipsmith’s gins and vodkas are excellent, and its Summer Cup absolutely ambrosial.

As for mixing, I suggest a wine glass, so that it’s possible to inhale the gin aromas. Fill it with ice and then one part Summer Cup to three parts lemonade and a slice of lemon. Simple. When the sun comes out, bring on the Sipsmith.