Summer carries heat and electricity. In the country, rolling storms chase us through fields, soaking us to the bone. Wrenched off fire hydrants flood city streets, and we make our way to roof tops for that extra bit of breeze, feeling like Icarus heading for the sun. It’s a time for fresh and fruity drinks, clear or colorful, we couldn’t care less. Summer is carefree and amorous, and that’s something we feel while drinking Astral Pacific Gin.
The Spirit Guild’s flagship spirit is distilled from clementines, and tastes of Southern California summer. The clementines are grown in Bakersfield, and pink peppercorn and pistachio compliment quintessential gin botanicals such as juniper, coriander, cinnamon, and angelica. Astral Pacific Gin uses two types of juniper, helping to give it a balanced warmth.
Fruit and pine are apparent on the nose along with floral notes. Orange splashes across the tongue accompanied by spicy pink peppercorn and citrus as well as a slight hint of acid. It’s round and velvety on the tongue, moving front to back without ever forcing the cheeks to pucker.
Astral Pacific Gin is less dry than the usual London varieties. It is fruitier and fuller, giving a gin and tonic additional brightness and complexity, especially when garnished with an orange slice. In a martini, it’s more akin to the variety drank pre-prohibition, wet and full. The beauty of the gin is that it adds a touch of je ne sais quoi to everything it touches. It’s the perfect partner for summer in the City of Stars.
For us, Astral Pacific Gin is summer love.
The Spirit Guild distills their gin in Los Angeles’ Arts District, on a site where the state’s first commercial vineyards and orange groves once thrived. There is a tasting room on site, and they are just blocks from the Los Angeles River.
Find It Here:
586 Mateo St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013