Our gin is based on a Bombay recipe dating from 17 July 1947. Kept as a family secret for over 66 years, it only resurfaced when we began distilling at Summerhall. Our original 1947 Bombay recipe The original recipe featured nine botanicals, which gave us a gin full of fragrant spices and fresh citrus fruits – just the way they liked it in the days of the Raj. But by 2014, people were expecting a softer, smoother style of gin. So we gently re-engineered our gin recipe to suit the modern palate. We also engineered a bespoke bain-marie heating system for our 500 litre copper stills, Gert and Emily. This is the secret to our gin’s perfect bitter-sweet balance. Once we have carefully prepared and measured our botanicals, we add them to the grain spirit in the stills. Here they enjoy a slow luxurious simmer, which coaxes out Pickering’s famously smooth, yet full-bodied flavour. Today we distil 3 core expressions of Pickering’s Gin using this recipe: classic Pickering’s Gin (with the red top), Pickering’s Original 1947 Gin (with the orange top) and Pickering’s Navy Strength Gin (with the bearskin hat). In total, we make 18 different gins in our small but perfectly formed distillery.