Daffy’s Gin Review

At the 2018, World Martini Competition we had the pleasure of meeting Mignonne Khazaka, one half of Daffy’s co-founders. She filled us in on the history of Daffy’s Gin which was founded in 2014 alongside her hushband, Chris Molyneaux. As I recently learned Daffy is an old Dickensian nickname for gin and the imagery on the bottle was created by artist Robert McGinnis (Breakfast at Tiffany’s, James Bond, Barbarella) painting Mignonne as the Goddess of Gin. My keen eyed friend spotted this straight away and we were both suitably impressed.

Daffy’s Botanicals include Mint from Zhale, Lebanon, Juniper and Coriander from the Balkan States, Angelica Root from Belguim, Lemon Peel from Italy, Cassia Park from Indonesia, Orris Root from Morocco and Orange Peel from Spain.

I love the smell of this gin, it does not have an over powering Juniper smell but you can still tell it is gin. Maybe it’s the inclusion of the ‘Lebanese mint’ grown on Mignonne’s father’s vineyard in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon. The taste of the gin on its’ own is smooth and buttery with no after burn. I’m not going to lie, I expected this as Daffy’s Gin is a strong 43.4%.

The perfect serve Gin and Tonic is with fresh mint and lime in the form of the ‘The D&T’. First chill your glass by filling a highball or your preferred glass with two thirds of ice and stirring for several seconds. Next Roll a lime and cut 3 wedges. Pour off any melted ice water from your glass and squeeze one lime wedge over the ice. Pour 50ml of Daffy’s over the ice and then gently pour 100ml tonic water onto the inner side of the glass or down a mixing spoon. Stir in the 2 remaining lime wedges, a couple of rubbed leaves of fresh mint and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint. It’s absolutely delicious, and as a mojito drinker this was an absolute delight to drink. I also loved Daffy’s Gin with tonic water and garnished with apple and mint leaves as well.

Daffy’s Gin can be purchased online and at all good supermarkets, including Waitrose. Online, a 70cl bottle in a gorgeous container retails at £34, though we recommend splashing out on the Gift Box for £49.99. It contains the 70cl Bottle and 2 Gin Goblets featuring the stunning design on the bottle. Perfect for any serious gin drinker. Daffy’s Gin have also released a Limited Edition of Daffy’s Gin Red Gooseberry. I’m going to be definitely adding that bottle to my gin collection. I have a weakness for Gooseberries.

Website: www.daffysgin.com

Written by Tegan LeBon

Twitter and Instagram: @toogs1

Images from Daffy’s Gin.