The Cocktail Service invents the Queen Bee of Chelsea Flower Gin Cocktails
Chelsea Flower Gin’s launch party at world-renowned grocer to her Majesty the Queen, Partridges Chelsea, celebrated 45 years in service with a civilized cocktail competition on the King’s Road. To mark this prestigious occasion Partridges short-listed three cocktail recipes from a competitive list of local Kings Road bartenders who were invited to submit their Chelsea-flower-show-inspired recipes. The guests in attendance were given the honour to pick their favourite – a job many would not decline. All strikingly different in taste we took slow little sipps and discussed amongst us. The curiosity of who would win worldwide acclaim for creating the first Chelsea Flower Gin Cocktail made it ‘all that more jolly’ I heard one of the guests say.
The three cocktail recipe finalists were bee-loving bar tender Person Chase’s ‘Apidaes are here again’ from The Cocktail Service, Dmitrij Polvkarov’s ‘Chelsea’s Rose’ from Chicama and Omar Torar Ferras and Zoltan Keresztes’ ‘Rose Petal Martini’ from swanky bar Eight Over Eight. The Cocktail Service’s recipe played homage to the bees by choosing royal jelly as one of their main ingredients. With garden-making one of Britain’s national art forms I had a feeling this bartender was on to a good thing. Not a gardener myself I wouldn’t have the first clue how to save bees but his cocktail made us all aware of the importance of fighting against the declining bee population in Britain. Combined with the essential Chelsea Flower Gin and royal jelly syrup was rose jam, fresh lemon juice, orange blossom water, soda water and Martini Reserva Speciale Rubino vermouth. Garnished with dried hibiscus flowers, rose buds and honeycomb this recipe was indeed an adventurous effort.
Chicama’s ‘Chelsea’s Rose’ tasted a bit similar to a Negroni and was more masculine than the other two. Made with black tea and hibiscus syrup, orange liquor, herbal bitters and Chelsea Flower Gin it definitely was very strong! Inspired by the creative diversity during the 1960s in the King’s Road area, Chelsea’s Rose was anything but classic.
My personal favourite was Eight over Eight’s Rose Petal Martini garnished with rose petals. This was made with Chelsea Flower Gin, cranberry juice, apple juice, lime juice, rose syrup, egg white and rose oil. The rose flavour was very fitting for the occasion I felt and the taste was not as overwhelming as Chelsea’s Rose.
Dunnet Bay Distillers are responsible for producing the new Chelsea flower gin for Partridges and their distillery is located on dunnet bay on the north coast of Scotland. Chelsea Flower London Dry Gin contains 19 botanicals and has a subtle flavour of rose to commemorate the historic association of flowers and nurseries in Kings Road, Chelsea.
After all the votes were counted The Cocktail Service were awarded as the overall winners for creating the first Chelsea Flower Gin Cocktail. Congratulations to Person Chase!
With pretty floral branding you can purchase Chelsea Flower Gin in Partridges stores and online. They also have a stall at their regular Saturday market in Duke of York Square. Gin and tonic anyone? It’s good to be British sometimes.
To visit Partridges London’s website please click here:
Written by Julia Nelson
