Infused gin brands to spice up your summer cocktail

Infused gin brands are having a moment. Craft a deliciously surprising (or surpisingly delicious?) summer cocktail with these umami, seaweed, and akvavit flavours

gin in glass bottles being distilled with herb flavours
(Image credit: Nordic Spirits Lab)

Summer cocktail season is upon us and for many that means cracking open the tonic water and slicing up limes for a good old-fashioned gin and tonic. Classics are classics for a reason, but to those who want to mix up something a little different this summer season, we recommend trying these infused gin brands. 

Umami gin

Audemus umami gin in glass bottle

(Image credit: press)

Audemus Spirits has just launched an umami gin with a deliciously strange, savoury flavour. To make this spirit, Audemus distilled the gin with hand-picked capers and Italian Parmesan cheese, which is rich in the molecule responsible for our tongues’ ability to taste umami, the so-called ‘fifth taste’. 

The umami gin can simply be mixed with tonic, but we recommend serving it up in your Bloody Mary for an extra-punchy take on the classic cocktail.  

audemus-spirits.com

Akvavit infused gin

Nordic Spirits Lab signature gin distilled with akvavit botanicals in white bottle

(Image credit: press)

For a subtler flavour than the bold umami, we recommend Nordic Spirits Lab’s signature gin distilled with akvavit botanicals. Akvavit is a traditional Scandinavian spirit made from either grain or potatoes and flavoured with caraway or dill. By applying that same flavour profile to gin, Nordic Spirits Lab has created an intriguingly different take on the liquor. 

If you decide to try it for yourself, we suggest you mix it with tonic water and finish it off with a lemon peel and dill garnish. 

nordicspirits.com

Seaweed infused gin

Barra Atlantic seaweed flavoured gin in glass bottle with blue label

(Image credit: press)

Barra Atlantic Gin is a seaweed-flavoured gin distilled and bottled on the small Scottish island of Barra. The seaweed used to make the gin is hand-picked from the shores around the island and distilled alongside 17 other, more subtle, botanicals. 

It is an earthy, slightly salty gin that we propose using for a particularly piquant martini or Bloody Mary. 

isleofbarradistillers.com

Writer and Wallpaper* Contributing Editor

Mary Cleary is a writer based in London and New York. Previously beauty & grooming editor at Wallpaper*, she is now a contributing editor, alongside writing for various publications on all aspects of culture.