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Buckingham Palace gin: As the Queen's first botanical blend sells out, here's five others to shop instead
From honeydew melon to marmalade, these citrus gins will tide you over until it's back in stock
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Your support makes all the difference.In case you haven’t heard, Buckingham Palace has started making its own gin.
Made using a botanical blend of ingredients from the Queen’s garden, including lemon, verbena, hawthorn berries and mulberry leaves, it sold out within eight hours of its launch earlier this week.
Described by the Palace as being “the perfect summer thirst-quencher”, the £40 bottle which is also 42 per cent ABV and comes in 70cl, is now available to pre-order here for those who missed out the first time, with orders being dispatched from 31 August.
From next week, it will also be available to purchase from the Royal Collection shops, when royal sites including Windsor Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace and the Queen's Galleries in London and Edinburgh reopen to the public on 23 July.
All profits from it will be going towards the Royal Collection Trust, an organisation which looks after the royal art collection and oversees all public openings of the Queen’s official residences.
It recommends serving the citrus-based gin in an ice-filled tumbler, topped up with tonic and garnished with a slice of lemon.
Actor Ryan Reynolds also appeared to celebrate the launch, posting a fake receipt on his Instagram of an order placed, pretending to be Sir Paul McCartney with a shipping address of Downtown Abbey Road. The actor also has his own gin brand, Aviation gin.
Should you be disappointed that you couldn’t get your hands on a bottle, we’ve found five citrus gins to try instead to see you through summer.
You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.
For a refreshingly light taste, try this Sipsmith lemon drizzle gin (John Lewis & Partners, £24) is perfect for summer.
With notes of sun-dried lemon peel, lemon verbena and vapour-infused fresh lemons, it’s a citrus delight, that will be a summery twist on a classic G&T.
Hailing from Cornwall, this Trevethan Cornish gin (Master of Malt, £37.95) recipe dates all the way back to the 1920's.
There's no shortage on flavour, it's a mix of juniper, angelica, coriander, cassia, cardamom, orange peel, lemon peel, vanilla, elderflower and gorse flower, that will have you pouring a second glass as soon as you've finished the first.
British brand Chase Distillery has already mastered the art of marmalade vodka, and has since tuned its attention to making gin, using similar flavours.
Sip on a cocktail of this Chase Distillery Seville orange gin (The Whiskey Exchange, £39.95), that wouldn't go amiss in a homemade negroni.
It also has noted of juniper, orange peel, liquorice, elderflower and bitter almond for a sweet finish too.
Aside from being housed in a decadent glass bottle that we'll definitely be keeping out on display, this Malfy gin con limone (Marks & Spencer, £28) also delivers on taste too.
It's made in Turin, Northern Italy, using lemons grown on the Amalfi coast and Sicily, paired with juniper and coriander.
Creamy vanilla, honeydew melon and coriander make up this McQueen sweet citrus gin (Amazon, £22) which add a zesty kick to any drink.
We'd recommend serving it with elderflower tonic, cracked black pepper and a spiral of grapefruit to garnish.