Welcome to May’s Gin Box, and my have we something wonderful this month. Another celebration (which we’re really enjoying) of all things Irish. A serial drinks entrepreneur from Malahide in North Co Dublin is behind this month’s Gin, Blood Monkey. Jason Kidd worked for many years with Diageo, Heineken and Fosters all over the world, but he wanted to come home to Ireland.

“In 2018 I started to explore gin and realised that they all seemed to follow a similar path. The only differential was the provenance and the botanicals, but most had a similar taste profile. Coming into a growing market with a lot of brands already present, we wanted to be different – both with our brand and the flavours of our gin”.

He wanted a gin that could be consumed neat, from the fridge or freezer, as well as being used in cocktails. The botanicals include Szechuan pepper and lime leaves – “these give it a slightly spicy kick and some extraordinary flavours”. Blood Monkey is not an ingredient but a reference to sailors, who drilled into a barrel to steal the liquor inside, known as “bleeding the monkey”.

When asked what he would love to see accompany Blood Monkey in its gin box, Jason himself suggested Aine’s Irish chocolate with Seville orange. The flavours in Blood Monkey are quite pronounced so we knew this month we would need a light tonic water. It has beautiful citrus and herbal notes but with a much lighter finish that comes from reduced sugar.  With a sophisticated dryness, Poachers Light can also be enjoyed on its own over ice with a slice of grapefruit or lime.

Isn’t it great to see small Irish Artisan companies and their brands thriving in Ireland today. We believe this is one of our most beautiful gin boxes to date, and the flavours and ingredients are of the highest standards too.

Enjoy!

From all of us at The Gin Box.ie