‘Tis the season for gin! At least, the Queen thinks so.
WATCH: Young Queen Elizabeth’s first televised Christmas message from 1957
She’s no stranger to a cheeky beverage herself; and now, after the success of Buckingham Palace’s last gin, Her Majesty is doubling down on her alcohol business ventures.
Sandringham estate – the private Norfolk country residence of the Queen – has announced the release of its very own gin. And just in time for Christmas!
The Sandringham Estate website explains how the locally-distilled alcohol is formulated.
“Distilled locally, our gin includes Sharon fruit, a woody tree related to ebony, also known as the Chinese Persimmon and foliage from myrtle plants.”
The description goes on to emphasise all the royal history that has been put into the gin.
“The Sharon Fruit is grown in the Walled Garden on a sheltered wall at the end of what was a range of glass houses,” the site reads. “Built on the winnings of the famous racehorse, Persimmon, owned by King Edward VII.”
And it doesn’t end there, “The foliage from myrtile plants also grown on the Estate, originated from a cutting taken from Princess Alexandra’s wedding bouquet on her marriage to Prince Albert Edward, who later became King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.”
For those living across the pond, the royal gin could be yours for the price of £50 ($90). But unfortunately, for all the Australians keen to try the gin, the alcohol cannot be posted internationally.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Her Majesty has dabbled in the alcohol business.
In July of this year, in an attempt to recoup some of the financial losses experienced as a result of the pandemic, Buckingham Palace announced its very own gin.
And if the success of its predecessor is any indication of how the new gin will be received, the Queen is looking at some serious profit.
Within eight hours of the small-batch dry gin being placed on the market, every last drop had been snatched up by royal fans, in what was a very speedy sell out.
Unlike its successor, the original gin does not feature the Sharon fruit. Instead, the makers opted for lemon, verbana, hawthorn berries, mulberry leaves and more.
With the Christmas season fast approaching, gin enthusiasts across the pond can spend the holidays sipping a beverage that is as rich in history as it is in taste, courtesy of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
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