5 World Navy Strength Gins To Fuck Your Mum Up This Mother's Day!

So, you want to punch your beloved Mother in the face this Mothering Sunday with a bottle of gin? Well, let me take you through the wonderful world of hard hitting, fast dodging and fearless Navy Strength gins that will definitely do the job.

First, let's get down with some history. Navy strength gin is a beautiful thing and in the 18th Century our Royal Navy actually legislates that certain quantity of gin must be on board every ship, while they gallivanted around the four corners of the globe, colonising and getting a lovely bit of malaria washed up with a nice portion of scurvy! Ever had a Gimlet? (shame on you if you haven’t) but this simple mix of gin and lime cordial was made on board ships to help prevent those hideous diseases.

The majority of the time the copious amounts of gin would be stored very close the second most important member of the cargo - the gunpowder. Wet gunpowder in the middle of a large scale invasion naturally was not a desirable option for the big chested Naval Officers in charge and it became clear that if a gin was at least 57%ABV then the gunpowder would still be able to help destroy the incoming ship, landmark or even possibly damn pirate! This test was as much for the safety of the armoury but also to test the quality of the gin that was coming to them and to make sure those money hungry distillers where not over diluting the gin they were giving their comrades.

With all this in mind I have set off on my own Naval Voyage to find the very best 57%ABV+ gins from all across the globe. So, in no particular order, I bring you 5 Navy Strength Gins that really do stand up to the title of “Mohammad I’m Hard Bruce Lee” and will have no trouble flooring your mother in the first round.

Pickering’s. Scotland

Quite a new one to me but it is actually the official gin of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and actually comes with a beautifully handmade bearskin which, let’s be honest, is freaking awesome. But it’s the liquid in the bottle that really shows it means business. I wouldn’t be surprised if this spice driven beauty would kick the *bleep* out of a pile of gunpowder and leave it for bloody dead! I think it’s the extra 0.1% that does it as this is bottled at 57.1%ABV.

What I love so much about this gin is the smooth finish. The spice just slowly leaves the palate as juniper carries through with a brilliant sweetness that holds the flavour beautifully and gives it superb length.

Put this in a Gimlet, simply stirred down with the original Roses Lime Cordial.

Perry’s Tot. USA

This fantastic coriander, juniper and citrus heavy gin is produced by the New York Distilling Company and was named after a Commandant of the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the 1840s called Matthew Calbraith Perry. He was one of the most well known figures in the New York Navy so this has become a perfect tribute to him by producing a pretty much perfect Navy Strength gin.

Serve this long with tonic, plenty of ice, a wheel of lemon and some black peppercorns.

Tarquins Seadog. England

Once a limited edition, this is now a permanent fixture within the range and boy does that make me happy! Like the rest of the range, it is beautifully packaged and the liquid stands up to this. The initial floral sweetness is incredible and very unique. How the violet notes stand up to this big bag of alcohol I have no idea but it really bloody does! The spice and citrus follow on well and that classic, rich Tarquins mouthfeel is still there.

The red wax on covering the cork is the same colour as the drink I would always make with this. A wonderfully classic Negroni with this bad boy is nothing less than a freaking dream. A glug of this with a glug of Antica Formula and a glug of Campari over ice is all you need to do. Garnish with orange and some green peppercorns.

Four Pillars. Australia

Now this gin jumps right out at you with a blast of citrus-esque spice that I have never found in a Navy gin before. The nose is a perfect balance of ginger, orange, lime and a beautiful handful of coriander. This Asian freshness is then finished perfectly with turmeric which gives the gin an earthy character that is very unusual.

As with a lot of Navy’s it is the finish that shows off the true character of what you are drinking and this four pillars somehow manages to pull flavours like Vanilla out of the hat which was very unsuspecting.

This is one of the most rewarding gins I chose for this as it really does have its own identity and you would have no idea that it comes in at a massive 58.8%ABV.

Drink this long, with plenty of ice, a slice of lemon and some tonic water. It’s wonderful.

Herno. Sweden

I have been a huge fan of the original Herno gin for a very long time but recently I have started to always go for the Navy Strength when choosing. It is exactly the same distilled gin just with a touch less water. This is a brilliant gin from a small Scandinavian distillery.

It has a wonderful floral and spice note that I would presume comes from the Meadowseet, black pepper and Lingon berries combination. The pepper and coriander hold very long on the palate and that 57%ABV is hardly even evident when tasted neat.

As you lengthen this with tonic some flavours are lost but when put in a Negroni this guy really stands tall and kicks the Campari and Vermouth straight in the face!

#FourPillarsNavyStength #NavyStength #PickeringsGin #HernoGin #Gin #Edits #Tarquinsseadog #PerrysTot