Seaside Gin
Forest Assembly
A floral and fruity gin highball. Floral and fruity spruce tips with notes of lime and grapefruit.
Flavour Profile: Bitter
Difficulty: Medium
Ingredients:
- 3 oz Fever Tree Soda
- 1 oz Spruce Tip Cordial*
- 1 oz Seaside Gin
Method:
Make sure all ingredients are chilled before mixing. Build all ingredients into Collins glass reserving the soda for last. Add ice and stir gently three times. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
*Spruce tip cordial: Make a spruce tip tea by boiling water and foraged spruce tips, while the liquid is still boiling, carefully combine equal parts by weight white sugar. Mix until sugar has fully dissolved. Add 5% Citric acid powder. (Total volume of syrup multiplied by 5 % by weight citric acid powder).
More Forest Assembly Info
Flavor Profile and Tasting Notes for Forest Assembly
Sheringham Distillery creates a unique forest-to-glass experience with the Forest Assembly cocktail. This refreshing drink combines foraged spruce tips with Sheringham’s award-winning Seaside Gin, delivering bright evergreen notes balanced by citrus and botanical complexity. The spruce tip cordial provides a distinctive piney sweetness that perfectly complements the coastal botanicals in the gin.
How Forest Flavors Blend with Seaside Gin
The first sip delivers a bright, resinous spruce flavor that immediately evokes walking through a coastal forest. The Seaside Gin’s signature winged kelp adds a subtle ocean minerality that grounds the forest notes. Citric acid in the cordial provides a tart backbone, while the effervescence from Fever Tree soda lifts all the flavors. The grapefruit garnish adds a final citrus oil essence that ties together the gin’s botanical profile with the wild spruce elements.
Recipe Variations and Customizations
The Forest Assembly cocktail adapts beautifully to personal preferences and seasonal availability. For a stronger botanical punch, increase the gin to 1.5 oz while reducing the soda slightly. During winter months when fresh spruce tips aren’t available, substitute with Douglas fir or pine tips for similar coniferous notes.
Alternative Ingredients and Modifications
- Replace Fever Tree soda with tonic water for added quinine bitterness
- Use Beacon Gin for a more floral interpretation
- Add a splash of elderflower liqueur for sweetness
- Create a non-alcoholic version with juniper tea instead of gin
- Serve warm in winter with hot water instead of soda
- Batch for parties by pre-mixing cordial and gin, adding soda per glass
Equipment, Preparation and Make-Ahead Tips for Forest Assembly
Creating the Forest Assembly requires minimal bar equipment but benefits from advance preparation. The spruce tip cordial is the star ingredient and needs proper foraging knowledge and preparation time. Fresh spruce tips appear in spring (typically April-May), making this a seasonal specialty unless you preserve the cordial.
Essential Tools and Preparation Steps
- Collins glass and bar spoon for gentle stirring
- Fine mesh strainer for cordial preparation
- Kitchen scale for precise cordial measurements
- Forage spruce tips from clean, pesticide-free areas
- Prepare cordial 24 hours ahead for best flavor extraction
- Store cordial refrigerated for up to 2 months
- Pre-chill all ingredients for optimal serving temperature
Perfect Occasions and Food Pairings for Forest Assembly
The Forest Assembly shines as a spring and summer cocktail when fresh spruce tips are available. This refreshing gin cocktail works perfectly for outdoor gatherings, garden parties, and especially wilderness-themed events. The light, effervescent nature makes it an excellent aperitif or afternoon refresher.
Complementary Food Pairings
The cocktail’s forest flavors pair wonderfully with Pacific Northwest cuisine. Serve alongside smoked salmon canapés, where the spruce notes complement the smokiness. Fresh oysters highlight the Seaside Gin’s coastal botanicals. Soft goat cheese with herbs echoes the cocktail’s botanical complexity. For heartier fare, grilled vegetables or cedar-plank salmon create harmonious flavor connections.
Cocktail History and Similar Drinks
The Forest Assembly represents modern craft cocktail innovation, incorporating foraged ingredients into classic highball structure. This drink connects to the growing movement of hyperlocal cocktails that celebrate regional flavors. The use of spruce tips in beverages dates back centuries to traditional Nordic and Indigenous preparations.
Related Cocktails in the Sheringham Portfolio
- Alpine Rain Sour – another forest-inspired gin cocktail
- Douglas Fir Sour – features similar coniferous notes
- Tree Hugger – celebrates botanical complexity
- Traditional gin fizzes and Collins cocktails
- Scandinavian spruce beer variations
Nutritional Information and Dietary Considerations for Forest Assembly
The Forest Assembly cocktail contains approximately 140-160 calories per serving, with most calories coming from the alcohol content and natural sugars in the spruce cordial. The homemade cordial contributes about 15-20 grams of sugar per cocktail, though this varies based on preparation method. The drink is naturally gluten-free and vegan, making it suitable for most dietary restrictions.
For a lower-calorie version, reduce the cordial to 0.75 oz and use sugar-free soda water. The cocktail contains no common allergens beyond potential tree resin sensitivity. Each serving contains approximately 1 standard drink of alcohol. Those watching sugar intake can substitute stevia or monk fruit sweetener in the cordial preparation. Sheringham Distillery’s spirits offer numerous cocktail options to suit various dietary needs and preferences.
