IES86542B2 - Alcoholic beverage - Google Patents

Abstract

A juniper-flavoured spirit drink, with additional flavouring, wherein the spirit drink is selected from gin, distilled gin or London gin and the additional flavouring is selected from shamrock or clover leaf.

Description

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE Description FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to an alcoholic beverage and in particular to an alcoholic spirit.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION [0002] A spirit drink is an alcoholic drink generally having a minimum alcoholic strength of 15% volume and may be produced in a number of ways. [0003] Direct production involves the distillation (with or without added flavourings) of naturally fermented products; by the maceration or similar processing of plant materials in ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin and/or distillates of agricultural origin, and/or spirit drinks; or by the addition of for example flavourings or sugars to ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin and/or to distillates of agricultural origin, and/or to spirit drinks; or by a combination of such methods.

[0004] Alternatively, production may be by the mixture of a spirit drink with one or more of other spirit drinks, ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin and/or distillates of agricultural origin, other alcoholic beverages, drinks, or a combination thereof.

[0005] Gin is a juniper-flavoured spirit drink produced by flavouring ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin with juniper berries, and generally has a minimum alcoholic strength by volume of 37.5%. The term “gin” includes gin, distilled gin, and London gin, as defined herein. While all gins include juniper as an ingredient, other natural flavouring ingredients known as botanicals are commonly used, including, for exampie, coriander, angelica, orange peel, cardomon, cinnamon, grains of paradise, cubeb berries and nutmeg. Typically, six to ten botanicals may be included, but the predominant flavour is that of juniper.

[0006] Recent years have seen a growing trend for flavoured spirits, including flavoured gins, with launches including gin with cucumber flavouring, and gin with elderflower flavouring.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] The present invention provides a juniper-flavoured spirit drink with additional flavouring.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [0008] The present invention provides a juniper-flavoured spirit drink comprising an additional flavouring selected from shamrock flavouring and clover-leaf flavouring. The juniper-flavoured spirit is for example, gin, distilled gin, or London gin.

[0009] In the present context, “gin” is as defined in REGULATION (EC) No 110/2008 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 15 January 2008, i.e., it is a juniper-flavoured spirit drink produced by flavouring organoleptically suitable ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin with juniper berries, with a minimum alcoholic strength of 37.5%, and having only natural and/or nature-identical flavouring substances or flavouring preparations such that the taste is predominantly that of juniper, [0010] In the present context, “distilled gin” is as defined in REGULATION (EC) No 110/2008 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 15 January 2008, i.e., it is a juniper-flavoured spirit drink produced exclusively by redistilling organoleptically suitable ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin of an appropriate quality with an initial alcoholic strength of at least 96 % vol., in stills traditionally used for gin, in the presence of juniper berries and of other natural botanicals provided that the juniper taste is predominant; or the mixture of the product of such distillation and ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin with the same composition, purity and alcoholic strength; it maybe flavoured with natural and/or nature-identical flavouring substances and/or flavouring preparations, and a minimum alcoholic strength of 37.5%. [0011J In the present context, “London gin” is as defined in REGULATION (EC) No 110/2008 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 15 January 2008, i.e., it is a type of distilled gin obtained exclusively from ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, with a maximum methanol content of 5 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol, whose flavour is introduced exclusively through the redistillation in traditional stills of ethyl alcohol in tlie presence of all the natural plant materials used; the resultant distillate of which contains at least 70 % alcohol by vol.; it does not contain added sweetening exceeding 0.1 gram of sugars per litre of the final product nor colorants; it does not contain any other added ingredients other than water; and it has a minimum alcoholic strength of 37,5 %.

[0012] The juniper-flavoured spirit drink of the present invention is distilled from grain-neutral spirit and preferably includes, in addition to juniper, other botanicals. A wide variety of botanicals may be used, including barks (for example, cassia; cinnamon), berries (for example, rowan, cubeb), citrus peels (for example, orange, lemon, grapefruit), drupes (for example, almond), fruits (for example, cucumber, peach), leaves (for example, flowers such as clove, iris, lavender, rose, red clover, honeysuckle, myrtle; tea such as sencha, green), roots (for example, angelica, iris, liquorice, orris, sarsaparilla) and seeds (for example, angelica, anise, cardomon, coriander, grains of paradise, nutmeg). Preferably up to ten botanicals are included in the juniper-flavoured spirit drink of the present invention. Preferred botanicals include coriander; angelica root; red clover flowers; cut myrtle leaves; honeysuckle flowers; rowan berries; sweet orange peel; orris root powder; and liquorice root powder. However the exact nature and combination of botanicals is highly variable and not crucial to the present invention, provided that juniper is a main ingredient.

[0013] Preferably in the juniper-flavoured spirit drink of the present invention, juniper will comprise approximately 60% of the total content of flavourings used. However the amount of juniper may vary, for example between 50% and 90%, or between 50% and 80%, or between 50% and 70%, for example from 55-65%, of the total content of flavourings used.

[0014] The amount of shamrock or clover leaf in the juniper-flavoured spirit drink of the present invention is preferably around 1% or the total content of flavourings used. However the amount of shamrock or clover leaf may vary and may be up to 5%, up to 4%, up to 3% up to 2% or up to 1.5% of the total content of flavourings used. Preferably the amount of shamrock or clover leaf is at least 0.1%, for example at least 0.5% of the total content of flavourings used.

[0015] The juniper-flavoured spirit drink of the present invention may be made by conventional means well known to those skilled in the art.

EXAMPLES The following flavour combinations were used in a juniper-flavoured spirit drink distilled using grain neutral spirit (all percentages by weight): Example 1: Juniper 60% Coriander 20% • Angelica root 10% • Red clover flowers 3% • Cut myrtle leaves 2% • Honeysuckle flowers 2% • Rowan berries 1 % • Sweet orange peel 1% . Shamrock 1% Example 2: • Juniper 60% • Coriander 20% • Angelica root 10% • Red clover flowers 2% • Cut myrtle leaves 2% • Honeysuckle flowers 1 % • Rowan berries 1% • Sweet orange peell% • Orris root powder 1% • Liquorice root powder 1 % . Shamrock 1%

Claims (5)

1. A juniper-flavoured spirit drink comprising an additional flavouring selected from shamrock and clover-leaf.

2. A juniper-flavoured spirit drink as claimed in claim 1, selected from gin, distilled gin and London gin.

3. A juniper-flavoured spirit drink as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the additional flavouring selected from shamrock and clover-leaf comprises up to 5% of the total content of flavourings used, and/or wherein the additional flavouring selected from shamrock and clover-leaf comprises at least 0.1% of the total content of flavourings used.

4. A juniper-flavoured spirit drink as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the additional flavouring selected from shamrock and clover-leaf comprises approximately 1% of the total content of flavourings used.

5. A juniper-flavoured spirit drink as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the additional flavouring is shamrock.