Mosel-Gin

The gin of your life

Mosel with percentage

Still haven’t found your gin of a lifetime? Then head for the Mosel region. Because here, creative distillers excel at producing varieties refined with ingredients from their own region. From spicy to floral; its all there.

For years, gin didn’t have a place on bar shelves. It was even replaced by vodka as an ingredient for a classic Martini. The Queen Mum was considered its loyalist fan.

But this antiquated image of the juniper schnapps has had a facelift. Now the whole world loves gin thanks to the vast variety of flavours available. Juniper is by no means the only defining flavour any more. The distinctively scented berries may still be the main protagonists of this high-percentage spirit but all kinds of herbs, spices, fruits and other natural ingredients are now also used. Not all varieties of schnapps taste the same by all means! These botanicals give each gin its unique flavour.

Gin with local flavour

If you’re looking for the gin of a lifetime, you’re guaranteed to find it along the Mosel. More and more distillers in the region are fuelling the gin trend, using ingredients that grow on their doorstop. The result is a variety of popular juniper schnapps flavours for every taste. This includes “Rouge Mosel Dry Gin”, produced by Wajos, which has the flavour of juniper berries and red vineyard peaches.

“Ginheimer” gin also impresses with this fruit so typical of the Mosel region and the accompanying flavour of hand-picked walnuts from the Echternacher Hof in Kinheim.

Ansicht auf eine Flasche Ging Rouge von Wajos.

Ansicht auf eine Flasche Ginheimer Mosel Dry Gin, Café Bonaparte in Kinheim.

On the other hand, the Minheim-produced “Hero Gin” gets its superpowers from juniper, lemon and orange peel, lavender and two other secret botanicals – the full recipes are never revealed. With their red superhero capes, the bottles themselves make quite an impression.

“Harrys Waldgin” is also characterised by its local flavours. A product of the collaboration between star chef Harald Rüssel and expert distiller Hubertus Vallendar, it brings together the flavours from eleven local herbs and woodland botanicals from Naurath/Wald near Trier, which include juniper, spruce tips, buckler sorrel and medlars. It’s definitely not your everyday gin.

Ansicht auf eine Flasche Harrys Waldgin aus dem Landhaus Naurath.

Gin made with the queen of grapes

The gin from the young distillery “Die Schmiede” features a total of 16 ingredients. Amongst these are Riesling grapes from the steepest vineyard in Europe, the Bremmer Calmont.

Ansicht Elz Aged Gin vom Springierbacher Hof.

The exquisite Riesling grapes of the Saarburg winery Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken form the essence of “Ferdinand’s Gin”. And the ingredients of “Gin Elz!” from Springiersbacher Hof in Ediger-Eller include fresh vine blossoms from Riesling vines as well as more than 30 different botanicals.

Gin is traditionally served neat with a slice of lemon. But it is also often enjoyed as an ingredient in long drinks and cocktails such as in a Negroni or a sparkling Gin Fizz. The British Queen Elizabeth II allegedly likes her gin with added Dubonnet, a type of vermouth. And the mother of the world’s longest-serving monarch is said to have enjoyed at least one gin and tonic a day. And the late Queen Mum actually made it to the grand age of 101. God save the gin!