A Sparkling Clotted Cream Gin Cocktail

I must admit that I am no cocktail maker nor shaker, but what I do hold is a great foundation knowledge of sparkling wines and a fair experience of tasting gins to be able to at least find a nice pairing that by combining them into a cocktail you do not lose too much tasting experience of either.

Samples are what we receive frequently at Glass of Bubbly so it is important for us that for each and every one we receive we at least give some positive exposure to and as and when I can, I love to pair a spirit into a sparkling wine cocktail. This time a fine combination reached us not too many days apart to enable me to pair a light and dry Italian sparkling wine we received from ASDA with a unique tasting ‘The Wrecking Coast‘ Gin.

The Wrecking Coast Gin tasting notes: Gins comes in varied different tastes nowadays and many are an amazing extension from the common gins most of us will be familiar with from our weekly shops at the supermarket. Craft gin has been a wonderful advancement and allowed us to savour and enjoy a variety of gin tasting experiences and The Wrecking Coast have certainly a place in this wow category. The aromas it gives already tells you that there is a creamy and silky taste to be experienced. Taste is exactly what the aromas express, a creamy yet not overly sweet and what some may fear sickly sweetness that cream soda could give us, instead you have a gin that could easily be enjoyed neat at a room temperature and is not harsh in anyway yet an almost buttery length to it with all the usual gin senses you require.

Progrigio Spumante from ASDA tasting notes: A nice fruity expression on the nose. Lively fizz in the glass. A dry tasting Italian sparkling wine with a nice faint hint of fruits to include ripe peaches, apricots and red apples. Nice length that isn’t overly sweet and more on the dry side.

I felt that the Spumante and the gin would pair nicely as neither would outshine the other. I also added thinly sliced cucumber rather than lemon which I feel the citrus sharpness would hide the creamy expression of The Wrecking Coast. Blackberries added to give a slight fruity note to the cocktail. This cocktail combination paired nicely with the initial impact of taste from the sparkling wine and it’s dry fruity notes and then the gin and its creamy notes shine through on the length and finish with each sip.