Our Adventures — Explorer's Gin

Last Sunday Olivier Ward of Gin Foundry presented ‘Explorer's Gin’ on Channel 4 Sunday Brunch. He spoke about Downton, Loch Ness and Batch Brew distilleries and what makes each distillery unique. Cocktails were also served alongside each gin show casing their unique botanicals, thirsty work for those involved!

Sunday Brunch Review (click link)

To see how to make the other cocktails (click link)

In line with our nautical and royal history, Downton Distillery was very proud to be able to participate in The Kings Cup regatta. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hosted this inaugural regatta to raise awareness and funds for eight of Their Royal Highnesses’ patronages, with the historic gold cup, first presented by King George V at Cowes’ Royal Yacht Squadron in 1920, being awarded to Tusk and collected on the charity’s behalf by Bear Grylls who captained the boat. 

Downton Distillery was asked to mark this event by creating a welcome cocktail specifically for this inaugural regatta, to be called The Kings Cup Cocktail. We held an informal contest among the head barmen from some of our renown clients, and after a great deal of debate and tastings we chose a cocktail that was to be served in antique tumblers with Pamplemousse Rose and fresh Lime juice being the main ingredients to add to our Explorer’s Gin - delightfully refreshing with a beautiful pinkish hue. The full recipe is being kept under wraps! 

The event took place on the Isle of Wight, and saw The Duke and Duchess go head to head as skippers of individual sailing boats (Fast40’s) in an eight-boat regatta race. Each boat had a celebrity ambassador and captain onboard, with others taking part including historian Dan Snow, England Women’s footballer Fara Williams, comedian John Bishop, Olympic rower Helen Glover, CBBC presenter Katie Thistleton and outdoor specialist Bear Grylls. 

The first race started 30 minutes late after two recalls due to false starts (nerves?!), and in the second race, all but one of the boats were recalled yet again for crossing the starting line early, and one was disqualified for not going back to start again – the Duchess’s boat..! Despite the starts that kept the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Race Officer’s busy, the racing was competitive and the teams battled it out in the two short races, with the historic trophy being awarded to Tusk, with London’s Air Ambulance coming in close second, and Child Bereavement UK and Centrepoint awarded joint third place. The Royal Foundations Early Years programme won the Wooden Spoon for eight place. 

Following the day of the water, the excitement continued at a gala dinner held in the RYS where all crew and guests were greeted on arrival with our welcome cocktail, The Kings Cup Cocktail, and throughout the night with other Explorer’s Gin cocktails from our bar – needless to say, the Kings Cup Cocktail remained the most popular tipple served that night! 

The Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) is an annual show jumping series that brings the top show jumpers in the world together to compete in some of the most explosive and exciting competition of any equestrian series. From individual events classified at CSI5* level to the newly created and highly exciting World Team Competition, the event is truly spectacular.

Taking place in up to 20 cities around the world, Downton Distillery were delighted to be the official Gin Sponsor for the London event that took place over three days in grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the retirement home for veterans of the British Army, the famous Chelsea Pensioners. 

Partnering with our friends from Rhino Bars, we provided our Explorer's Gin to all five bars of the event (our largest undertaking to date), including the Champions Bar and the VIP Hospitality grandstand where we served cocktails named after previous Global Champions, plus of course our classic Explorer's G & T. 

Under the knowledgeable and enthusiastic eye of Bill Gates and Bruce Springsteen (both of whose daughters were competing in the event) and thousands of other enthusiasts, this year's winner was Britain's own 2012 Olympic Champion, Ben Maher. After helping to win the Global Champions League Team event for the London Knights, he then continued on to the 12 horse jump-off final to claim the LGCT champions title on his horse Explosion W. Congratulations to Ben and look forward to continuing our relationship with the Global Championships Tour on another adventure elsewhere in the world!

“Splendid, simply splendid,” beamed 101-year old Dunkirk veteran John Hamilton as he sat in the Green Room at the Chalke Valley History Festival, glass in hand.

The small sniffer of gin I recommended to John was Downton Explorer, Batch 26, I believe. “You might like a sharper”, I said. He was about to go on stage and talk to 500 people about his exploits in 1940, interviewed by his old friend and neighbour, Major-General Andrew Cummin. John’s great claim to fame at Dunkirk is destroying three German Stuka dive-bombers which were harassing his men on the beaches. 

By the way, the answer to a long life is regular exercise. John thinks nothing of pumping iron for four hours a day, followed by a G&T as reported in The Times on Saturday! 

His views on life were echoed earlier in the week by veteran pilot Colin Bell. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944, flying intruder and pathfinder operations over Berlin and other heavily defended cities in Germany, flying his unarmed Mosquito. “I like the occasional glass of quality, to keep active and the company of good women, with the occasional bad one to keep me on my toes,” he said.

When I suggested Downton Explorer, might be the right, high quality, his response was typical: “we must get it stocked by the RAF Club so we can find out!” We are now working on it.

From the 'Paul Beaver Diaries'

Two explorer's came head to head on the 2nd July in Piccadilly, when we were delighted to support a true Global Explorer with our own ‘Explorer's Gin’ at COYA Private Member's Club in London. 

Global explorer Christina Franco has conquered the polar and arctic regions solo, and won the Polar Race 2005 to the Magnetic North Pole with team mate Justin Packshaw. With many accolades under her belt, including being the last woman to attempt a solo trip to the North Pole, the guests for the evening were treated to hearing Christina talk about her incredible exploits and adventures.  

Head Barman, Pierre Bedouilla and his team worked extensively prior to the event to create their very own cocktail to honour this event and the history of Exploration, and devised the ‘Ocean Travel Explorer.’ 

Served in a Nick & Nora rimmed with edible geranium paint, Explorer's Gin, pisco, kombu and garnished with samphire, this extraordinary Ocean Pisco Cordial was a true adventure in itself. 

Christina is about to embark on yet another adventure - and this time with her eight-year-old son Vittorio on a trip labelled No Plan No Plane. Their path will be lead by the suggestions of people they meet and of those who follow them via social media, for which she says: "We want to immerse ourselves in the journey completely and want the people we meet along the way and those who follow us to suggest the next places to visit either because they know someone we should go stay with or have visited a place they feel we should really see".  

Now that is a true Spirit of Adventure and we are delighted to continue to support Christina and Vittorio as they explore the world together!  

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Two of our own explorers Paul Beaver and Alfred Southwell took part in the 75th Anniversary D Day events by flying over to Normandy to attend the commemorations. Whilst many people would fly with BA or Easy Jet, these two were able to fly in aircraft that saw action on D Day in 1945.  

Paul recorded the day to share with you, he will also be speaking next week at Chalke Valley Historical Festival about DDay.

Paul's Journal

D -1 Tuesday, 4th June (Pre-flight preparation & press interviews)

10.00hrs

If the traffic is anything to go by, this is going to be an amazing couple of days at IWM Duxford. Sitting in the car, I can already see the Dakota crews are flying, practising their formation keeping. Around them buzz three Harvard trainers of the same period, acting as camera-platforms.

11.30hrs

The weather is mirroring events 75 years ago. The wind has increased, and the early parachute practice has been cancelled. That hasn’t stopped an estimated 10,000 people from walking the flight line, taking pictures and meeting the occasional celebratory, like Dan Snow. Besides Dan is Black Star, a company which makes special tee-shirts and one has just been pressed into my hands, so I look the part for television.

On the airfield, there are Dakotas from so many nations. There are Danes, Dutchmen, the beautiful Norwegian machine and a dozen from America. They have flown across the Atlantic using the wartime ferry route via Canada, Newfoundland, Greenland and Iceland. Several have been checked over at Prestwick or Coventry. It’s amazing to think there is still the expertise available to overhaul these 80-year-old beauties – the second oldest Dakota in the world is here. It pre-dates the Spitfire.

12.00hrs

Asked to do a ‘quick turn’ for Forces TV on the importance of the Dakota. Told them that the Dakota – and air power – is often missed from the D-Day story because people concentrate on the landing craft and fighting on the beaches. None of that would have been possible without command of the air and the parachute assaults by British and American soldiers would have been so much riskier. Standing with the TV crew, it is possible to see some of the aircraft which helped win that supremacy, including Mustang and Thunderbolt fights; there’s a Spitfire and bunch of those fragile Auster spotter planes I saw on Saturday at Netheravon.

14.00hrs

The wind’s up and so is the rain. Time to head home and prepare for the big event tomorrow – 25 Dakotas crossing the Channel with fighter escort. It’s going to be amazing.

D DAY Wednesday, 5th June (Flight armada to France)

09.00hrs

I know this is going to be a special day. I arrive at a friend’s airfield near my Hampshire home and brief for a flight to Duxford; with the reports of long traffic delays, it is the only way to travel. I am no stranger to the Gazelle helicopter and am delighted to find that the one allocated is the one in which I first flew as an aspiring helicopter pilot in 1977.

10.30hrs

Brief complete, checks and formalities completed, we are airborne – about the only ones who are because of the VVIP movements further south for the spectacular events at Portsmouth. President Trump’s gets airborne and his people stop everyone else in about 50 miles doing the same; that’s real power.  

The flight up to Duxford reminds me just how much I miss flying helicopters and especially the nimble Gazelle. The views of Reading, Henley, Beaconsfield and other favourite towns en route is wonderful as the helicopter flies, avoiding houses and farms, at 1,000 feet (305m) and 120 knots (138 mph) Bliss.

 11.30hrs

On the dot, we land at Duxford. It is truly amazing to see so many Dakota transports, Mustang fighters and Harvard trainers on the ground. I discover at the brief that I am assigned to a Dakota which has just ‘lost’ an engine – it’s still on the wing really! The issue is that it won’t be flying to Normandy and just as I turn away, an American voice shouts “hey, have you got a sectional” seeing my UK aeronautical chart in the pocket of my flying suit. And seeing my pilot’s wings, he adds, “do you want to fly with us as we have no maps”. It is difficult not to jump for joy.

I explain that it would be delighted and heft my bag into the stately, beautifully restored and Seattle-based Pan American Airways DC-3 of the Historic Flight Foundation, complete with armchairs and a cocktail cabinet – having no Downtown Explorer in there is an error which can be rectified. At that moment, more important to me is the navigator’s table on which I can spread my chart and start plotting the route against time. Bliss again.

 16.00hrs

It takes a while for various VVIPs to clear the airspace across the Channel to Caen, the lovely Norman capital of Normandy which is the destination of the aerial armada. But then, we are off, streaming down the runway at Duxford at 10 seconds spacing, climbing up to make the first waypoint at Stradishall, before tracking to Colchester (homage to 16 Airborne Brigade’s barracks); the Thames between Canvey island and Southend; across the estuary to Rochester; Maidstone; direct track to Beachy head where there are thousands of people all waving madly. And now, I come into my own, setting the course to steer which other American Dakotas will follow.

 As we leave the shores of Blighty, the radio crackles with a familiar (Scottish) voice as a Mustang flies past. It is Miss Helen with friends John and Alfie aboard taking pictures of the aerial armada. No time, to wave as I must keep an eye on track and time. We make Le Havre within 60 seconds of my dead reckoning. A bit of self-congratulation although the Chief of the Air Staff might say, it should have been plus or minus 5 seconds! He’s not here, so I am very content.

We land at Caen and find the French police delightful. They are in the spirit of the event and stamp our passports with the date, place and a small aeroplane. Back to the aircraft to put them to bed. Miss Helen is there, next to the Dakota line so we exchange banter in true aviator style and cover the valuable machines for the night. There will be no flying for non-Americans tomorrow as POTUS (Trump) is in Normandy and the Secret Service has clamped everything down. Surprising that the usually independent French authorities fall into line. 

22.00hrs

It takes this long to get to the hotel. No food on offer so we have to order in pizza which suits the Americans from another Dakota, called Placid Lassie.; it’s come from Tennessee. Out comes the bottle of Downtown Explorer. No Fever Tree but at least some Schweppes and perhaps a few beers. The Americans quickly fall in love with the idea of hand-crafted gin. We are on to a winner here!

Paul is a Historian, Aviator, Explorer and Gin connoisseur.

The world's largest and most beautiful classic schooners lined up of Capri, the Gulf of Naples, for the first regatta designed solely for classic schooners, and the inaugural event for the newly formed International Schooner Association. 

Downton Distillery threw in their nautical history behind this spectacular event by sponsoring the regatta with their Explorer's Gin - a natural choice considering the adventurous spirit, high adrenaline and sheer excitement that goes with sailing these classic yachts. To ensure the sailing was true to its heritage, the organisers designed the races to start from anchor as they did in the 19th century, and staggered starts with the courses optimised for the peculiarities of the classic schooner sailing. 

Tomas de Vargas Machuca, the President of the International Schooner Association and The Classic Yacht Experience (TCYE) who own and run two of yachts, Puritan and Orianda said: “It’s a great honour to be representing the interests of owners, captains and crews of these wonderful yachts. After all, we are only custodians of them during our lifetime. We keep the tradition of sailing schooners alive and train a lot of youngsters in a kind of 'academy' It is attracting young people to older boats."

Celebrating these traditions was also reflected in this event where, post racing, crews demonstrated the skills and habits employed on classic schooners, from intricate ropework to the singing of sea shanties. All things that Sir Walter Raleigh and other explorer's would have been more than knowledgeable of!  

The 138ft Mariette of 1915 and the 18ft Naema were the winners of this 2019 inaugural regatta. These two yachts had spent the entire event match racing, with the outcome decided on the last race when Naema planted a penalty on her rival in a port-starboard incident at the top mark. After Mariette of 1915 tacked on to port and was approaching the mark she infringed Naema, which was closing on the mark on starboard with rights. In fact Mariette of 1915 should have accepted a time penalty, but in the event she carried out a 360° penalty turn – no small undertaking in a 138ft 180 tonne beast of a vessel with eight sails up – leaving her behind her rival, and ultimately top honours.

 Downton Distillery's Explorer's Gin typifies the same sense of adventure and boldness that classic yacht sailing embodies.... an extraordinary gin that contributed to making the Capri Classica and Schooner Cup a great success. We hope they will continue partner The Classic Yacht Experience for many years to come!" Tomas de Vargas Machuca.

Downton Distillery partnered with Letters Live as the official drinks partner of their Green Room; the VIP room where artists and their guests relax throughout the event. 

Inspired by Shaun Usher’s international best-selling Letters of Note series and Simon Garfield’s To the Letter, Letters Live is a live celebration of the enduring power of literary correspondence. Each show always features a completely different array of great performers, reading remarkable letters written over the centuries and from around the world, with the aim of promoting literacy and to fund-raising for literacy charities around the world.

Held at the stunning Union Chapel in Islington, we were proud to support this magnificent event and serve our Explorer's Gin cocktails to a diverse and outstanding group of performers and artists. Over a period of three days, these artists performing on stage included Benedict Cumberbatch, Andy Serkis, Olivia Coleman, Noel Fielding, Lesley Manville, Tom Odell, Stephen Campbell Moore, John Bishop, Julian Clary, Felicity Jones, Juliet Stevenson, Stephen Mangan, John Simm and many others.

On 10th December 2018 Downton Distillery were proudly sponsoring the private viewing of the auction 'Designing an Empire' at Bonhams on New Bond Street.

There were 450 guests at the event, listening to Tom Mollo discuss his father’s career as an Oscar winning costume designer for Star Wars movies and other Hollywood films. Downton Distillery provided Virginia Gimlets and Explorer Gin and Tonics to keep people refreshed.