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Fords Gin 9 Botanicals outstanding mixability
The Journey
NEVER STOP SEARCHING
Working in the world of spirits for over 20 years, founder Simon Ford realized that the ultimate cocktail gin did not exist. He set out to change this with the leaders of the craft cocktail movement – a small band of bartenders, distillers and professional drinkers. After various versions of a recipe, it was on attempt #83 that they cracked the code for Fords Gin. Today, the same blend of nine botanicals is heralded as The Cocktail Gin.
Fords Gin 9 Botanicals outstanding mixability
THE JACK OF ALL TRADES GIN
Gin is meant for mixing, be it a Martini, Negroni, or a Bees Knees. It is no surprise then that our idea of the finished product wasn’t the spirit in the bottle alone, but also its application. This nine-botanical blend is expertly crafted for cocktails and recognized by professional and at-home bartenders for its outstanding mixability.
SIMON FORD
A legend both behind the bar and in the world of spirits, Simon has created, mixed and mastered countless cocktails. Discovering no gin versatile enough to fit every classic drink, he gathered top bartenders and distillers and conjured up what is now THE cocktail gin of the century.
Fords Gin 9 Botanicals outstanding mixability
CHARLES MAXWELL
An industry legend in his own right, Charles is an 11th generation distiller whose family started making gin in London in the 17th Century. The accrued knowledge of his first-hand experience, along with his unique family lineage, has given Charles the unwavering ability to consistently produce award-winning gins.
PASSION STEERS PROCESS
Step 1
STEEP
The nine botanicals that make up Fords Gin are steeped in stills for 15 hours to soften them and bring out more flavour before distillation. The botanicals release most of their oils during this process, giving Fords Gin weight and viscosity, one of its defining characteristics.
Step 2
DISTILL
Fords Gin is distilled for five hours in copper stills crafted by the legendary John Dore still-making company for the Thames Distillery. Appropriately named Tom Thumb and Thumbelina, these 500-liter stills produce a 200-liter batch of Fords Gin each run.
Step 3
CUT
After the distillation process, Fords Gin is shipped in bulk to Newbridge, Scotland, where the gin is cut with pure spring water, giving it its final layer of quality before bottling at 45% ABV.
LONDON DRY
Cut through the fog with the style of gin most known for quality. Fords Gin is London born, London proud.
PURE BOTANICALS
Ingredients in Fords Gin are sourced through Joseph Flach & Sons Ltd. —importing a world of botanicals since 1882.
THAMES DISTILLERY
Fords Gin is distilled by the family that’s made London dry gins with exotic botanicals for more than three centuries.
STEEPED IN EXPLORATION
Fords Gin makes it easy to discover cocktails that have turned gin into a universally known spirit.
JOURNEYS IN GIN
Inspired by travel, Fords Gin is shaped by the detours that lead to more innovative answers.
TOAST WELL, ANYWHERE
Fords Gin encourages you to be a bartender wherever you roam. Raise a glass to living boldly.
The Cocktail Gin
SPIRIT OF THE WORLD
Fords Gin is found in the very best gin joints around the world, from iconic hotel bars to frequently visited neighborhood spots. Created with respect to the traditions that have historically defined gin making, this classic London Dry is keen for all your cocktail adventures.
Fords Gin 9 Botanicals outstanding mixability
Explore The Bottle
From the moment you pick up the Fords Gin bottle, you can sense that it’s different and more thoughtfully designed than most. The signature bottle was created to function as a bartender’s tool, not merely a vessel to hold liquid; this is apparent from the ergonomic shape of the bottle to the hash marks that adorn the side.
Bottle Batching
DESIGNED FOR COCKTAILS
Whether you’re a professional bartender looking to increase your bar’s efficiency, or a home bartender who wants to be ready for friends coming over to avoid being stuck making cocktails all night, we have the recipes and techniques you need.
Whatever the reason, everyone who enjoys good drinks needs this guide in their life. Maybe you just want a perfect cocktail chilling in the fridge, ready for you to sip and enjoy when it takes your fancy.
Fords Gin 9 Botanicals outstanding mixability
FORDS GIN CO SLOE GIN
The London-Made Sloe Gin Liqueur Features a Combination of the Classic Fords Recipe with Hand-Picked Sloe Berries
Louisville, Ky. – April 5, 2022 – Fords Gin, the cocktail gin, is pleased to announce today the release of The Fords Gin Co Sloe Gin, a liqueur that combines the classic Fords London Dry Gin recipe with hand-picked sloe fruit from England and France.
Sloe Gin is a continuation of the brand’s Journeys in Gin, which features limited release expressions and follows the February 2019 debut of Fords Gin Officers’ Reserve. The Fords Co Sloe Gin is available on and off premise and retails for a suggested retail price of $34.99 (700 ml).
Fords Gin 9 Botanicals outstanding mixability
Why Fords Gin is Made in England and How it’s Unique
BY KARA NEWMAN
Fords Gin 9 Botanicals outstanding mixability
Simon Ford has spent decades in the drinks industry. He started working in wine shops in his native England, eventually opening Koba, Brighton’s first high-end cocktail bar. Ford later nabbed a high-profile brand ambassador spot with Pernod Ricard, where he worked with brands like Plymouth Gin. In 2012, he co-founded The 86 Co., a label known for the creation of spirits targeted to bartenders, one of which is Fords Gin. As the bottle that bears his name approaches its five-year anniversary, Ford gave us the backstory.
How did Fords Gin come about?
Most people don’t know that Sasha [Petraske, the late proprietor of famed bar Milk & Honey] was our partner in crime. We had an amazing conversation about gin, and came up with this idea: We wanted to take elements from all of our favorite gins and put them into one, go-to “cocktail gin.” We used to get together at the Blue Ribbon Bakery—the one that’s open until 4 in the morning—and we’d bring all these flavor maps and try to put together a botanical profile that would fit all the classic cocktails that we, as bartenders, have to make on a daily basis.
You didn’t build a distillery. Why not?
I had originally wanted to make my gin in the U.S., and make it myself. But when the recipe started to form, I knew it had to be made in England. It’s the one place in the world where the historic brokers of botanicals are. That’s why we went to London—the best juniper is there.
When we had the first recipes, I took them to several distilleries. Charles Maxwell certainly made the best version. For the next two to three years, I was constantly making gin with him, bringing it back to the United States, mixing it in martinis, Negronis and gin and tonics and Tom Collinses, and then tweaking it and going back to him.
Who is Charles Maxwell?
Charles Maxwell is an eighth-generation gin distiller…Having him make our gin is an honor for me. I go back and make my own gin; I do it regularly. But I like to have someone day in and day out making the gin who is better at making it than me.
I knew it had to be made in England. It’s the one place in the world where the historic brokers of botanicals are. That’s why we went to London—the best juniper is there.
So what makes Fords Gin unique?
Here’s the secret: After all of this work, Fords Gin didn’t reinvent the wheel. I think we made another very good London dry gin. We were inadvertently driven to making a citrus-forward London dry gin that works well in good classic cocktails.
How did you know when you’d gotten it right?
[Bartender and author] Dale Degroff came with me to the distillery in London. We’d just made four batches for tasting. The gin that he fell in love with that day was the recipe we ended up with. I wound up making another 13, 14 after that, but we never made a better gin than we did that day.
Published: October 31, 2017
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