The Truth About Buckingham Palace's Gin
Fans of the royals will be happy to know that they can now drink like those in the British monarchy do. Buckingham Palace just released a new London dry gin, which may have been inspired by Queen Elizabeth II's love for the spirit. Her drink of choice is reportedly a gin and Dubonnet, according to Tasting Table.
The royal-approved gin is aptly named Buckingham Palace Gin. It's now available at the Royal Collection Trust Shop, which states on its website that many of the spirit's "citrus and herbal notes" are sourced from botanicals plucked from the Buckingham Palace Gardens, which span 16 hectares, or 160,000 square meters, and are home to 30 bird species and over 250 wildflower species.
Among 12 botanicals used to create the small-batch gin are lemon, verbena, hawthorn berries, and mulberry leaves. The bottle, which is elegantly designed with a floral theme, is 70 cl, or 700 ml, with 42-percent ABV. The shop recommended a way to serve the gin that's perfect for the summer — pour it out into a short tumbler with ice, top it up with tonic water, and then garnish the drink with a slice of lemon.
Where can you get Buckingham Palace's gin?
The new gin, which will be served at official events at Buckingham Palace, has a retail price of £40, or around $50. Unfortunately for anyone outside of the UK, though, the spirit is only available for delivery within the country due to international shipping restrictions (via Food & Wine)
All profits from sales of the Buckingham Palace Gin will go to the Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity, for the continued care and conservation of the Royal Collection — one of the largest and most important art collections in the whole world.
The Royal Collection, spread across roughly 15 royal residences and former residences in the UK, displays a wide range of fine and decorative arts. Most of the collection is regularly open for the public to view. The queen does not own the Royal Collection as a private individual. It's held in trust by her for her successors and the UK (via Market Watch).
Distilling spirits is not new for the British monarchy. Prince Charles already produces organic gin at Highgrove Estate, his family residence in Cornwall. Balmoral Castle, which is owned by Queen Elizabeth, in Scotland, has its own brand of single malt whisky (via People).
The real reason Buckingham Palace debuted a new gin
There is speculation that the gin has been released as a way to boost the royal finances, which have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic after being forced to close Buckingham Palace and other royal homes to the public. As a result of the drop in tourism to these estates, the loss in revenue has reportedly reached $22 million.
A spokesperson for the Royal Collection Trust told People that the pandemic has been the greatest challenge to the charity in its history thus far. Based on the trust's current cost assumptions, the estimated total loss by the end of 2020 and 2021 is over $37 million.
A piece of welcome news is that the main royal palaces will reopen to the public on July 23, meaning tourists in the UK will be able to buy the new gin in the shop soon. The nation opened up to travelers from 58 select countries, with no 14-day quarantine needed, starting July 10 (via CNN Travel).