Pineapple, Ginger and Lime in a Gin? That's Bullards!

For a long time, the pineapple reigned supreme as the fruit of choice for home decor, explains Ben Griffin. Now its succulent summery charms have spread to spirits — specifically, Bullards Pineapple, Ginger and Lime Gin.

Taking the Bullards gin range to five, the pineapple variant was introduced to coincide with the launch of the latest store on Henrietta Street in Covent Garden, London.

Admittedly, gin is not usually a spirit you have on its own, and that, in all honesty, is still the case. Despite the pineapple, ginger, and lime fusion, the overriding taste is surprisingly blunt. More so than some of the other Bullards gins.

Served up with Bullards Double Dutch tonic (or whatever is at hand, let’s not be too fussy), however, and the resulting smooth and citrusy flavours were particularly enjoyable on what was a sweltering day.

A Pineapple as might be used in Bullards gin

Want to further enhance the fruitiness? Try the Bullards Pineapple Collins cocktail, which uses pineapple syrup (25ml) for a sweeter punch, as well as lime juice (25ml), ice, tonic (50-100ml) and pineapple slices. Sugar on the glass edge can work well, too.

Working my way through other Bullards gins, some as shots and some mixed, the London Dry Gin, world gin winner in 2017, is unusually palatable on its own and even better with tonic and in cocktails.

Old Tom Gin, meanwhile, fuses honey from Norfolk (where Bullards was founded in 1837), mango, vanilla pods, pink pepper and demerara sugar for a smooth and particularly warming hit.

My favourite was the award-winning Coastal Gin, which is lighter and more citrusy than its counterparts. The likes of samphire, Douglas fir, sea aster, sea purslane and wild fennel ensure it can more than justify the anchor on the front of the bottle.

Lastly, we have the Strawberry & Black Pepper Gin, which, like the pineapple gin, is not as strawberry-flavoured on its own as I would have liked. But it does come to life with tonic and is at home in a cocktail.

Unlike many gins out there, Bullards can be bought in eco-friendly refill bags. Doing so saves you £5 over the 70cl bottle price (£40) and saves on the production of glass. Plus, the packaging is said to be recyclable.

Bullards Gin is not just based at Covent Garden. You can also taste each gin and stock up at Canary Wharf, Chantry Place in Norwich and the Westfield shop on Ariel Way. Or just stay inside and order from their website.