Curious by nature and Curio by name –
Whenever I go to Mullion, it is with the hope of seeing huge Atlantic rollers, crashing against the craggy Cornish coastline in true Winston Graham fashion: with, perhaps, some dashing, swash-buckling hero saving a ship from being ripped asunder on the jagged rocks beneath; and being lost forever into the inky blackness of a moonless night.
Alas, the sea has always been glassily still and benign for all of my three visits – and, alas again, there were no distilleries to visit between ice creams and soaking up the sun.
But, in 2012, husband and wife team, William and Rubina Tyler-Street, became ‘curious’ (their words) about setting up a bespoke spirits brand, and celebrated parting with their first bottle of Curio Rock Samphire Gin (now Wild Coast Gin) in December 2014.
“We invested in two small stills, a rotary evaporator and lots of time and experimentation with the idea of creating a range of spirituous beverages to keep on satisfying our adventurous nature'”
Although successfully distilling their Peruvian Cocoa Nib Vodka and now Cardamom vodka, they both have a competitive nature, with Rubina overseeing the gin and William the vodka. All from the Curio Spirits Company contain the purest water from the Cornish Spring Water Company, while local suppliers are used whenever possible.
Well, their hard work has certainly paid off, for Wild Coast Gin is as fabulous as the magical peninsula from where it comes, its alchemy featuring four distillations and the hand-foraging of rock samphire from the Cornish coast.
Juniper, fresh citrus and cinnamon – along with 14 secret botanicals – give this 41% spirit a distinct and very surprising peppery finish. We thoroughly enjoyed this gin with Fever Tree Indian tonic and a juicy wedge of grapefruit. Although I swear I could taste the salty air of Mullion Cove with this small batch gin, which maybe comes from the local rock samphire – or is this as fantastical as the dream of ever seeing a stormy sea in Cornwall – or meeting Ross Poldark?
Rubina and William recommend trying it neat with just ice and a garnish
