Reverend Hubert’s original spirit is a genuine recreation of a recipe that was first created over 100 years ago.

Susan: Now a lot of people might not see it. But it’s very, very colorful. It’s like a stained-glass window with his face on it. So go on. Describe it for us.The Reverend Hubert Bell Lester (1868 -1929) was a charming and caring man who also enjoyed a good party, and in 1904 produced a popular winter gin liqueur that he shared amongst army comrades and the congregation of his local church in Nottinghamshire. Susan: All right. So, after your six months, you have something that you think is fantastic. What was your idea going forward after that time?

All of this took place in October 2019 when it was too late to actually get into trade to hit the winter spirits and liqueur market. It’s got it all,” he says, ‘the liqueur, the perfume, the fragrance, the winter spice, ginger, mace green cardamon – it tastes like a Christmas cake. Not too sweet and with the right balance.” The legendary Alessandro Palazzi at Duke’s Hotel in London has become a big supporter of the brandTHE PERFECT GIFT: The Reverend Hubert Winter Gin Liqueur makes an ideal gift for Christmas. It’s also perfect to serve to family and friends on special occasions and get togethers during the colder months. Tom: What a huge learning experience, but it taught me also to understand the tastes and the flavors that you get. So, some people have got good palates and some less, but when you start, your brain and your palate start connecting together. What I mean by that is I could start telling the difference between six bits of orange in a bit of gin and leave it for two weeks and I could tell the difference. I think by the time we left the restaurant in the early hours or the late hours of the evening, I think then, we thought there could be something, but it’s all very well and good saying. Right. Okay. We’ve got something. What do we do next? What happened next was pivotal. I got introduced to Fairfax from Sipsmith who very kindly gave me two hours.

Tom: And part of having these parties is that we all love a party, but also, it’s the excitement and the buildup and what wine am I going to choose? Right. That’s kind of the joy of doing these things. And so, on Christmas Day, one year I made a basic version of what is now the Winter Gin Liqueur and it was cloudy and gloopy. It has enjoyed some peaks in sales – particularly after Olly Smith recommended it on Saturday Kitchen, which went on to sell 1,200 bottles in just two hours. Now some nearly 120 years later Tom Lester has decided to give it a second life and created a 2020 version of the winter gin liqueur recipe – that so requires every ingredient to be sourced, peeled and squeezed by hand.Tom: Yeah, in my head when I drink this and when I sip it, I am picturing a Fortnum and Mason mince pie, right? I love mince pies and Fortnum’s mince pies are ridiculously good.

It tasted all right. It was nice. So, the Christmas pudding comes out and I’ll bring it to the table and it’s lit and then we’re all doing shots. And that was when a couple of friends of mine who are not mad on liqueurs decided that this was quite good. And so, I went out to refine it, to try and make it into something better. Then there is the gin, which is procured from the Wood Brothers distillery a premium “farm to bottle” gin and vodka distillery in Oxfordshire made to a tailor made recipe. Famously, he was even arrested by the Marshalls and imprisoned for several days, until he agreed to give up his still. He had another old rusty version hidden in an oak tree for justHe had already gotten the bug for having a go at homemade liqueurs when he was inspired to have a go at making limoncello from fine vodka and Amalfi lemons after going to the region on Honeymoon.