Off the Rails: Eurostar, Raymond Blanc launch gin
Eurostar turns 21 this year and celebrates by creating its own gin with chef Raymond Blanc. The rail line has partnered with its resident Michelin-starred chef to launch an artisanal gin called Toujours 21.
Eurostar turns 21 this year and celebrates by creating its own gin with chef Raymond Blanc. The rail line has partnered with its resident Michelin-starred chef to launch an artisanal gin called Toujours 21.
Toujours 21, Always 21 in English, was created in homage to Eurostar’s British and French heritage and will be served in the Business Premier lounges in London, Paris and Brussels.
To represent Eurostar’s dual heritage, the gin is made with French botanicals and infused with the floral scents of the British countryside: Think juniper, citrus, and honey.
“When designing the gin, my vision was to take travelers on a journey of taste that played upon all the subtleties of the brand,” said Blanc in a statement.
“The aromatic notes of lavender hint to Eurostar’s latest Provençal destination, while the delicate yet clean taste of the angelica evoke memories of the British countryside. By uniting such robust flavors, the bespoke gin is the perfect way to commemorate the anniversary.”
Blanc runs the Michelin two-starred restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons outside Oxford in southern England.
The gin was created in partnership with Silent Pool Distillers, an artisanal spirits maker in Surrey Hills that uses local, sustainable ingredients and sources the water from an on-site spring.
In related news, gin lovers can now participate in a newly launched London Gin Trail, launched this week by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association in response to soaring demand in the UK: Sales have risen 21 percent over the last two years while the number of UK gin brands has doubled since 2010 from 31 to 73.
The trail features stops at 12 of the city’s top cocktail bars, and distillers including Sipsmith, Beefeater, as well as Duke’s Hotel, where Bond author Ian Fleming coined the line “Shaken, not stirred.”
The Eurostar gin, meanwhile, will be available for purchase online in the coming weeks.