Take London’s oldest wine and spirit merchant, add a team of spirit specialists and give them two years to create the perfect balance of juniper berries, zingy citrus peel and warming spices. And what do you get? Why, you get No 3 Gin, which, as producers Berry Bros & Rudd say, is ‘the world’s best gin’.
And the world agrees. No 3 Gin has been awarded World’s Best Gin four times since its launch more than a decade ago, including last year when it won World’s Best Gin for Pairing with Tonic at the People’s Choice Awards. It also won the Taste Master award for pre-bottled Vesper martini, created in partnership with martini maestro Alessandro Palazzi, head bartender at London’s legendary Dukes Bar.
No 3 Gin is also proof that gin is so much more than just the ultimate aperitif. Last year, for example, it hosted its first No 3 Epicurean Experience – a series of intimate dinners in the private dining room at The Pem restaurant in Westminster, London. The dinners were built around exceptional food, exceptional drinks and an exceptional atmosphere. For the events, critically acclaimed head chef Sally Abé created a special three-course menu and No 3 Gin brand ambassador Ross Bryant personally developed three unique cocktails to perfectly match each delicious dish.
No.3 Gin has been an official sponsor of London Design Festival for three years. In 2021 they hosted their first panel discussion at the V&A with perfectionist from different fields who have made it their mission to uncover perfection in the everyday world. One panellist was New York based scientific photographer Justin Zoll – he spoke about microscopy and his partnership with No.3 Gin, revealing how he used science to transform the No.3 liquid into a visual masterpiece by freezing and magnifying it 40 times.
The icing on the cake in 2021 was winning the Belgravia in Bloom best display award for the No 3 terrace and window takeover at the five-star Hari boutique hotel.
But, of course, the pandemic has made the past two years difficult for everyone and the hospitality sector has been particularly badly affected. Mindful of this, No 3 Gin is a keen supporter of The Drinks Trust, a London based community organisation that aims to help the local industry build back and surpass its former glory as one of the most illustrious scenes in the world.
In November, the Trust held its first Cream of the Crop auction to support the drinks and hospitality industry workforce by providing them with vocational, wellbeing, financial and practical support.
No 3 Gin also donates a percentage of its bottled cocktail sales to Hospitality Action, which offers vital assistance to all who work, or have worked in hospitality in the UK. Its range of support services help people get back on their feet after a setback and each year it assists thousands of people through challenging times.
‘The pursuit of perfection is never truly complete,’ says Brand Ambassador Ross Bryant. ‘We may have crafted the ultimate gin, but we’re not finished yet. We are now in pursuit of the perfect martini, looking at every detail from the garnish, the glass and, of course, the mix. We will be working with the world-renowned glassware experts and fellow perfectionists, Nude, this year to design the perfect martini glass for the perfect No 3 martini. We will continue to pursue perfection,’ he adds, ‘with equal parts passion, precision and perfection’.
