Top of the Pouring

Made with beautifully clear water and fragrant Irish rosemary, Poacher’s Premium Irish Tonic Water is a stunning partner for any gin - especially Glendalough's Wild Botanical Gin. With flavours like orange and rosemary, you'll never want to drink another tonic again! Get ready for the ultimate, Irish G&T.

On farmland on the heart of Ireland’s County Wexford, you can find a pool of water unlike any other. 

Fresh, cool and rich in minerals, this water is well known amongst the locals – it’s so beloved, in fact, that from time to time the local people treat themselves to a sip.

As Oisin Davis, who uses this water in his Poacher’s range of premium Irish tonic water, explains: “It was known amongst the locals to such an extent that poachers from the area have been helping themselves to it for decades, and carrying it back along with their wild bounties from the land. Our tonic is named after this amazing spring water source, and the poachers who have been its ardent fans.”

Like Saint Kevin and the men behind this month's Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin, Oisin and the Poacher’s Tonic team believe in doing things the right way, even when it isn’t easy. The orange and rosemary tonic in January's Gin of the Month box is a botanical wonder made with care, attention and expertise. 

A long-time drinks industry consultant – he’s worked with big Irish brands and puts on the Irish Gin and Tonic Fest every year – Oisin was seeing first-hand how the Irish craft distilling movement was blossoming. But one important component was missing. 

“As a gin lover myself,” he says, “I was blown away by the quality of some of the new Irish gins. But there was no premium Irish tonic to pair with them, so I began the process of developing Poacher’s Tonic.” 

For Oisin, it was important that Poacher’s be as Irish as possible. He sources his water from County Wexford, and searched far and wide for an Irish rosemary farm that could produce fantastic herbs all year round.

“After a long search,” he says, “we met with a brilliant farmer who provides the best bars and restaurants in Ireland with their herbs. For our first run we picked 100kg of rosemary and it shipped that morning to a perfumer who uses a very old school method of extracting its flavour.”

Oisin had to go a little further afield for his oranges. “We wanted the tonic water to be as Irish as possible, but our climate here isn’t quite ideal for cultivating citrus trees! We went with Florida oranges, as they have the best natural sweetness.”

In the end, it took a year and a half to develop Poacher’s tonic. But the result was worth the wait. 

“I’ve always loved the combination of orange and rosemary in gin drinks – the herbal taste delivers depth while the citrus gives bright freshness,” Oisin says. “We feel the time we spent developing our tonic was well spent in the end.”  

Very low in sugar – especially for a non-diet tonic – and made using local sugar beets rather than South American cane sugar, Poacher’s is a triumph for the Irish spirits scene and gin lovers alike. 

Aromatic, zesty and refreshing, this combination is a taste of heaven.

Method:

Add the crushed ices to your favourite gin glass.
Pour over the gin.
Garnish with a wedge or two of orange wedges and rosemary sprigs.

Ingredients:

50ml gin
Crushed Ice
Tonic water of your choice
Fresh Orange Wedges
Fresh Rosemary Sprigs