It took around nine months of experimenting with over 50 herbs and spices until an alchemical trio of Greek women came up with their award-winning gin, hand-crafted recipe.
With a family background in distillation, sisters Hara and Katerina Katsou formed the ideal team with Lila Dimopolou in 2016, who had a broad experience from working with her Scottish husband in the global drinks industry.
In its four years of existence, GRACE gin has already made a strong impact among international aficionados of the juniper-based drink. The bottle in itself is both stylish and playful, immediately revealing that this is a drink with a bold and sophisticated personality. Featuring three women in 18th Century-style clothes, one of whom is holding a Greek flag (with an owl on her shoulder), it stands out in appearance as much as in its flavour.
Although gin is not an alcoholic beverage one would normally associate with Greece – or
anything Greek for that matter, this particular gin, created by Avantes distillery in Evia, has a very strong Greek character.
The gin contains ingredients that are characteristically native, such as sea samphire (kritamo), the wild herb that grows on the craggy edges of sea-spritzed rocks, orange blossom from Evia and Schinos. The base spirit is a blend of botanicals such as juniper berries, angelica root, lemon and orange peels, cardamom, orris, coriander, cinnamon, and cassia bark.
But why gin of all things? Why not distill something more traditional like say, tsipouro? The graceful gin-makers answer that for them this very concoction, apart from the immense gin-savviness and encouragement it was infused with by Lila’s Scottish husband John, presented them with an exhilarating way of reflecting the varied aromas and flavour profiles of Greece’s multifaceted flora.
Indeed, GRACE gin has been described and awarded for its taste factor by several international experts and sells very well to the US, Switzerland, England, Cyprus and Germany.
GRACE Gin offers its fans some of its favourite recipes, ideal for a night in:
GRACE
45ml Grace Gin
45ml Dry Vermouth
3 Dashes Cherry bitters
Glass: Martini
Method: Stirred
Garnish : 2 maraschino cherries
