Gin & Food

Plymouth has always lived off the sea. A large share of the fish that reaches English tables is sold through the fish market at Sutton Harbour, right next to the distillery. Crab, scallops, and mackerel from the English Channel shape the cuisine of the entire county of Devon.

A simple crab sandwich with fresh white bread, a touch of lemon, and a little mayonnaise best shows how little this cuisine needs beyond that, when the fish comes from nearby. A Gin & Tonic made with Plymouth Gin pairs well with it. The gin's citrus notes support the crab's mild sweetness rather than masking it.

With richer dishes like a grilled mackerel fillet or a fish soup with mussels straight from the harbour basin, Navy Strength is the better match. Diluted in a stronger Gin & Tonic, its spicier, bolder character holds up against the smoke and salt of the dish better than the milder Original Strength.

Even the well-known Devon cream tea with sloe jam and clotted cream can be linked in spirit to Black Friars Distillery's Sloe Gin. The same fruity, tart sloe note appears in the pastry as in the glass. Tea and gin, though, rarely share the same table.

So food in Plymouth remains mainly a question of provenance, not elaborate preparation. What arrives at the harbour in the morning ends up on the plate that evening in one of the small restaurants of the Barbican. And the gin alongside it usually comes from the very same street as the fish.