Psychopomp Microdistillery

We had several ideas for directions we thought this years Summer gin could go in. Previously Charun had used a nice hit of elderflower paired with burdock root and cherry wood chips. This year for inspiration we focused on seasonal produce from outside the UK as well. We all felt pomegranate seeds with their fruity sharp taste and use in cooking would be a good place to start. We wanted to add some floral and deeper green notes. We played with hyssop before deciding on heather flowers for their aroma and soft citrus notes. Fig leaf provided the deep green notes and also a creamy, nutty taste which for us played perfectly with the other botanicals. As with all our gins this summer seasonal recipe is named after a Psychopomp. ‘Hathor’ is named after the ancient Egyptian goddess who was daughter of the sun god Ra, she is often known as the golden one. She is a Psychopomp that is particularly fond of women and fortune tellers and is thought to have protected women during chi...

  How long have you called bristol home? I’ve called Bristol home since 2012. Although I first moved here in 1994 then went on a 12 year working holiday to Brighton in 2000. What do you love about it as a city? I love that there is, now, lots of really good independent bars, cafes, restaurants etc to spend my time in and work in... along with the usual trappings of a large city... galleries, museums, music venues and the like. I also love that one can walk pretty much everywhere....even if it is up a cursed hill! Where are your favourite places to eat? There are many places I like to eat, but if pushed I’d say that I very much like Cargo Cantina, for the nachos. Asado, for the burgers obvs, & Souk kitchen, for the everything. Also pi shop pizzeria, for the “quality check”. Where are your favourite places to drink? As far as drinking goes I’m a big fan of small bar...beer and I have a very special relationship. A special mention also goes to ...

We love a good Bloody Mary, especially with a hangover, and we do have the odd hangover. So we decided to have a special one off distillers table on a Sunday afternoon to showcase some of our favorite Bloody Mary variants. We decided to go on a little world tour starting with the classic British Mary, then on to Japan for something a little funky and then finishing up in Mexico for a real pick me up. Should be enough to see off even the boldest of hangovers. For the classic we went with Aqvavit for the booze because it makes a great Mary, the dill seed really lifts the drink. For the tomato we made a mix of juice and passata to make things nice and rich. Celery salt, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco, lemon juice and black pepper to cover the classic must have elements. Then we added a splash of beetroot juice for depth and a color that pops. To finish we garnished with cucumber, pickles and agave glazed smokey bacon. The Japanese twist got a little funky...

Here at Psychopomp we love all categories of delicious booze, but we do have a few favorites, and Sherry is right up there! So distillers table sherry had to happen, and boy did it happen. We decided to use the ever delicious sherries from Sanchez Romate, a great bodega knocking out some really great liquids. We went with three very different styles, kicking off with a crisp dry Fino, we then embraced the complex nutty notes of the Palo Cortado and finished up with the sweet sweet nectar that is Pedro Ximinez. We served each sherry along side a simple food pairing and created cocktails to showcase the how versatile these wines are. Here is what we served: Fino + roasted almonds 30ml Pinga gin (chamomile, lemon balm & bee pollen) 20ml Sanchez Romate Fino 25ml fresh grapefruit juice 75ml fever tree Mediterranean tonic Palo Cortado + jamon 40ml Ox gin (black truffle, thyme & lemon zest) 20ml Sanchez Romate Palo Cortado 10ml Cucumber & pomello shrub 3ml Quince &...

1. Brazil 66% - With a waterfall of intense flavours, I find this chocolate can definitely divide opinions. Tones of unripe banana mingle with smoky, tobacco notes; finishing with fruity and acidic aromas that linger on the palate. This blend of beans from the Atlantic forests of Bahia, and the Amazon basin create a truly unique flavour profile. With the Brazil we decided to go a bit off piste and make a pineapple punch to work with the tropical notes of the chocolate and showcase a more interesting take on chocolate pairing. We acidified the pineapple juice to bring a refreshing sharpness to the drink. The gin we used was our Spring gin Pinga for its bright chamomile notes to pair with the pineapple. To bring the chocolate back in to play we sweetened the punch with a dark malt syrup. 2. Dominican Republic 70% - One of our most popular origins, using beans from the Cibao valley (one of the most Northern cocoa growing areas in the world). This chocolate is full of...

Lunch at the Spiny lobster was truly delicious and we’d strongly recommend a visit next time you have a craving for seafood. We were welcomed by the lovely F.O.H staff and settled at our table in the middle of a busy Tuesday service. To say we were spoilt for choice was an under statement, but luckily for us we had David, Emma and Charlie on hand to make the tough decisions of ‘what to order’ for us. To start, always my favourite, roasted scallops with garlic butter (which tasted just as good as you are imagining), the largest fresh prawns I’ve seen in a long time served simply with olive oil and sea salt, then crisp fried cuttlefish and aioli. A whole Grey mullet and a John dory followed with polenta chips, mustard greens and the house special mashed peas (these really are a must order, so simple but the tastiest peas I’ve ever eaten); the charcoal Josper grill really does cook the fish to perfection. It was a real treat and lovely to enjoy a spiny gin and tonic in i...

I get excited about all of the distillers table events, but Mexico was particularly close to my heart. Myself and the long suffering wife spent some time exploring Mexico earlier this year and fell in love with the country. I couldn’t recommend it more, it is such a magical place, the food is to die for, the people are super welcoming and the Mezcal is so so tasty. We spent new years in Mexico city which was pretty wild, contrary to the rumours it felt pretty safe as a city to visit and we will definitely be going back soon, for the tacos alone if nothing else! We then flew down to Oaxaca, which is now my favourite city to visit, I can’t quite put my finger on it was that I fell in love with but there is just something about the city that you really need to experience, and in all of my travels I’ve never eaten better. We then grabbed a hire car and spent a few days exploring the Yukatan and checked out pretty cool old stuff and ate more tacos and drank more Mezcal! The trip definite...