Portobello Road launches ‘first’ turkey breast gin

London’s Portobello Road Gin has launched what it claims is the world’s first ‘pechuga’ gin, an expression distilled with an organic turkey breast.

Asparagus Gin, Portobello Road’s first Director’s Cut release.

We’ve had Harley Davidson engine parts, hickory and hops, but now it’s the turn of the turkey breast to take up the mantle of the new whacky ingredient in the bottle.

The limited-edition Pechuga Gin, created by master distiller and director, Jake F Burger, is part of the brand’s Director’s Cut range – a project launched every year to mark the brand’s birthday and that of it’s founder Ged Feltham. Previous releases have included asparagus gin and ‘smoky’ gin.

The pechuga expression is actually not a play on the director’s surname, but rather a take on the distillation process employed by mezcal producers, whereby a chicken or turkey breast (pechuga in Spanish) is suspended over the still. It cooks in the hot vapours, flavouring the resulting spirit at the same time.

According to Portobello Road, the Pechuga Gin is made by redistilling its signature 171 blend in a copper alembic still with an organic turkey breast and 13 botanicals. These botanicals include: apples, pears, plums, currants, raisins, sultanas, apricots, brown rice, passion fruit, cinnamon, cassia bark, as well as nutmeg and mace.

The pechuga expression will be distilled on 25 October and will go on sale from 1 November at an RRP of £35. It will be available on Portobello Road Gin’s website, as well The Distillery’s Bottle Shop.

Burger commented: “As the alcohol vapours pass through the turkey breast during distillation they add something almost indefinable to the gin, you wouldn’t really say it was a turkey-flavoured gin, the flavour is very subtle, and whilst it adds it also takes away, absorbing some of the more intense fruit flavours and stopping them from overwhelming the taste of the gin”.

“With its warming spices and dried fruits, this poultry-infused potable develops a distinctly festive flavour and we think that Christmas presents a perfect opportunity to drink this very special and uniquely indulgent gin”.