Royal fans can try King Charles’s favourite type of drink as he launches a gin bar for tourists at his Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
According to royal commentator Gordon Rayner, the King enjoys a cocktail before dinner most nights – with his favourite drink reportedly being a mix of half gin and half dry vermouth, garnished with an olive or lemon twist.
Now, tourists can try the King’s own branded alcohol for as little as £6.50 at a bar on the estate, and other products are available in the estate shop including a Raspberry and Gin Preserve and gin-flavoured chocolates, according to The Sun.
The King demonstrated his love for gin last year when he was filmed sampling a glass during a visit to Malton in Yorkshire, where he reportedly politely declined a tonic water chaser, quipping: “I’ll just take this, please”.
After the gin sample, Charles asked about the spirit’s tasting notes, commenting on a “botanical” flavor he detected.
Guests at the royal estate can enjoy a tipple of the “full-bodied” raspberry and apple gin, crafted from fruits steeped in distilled spirit.
Sandringham Estate’s social media page describes the gin having a “perfect balance”. They write: “The spirit boasts the perfect balance of Norfolk apples and juicy raspberries, made by steeping chopped apples and whole raspberries in the distilled spirit before bottling.”
Another option is the “Celebration Gin” infused with Sharon fruit, boasting “zesty citrus and delicate floral notes” that use ingredients from Sandringham’s garden.
Sandringham is the much-loved country retreat of Their Majesties, King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Including an organic farm, sawmill, residential and commercial properties, local parishes and communities are nestled in the heart of The Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Sandringham House and the gardens are open to the public seven days a week from 23 March to 11 October 2024.
The royal commentator, Gordon Rayner, has previosuly stated King Charles’s favourite gin tipple, a martini, is mixed with half gin and half dry vermouth, garnished with an olive or lemon twist.
The King is so dedicated to this ritual he reportedly even brings the ingredients along with him whenever he travels, as well as his own glass.
Mr Rayner told The Telegraph: “When he travels abroad he takes his own spirits with him to be mixed by his staff to his precise taste, while the Queen takes her own supply of red wine, usually from the Pomerol appellation of Bordeaux.”
Queen Camilla’s favourite tipple is not a gin and tonic, as has previously been believed, but is instead a glass of red wine, as she grew up close to the wine business.
The Queen, who is rather appropriately President of the United Kingdom Vineyards Association, said: “My father was in the wine business so as children we used to take wine and water and I have drunk it ever since.
“He always said it was his medicine and it kept him going – he used to take two or three glasses a day.”
