Exploring Citadelle Gin with Alexandre Gabriel

Cocktails Distilled

It would be quite easy to say that Alexandre Gabriel has a unique sense about spirits. Not only did he take Maison Ferrand, a dormant Cognac house and turn it around, but he's also created some of the most iconic brands in a variety of spirit categories.
One of the most notable is Citadelle Gin.

Created in the mid-'90s, Citadelle was a front runner in the craft gin movement and set an example that raised the bar for the category, an example that many have tried to follow.
Although Gabriel created the brand as a tribute to early French distilling, the brand has taken a unique approach to the production process from its botanicals through to its distillation.

To find out more, we talk to Alexandre Gabrielle about the brand, its philosophy and how best to use the expression in a cocktail.

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1. Exploring Citadelle Gin with Alexandre Gabriel (00:00:00)

2. Now most people would be content with just reviving a cognac house, but you went on to create Citadel. Why was adding a gin to the house's range important to you? (00:01:46)

3. I believe you had a bit of a battle being allowed to actually use the stills to create the gin. (00:03:15)

4. Back in the nineties, why did you choose gin? I imagine at that time, vodka would have been considered an easier and more popular choice. (00:05:48)

5. I can imagine at the time, there weren't a lot of people creating gin, how were you sure it was going to work? (00:07:23)

6. Tell us a little bit more about the documents that you found. (00:08:32)

7. Being a front runner, how difficult was it to sell your vision? (00:10:24)

8. Let's talk a little bit about the flavour of the gin. Using a cognac still, does that affect the flavour at all? (00:13:12)

9. You spoke earlier about your interest in creating aromas and creating flavours. What other botanicals, other than the expected Juniper, have you included in the gin? (00:14:59)

10. Let's talk about what we can do with the gin. With the original, what sort of cocktails would you recommend? (00:19:13)

11. Aside from the original, there are three further expressions. I thought we might go through each. First is the old Tom. Now that's traditionally a sweeter gin. What made you think to go there? (00:20:47)

12. You mentioned the Reserve Gin, now, weirdly, I believe that's actually aged in a giant wooden egg? (00:22:04)

13. I believe recently you've released a gin that was based on your wife's garden. (00:23:29)

14. If somebody hasn't had a chance to try that particular expression yet, what sort of flavours? (00:25:39)

15. Out of the four expressions, which is your favourite? (00:27:09)

16. What are the future plans for the brand? (00:28:06)

17. Are they available across the US? (00:31:34)