Review: Hendrick’s Flora Adora Gin

Hendrick’s is cranking out special editions like gin is going out of style, the latest being the Harry Potter-esque Flora Adora, the fourth installment in the Hendrick’s Cabinet of Curiosity lineup.

Designed by master distiller Lesley Gracie, Flora Adora is built around flowers, though details beyond that are sketchy. The base spirit includes all the elements of Hendrick’s core distillate — including rose and cucumber, which already makes Hendrick’s on the floral side to begin with — but let’s see where these extra blossoms take us.

The answer: Deep into the recesses of the perfume counter. Hendrick’s Flora Adora is — unequivocally — the most floral gin I’ve ever experienced, from start to finish. Aggressive notes of lavender and lilac give the nose a distinctly laundry-like feel, although the essence of grandma’s bathroom isn’t far away. Baby powder and potpourri wash out any semblance of juniper — or cucumber — though the rose petals linger.

The palate is a slightly more complex than the nose, but only just so: This is still monstrously dominated by floral notes, washing out most everything else. Give those dried and fresh flowers time to dissipate from the tongue and eventually you earn a respite in the form of mild juniper and earthy angelica, but the trip into the forest is a decidedly lengthy one, and honestly not all that exciting of a journey. The florals here clash with just about anything you might decide to mix with it; Hendrick’s cocktail ideas are mostly loaded with fruit juice and sweeteners, but even those can only go so far in covering up the flowery explosion. The finish sees lavender and dryer sheets lingering just about forever.

Maybe something you can use for punch at a Mother’s Day brunch?

86.8 proof.

C+ / $40 / hendricksgin.com 

The post Review: Hendrick’s Flora Adora Gin appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.