Baking and distilling have a lot in common. Both require laser precision, unwavering dedication to the craft and a sophisticated palate. So it’s almost hard to believe it took Lune and Four Pillars – both internationally renowned in their respective fields – this long to make a croissant gin.
“It’s the collaboration you didn’t know you needed,” says Lune founder Kate Reid, whose Fitzroy croissanterie supplied the Healesville distillery with luxurious amounts of French butter to produce an extremely rare gin, available from Wednesday, February 19.
Reid is adamant about using Isigny Sainte-Mère butter from France’s verdant Normandy region in the country’s northwest, “not only for its flavour, but because the higher fat and protein in the butter makes it really easy to work with when we’re laminating our pastry,” she tells Broadsheet.
Four Pillars head distiller Sarah Prowse initially thought to use that butter to “fat-wash” the gin, a technique used by cocktail bars to impart savoury notes and a silky mouthfeel to spirits. The process involves steeping booze in say, melted butter or coconut oil, freezing the mixture and then skimming off the solidified fat.
“I quickly realised it wasn’t feasible. It was just really cloudy, and I couldn’t get the milk solids out of the gin. So we thought – bugger it. Let’s just throw clarified butter in the still by itself and see what happens.”
Voila. The spirit retained the biscuity aroma and sweetness of unclarified butter. To further emulate those Lune flavours, Prowse used whole vanilla, nutmeg, roasted wattleseed and “lots and lots” of almonds roasted in the Four Pillars test kitchen. “[Roasting almonds] was the ultimate answer in getting this beautiful nutty, coffee, almost dark chocolate flavour.”
But wait – exactly how much of Lune’s fancy French butter did Prowse go through to reach the final product?
“Easily 50 kilos,” she says. “There were a lot of trips to Fitzroy.”
Reid enlisted a friend – drinks expert Simon Benjamin of Fitzroy’s Napier Quarter – to help with her final tasting. A Martini here, a G&T there – these collaborations can be a slog.
“Just getting it over ice and diluting it a little bit completely brought out those flavours. It was so creamy, smooth and butter-forward,” she says. “But the gin and tonic really shone. I think it's one of the best I've ever had.”
“The more it's chilled, the more it really pops and showcases Lune’s butter,” Prowse adds “It’s what makes their croissants so delightful.”
Though there are less than 10,000 bottles in the world, Reid says she’s keeping one as a souvenir of her favourite collab to date.
“I think the magic of this gin is that while it’s a representation of and celebrates Lune, it’s still very much Four Pillars. To me, that’s a true collaboration.”
Lune x Four Pillars Croissant Gin is available from the distillery’s website, Healesville HQ and Sydney lab. Plus selected Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores, for $80RRP.
