Driven to make a softer and earthier Plymouth-style Gin, Felix Clark spent 18 months perfecting his Old Tom recipe. He veered away from the dry-spice and juniper-heavy botanical approach used for Ester’s Strong and Dry Gins, focusing instead on a traditional citrus mix and using orris and angelica root to imply sweetness without sugar. Perfect in a Martini, a lighter take on a Negroni, or neat straight from the freezer in a big, balloon-shaped glass.Ester’s new bottled cocktail is Bees Knees: a zesty, heady take on the traditional prohibition-era drink featuring Gin, honey and lemon. It is more than just a take on a classic; true to form, Felix and Corrina have gone the extra mile and bottled it in a beeswax-lined bottle—a move that accentuates the slick, mouth-coating texture and rounds out the cocktail’s delicious flavours. Ester’s Strong forms the base, with the honey and wax locally sourced from Ballina.