As we reported in September, Gina Duke is now at the helm at La Quinta, a family-run restaurant and nightclub in Benfleet, Essex, founded by her father Simon Duke and his brother, Rupert.
Along with managing the venue, Gina recently launched G&I Spirits Group, which produces a range of drinks, including vodka, gin and three flavoured tequilas, which we were intrigued to sample.
Their first spirits — 88 Vodka (40% ABV) and 88 Gin (40% ABV)— both sold as super premium spirits, didn’t disappointment.
Both were sampled neat and over ice (we never sample spirits with mixers) and the results were impressive.
Both the gin and the vodka were incredibly smooth, with the warming finish that you would expect from a 40% spirit. All that separates gin from vodka are juniper berries, which were very much evident in the 88 Gin; the vodka was incredibly clean and fresh, and both 100ml sample bottles were soon empty.
When it came to sampling the Mis Amigos flavoured tequilas – strawberry cream, chocolate cream and coffee – we were not sure what to expect.
All weighing in at 15% ABV, this brand is sold as a tequila liqueur, making them ideal for those who want a grown-up adult drink, but don’t want traditional tequilas whose alcohol content varies between 35% and 55%.
At 15% ABV, these drinks are also on-trend with drinks with lower alcohol content drinks as younger people are increasingly turning to no- and low-alcohol brands.
If we had any doubts about the Mis Amigos range, they were quickly dispelled with the first sip of each variety. The concern was that they could be over-sweet and potentially sickly, but they were all refined, smooth and extremely good.
The respective flavours came flooding through, counter-balanced with the alcohol, producing a very quaffable and delicious range of drinks.
As with the gin and vodka, the tequila liqueurs were sampled over ice and neat; the strawberry benefited from the ice producing essentially a ready made cocktail.
Topping up with Prosecco would no doubt create a very refreshing summer drink.
The coffee and chocolate varieties were infused with deep coffee and cocoa notes, which came to the fore producing an incredible mouthfeel and superb finish. It was hard to separate these two for the favourite version, but coffee won the day for it’s sheer strength of flavour and convincing espresso experience.
As we also reported in September, Gina isn’t resting on her laurels and with her ambitions for both La Quinta and G&I Spirits, this is one company that we will be keeping an eye on.
For more information visit their websites: