If you’re approaching the world of celebrity spirits/liquor from a cynical angle–and who could really blame you, if that was the case–then the natural assumption is to conclude that most of the brands being launched in recent years are soulless cash grabs, attempts to rapidly build a decent sized brand with name recognition that can then be sold off to a major producer at a huge profit, Casamigos-style. This is why we tend to at least allow for the idea that celebrity owned brands could be lower in quality, but in truth I think it’s not often necessarily a question of “quality.” It’s more a question of ambition. When I see a new celebrity liquor, my assumption isn’t really that the spirit will be “bad,” but that it will most likely be conventional and safe, in order to allow for maximum market penetration and recognition. Rarely do these releases stand out as “bold” or unusual in any way. And that’s what makes Rachael Ray’s new Staple Gin an odd outlier among its various peers.
Because really: What would you expect when told that you were going to sample a bottle of gin from one of the Food Network’s most successful on-air personalities and merchandizers? Without any other information, I would probably expect something light and approachable, a fruit-forward (and likely sweet) expression of what spirits geeks would refer to as New Western gin. Or in other words, something designed to go toe-to-toe with the New Amsterdams of the world.
And yet, Rachael Ray’s Staple Gin is about the furthest thing from that. It’s significantly stronger, for one thing, with a 47% ABV (94 proof) strength that puts it on par with the likes of Bombay Sapphire. But the strength is just a minor element; it’s the botanical profile that really carves out an unusual niche for this product. Distilled in the Catskills by Roscoe, New York’s Do Good Spirits, Staple Gin was conceived as both an expression of New York state terroir and a reflection of some of the Italian-esque elements that typify Ray’s cooking. And if you’ve ever watched the likes of 30 Minute Meals over the years, you probably already know that means elements such as extra virgin olive oil. Staple Gin then doubles down on that theme through the use of Castelvetrano olives and tarragon, supplemented by more typical gin botanicals such as coriander, orris root, bitter orange peel, bergamot and of course juniper.
The result is a bolder and more earthy/herbal profile that flies in stark contrast to what is often popular in gins that are trying to seek the widest possible consumer base in the U.S. Granted, Ray has already stated that a more citrusy and “bright” Staple Gin expression is coming at some point, but I still find myself admiring that they chose to launch it with this weirder and likely more personal expression first.