There’s an old advertising trick called the Rule Of Three that suggests that words grouped into threes are more appealing and easier to remember. Even the Romans had a Latin phrase, omne trium perfectum, which basically means that everything that comes in threes is perfect.
There are countless instances where three is the magic number and you’ve got to assume that this was what was in the minds of Steven Roennfeldt, Luke Fleming and Aidan Shaw, as they created a new Australian gin called Threefold.
PIN ITFrom left – Luke Fleming, Steven Roennfeldt and Aidan Shaw
Three bartenders
Like so many ventures, Threefold started with three friends talking about what they would like to see in a gin and exploring how they would do it, what botanicals they would use and what cocktails they could create with it.
The difference here was that all three are bartenders, which provided them with a solid idea of what consumers were after in a good cocktail gin. And although they knew spirits and more specifically flavour, the discussion was just ‘talk’ or at least that is what they thought.
“Less than a month later, Aiden arrived at my warehouse with a glass laboratory still, which was our first test unit,” explained Roennfeldt. “He just bought a still and then we started playing around and experimenting.”
“Until 12 months ago, we had no experience with distilling, so it’s been a massive whirlwind of learning. There’s been a lot of reading, talking to other distillers, and lots of just trial-and-error,” he continued.
Roennfeldt explains that working in the industry not only allowed them to see what gaps there were in the market but has also helped the brand get the product in the hands of others in the industry.
“With all three of us being bartenders, we have a lot of contacts. We have been extremely fortunate to be able to call on those contacts, not only for advice but also in terms of getting the product out there. We’ve been able to get into quite a few venues straight off the bat.
Yet Roennfeldt says that for all their knowledge, the trio has been surprised at the overwhelming response they have had to the gin. “It’s been fantastic. We wanted to make good tasting gin that people would enjoy, but the response has been better than that.
“We wanted to create a gin that’s for everyone and every occasion. We’ve had people already saying it’s their new favourite gin and that’s incredible,” he continued. “We’ve even found fans among people who don’t traditionally drink gin and it’s that ability to turn people onto the spirit that makes it all worthwhile.”
Three botanicals
Looking to create a new world gin that was summery, fun and highly approachable, the trio decided to combine three core botanicals; grapefruit, rosemary and lavender. Although they knew what they wanted from the start, Roennfeldt explains that the way they approached the flavour of the gin was perhaps a little unconventional.
“We kind of reverse-engineered the recipe. We started thinking about the moments that we wanted to be drinking our gin. So, we’re thinking rooftop bars, friends, family, picnics, summer… all these occasions.
“We started by thinking about what flavours work well in those environments and for us that usually means citrus-forward drinks. So it wasn’t hard to then realise that this was what the flavours needed. to be. We went with a classic flavour pairing of grapefruit, rosemary and lavender, then built up the other botanicals from there.”
Although there is a strong citrus focus, the Threefold Gin actually has a mixture of 11 botanicals in total. Made very much to the style of a London Dry, it has a backbone of juniper, coriander and angelica root.
But the future for threefold won’t be solely focused on gin. The brand has recently moved into a cellar door with Morrak and Massey Wines, and Roennfeldt explains that the brands want to take inspiration from their location and integrate winemaking techniques into future expressions.
“We want to do something a little bit left of field, something quite unique. We’re not 100% sure yet but we’ve got some ideas, including the possibility of making a rum and potentially a liqueur and amaro. We’ve got lot’s of different ideas, it’s just a matter of what direction we go in first.”
Three cocktails
With the citrus and savoury notes to Threefold, Roennfeldt explains that the cocktails they have been experimenting with are mainly one that is fairly citrus-forward. “the cocktails we’ve. Been making with it are gimlets and sours … those styles of cocktails really work well. But it also does make a killer gin and tonic,” he said.
So go out and grab a bottle of Threefold and when you do these are three cocktails that will make the gin shine.
Southside
60mls (2oz) Threefold Aromatic Gin
30mls (1oz) Fresh Lime Juice
15mls (0.5oz) Simple Syrup
Mint Leaves
Honey Grapefruit Gimlet
60mls (2oz) Threefold Aromatic Gin
30mls (1oz) Fresh Grapefruit Juice
15mls (0.5oz) Honey Syrup (1:1 Honey/Water)
Tom Collins
60mls (2oz) Threefold Aromatic Gin
30ml (1oz) Fresh-pressed Lemon Juice
15mls (0.5oz) Sugar Syrup
top with Soda Water
