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Forty-three years ago, Desmond Payne started making gin and stumbled across his true passion. Originally wooed by wine, the Englishman started his career in the beverage alcohol industry picking grapes in France, before moving to London to work in Harrods wine cellars. During a brief stint at Seager Evans and Co., the Wine Merchants & Gin Distillers, Payne discovered his love for gin.

“As part of my training, I worked in the gin distillery, loved it, and stayed with gin,” says Payne. “I still enjoy wine and I haven’t forgotten what I’ve learnt from it. But I’m fascinated with gin. The opportunity to make my own gin has been a terrific experience.”

Today, the gin kingpin and Beefeater’s Master Distiller is on a high after launching his new creation in Canada, Beefeater 24 Super Premium Gin. Offering a different take on its original gin recipe, Beefeater’s first super premium gin took flight after close to two years of research. Featuring flavours and aromas from a mix of exotic teas – like Chinese green tea and Japanese sencha – the product is named after its 24-hour steeping process.

Payne’s new concoction is based on classic gin-making methodology with a contemporary twist, ripe for the 21st century.

“Beefeater 24 is something new, and that’s always what customers want,” he says. “There’s a lot of buzz about it. People are asking for it in bars.”

In general, Payne suggests experimentation, innovation and novelty are key ingredients for restaurant and bar profitability.

“People are experimenting with drinks, food and everything else,” he says. “Gin is back in fashion. Cocktails are back in fashion. There’s an obvious link there.”

To satisfy a more sophisticated cocktail culture, Payne notes that many bartenders are developing their own cocktails, instead of sticking only to the classics.

“The great thing about gin in this context is that it’s so versatile, it can work with many flavours,” says Payne. “There are many new and exciting cocktail and food pairings.”

According to Beefeater’s resident mixologist Dan Warner, gin complements Asian cuisines, fresh summer foods, tapas and seafood, and lends itself well to different types of flavours such as fruit and citrus.

“It’s about tailoring a flavour profile around the gin that works,” he says.

For cocktails you can’t go wrong with, Warner suggests Tom Collins and Red Snapper.

To capitalize on the gin and cocktail trend, Payne and Warner teamed up with Canada’s own master mixologist Frankie Solarik to create The 24th Symphony. Inspired by music, this custom cocktail shakes up rosemary syrup, dill bitters, vanilla cognac and, of course, gin.

For more innovative cocktail concoctions, click here.