A DISTILLER has come up with the ultimate G and 'Tea' by combining their original award winning spirit with what is for many the best drink of the day.

And while there could be confusion over whether it should be served in a cup or a glass, Masons Yorkshire tea gin looks like a winner.

Producers Cathy and Karl Mason who set up their distillery at Bedale two years ago have launched the new tipple to mark their second birthday and World Gin Day on June 13. For them it’s all about pushing the boundaries and coming up with something new and interesting.

Tea infused gin is one of three new drinks being produced by the company, alongside Yorkshire Lavender Gin and a whole new drink altogether Masons Yorkshire vodka.

Karl Mason said they were constantly looking at new possibilities, and had gone through quite a few potential new flavours before settling for tea and lavender. “These are uniquely Yorkshire drinks. They’ve been a work in progress for sometime now and we are extremely excited to finally share them. We really think they are something special that people won’t have had before’.

“Tea is a worldwide phenomenon and when we infused it with the gin it’s fabulous, we think people will really like it, it is two flavours that combine particularly well. It may seem a bit odd, but we believe it is the best G and Tea.”

The couple set up Masons Yorkshire Gin in a small unit in Bedale to capitalise on Karl’s expertise. A gin devotee he was a publicist and ran an online blog about gin, eventually deciding to put his money where his heart was and go into production using his own secret recipe, Harrogate Spring water and their own juniper berries.

It’s paid off, the company now produces 20,000 bottles of gin a year, supplying outlets all over the country and mixing with the best producers on earth after carrying off a silver medal in the San Francisco World Spirits competition, even though they don’t sell their gin outside Britain.

Initially they’re producing 3,000 bottles of each of the new flavours to test the water and see if they become everyone’s cup of tea.