I still have memories of the smell in the air from when I first queued for and tasted a croissant at Lune Croissanterie's maiden outlet in Elwood, Melbourne, all the way back in 2012. There's nothing quite like it - the buttery scent of fresh baked pastries and caramelized sugar that seems to waft in the air, the subtle roasted aroma of fresh coffee, and the crisp, Melbourne morning air.

This was a typical Lune haul for me! 

Then, the moment comes for one to take their first bite of their classic Almond Croissant! As you bite down into the pastry, you get the initial crunch of an unbelievably crispy crust that snaps into tiny shards of flakey browned pastry, before your teeth sinks into its rich, buttery layers and you soak in the caramelized, nuttiness of roasted almonds. Wash it down with some freshly roasted coffee... pure bliss! 

All I can say is: Lune's reputation for making the World's Best Croissants, as declared by New York Times in 2016, is not hyperbole! More than a decade ago, and I still think about Lune Croissants, even after having moved out from Melbourne since. 

So imagine my surprise and awe when news broke that Four Pillars, yet another iconic Melbourne brand, was to be launching a Croissant Gin in partnership with Lune. The Croissant Gin would take Four Pillar's classic Australian Dry Gin base, but distilled with the addition of roasted almonds and Lune’s world famous clarified butter.

Lune Croissant's claim to fame lies in their world famous croissants, which are said to use twice the amount of butter than your average croissant. Naturally, it made sense that their clarified butter would be a big part of the Croissant Gin. Other complementary botanicals include vanilla pods, macadamia nuts, roasted wattleseed, nutmeg, oranges and lemon myrtle. 

This time, I was lucky enough to have a friend who had just come back from Melbourne, a lucky bottle of Croissant Gin in tow. She kindly opened the bottle to share, and I got to have a try! I've often craved for croissants, but certainly not thirsted for one before! So let's get to sipping! 

Four Pillars x Lune Croissant Gin - Tasting Notes

Appearance: Clear

Nose: Aromas of butter and touches of vanilla, with a sweet scent of roasted sugar and caramel. The nose on this is distinctly confectionary, yet remains quite bright with a clear juniper accent and peppery spice. 

Taste: Medium bodied with a velvety smoothness. Browned butter and toffee bring confectionary richness to the body, whilst a bright herbal juniper undertone and orange zest helps to lifts the palate and keep this from becoming too heavy. Towards the end, a nuttiness comes through, with growing notes of sugared almonds and nutmegs. 

Finish: Medium with a lingering sweetness of brioche and nutmeg, some lemon zest, and a slight prickle of black pepper heat. 

Overall Thoughts

A really elegant interpretation of a croissant gin - but not in the way you might have initially expected! While this gin is certainly confectionary, this sweetness thankfully doesn't come through in a cloying manner. There's accents of vanilla, caramel, nutmeg and orange zest that gives it complexity in flavour, while it also still tastes like a gin, with the juniper herbaceousness still being dominant enough to give those flavours some balance and brightness. 

Texture wise, this has that silky butteriness akin to a butter fatwashed gin, which gives it great structure and enough depth that I can see it working as intended with richer and more decadent drinks, such as a espresso martini or a spiked latte. I also tried it with a little bit of Mr Black Coffee Liqueur and some tonic, and I think the deeper roasted coffee and dark chocolate notes really went hand in hand with the brighter buttery, caramel notes of this gin! 

With juniper and joy, 

@lotusroot518