La Distillerie de Monaco’s Gin aux Agrumes. Photography courtesy La Distillerie de Monaco. Bottled in Monaco’s first and only distillery, La Distillerie de Monaco’s Gin aux Agrumes is a delicious celebration of the region’s famous citrus fruit, all grown within a 20km radius of the principality. Harnessing Mocano’s bitter oranges, alongside sweet oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, citron and bergamot, the juniper base also features lemon thyme, fresh ginger and sichuan pepper for a refreshing and summer-ready taste.
T Australia is giving away five 700ml bottles of La Distillerie de Monaco’s Gin aux Agrumes. To enter, tag a gin-loving friend in the comments below and ensure that you’re both following @tmagazineau on Instagram.
Each winner will enjoy the fragrant citrus flavour of La Distillerie de Monaco’s Gin aux Agrumes. Entrants must be 18 years and over. Winners will be notified at 5pm on Thursday, January 12, 2023.
To enter, go to our Instagram here. Terms and conditions apply.
To celebrate the Australian launch of La Distillerie de Monaco, T Australia sat down with its founder, Philip Culazzo, to talk about the region’s local produce, and the ultimate summer cocktail.
What was it about the region of Monaco that was so appealing to you professionally?
My father is from Bordighera, a little town about 20kms from Monaco, and since childhood the whole family would spend our summer holidays there, so this area is like a second home to me. The area is a beautiful mix of Mediterranean delights – sunshine, the sea and the mountains, great food and wines, a relaxed, clean and natural environment, with a very well-connected airport in Nice. What more could you ask for?
La Distillerie de Monaco is the first and only distillery in Monaco. Can you tell me a little about what it felt like to launch the distillery, or any pressure you felt being the first in the region?
The distillery is a real passion project. The idea was born around 2013-2014, and it took a few years to get things into place, as this was something that had never been done before in the Principality, but we opened our doors in 2017, and had the backing of the Palace and the Government of Monaco who are very much promoters of environmentally friendly projects. In effect we are taking the bitter oranges that were once sent to the incinerator and turning them into something people can actually enjoy. There is of course a lot of responsibility to make high quality, natural products, which reflect the values of Monaco, but I hope we are on the right path.
Your products celebrate Monaco’s famous bitter oranges and citrus fruits – what do you love most about these flavours?
The bitter oranges are incredibly fragrant – especially in the harvest months of January and February. It is said that the aroma is a mood enhancer. People come to the distillery when we are in harvest season, guided by the smell – it travels 200 meters or more down the street!
Tell T Australia about your La Distillerie de Monaco gin – what is its flavour profile?
Our Citrus gin is a mix of seven citrus fruits, all growing in a 20km radius of Monaco. We use the bitter oranges growing in Monaco, as well as sweet oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, citron (a cousin of lemon) and bergamot, and to this we also add lemon thyme, fresh ginger and sichuan pepper. All on a base of juniper of course.
How should readers be drinking gin this summer?
I’m a real fan of the French 75, revisited we call this cocktail the Grimaldi: our citrus gin mixed with champagne, fresh lemon juice and a lemon zest – it’s super citrusy and very refreshing.
What other spirits or liqueurs do you produce?
We produce a bitter orange liqueur called L’Orangerie, and a very unusual liqueur made with the fruits of the national tree of Monaco, the carob tree, called Carruba.
What is next on the horizon for La Distillerie de Monaco – do you have any plans for 2023 you are able to share?
We are looking to expand our portfolio of handmade spirits and bring a true taste of Monaco to new markets around the world. We have just launched in Australia.
Competition Terms and Conditions
Competition runs from 05 January until 5pm, 12th January. Winners will be contacted on 12th January, via Instagram. Prize is not exchangeable for cash.
Entrants’ personal information will be collected by the promoter. Personal information will be stored on the promoter’s database, and shared with La Distillerie de Monaco to facilitate direct delivery of prize. The promoter may use this information for future marketing purposes regarding its products, including contacting the entrant electronically. The promoter is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and its privacy policy.
The Promoter’s privacy policy contains information about how the entrant may access, update and seek correction of the personal information the promoter holds about them and how the entrant may complain about any potential breach by the promoter of the Australian Privacy Principles or any other Australian privacy laws and how such complaints will be dealt with. The promoter collects personal information about entrants to enable them to participate in this promotion and may disclose the entrants’ personal information to third parties including its contractors and agents, prize suppliers and service providers to assist in conducting this Promotion and to the State and Territory lottery departments as required under the relevant lottery legislation.
If the entrant does not provide their personal information as requested, they may be ineligible to enter or claim a prize in the promotion. Personal information collected from entrants will not be disclosed to any entity located outside of Australia.
