Edinburgh-based distillery, The Old Curiosity, is spreading the love this Valentine’s Day, offering a quirky alternative to the traditional gifting of roses, with its unique colour-changing gin.

Until the end of March, every 50cl bottle of the distiller’s Apothecary Rose gin will come with a free bag of hand-picked, pink rose petals to perfectly garnish each glass.

Created from one of the oldest rose varieties in the world, Apothecary Rose has been used in herbal remedies and tinctures for over 5,000 years. It brings a subtly fragrant and elegant flavour to the spirit. Guaranteed to impress, the beautifully packaged gin boasts stunning colour-changing properties, changing from pale gold to pink when tonic is added.

Along with floral botanicals of apothecary rose, the gin comprises base botanicals of juniper angelica root and leaf, winter savoury and coriander.

The Old Curiosity Distillery is the most recent project from Hamish Martin, a Scottish herbologist and owner of the Secret Herb Garden – a specialist herb nursery on the outskirts of Edinburgh, and the nation’s first and only pure working gin botanical garden.

Hamish comments: “There’s something undeniably romantic about roses, but the traditional bouquet can be a little predictable. Saying ‘I love you’ with roses and gin is much more fun.

“Our delicious Apothecary Rose gin offers a little magic for Valentine’s Day. It turns an incredible shade of pink, and it looks just perfect when served with a scattering of lovingly grown rose petals from our garden.”

All of the herbs and botanicals within the gin are grown, hand-picked, dried and infused by the team at the Secret Herb Garden. They are all 100% natural; free of chemicals, sugars and flavour compounds.

The Apothecary Rose gin is available from The Old Curiosity website www.theoldcuriosity.co.uk as well as specialist off-licences, retailers and outlets in Scotland and from Harvey Nichols nationwide from 1stFeb until 31 March 2019.