Rachael Ray Is Launching A New Gin. Here's What We Know

Rachael Ray has become a Food Network star, written an incredible number of cookbooks, and traveled around the world. Now her impressive career is taking an entirely different turn with the launch of a new gin. Celebrity liquors have been all the rage the last few years, but the biggest names in the food world have been surprisingly absent in the distilling game. But trailblazer that she is, Rachael Ray is about to change that with an upcoming release, which is inspired as much by her talents in the kitchen as it is her love of a good cocktail. Tasting Table recently caught up with Ray at NYC Wine and Food Fest's Burger Bash, where we got to sample the gin and chat with her about how the new spirit came to be.

Ray's branded liquor is called Staple Gin, and it's being made in partnership with Brian Facquet of Do Good Spirits. The chef told us the germ of the release came from frequent discussions with her husband, and how the two are always on the lookout for a gin that's equally great for mixing cocktails as cooking. Ray shared, "We talk about the flavors in spirits a lot. And we chitchat about how cocktails are made, [in] what balances, what it means, and how gins are flavored." Eventually, as Ray puts it, "[I] started playing around with, 'If I could create a gin, how would I enhance the beauty of it?'"

According to Ray, there will be two versions of Staple Gin, one with an "olive and herb" flavor profile, and a second — which has not yet been finished — that's very "citrusy and bright." Tasting Table was able to sample the olive gin, which had an impressively aggressive flavor with a clear note of salt from olives. Explaining how she came up with the flavors, The chef pointed out, "People cook with wine, but I also cook with vermouth, red, white fortified wine, which is wine and spirits ... Why don't we teach them to cook with gin?" The culinary possibilities of the olive-infused gin were clear from the start, with Ray noting, "[T]hat would taste great with shrimp and linguine." And while we didn't get to sample the second citrus flavor, Ray says she foresees it working with "more summery dishes and gazpachos and chard, grilled seafood, and reductions."

Ray was also full of praise for her partner Facquet, explaining, "He has a beautiful distillery and he's just a sweet, lovely human. He just loves the process of actually making and playing around with something." Facquet's distillery is located in Roscoe in upstate New York, which already produces the award-winning Bootlegger brand of gin, vodka, and bourbon. While we don't have a release date for Ray's new gin, you can sign up on the Staple Gin website for more information, and follow the brand's story on its newly launched Instagram page.