This was recorded on-location at Bar Convent Brooklyn 2026

Why This Episode Matters

• How five generations of the Hayman family helped shape London gin and why James Hayman sees himself as a guardian rather than an owner.
• Why Old Tom gin is not simply London Dry with extra sugar, and how its robust botanical profile changes classic cocktails.
• How authentic sloe gin is made with wild blackthorn fruit, months of infusion and considerably more patience than its neon-red reputation suggests.
• Why rising costs may tempt spirits companies to compromise and why James believes tradition and quality are the family business’s best protection.

Banter

Mark Pascal and Francis Schott reflect on Bar Convent Brooklyn and Tales of the Cocktail as places where bartenders, producers and increasingly knowledgeable consumers come together to exchange ideas, discover new spirits and renew old friendships. They also observe that cocktail culture has spread far beyond major cities and debate whether anyone attending an afternoon spirits convention is realistically going to work afterward

The Conversation

Recorded at Bar Convent Brooklyn, Mark and Francis sit down with fifth-generation gin distiller James Hayman to explore more than 160 years of family history of Hayman’s Gin.

James recalls growing up around the family distillery, where the aromas of botanicals made an early impression and visits to bottle shops became part of family vacations. He explains the responsibility of protecting recipes and methods developed generations earlier while still allowing the business to evolve.

The conversation traces gin’s transformation from the rough, inconsistent spirit of eighteenth-century London to the more refined styles that emerged during the nineteenth century. James explains the origins of Old Tom gin, why Hayman’s helped revive it for modern bartenders.

They then turn to sloe gin: wild blackthorn berries, high-proof gin, several months of extraction and the British tradition of carrying a flask to cold-weather sporting events. Francis contrasts real sloe gin with the syrupy versions that once appeared in drinks such as the Red Death and makes the case for restoring the good stuff to the modern cocktail bar.

James also discusses Navy Strength gin, the wonderfully questionable gunpowder story behind its proof and the family’s determination to keep making gin in London without cheapening its process. The episode closes with a frozen Martinez so good that Mark and Francis briefly consider the practical limitations of employing a frozen bartender.

Guest Bio

James Hayman is a fifth-generation gin distiller and co-owner of Hayman’s Gin, which he runs with his sister, Miranda Hayman, and their father, Christopher. The family has distilled gin since 1863 and continues to produce its London Dry, Old Tom, Sloe and Royal Dock gins using longstanding family recipes and methods. 

Timestamps

00:00 Bar Convent Brooklyn, Tales of the Cocktail and the value of cocktail gatherings
07:22 James Hayman joins Mark and Francis at BCB
09:00 Growing up inside a five-generation gin family
13:00 How London gin evolved—and the origins of Old Tom
17:42 Real sloe gin, the Blackthorn cocktail and the Red Death
23:38 Why American and British gin habits are so different
25:00 Protecting quality when costs rise
27:43 The story behind Navy Strength gin
30:10 The freezer Martinez and frozen-bartender logistics

Info

• Hayman’s Gin www.haymansgin.com/
• Bar Convent Brooklyn: Event information www.barconventbrooklyn.com/

Email [email protected] for cocktail recipes

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