Has James May cracked the gin cocktail code?

Writer, presenter and gin brand owner James May has unveiled the prototype for a cocktail glass that could well help users to create the perfect gin drink.

Spend 45 seconds listening to James talk about a cocktail glass that you can’t buy yet. pic.twitter.com/9v44K4SDZO

— James Gin (@jamesmaygin) December 18, 2023

While the glass itself seems to be just a standard, modern drinks tumbler, what sets it apart is that on the side it has measurements designed to aid the user in creating a cocktail with the correct proportions of the “three basic parts” necessary.

The glass’ suggested measurements include a “generous” double shot of gin (preferably James Gin), with space for “all the other things you put with it” (tonic, soda, etc.), and an allowance for the volume displacement caused by the addition of ice. Indeed, perhaps the glass’ niftiest feature is that it instructs the user to add ice until the drink comes up to a certain line, thus removing the uncertainty of how much to add.

It isn’t just Archimedes who is cited by May. Asked about the engineering that went into the glass, May offered the drinks business a riposte almost as dry as his gin: “You’re quite right; the proportions annotated on our cocktail glass were derived from scientific methodology first proposed by Newton in his Principia Mathematica, most notably that presented in the chapter Fucabatus Findatum. This is an empirical methodology in essence involving the elimination of incorrect measures through extensive experimentation. See also Thomas Edison’s work on the incandescent light bulb.”

May revealed in the video announcing the prototype that if enough people voiced an interest in the product on social media, his James Gin brand would manufacture more and sell them “at a very reasonable price”.

When he’s not making up chapter names from Newton’s Principia Mathematica, May is also experimenting with new gin flavours, including with his recently-released London Drizzle.