The Family Coppola | Ada Lovelace Gin

Ada Lovelace Gin

We have crafted a gin that pays homage to the great English-style gins of Lady Ada Lovelace’s era, with a forward-thinking Code of 10 Botanicals, some of which may be found at our wine estate in Napa and Sonoma, along with pure spring water from our Napa estate. It is a gin that is inspired by the innovations of the past, present, and future.

Meet Ada Lovelace Gin

Daughter of Lord Byron and protégé of Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace was a woman of fierce originality and intellectual interests. She is recognized today as the first computer programmer. Born in London in 1815, she studied math and science at the insistence of her mother, despite the common knowledge that these subjects were too rigorous for girls.

Crafted with a Code of 10 Botanicals, our Master Distiller describes our gin as “an Orchestra where every botanical has their voice, but none scream out for attention.” Utilizing rose petals and lemon peel from the Coppola Family Estate in Napa, we bring both flavor and heritage to this handcrafted gin.

Meyer Lemons
From our estate lemon trees. An ode to one of the family’s own impressive women, the lemon peels honor Eleanor Coppola’s annual tradition of making delicious estate marmalade.

Rose Petals
From the many rose gardens on the property.

Italian Blue Juniper
Tend to be less piney and more floral. This variety is reminiscent of the wild growing Juniper bushes found on Coppola family property in the Italian countryside.

Tasting Notes

Nose
Classic London dry feel with balanced aromas of Italian juniper berries, lavender, summer roses, ripe tangerines and Meyer citrus blossoms.

Taste
Full-bodied on entry, mid-palate Turkish delight sweets, orris root and candied ginger finish, balancing floral aromas with earthly Rutherford dust base.

The Family Coppola are lovers not only of wine, but spirits as well. In fact, when the family gathers, the custom is to have a cocktail, or two, before dinner. They hope to bring even more joy to cocktail enthusiasts everywhere by crafting a collection of spirits as unique and remarkable as the women they honor. All of our spirits are crafted in a style that reflects the individual character of these trailblazers, and are proofed with pristine water from our Napa Valley Estate.

“We all know well the great men of history, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar & Napoleon and so on. I can think of as many women who distinguished themselves at that level in the fields of politics, science, mathematics and philosophy. So my choices & reasons are very personal.”
– Francis Ford Coppola

"You know why we don't hear about famous women in history? Because the history books were written by men."
– Eleanor Coppola

Awards

International Spirits Competition

2017 Craft Distillers Competition Awards

2018 Craft Distillers Spirits Competition

2019 International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC)

It's a Lifestyle

Ada Lovelace Gin bottle surrounded by flowers — Cinematic View

Distiller Notes

Meet Our Distiller
How It's Made
The Water

Natalie Dale

Natalie Dale became the Distiller for Great Women Spirits, part of The Family Coppola, through an untraditional route. For years she packed her bags to travel the world from grape harvest to grape harvest, working in renowned places such as Chile, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. She was inspired to become a winemaker and move back to her roots in northern California. Eventually she found herself at home with Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Sonoma County.

With over 13 years of winemaking experience, she decided to broaden her skill set into the world of distilling. She turned to Moonshine University and attended an intensive course taught by 40 industry experts. In 2018, upon completion of the course, The Family Coppola named her the Distiller for the Great Women Spirits collection. In this role, she creates small-batch, house-crafted, classically styled spirits that are as unique and remarkable as the women honored on each label.

This opportunity propelled Dale to seek out other women in the distilling community and became one of the few pioneering members of the Women's Distillery Guild in the United States. "The people in this industry have charmed me with their warmth and unimpeded access of knowledge and skills", says Dale. "I hope to give back by inspiring other women to pursue distilling."

Dale is currently studying for her Masters in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot-Watt University of Scotland. When she is not studying, she enjoys yoga, hiking, ceramics, sea kayaking, and traveling every chance she gets.

Production Process

Born in Northern California, but steeped in the tradition of Ada’s England, this gin honors the botanical bill of a London dry while following Ada’s lead as a revolutionary in her field, a pusher of boundaries.

Created with a dry martini in mind, Lovelace Gin incorporates both old and new world botanicals and distillation techniques to produce a uniquely Californian gin.

Distilled in a custom designed copper pot still, using varying maceration methods as well as botanical basket extraction, Lovelace Gin is masterfully balanced through the ancient craft of distillation and blending.

Our Water is Special in So Many Ways

Our gin is proofed with Napa Valley spring water from the Coppola family’s estate at Inglenook. Our water contains low levels of dissolved solids that contain minerals that add character and mouthfeel to our finished spirits. Located at the base of the extinct Mount St. John volcano, the water is naturally filtered through lava rock high in carbon, a natural and efficient filter.