Gin-in-a-tin gets exotic

Over the years I’ve come across various attempts at premixed cocktails. The sticking point is usually that some ingredients like lemon juice need to be preserved in some way—the Coppa ones clearly had some sort of preservative and some very synthetic-tasting ingredients, while the KÖLD range came in foil pouches that you partially freeze before opening, though I’m guessing the foil also meant you could pasteurise the pouch after sealing, meaning it should stay uncorrupted until the pouch is opened. I don’t know if they do do this, but you run the risk of altering flavours through this “cooking” process. (I think that the Funkin fruit juice pouches are preserved this way—their lime and lemon juice certainly tastes rather cooked.) Both these ranges were heavy on fruit, or at least on fruity flavours.

The only successful range I’ve encountered is Master of Malt’s Handmade Cocktail Company range, which are proper grown-up cocktails. They get round the preservation problem by only making classic recipes that consist mostly of spirits, bitters, etc. Moreover they maintain the high alcoholic strength so that less stable ingredients, like vermouth, are effectively preserved by the alcohol.

Now That Boutique-y Gin Company have launched their own range of “cocktails in a can”, using some of their exotic spirits. This should bode well, as their spirits are generally pretty poised and thoughtfully constructed, even when they contain some whacky flavourings.

The first thing to note about these cocktails is that they are not really cocktails—they are really spirits with mixers. The second thing to note about them is that, like the Coppa and KÖLD ranges, as well as the M&S samples I tried, they are remarkably low in alcohol. I’m assuming that this is to control duty and therefore price—probably because, as with Coppa, there was no getting away from the fact that the marketplace you’re in contains things like Bacardi Breezers and other alcopops. If, like me, you tend to mix two parts tonic to one part gin, you end up with a drink about 13.5% ABV (akin to a beefy wine). The Boutique-y range are around 5% (lager strength), meaning that the spirits must have been pretty heavily diluted.

Moonshot Gin with Citrus Tonic
The Big Idea with Moonshot Gin is that the botanicals (all of them, apparently) have been sent into near-space and back. This subjects them to very low temperature and pressure, though no one seems to be suggesting that this will have had a known effect on the flavour. Ironically they are then vacuum-distilled (so mimicking the low pressure they have just endured). Apparently they throw some moon rock into the vat, but effectively this is just gin.

And you can certainly tell that there is gin in this premix (the ABV is higher here than in the others, at 7.2%). But it’s dominated by a distinctly synthetic-tasting lime flavour, presumably coming from the tonic.

Yuzu Gin Collins with Jasmine Tonic
Given that this is all about the Japanese citrus fruit the yuzu, I was surprised that the citrus flavour here is less in-your-face and more natural-seeming than in the previous mix. But you don’t get much sense of gin—given the ABV of 5.2% it must have been diluted by a good 8:1. You really just get a sense that you are drinking lemonade.

Pineapple Gin Mule
This is the serve that we tried in June, when TBGC were pushing its spit-roasted pineapple gin in time for International Pineapple Day. However, this is not the same drink as the one I made at home. It’s not too bad, and you can certainly taste pineapple, but you can’t really taste the gin itself. It also doesn’t have much body; you mostly have a sense of drinking sweet, fizzy water. Even the gingeriness of the ginger beer seems lost (and you would expect that if they had skimped on the gin then this should be more prominent by comparison). I note that it is not actually the same recipe as the one we tried at home, as they seem to have included pineapple juice—presumably you wouldn’t otherwise get any pineapple at all, given the low gin content.*

Cherry Gin Cola
It’s recognisably cola, with a strong vanilla hit reaching you first, plus an obvious cherry flavour, though I’m not sure I would guess there was any gin in it. As with the pineapple, this has actual cherry juice in it, which may be a way of getting some cherry flavour to make up for the lack of gin in the blend (or it may be a way of describing the gin itself—gin and cherry juice), plus added cardamom and orange blossom. It has a slightly chocolately finish.

Strawberry and Balsamic Gin Fizz
We previously decided that the TBGC Strawberry and Balsamic Gin served with sparkling wine was a thing of great beauty, but sadly this is not that recipe, but a blend of the gin with cream soda, vanilla and orange blossom. There is proper strawberry on the nose, and on the tongue you get vanilla too, as well as orange, but it is still rather synthetic-seeming. Having said that, this is one of the nicer ones from the range and I did finish it (unlike one of the others which ended up going down the sink).

So, are these premixed cocktails? No, despite the “craft cocktails” blazon on the can. Are they good mixed drinks? Hard to say, as I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and almost never drink cola, lemonade, cream soda, etc. You don’t really taste much gin in any of them, but given that they are beer-strength they may make sensible session drinks for a hot summer’s day—my cans even came with a branded cool bag just the right size and shape for half a dozen of them—assuming the cloying sweetness doesn’t send you into a diabetic coma before sundown…

*Here I’m assuming that they literally make these premixes from their gins, though I suppose it’s possible they somehow use some of the individual components in different proportions. It’s also possible that when they list the ingredients as including London Dry Gin and “fresh pineapple juice”, this is actually just a legal way of describing the process by which they make the gin itself—judging by the colour, the pineapple gin has clearly been infused with pineapple post-distillation, so there must be actual pineapple juice in the bottle. The same goes for the cherry gin.

Gin and tonic—but not as we know it

For your drinking pleasure: a Hartley Gin Tonica, featuring my own penchant, the addition of Campari

The ceaselessly industrious Mr Smith sent me a copy of his new tome, all about the Spanish style of serving gin and tonic. DBS himself (always a fan of taxonomy) long ago decided that this serve was sufficiently distinct to count as a separate drink, referring to it specifically by the Spanish name gin tonica, and that is indeed the title of his book.

The Spaniards’ love of a G&T apparently started in the Basque country and is now so entrenched that this beverage is considered the national drink. What makes a gin tonica different from a gin and tonic? Essentially, attention to detail. The punter is presented with a range of gins and tonics, which are complemented by elaborate garnishes, all served in extravagant balloon glasses to capture and channel the aromas. Large quantities of high quality ice are vital and the tonic is added as delicately as possible so as not to damage its effervescence (I’ve even heard of someone pouring the tonic down the shaft of a barspoon to try and minimise the loss of bubbles). The whole preparation process can take up to 15 minutes, and the wait is considered part of the experience.

David’s book offers 40 recipes, broken down into Classic, Contemporary, Experimental and Seasonal, starting with simple variations on standard garnishes, such as the Evans which deploys both lemon and lime, the James Bond, where a lime is squeezed into the drink (as described in Dr No), the Pink Gin (with added Angostura bitters), plus general variations made with aged gin or sloe gin.

Here you will also find the Hartley, named, I am honoured to say, after myself. I had mentioned to David that I sometimes like to add a dash of Campari to my G&T, so his version has a teaspoon of Campari and a teaspoon of orange juice (to balance the bitterness with sweetness).

But even the “Classic” section calls for unusual garnishes such as thyme, rosemary, bayleaf and coffee beans. Moreover, the recipes never specify simply “gin”—each one is a precise combination of a particular gin and a particular tonic. Alternative gins are also given, but if you fancied working your way through the recipes it would mean buying a lot of different gins and quite a few different tonics that may prove hard to come by.

Moving into the “Contemporary” section we find more esoteric gins, featuring unusual botanicals or spirit bases made from rye or rice, as well as exotic garnishes, the flavours of which start to take more of a defining role—such as the combination of grapefruit and vanilla pod (which apparent synthesise the impression of chocolate) or infusions of teabags. Also in this section we encounter the addition of other spirits such as Bénédictine, crème de violette or even malt whisky.

Once we get into “Experimental” territory, the only certainty is that there is gin involved in some way (although it may be joined by another spirit or liqueur, such as rum or blue curaçao). Garnishes include lemon sorbet, gummy sweets, rock candy or marmalade, and the tonic itself may be augmented or replaced by lemonade or soda water.

The “Seasonal” section offers recipes that will feel in keeping with different times of year, although the ingredients are not necessarily any less exotic, featuring gins made with spices or actual Christmas puddings and tonics pre-flavoured with cranberries, elderflower, grapefruit and rosemary. The winter recipe adds ginger ale, ginger wine, cinnamon sticks and cloves. There is a Chocolate Gin Tonica (is that a season? Why, I hear you cry, it is every season) made entirely of ingredients you will be outraged to find you never knew existed—gin made with cocoa nibs, coffee and vanilla, a cardamom tonic water and chocolate bitters. Finally, the New Year’s Eve version uses a gin that comes in a Champagne bottle and is served with a little Champagne as well.

As I say, you would have to be a dedicated home mixologist to source all the various gins and tonics specified in these recipes, with the patience to delay your post-work loosener while you hull strawberries and shave ribbons of cucumber. But if you love a G&T and wish to explore all the drink’s nuances, then this inspiring book is for you.

Gin Tonica by David T. Smith is published by Ryland Peters at £7.99.*

* If you follow up both those links you'll see that the image on the Ryland Peters website actually shows a different cover design from the copy I was sent. I wondered if the UK and US editions were different, but on Amazon.com the cover is the same as Amazon.co.uk.

Pop goes the G&T!

As I drifted past a posh deli in the very posh town of Petworth, my eye was understandably caught by this in the window. A packet of “Gin & Tonic” flavoured popcorn. Obviously I couldn’t resist nipping in to inspect.

The packaging claims that the product contains 5% actual gin and 5% tonic, though the list of ingredients also includes “natural gin flavour”. Juniper? The manufacturers, Joe and Seph, offer a wide and ambitious range of popcorns, including such flavours as blue cheese with walnut and celery, strawberries and cream, madras curry with black onion seeds and lime, and toffee apple and cinnamon. In addition to G&T the range includes three cocktails—Mojito, Margarita and Cosmopolitan.

The G&T popcorn is air-popped corn coated with caramel—which seems to be the base of most if not all of the products in the range—with further flavourings added. Open the packet and you immediately get an aroma of butter and caramel and a mealy grain smell. But there does seem to be a higher note too, perhaps something fruity. Bite into a piece and, lo and behold, there does seem to be a fruity aromatic flavour pretty reminiscent of juniper (I wouldn’t say that I could detect any other gin botanicals). The first thing that strikes me is surprise that juniper sits so comfortably with caramel.* (Oddly, the conjunction of the two flavours suggests banana to me as well.)

And tonic? Well… if you try hard you can convince yourself that there is a lemon note and a little bitterness, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t notice any such thing if I tasted it blind.

Most importantly, of course, these are tasty and rather moreish snacks. Do they go with G&T? Certainly—particularly with a fruity gin there is quite a synergy, though you may well find that ordinary caramel popcorn also goes with G&T just as well.

I am now curious to try the other products in the “cocktail range”…

* There are, I discovered, plenty of “Caramel Martini” recipes out there, but most are based around vodka or schnapps. I found hardly any that actually combine caramel with gin.

A new Perfect Partner for SW4 - The Gin of Champions?

This lazy weekend, I have experimenting with Thomas Henry drinks, a range of German mixer. Starting with their tonic, I tried it in a variety of guises, but the most enjoyable was clearly in a Gin & Tonic. My gin of choice was SW4, the gin of Champions. It's getting to the stage where I have tried nearly 50 different varieties of tonic water and I must say that, along with 1724, Thomas Henry is one of the "new kids on the block" that makes superb drinks.

I used the standard 40% ABV SW4 in a 2:1 (Tonic:Gin) ratio with Thomas Henry's Tonic Water. Here are my tasting notes:

There's an initial burst of freshness; the tonic brings out a lot of the citrus notes from the gin, but the juniper is still rather prevalent. This is a drink that is exceptionally refreshing, rather delicious and a great way to cool down on a hot evening. Unlike many tonics, Thomas Henry's does not overwhelm the drink, nor does it bring any unwelcome flavours or cloying textures. A great complement that enhances the gin, rather than covering it up.

For more information on Thomas Henry Mixers: http://www.thomas-henry.de/
For more information on SW4 Gin, check out their brand new website: http://sw4gin.com/

Savier: like a gin, but more so

At a Juniper Society moot DBS met a South African chap called Byron from the Gabriel Collective who was looking to distribute beer from his home country in the UK, but he also had a couple of gins in his portfolio. It wasn’t really his main focus but when we met up he had a couple of bottles for us to try. In fact they were the only bottles in the country—just check out the batch numbers in the photo below.

The Savier Spirit Co. offers a couple of gins, a vodka and a cocoa vodka, made in North Carolina and bottled in South Africa. Whether it would ever be economically viable then to ship the bottles to the UK I don’t know, so you may never encounter them commercially, but they make interesting sipping. Both gins are organic, certified for the USDA National Organic Program by the CCOF.

The back label of the Artisan Gin refers to “copper botanical trays”, suggesting a Carter Head type still where the alcohol vapour passes through the botanicals on its way to being recondensed, but in fact both gins are a mixture of this process and the traditional process where botanicals are macerated in the liquid base spirit before distillation. The Artisan Gin immediately strikes you as a ginny gin—you probably hear that a lot now, but it really is quite single-minded in its juniper character and consequent emphasis on the high notes (plus a bit of something like ginger, some cucumber and something a shade pungent like fennel). Whereas a lot of modern gins focus on softening, sweetening mid-range spice elements, as if to make them palatable on their own, this product seems to be saying, “Drink a gin neat? Are you a barbarian?”

Duly chastened I try it with water and with tonic, and a distinct character emerges of not just juniper but also that cucumber again. I confess my immediate reaction was that it seemed rather refreshing to encounter a gin that stuck to its guns and delivered a flavour that played its role in a mix, rather than pandering to an approachable neat serve that might appeal to vodka drinkers or those who find gin too dry and scary. If they could import it at a relatively affordable price I think they could have a winner—not least among the organic crowd. Rui Esteves from the Gabriel Collective tells me that in fact there is no cucumber in either gin. (Although of course Hendrick’s and Martin Miller’s have already established a bridgehead for cucumber flavour in gin.)

But the other gin in the portfolio is altogether more intriguing: they call it a “Juniper Gin”. “What gin isn’t?” you may ask. Well, what marks this out from the pack is that rather than just macerating juniper berries in the starter spirit then distilling this, Savier then re-macerate some of the gin in fresh juniper berries, and blend this back into the mix before bottling. Moreover, the Juniper Gin apparently has a different botanical line-up—though of course Rui won’t say what it is—and even uses a different type of still. All Rui can tell me is that the still design enables them to “collect heavier oils during the actual distillation”, adding, “We’re actually thinking of patenting the design, since we do think its unique.”

The result is a rather cloudy liquid but one with an extraordinary fresh juniper nose—if you’ve ever crushed juniper with a pestle and mortar when cooking you’ll know what I mean. Compared to the base Artisan Gin, it is much more accessible neat, and indeed the label suggests this is a good way to serve it, or perhaps in simple cocktails that won’t smother the character of the gin.

In a G&T I’m struck by how the juniper of the Juniper Gin is fresher, in an almost apple-juicy way, whereas the Artisan G&T has more of a dry pencil-lead juniper character. It’s a deceptively soft drink, compared to the muscular botanical character of the Artisan, and has a fresh, rustic, homemade quality. It’s an accessible, seductive G&T, though side by side I probably prefer the assertive presence of the Artisan.

One final blasphemy: although after a few tastings I think that the Artisan gin has quite a few flavours in there, the first time I made a G&T with it I was stuck by its spiky high-note character. Compared to it, SW4, say, has a warmer, spicier profile altogether. As an experiment, I tried blending the two and considered the resulting balance rather pleasing.

I’m sure the makers of both gins will be horrified. So I might as well confess right now that, my analysing done for the day, I am enjoying a G&T made with 6 O’Clock, Savier Juniper and SW4 all mixed together. Sue me.

Budget Gin & Tonic

THE BUDGET GIN AND TONIC

In the world of drinks there is decadence aplenty; maybe you fancy a £500 dram of whisky or a goblet of wine with the world's largest black pearl dissolved in it? But what about the other end of the spectrum? Can you get a quality drinks for pennies in the pound?

A staple favourite of our readers is the Gin & Tonic and, with £45-a-bottle gins and small bottles of tonic costing upto £2.50, the cost of a single double-measure serving of this beverage could quickly creep to over £4.55—and that's from the comfort of your own home, acting as your own bartender!

So I wondered, was it possible to find a very respectable (and tasty) gin and tonic for less than £1 (that's one hundred new pence). Saving the theatrics, the answer was "Yes".

Here is the solution:

The Gin

Oliver Cromwell London Dry Gin (Original)—£10.99 for one litre from Aldi. (100ml = £1.09)

Bottled at 37.5%, it's a good gin and great value for money. On its own it's OK but when mixed with tonic it's a gin that competes with the best of them.

The Tonic

Waitrose Regular—£0.49 per litre (or £2.09 for a six-pack of 250ml cans). (Sometimes this is available in a 3 for 2 deal, giving you even more savings.)

This has a good balance of sweetness and bitterness, and no overbearing artificial taste like many.

So the combination: a good example of a gin and tonic, you have juniper, you have a citrus you have a bitter edge and it is very refreshing. For 60p it is a bargain and you wouldn't feel like you were one step away from the bath-tub gin or cutting your Gordon's Gin by adding more water to make it go further.

When life gives you snow... make snowballs.

Well, not literally—I've not found too many people who are fond of this mix of Advocaat and lemonade (also available in handy premix bottles) other than dear old Mumsie.

But there has been some interesting work on snow cocktails. I was particularly impressed by a chap who had videoed himself in his garden making a mojito from the snow from his bird table.

There is a old fashioned lamp-post outside my wind, now adorned with lovely large icicles. Needless to say Mrs B. was not keen on me shimmying up it just to make a cocktail.

In the end I found some icicles donated by a kind neighbour...

Here is the result:

A Gin & Tonic made with Beefeater Winter (well, what else?) atheistically pleasing but a devil to drink.

Lab Update #3: Snow.

Lab update #3 - Fun with Snow

With all my scheduled meetings for the day cancelled, I decided to make the best of this impromptu day-off and use the weather in some drinks.

First I tried a Snow Julep using Jim Beam Green Label Bourbon, it's looks good and I thought it was a nice idea but it was very difficult to drink without a straw.

The next idea (below right) was inspired by Clayton (and I have to admit I feel the same) love of the G Vine ice balls, rather than one big ice ball to add to your whisky why not use a compacted snowball. Once I had packed it together I put it

in the freezer for a minute to let it harden up.

this seems to cool the drink moderately, but not as much as the Gvine cubes.

Below left: you can see a Gin & Tonic, "Evans" style served with another chunk snowball ice.

Some readers may think, using snow ice is all well and good but I would like to be warmed up.

Well I shall introduce you to my simple hot toddy recipe:

2pts Whisky

1pt Sugar Syrup

1pt Lemon Juice

4pts Boiling Water

I have scaled this up using 500ml whisky, 125ml sugar syrup, 125ml honey, 250ml lemon juice. I added the whisky sugar syrup and lemon juice to a saucepan and gently heated it, I then added the honey,a pinch of nutmeg, and stirred. After heating for a few minutes I removed the pan from the heat. After cooling I strained it and bottled it.

Voila! You have a premix hot toddy, just add hot water (1pt toddy mix : 2parts boiling water.)

Update from the lab.

Here in the Institute's south coast branch, with a plentiful supply of lightning storms to power my Vermouth Interocitor and my Quinine extractor, I have been busy with a few home-made projects.

Update from the Lab: 8th Nov 2010

#1 Mincemeat Vodka & Mincemeat Liqueur

I was inspired to make this by an end-of-the-aisle display in my local hypermarket. I added mincemeat to vodka (no sugar was required, as mincemeat

has sugar enough already) and left for a week, shaking at intervals.

Vodka: I was surprised at how much flavour has been infused into the vodka; the smell of the fruits and spices is there and that is represented in the taste. On the downside, the finish is a little harsh, but I think that this may be better for mixing in cocktails, whilst the liqueur may be better for sipping.

Liqueur: This is essentially the former spirit, diluted with extra water and sugar. The flavours of the mincemeat are still very present and Mrs. B says it reminded her of Stollen and Christmas. She is very keen for me to try using it in a hot cocktail.

#2 Ginger Tonic Water Syrup

This was my first attempt at making Ginger Ale Syrup, but it really turned out more like Ginger Tonic Water.

On it's own: This is an odd one; it definitely isn't ginger ale, but it has a savoury-ness and an understated sweetness that is hard to place. The ginger comes through, as does the bitterness from the Cinchona bark, but it is not as tart or tangy as tonic water syrup.

With Gin: Initially, this tasted just like a gin and tonic, but towards the end the bitterness is replaced by a gingery warmth; rather odd, but Mrs. B liked it.

#3 Ginger Ale Syrup

This was created in a similar way to the Ginger Tonic syrup, apart from the additional of lemon zest, the exclusion of Citric Acid and Cinchona Bark, and, before any water was added, the sugar, ginger and lemon were caramelised together. OK, it was the same as the Tonic syrup in that it contained ginger, water and sugar!

On it's own: As with all syrups, the trick is getting the right dilution. After a little experimentation, we were left with a sweet ginger ale, with a bit of citrus and a little fire towards the end; spicy, but not blazing. Quite nice for a first go.

With Gin (Gin Buck): The gin is more dominant and, in order to get the ginger through, I had to add more syrup, making it sweeter. For the next batch, I think I need a bit more ginger and a less sugar. A work in progress.

What I'm drinking:

It seems to be the latest trend in London Bars, a Gin & Tonic in the "Evans" style: garnished with both Lemon and Lime, citrus bliss! (I used Oliver Cromwell Gin & Waitrose Tonic)

What's Next?

Can one man make his own Old Tom Gin?