Innehållsförteckning för Sep/Nov 2021 från Gin Magazine

Of all of the senses that humans possess, I would argue that taste and smell make the strongest associations to a place or to a time. A whiff of wild garlic and I’m instantly back to exploring the woodlands as a kid with my brother, imperial leather soap reminds me of my grandparents’ house, and basil takes me back to my Mum’s discovery in the late 90s of a wondrous new jar that you simply added to pasta to create a tasty meal: pesto. These kinds of associations trickled into my earlier gin tastings. What I now know as “heavy with coriander seed” reminded me of a wet dog, specifically one that had just been shampooed! Once, when tasting an in-development gin, Mum’s pasta discovery wouldn’t remove itself from my…

“Everyone has a lemon tree here,” says António Cuco, waving towards his citrus trees. “My friends bring lemons and oranges from their gardens in exchange for gin.” We’re outside the Sharish Gin Distillery, near Monsaraz in central Portugal, and António is the country’s premier and best-known artisanal gin maker. Olive trees surround the building, and bees saunter between fragrant banks of rosemary and lemon verbena. The trees and bushes aren’t just for show, though. Ever since António began making gins about seven years ago, he’s been determined to create distinctly Portuguese flavours, and so every one of his gins contains nationally grown fruits, herbs, spices or flowers – many of them from his own garden. Although Sharish has expanded rapidly and is now exporting to a growing list of countries,…

The spirits industry has a tendency to romanticise, if not outright fetishise, traditional distillation in copper pot stills. An inherently energy-heavy process, with high temperature required at its heart, the use of gas-fired alembic stills is both inefficient and incredibly carbon intensive: The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable’s Research on the Carbon Footprint of Spirits (2012) estimates that emissions from energy use for pot distillation account for approximately 40 per cent of the carbon footprint of a bottle of spirit. Reducing energy use and dependence on fossil fuels is, therefore, both the economic and responsible thing to do. Not only will environmentally aware consumers demand such change, but a comprehensive sustainability plan can help attract capital investment. Furthermore, with a growing global commitment to reach net zero by 2050, increasingly stringent…

Savoury, the character in question for this edition of our ongoing series on the flavour profiles of gin, has only really been prominent during the 21st century and in the last 10 years in particular. Not to be confused with savory, the rosemary-related herb that is sometimes used as a botanical in its own right, here I am talking chiefly about the unsweetened side of spiced flavour profiles, as well as a more vegetal character. One of the earliest savoury gins was Gin Mare, which was launched in Spain in 2010. Both Hendrick’s and Martin Miller’s use cucumber in their gins and, while they predate Gin Mare, their character is not, on balance, savoury. Bombay Sapphire, which does include two types of pepper in this botanical mix, was launched in…

Seasonal summer gins – whether limited editions or distillery staples – offer an exciting world to explore. You could be transported to the sunny shores of the Mediterranean with zesty citrus, to the sultry warmth of a Caribbean island with tropical fruits, or to an English country garden with heady floral fragrances. We’ve selected a few releases that we think it’s worth getting in your gin goblet this summer. Bombay Sapphire – Sunset This is Bombay Sapphire’s second flavoured expression, after the launch of Bombay Bramble last year. This gin adds turmeric, Spanish mandarin and Indian white cardamom to Bombay Sapphire’s classic 10-botanical bill, resulting in a bright and zesty yet earthy gin that sings of tropical shores. Chase Distillery – Raspberry and Basil Gin Refreshing the classic ‘fruity and…

First distilled in 1936 by what was then known as Kotobukiya – today’s Suntory – Hermes Dry Gin still populates Japanese online forums and auction sites. Its launch marked Japan’s pioneering attempt to venture into gin making, but the spirit took several decades to conquer the heart of the Japanese public. “We started importing small Japanese whisky producers in 2005,” says British spirits industry veteran – and Kyoto Distillery co-founder – Marcin Miller of his Number One Drinks Company. “Ten years later, the landscape had changed significantly and we thought it was time for a fresh challenge… I called David Croll, who had been living in Japan for several decades already, and said, ‘I have an idea: gin!’.” Making the most of Croll and his wife Noriko’s independent drinks distribution…

El Camino Real, the Royal Highway, is the very footprint of civilisation in California. It connected the missions and presidios of the Spanish colonial era. Towns along it grew to become the major population centres of ‘Alta California’. It also, conveniently, connects some of the best gin distilleries in Central and Southern California. Between Dead Kennedys’ Land to the north and Beach Boys’ Land to the south, is the Rastafarian enclave of Santa Cruz, a university town known for Mission Santa Cruz, surfing, skateboarding, seaside roller coasters, organic food and ganja. It is now getting known for great gin. The outdoor seating at Venus Spirits Cocktails and Kitchen has become the place to relax in the shade, or bake in the sun, with cocktails made from its gins and house-made…

Foraging in woodland, meadows and hedgerows, then strolling back to the distillery with a wicker basket full of botanicals, may seem a romantic dream. But this is a reality for some distilleries, which can harvest the surrounding area. Botanicals with an ‘en-suite’ provenance can certainly create emotional impact, while the growth cycle and their role in the recipe also provide an accompanying story with a happy ending. The one and only compulsory botanical, juniper, can grow happily in Britain, though unhappily where conditions are wet and windy with only occasional sunshine. This highlights the real issue: the level of essential oils within the berries. The climate typically ensures a much lower level in British juniper compared to Italian, rendering it unviable. However, one source of juniper that does find its…

We’re all missing world travel. As some places start to open up again, many of us have begun visiting regions open to travellers. Others are still plotting and anticipating upcoming travels, whether for relaxation, inspiration or to reunite (finally) with family and friends. Here, three bars and four bar managers we love around the globe share where they’re dreaming of travelling and three of their best gin cocktails inspired by travels to NYC, Japan and France. Look for the doorbell under a red frog marking the door to enter Lisbon cocktail bar pioneer, Red Frog Speakeasy… RED FROG SPEAKEASY Praça da Alegria 66b, 1250-004 Lisbon, Portugal  www.worldsbestbars.com/bar/lisbon/city-center/red-frog Look for the doorbell under a red frog marking the door to enter Lisbon cocktail bar pioneer, Red Frog Speakeasy, a space marked…

While it may be a sought-after holiday destination, with an abundance of natural beauty spots and glossy resorts to cater to visitors, life for many Cornish residents is a far cry from the tourist experience. The South West was once a profitable mining region, producing tin, copper and arsenic for trade around Britain, but this industry all but dried up in the 20th century. Today, Cornwall’s economy is dominated by agriculture and tourism, with the latter accounting for around 20 per cent of its jobs. While there are pockets of significant wealth, these rub shoulders with some of the UK’s most deprived communities (according to Office for National Statistics data, median earnings in the county are well below the national average). Due in part to this dichotomy, Cornish folk and…

It didn’t take Piet van Leijenhorst long to recognise Monique ten Kortenaar’s exceptional “tasting and smelling” genes, as well as her affinity for drinks and product development. Shortly after she joined Lucas Bols as quality manager in 2013, it became clear she was headed for a career in distilling. Van Leijenhorst played a big role in convincing Ten Kortenaar to start this new, rewarding chapter of her career. She has now been directly involved with the production of Bols and Wynand Fockink products for the past five years, perfecting her craft under the tutelage of the company’s revered master – not just distilling genever, but also liqueurs, non-alcoholic spirits and gin such as Damrak. As head distiller and distillery manager she’ll be playing an important role in keeping the legacy…

When Kangaroo Island Spirits opened the first dedicated gin distillery in Australia in 2006, it made South Australia the cradle of the Australian gin scene and since then the state has become home to some of the country’s best gin distillers. With a population of less than two million, South Australia punches well above its weight in the number of award-winning distilleries it boasts, and the best thing is, most of them are less than an hour’s drive from Adelaide. So, whether you want to head out to the wine regions or stay in the urban centre (or take a short flight to Kangaroo Island!) you’ll be able to enjoy a sample or two of your favourite spirit in a diverse range of settings. URBAN GEMS Prohibition Liquor Co. 22…

Eddie Brook is co-founder and distiller at Cape Byron Distillery in New South Wales, a company literally built around sustainability. He talks about what makes his Brookie’s Gin special, his love of Islay, and why he’s raring to go on a food and surfing trip to Morocco. What have been some of the most memorable and interesting countries and places that your work has taken you? One of the most interesting and memorable places I had the luck to visit is a small island called Islay off the Scottish mainland. Islay is where Jim McEwan, master distiller and co-founder of Cape Byron Distillery, was born and bred. The island itself has dramatically contrasting ocean cliffs and small but dense native forested areas. It is also home to some of (in…