Innehållsförteckning för Jun/Aug 2018 från Gin Magazine

It’s with an eye on warmer times that I welcome you to this issue of Gin Magazine. Congratulations, you’ve lasted the winter, which if you live in the UK as I do, has been a particularly chilly one. I’m that survival hasn’t required an uncomfortable number of warming gins! If you live in the southern hemisphere, I hope you’ve got your booze-shelf well stocked, ready for the deep-freeze. As many will be considering their summer holidays, or escape from colder climes, this issue is a truly international one, including producers quite literally from London to Lima, bars in Berlin and tastings from Australia, Canada, France, Italy and the Netherlands. If you’re looking for that last minute deal-breaker as you book your trip, I have little doubt you’ll find some inspiration…

On a recent trip to the USA, I was once again amazed at how many new gins have been released in the last year, with matured (aged), signature botanical and flavoured gins being particularly in vogue. But it’s not just North America that is creating great gin – the southern continent is giving its northern cousin a run for its money. South America has an established history of distilling, with many of its countries having popular local liquors. Brazil has the sugar cane based cachaça, and aguardiente, from Colombia (as well as other countries), is another cane based spirit. Venezuela is known for cocuy, which is made from agave and is similar to tequila. Grape spirits are also popular, with singani from Bolivia and pisco from Peru and Chile. An…

Proudly heralding from Portsmouth, I’m unashamedly interested in all things nautical. My Grandfather was in the Navy and fought in WW2 and for a while I worked for the National Museum of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. During this time spent pottering around museum galleries, the Mary Rose and exploring the decks of HMS M33, HMS Warrior and HMS Victory, I had started my gin blog and was keen to seek out new stories. The dockyard was rich with boozy tales and it became apparent that there was a lot to learn. With history it can be tricky to get the facts straight, so I’ve scoured through some serious research to bring you the interesting story of gin’s Navy history. ‘Push the boat out’ 1: Officers would sit…

Unless you’ve been leaving behind a large rock, you’ll have noticed that there’s a resurgence in excellent gin brands coming out of Scotland. Edinburgh Gin has been at the forefront of this. It’s in the middle of a mini heat wave that I arrive in Edinburgh, ahead of the launch of the distillery’s new expression, 1670, which has been a 12 month collaboration between head distiller David Wilkinson and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and its botanist, Dr Greg Kenicer. It’s perhaps apt that the launch is taking place during this rare-tropical heat, as among the botanicals in this new expression is Tasmanian Lanceolate Leaf and Tasmanian Mountain Pepper, presumably more acclimatised to these sorts of temperatures. Since being founded in 2010, Edinburgh Gin has been not-so quietly building up…

Sponsored by Master of Malt Taster biographies David T. Smith David T. Smith is an independent spirits writer and consultant who specialises in gin. He is a chair judge for a number of spirits competitions and has written widely on the subject, incuding The Craft of Gin, Forgotten Spirits and Long Lost Liqueurs and Gin Tonica. He was winner of the 2016 Gin Communicator of the Year award. Felicity Murray During a career spanning 45 years, Felicity has moved from early beginnings as a fashion designer to editing specialist magazines. Felicity is the founder and editor-inchief of TheDrinksReport.com. In 2007 she was awarded Gin Taster of the Year by the Gin and Vodka Association. THE PROCESS • All samples are blind tasted, with ABV and style the only information disclosed• Samples…

Tweet us @ginmagazineuk or email editor@paragraph.co.uk for a chance to feature What’s the difference between a flavoured gin and a gin liqueur? JON, HITCHIN A very timely question, as both flavoured gin and gin liqueurs are fast-growing sectors of the gin market. The flavours in both of these can come from a number of methods – focusing on a particular botanical beyond the typical classic gin botanicals, via infusion or maceration, or by adding a flavouring essence. Flavoured gin has to have a minimum alcoholic strength of 37.5% ABV. It does not need to be sweetened, although they often are; typically via sugar, stevia, honey or fruit juice. Liqueurs, meanwhile, can have a lower alcoholic strength – a minimum of 15.0% ABV – and must contain 100g per litre of sugar.…

Experts will gather in London in June for The Gin Guild’s fifth annual Ginposium seminar. The one-day event, which takes place on 7 June at RSA House, is once again expected to be a sell-out as representatives from the spirits and gin trade share their knowledge of all things gin. The programme includes a presentation on what is happening to Gin in the USA, while topics include a focus on base spirits, the dangers of using locally-foraged botanicals, and a panel discussion on gin categories and aids to consumer understanding. Nicholas Cook, director general of The Gin Guild, said: ‘Due to the Ginposium’s growing popularity, we moved to a bigger venue last year and still sold out. With gin sales still growing both in the UK and worldwide, the excitement…

‘It’s called London to Lima because of my journey,’ Alex began, ‘I was trying to work out what the hell I wanted to do in my life. I wanted to find something that I was passionate about.; His passion quest took him and his family from the bustling city of London, England to the jungles and plateaus of Peru. Alexander James is the CEO, founder and distiller of Lima’s London to Lima Spirits. He developed a love for agriculture when, as a young boy, he worked on a farm. His appreciation for the world of spirits came through his father’s experiences. ‘For him alcohol is a very important part of his life – on interest and taste,’ Alex described. A former army man himself, Alex’s father ran a wine bar…

If you’ve ever slowly dripped cold water into Absinthe and awaited its transformation from transparent to stunning opaque opalescence, you’ve encountered anethole in the wild. Anethole is responsible for what is described as the ouzo effect in a wide range of spirits. This happens because anethole is highly soluble in ethanol, but not in water. When a spirit such as pastris, raki, sambuca, or even gin (take for example Chicago’s Letherbee Distillers’ Letherbee Gin) is diluted, the anethole comes out of solution creating a cloudy emulsion. There was a point not long ago where gin distillers might have frowned upon cloudy gins and hazy gin and tonics. But now many – Letherbee included – make this a conscious design choice, to play up this property of ubiquitous botanicals such as…

1834 was a tumultuous time in the history of the Philippines. Not only were its gates flung open to trade and foreign merchants without restriction for the first time, it was in the midst of Spanish colonial rule and heightened Filipino nationalism. But in this same year, one of the world’s largest distilleries was born, right in the heart of Manila. Emerging with it, a juniper-flavoured liquor called Ginebra San Miguel de Ayala. It is impossible to look at Filipino gin without mentioning the origins of Ginebra San Miquel. Initially regarded an elite drink, the company founded by Antonio Ayala and Domingo Roxas spent years earnestly exploring how to keep liquor prices low. Anacleto del Rosario, a renowned Filipino chemist, developed a formula to purify the alcohol and thereby managed…

Every group has someone that feels under valued, and within the gin fraternity this applies to the spirit. The botanicals receive all the attention and praise, while the spirit can only lament, ‘It’s so unfair. What about me!’ The spirit is at the core of a gin, extracting the characteristics of the botanicals during distillation, and subsequently directing all the flavour onto the palate. It does, of course, provide another vital component without which there would be no gin. Alcohol. This certainly indicates a key role, but is this essentially pragmatic or can the spirit also play a creative role? Let’s start with terminology – the spirit is referred to either as Grain Neutral Spirit or Neutral Grain Spirit, abbreviated to GNS and NGS. But wherever the word ‘neutral’ appears…

Best city for cocktails? London. Oriole (Luca Cinalli) and Scout by Matt Whiley are outstanding. In Asia, either Singapore or Hong Kong. Manhattan and Operation Dagger in Singapore or The Old Man and COA in Hong Kong. And, gin bars? Barcelona. The Spanish are crazy about their gin! However, London has a great variety of gin bars, plus it’s the home of Beefeater. Sum up your bar in 10 words or less Vibrant, creative and unique. How did you get into the drinks industry? When I was 18 I was working nightclubs but always wanted to push my cocktail making. Your signature gin serve? Simple G&T with a citrus twist. The best way to serve it to me is a dry Martini. Favourite gin to work with? Even without winning…

Elephant Gin has launched an exclusive batch of aged gin. Elephant Gin co-founder Robin Gerlach was inspired to experiment with ageing different variations of its London Dry. The aim was to find a way to elevate the smoothness of the London Dry and oak was the natural choice to achieve this. Robin claims to have sought out a combination of new and aged wood. It was key that the juniper-led gin flavour was not overpowered, but that the gin had that added body and a smooth finish that would set it apart. Robin found the ideal blend was achieved by using three different types of oak and a year long resting period. For this limited edition, Elephant Gin chose a 100 per cent rye pot-distilled base to make use of…

The drinks world never disappoints when it comes to April Fools stories. But this year the industry really excelled itself. Some highlights from 2018 included the news that online retailer Master of Malt would soon be building a whisky distillery that made single malts using 3D printing technology, and the launch of a True English Breakfast Gin from Hayman’s made with never-before-seen ‘botanicals’ including bacon, toast, eggs and tomato. The packaging, added the press release, would pay tribute to the nation’s great Greasy Spoons, and the whole thing was accompanied by an image of Hayman’s distiller, Sam Pembridge thoughtfully nosing a lab sample of baked beans. I didn’t fall for any of these, but I am embarrassed to admit that I did get hoodwinked by a story on the BBC…

Once upon a time genever was one of the most popular base ingredients for cocktails. Now it is making a comeback on the shelves of many of the world’s best bars. It deserves a place on your booze shelf as well. Genever is often described as the missing link between gin and whisky, and rightfully so. Indeed, aged genevers rival the malty quality of a single malt, while its un-aged siblings leave more room for botanicals to play a role, not unlike gin. Slowly sipping a 15-years-old genever is an experience to behold. Furthermore, a genever can make for a great boilermaker. Seriously. Try combining a fresh jonge genever with a hoppy IPA, or a malty oude genever with a chocolate stout. However, there’s another way to incorporate genever in…

Sloe Gin, one of the most British of liqueurs, is homemade by many industrious individuals up and down the country. Harvest comes as the nights draw in and the hedgerows of the countryside are brimming with the tart fruit of the sloe or blackthorn bush. The sweet and comforting liqueur is a perfect winter warmer to enjoy curled up by the fire while the wild weather howls outside. But as we finally move towards the summer months of longer nights and milder weather, few gin drinkers are considering sloe gin as their drink of choice, despite the fact that it can be used to make some exceptionally refreshing drinks. So why not dust off that bottle of sloe gin that’s been left languishing in the cupboard and try some of…