Brooklyn Gin

With every man and their dog (and their dogs, uncles, neighbours girlfriend) now knocking out the next experimental botanical blend (I'm talking ants, lobsters.... you name it, its going into gin...) it's somewhat refreshing to find a good, solid, 'classic' Gin. Personal preference lies, for me, in a purist mindset when it comes to botanicals in my gin and I'm a big fan of juniper and citrus dominance on the flavour palette ... not to say I am not a fan of anything else...simply that this is where my overall preference lies. 

As a longstanding gin fan, I was dragged up (back in the day when little else was widely on offer) on the likes of Bombay, Tanqueray and (god forbid) Gordon's (which I have somewhat outgrown but nevertheless an integral part of my gin journey)... and as such, tend to lean in classic directions, unlike the newbie ginsters who have only ever known gin with half a herb garden and the kitchen sink thrown in. 

Brooklyn Gin is a small batch gin and product of the Brooklyn Distilling Company, New York. Made using hand-cracked juniper berries and fresh citrus peels (a hefty 5 different varieties) rather than dried, along with lavender, angelica, coriander and orris root. Brooklyn offers up a clean, beautifully balanced gin with (as you would expect) juniper and citrus leads on the palette and a pleasant peppery spice to finish. Over ice, floral notes seep in.

Excellent for a refreshing and classic G&T with a wedge of lime.  

In partnership with The Paddocks Bar

Audemus Spirits at Doctor Inks, Exeter, with Enotria & Coe

When an email dropped into my inbox from distribution company - Enotria and Coe - inviting me to attend a masterclass and bar-tending session for a Spirits company with an intriguing gin, I was yet to sample, in their inventory.... how could I refuse!

Cue 'Audemus Spirits'.... the brainchild of Australian born Miko, who founded the company in France in 2013 after working as a cognac distiller for many years. Having concocted the original recipe for Audemus' flagship spirit, Pink Pepper Gin, Miko set out to make a name for the company alone, until fate (read: soup) brought Miko and British Cognac resident - Ian - together in 2014, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now, i'm a sucker for a good backstory on a gin.... so many these days are churned out with little more than the financial remuneration in mind. In stark comparison, Pink Pepper is quite literally the 'little gin who could'. With humble beginnings in Cognac, France...being traded for soup by its hungry creator, it is still a reflection of its homespun nature, created in small batches, with each batch dedicated to a meaningful person from the Audemus Spirits story. Ian is very much the 'man on the ground', and it was my absolute pleasure to meet with him last Wednesday and sit down for a one on one chat about the origins of this intriguing spirit (mainly because i was unforgivably late and missed the group chat...but lets not focus on that shall we). Listening to tales of his determination in getting Pink Pepper picked up by its stockists, from loitering in office receptions, to high teas at Liberty's of London....Ian has gone to every length to ensure this spirit began to receive the recognition it very much deserves.

So lets start at the beginning, with the spirit which started it all. Pink Pepper Gin.
Distilled in a bespoke, low pressure, glass vacuum still, Pink Pepper is constructed of 9 botanicals, 3 of which remain a closely guarded secret.
Pepper is prominent to taste, with juniper not far behind. Over ice, this gin takes on a distinct sweetness thanks to the honey, vanilla and tonka bean... for me it starts to err slightly too much on the sweeter side of things for me at this point so if you are like me then leave the ice out of the glass. I did not try this Gin with tonic at the time, although Ian recommended the Aromatic tonic from Fever Tree mixers, which I am sure would be great pairing, however, with the spicy notes of this Gin, it feels extremely adaptable and could be pulled in several directions to fit your flavour preferences. All round I was extremely impressed and I will definitely be trying this one again with some different pairings to get a much broader feel for it.

Next up is Pink Peppers elderly relative - Old Ma's.
A limited edition batch, Old Ma's is basically Pink Pepper Gin which has rested in a vintage Port barrel for 22 months (this has increased with each batch - batch 1 taking just 5 months), taking on the beautiful port and oak flavours to create a stunning spirit which can be enjoyed straight, on ice or in a cocktail. An absolute delight for someone like myself who is a fan of both gin and port....I cannot recommend this highly enough, and as I mentioned, it's limited edition so snap up a bottle asap!

Covert Liqueur is the next spirit in Audemus' repertoire, so named to reflect the ingredients - Cognac (CO) and the green (Vert) fig leaves. These are combined with honey to create a sweet liqueur which I hate to say it, but is just not for me due to the fact that I, for the most part, like my spirits like my humour .... dry and bitter.
I can, however, appreciate the flavour combinations in this creation and if you have a sweeter tooth than myself, I would hasten to recommend giving this a go!

Umami was the last of Audemus' spirits I sampled although I believe they do have one or two more. I've saved this one till last as it is so vastly different to anything I have tried before that it's taken a little pondering as to how I can succinctly translate this on paper (so to speak) .... and have come up blank. It is, without a doubt, one of those spirits you need to try for yourself...and I highly recommend you do. Somewhat a 'Marmite' product, it swiftly divided the room when we sampled this on Wednesday and I would imagine that is a fair reflection of its general reaction. Personally I liked it....savoury, salty with citrus notes ..... Umami is a spirit unlike any other and is used primarily in cocktails to add a new dimension to existing flavours. Produced using capers and Umami-rich ingredients, this is quite simply...one of a kind. 

A huge thank you to JP of Enotria and Coe, the talented bar staff at Doctor Inks Curiosities who, during the second half of the afternoon (bartenders session) created an exceptional selection of cocktails using the above spirits which I was lucky enough to sample....and of course, a massive thank you to Ian Spink of Audemus Spirits.

Bombay Sapphire Distillery, Laverstoke Mill, Hampshire

When your mother is turning 60, and is largely responsible for your introduction to, and love of Gin....there is but one logical destination for a birthday drink .... the home of Bombay Sapphire at Laverstoke Mill in Hampshire.

Having now announced my Mothers age online, I will now be working from an undisclosed location for my own protection once she see's this....but in the meantime, I thought I'd share a bit about my second trip to this beautiful distillery.

Having visited last in November last year, I was so blown away by the visual and informative aspects of this tour, that I knew I had to bring the mother dearest along to see it for herself. Based in the heart of rural Hampshire at a re-purposed paper mill, Bombay have, since 2010, called this beautiful venue home, using a revolutionary 'vapour infusion' method of distillation which makes Bombay Sapphire so distinctly unique. 

Walking from the entrance lobby into the main courtyard, the stunning combination of classic and modern architecture is, for want of a better word, breathtaking. The original buildings stand side by side with Bombay's iconic botanical glasshouses which curve gracefully into the river test, and play host to the 10 botanicals in their natural state. 

Having marvelled at the glasshouses and taken a walk through both, along with a beautiful display room covering the history of Bombay and gin itself, next up was a trip to the Botanical Dry Room to explore a range of 22 botanicals, by scent, to determine individual flavour preferences using an 'aroma map'... which enables visitors to then make an educated decision when it came to selecting a Bombay Cocktail at the end of the tour. Unsurprisingly my preferences lent heavily on the side of citrus and spice, with a nod to juniper. However, my eventual decision on cocktail was purely based on visual appeal rather than an informed choice...somewhat rebellious I grant you, but having already completed the tour and sampled (and thoroughly enjoyed) my recommended cocktail, it was time to venture into pastures new. 

Aroma map complete, it was time for a guided tour of the Dakin still house, the smaller of the two working still houses at Laverstoke. To Bombay's enormous credit, their tour guides are extremely knowledgeable and clearly passionate about both the company and the rich history behind the product. Learn about the origins of the gin itself, the vapour infusion process and the family behind this groundbreaking method. 

Chit chat and sampling (yep, you heard, and straight off the still too!) done, head to the Mill Bar for a complementary cocktail using your aroma map as a guide (or entirely futile endeavour, if you wish to be rebellious) and choosing from their 10 alcoholic, and 2 non alcoholic - for those of you who are clearly more responsible drivers than myself (before I get a barrage of messages... its a single measure people! I'm not a complete idiot, nor indeed, wildly irresponsible) cocktails. 

Needless to say, Mother dearest loved every minute of this tour and I highly recommend it to all. So whatever the occasion (does there really need to be one) head over and book tickets here....you wont be disappointed (unless you really don't like gin, in which case it's probably not for you....but there's no accounting for taste I guess). 

Cheers