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!
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.
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.
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