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ELIXIR OF LIFE
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EDITORS’ NOTE The Indian-born, American doctor, spiritual guru and author Deepak Chopra once wrote, “The secrets of alchemy exist to transform mortals from a state of suffering and ignorance to a state of enlightenment and bliss.” This May, prepare to be transformed, for we have found one of those secrets: Anno Distillers’ Kent Dry Gin, “The Spirit of Alchemy.” The team behind this amazing gin - Andy Reason and Norman Lewis - are actually certified alchemists with PhDs in organic chemistry. They made the bold leap from a life in pharmaceutical laboratories to pursue a labor of love in creating amazing spirits. Unlike most alchemists, however, they’ve actually succeeded in transforming their work into gold: Kent Dry Gin won a gold medal at the 2015 San Francisco Spirits Competition. Inside GINNED! this month, you’ll find out what it takes to make gold from gin and learn how the elixir of life could soon bring you eternal life. You’ll travel to island paradises, visit the world of cocktail bars and the celebrities that fuel them, and fly over the Garden of England, a county struggling to keep its title as its White Cliffs struggle to hold their ground. So as you dig into GINNED!, be sure to chill your bottle of Kent Dry, find some samphire, and put your suffering and ignorance behind. You’re about to experience alchemic enlightenment and bliss.
Cheers!
Jon Hulme Co-Founder jon@craftginclub.co.uk
John Burke Co-Founder john@craftginclub.co.uk
Get exclusive Craft Gins! Become a Craft Gin Club Member and receive hard-to-find gins delivered to your door.
For a special ÂŁ10 discount until May 15th use the code: GIN4EVER http://www.craftginclub.co.uk/join 3
GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
GINNED! Magazine MAY 2015
VOL. 7
GINTRODUCTION p. 4… Elixir of Life p. 9… The Alchemic Adventure of Anno p 13… Tasting notes, Team & Pours p 17… Cocktails & Stories
FEATURES p. 27… Big Pharma & Big Booze p. 32… Bartender’s ‘Bar’ometer p 34…
The Alchemy of Everlasting Life
p 39…
Celebraholic Portmanteaux
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ELIXIR OF LIFE
“And yet surely to alchemy this right is due, that it may be compared to the husbandman whereof Aesop makes the fable, that when he died he told his sons that he had left unto them gold buried under the ground in his vineyard: and they digged over the ground, gold they found none, but by reason of their stirring and digging the mould about the roots of their vines, they had a great vintage the year following: so assuredly the search and stir to make gold hath brought to light a great number of good and fruitful inventions and experiments, as well for the disclosing of nature as for the use of man's life.� Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning
Sorcerers. Mystics. Witchdoctors. Mad Men. The alchemists of yore often found themselves outcast, shunned by societies that didn’t quite understand their chosen isolation, holed up in laboratories, engrossed in their seeming insanity, bizarre-looking instruments and volatile substances. Regular explosions, constant talking to themselves and the foul odours emanating from their lairs would keep intruders at bay. And all the better for the alchemists. For theirs was a mission that most would fail to comprehend, the quest for a legend that had forever eluded man, the search for the concoction that would save him from the inevitable mortal fate of his race. The alchemists sought the elixir of life.
these tiny elements. The pair spent decades working as organic chemists at pharmaceutical companies contributing to research that could one day lead to the elixir of life. Yet whilst the search for the fabled elixir continues, Andy and Norman have turned their sights on another, less elusive type, the humble white spirit of gin whose production they befittingly refer to as “The Spirit of Alchemy.” KENTISH CHEMISTRY
Like all good researchers, Andy and Norman began their gin journey in the knowledge-filled halls of a library, specifically the world’s largest, The British Library. First they looked at The search for this paranormal potion how people have been making gin has driven many a man insane, caused over the centuries, starting back with wars and led to the very morbid end the genevers the Dutch concocted to the elixir’s seekers attempted to avoid. fight disease through to modern Yet not ever ything about the techniques and the craft distilling mysteries in the minds of the mad Alchemical ingredients for the elixir of life boom currently sweeping North men has wrought pain upon the America, the UK and parts of world. Over time, alchemy evolved, transforming itself from a fauxEurope. The “techy scientist” part of them continued by investigating science wrapped in mysticism into what we know today as modern the wide varieties of botanicals from which they compiled a list of chemistry based on experimentation, data analysis and a realistic those to try. approach to how the universe’s tiniest elements interact. The even tech-ier scientist in them took the next step by distilling Andy Reason and Norman Lewis, the alchemists behind Anno each of those botanicals individually, creating 120 distillates in all. Distillers and Anno Kent Dry Gin, have a thorough understanding of 6
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To their surprise, they weren’t impressed by the results of distilling fruits, particularly berries. Cherries, blackberries, strawberries all gave a “sharpness to the spirit that (they) didn’t like.” More appealing were the floral plants such as rose hip and elderflower which “gave a much softer flavour profile and mouth feel.”
fruits and hops. But it is one botanical in particular that gives the gin a real Kentish flare as well as its characteristic taste: the marsh and rock plant samphire.
The first thoughts of samphire the two distillers had went back to Shakespeare whose King Lear alludes to the gathering of rock After testing these different distillates, they turned their focus to the samphire from the White Cliffs of Dover, a common practice at the traditional base of most gins - the time being to hang children over the cassia bark, coriander, orris root, etc. side of the cliffs on rope to pick the - as well as the citrusy element that samphire growing in the cliffs’ many modern commercial gins crevices. Shakespeare thought it “a evoke. With these bases in mind, dreadful trade”. Although Andy and Andy and Norman distilled their Norman may have liked to use the first gin, one they called, “tasty, but samphire that still grows in the cliffs without much depth.” With this today, it is now a protected species. lesson and that of the fruit vs. floral Instead, they turned to samphire that distillate tests, the two alchemists grows in Kent’s Romney Marsh, a landed on and began shifting to their 100-square mile wetland area of the unique selling proposition: to make a county’s south. The distillers enjoy real Kentish gin they decided they the salty flavours that samphire The Kentish botanicals that bear the chemists creativity n e e d e d t o u s e r e a l Ke n t i s h brings to fish dishes after boiling in botanicals. hot water. When they distilled it, the were pleasantly surprised to find that it gave “nice grassy notes,” THE GARDEN OF GIN notes that complemented their gin’s other Kentish botanicals, hops and lavender. For hundreds of years, Kent has proudly claimed to be “The Garden of England”, back to the days of Henry VIII who was particularly The duo originally sourced lavender from the National Lavender enamored with Kentish cherries. The region is known for its fields of Collection in Norfolk to play with on their mini 2-litre alembic still in 7
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Andy’s kitchen. The collection features over 100 different varieties of lavender. To whittle down the overwhelming selection, Andy and Norman first spoke with lavender farmers to learn which might work best in a spirit. From that selection they found a wide range of flavours emerging from the same genus of plant: from the floral lavender taste one would expect to a woody flavour with a creamy mouth feel to some that tasted of “floor polish.” When eventually they found the lavender which suited the style of gin they sought, they were able to source it from the Kentish gardens of Londonderry Nursery, “where lavender comes to life” and which grows over 400 species and cultivars. The hops for which the region is known are more associated with beer production than they are with gin, but Andy and Norman found a means of eliminating the bitter elements associated with brewing. By distilling A Kentish orchard of alchemy Kentish hops they found a touch of pepper and “lovely aromatics” on the nose while all of the bitterness flushed out with the heads and tails of the spirit. Additional Kentish botanicals include elderflower, rose hips and camomile complemented by a traditional gin botanical base and a citrus element which includes bitter orange, Kaffir lime leaves and lemon. The lemon is used in a particularly unique manner at Anno 8
Distillers. Being a bitter, acidic fruit, when distilled together with other botanicals, lemons sometimes affect their essential oils and take away from their flavour. To eliminate this unwanted effect, Andy and Norman separately distill a lemon vodka which is later mixed with their gin at 90% ABV. The gin itself first runs through the still as the base spirit, an English wheat spirit from the Langley Distillery. It is first diluted from 96% ABV to 60% in their still, Patience, the resulting heart of the spirit is removed from the heads and the tails and put back in the still where the harder botanicals such as the barks and roots are thrown directly in the liquid in the still while the softer, floral and citrus botanicals sit in a botanicals basket at the top of the still column, flavouring the alcohol’s vapour as it wafts past. Kentish water is also a key ingredient to the gin’s final flavour yet it is also specially treated. Kentish water tends to be hard water high in mineral concentration, not the softer water running in the streams of Scotland that make Scotch whisky. So Anno Distillers, the alchemists that they are, run the water through a reverse osmosis process to eliminate the minerals using this water in the final step of distillation to bring the spirit down to 43% ABV.
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BRINGING THEIR A-GAME The resulting mixture of these Kentish botanicals, Kentish water, lemon vodka and traditional gin base is a complex spirit that evokes citrus, floral and woodland notes and flavours, all elements that had come through in various versions of gin they tested first on friends and family then working their way up to professional tasters gaining pointers along the way. From the start, they set out to create a gin that could be enjoyed like a fine Scotch whisky - neat. And that’s exactly the result you’ll find in your bottle of Anno Kent Dry, a bottle whose design is also idiosyncratic of Anno. Anno sources its bottles in a much more complicated manner then most distillers. The glass shape and printing happens in Slovakia from a glassmaker that then ships the bottles to Poland. When the bottle travels to Slovakia, it travels with the distinctive green - a color chosen for its historic association with gin bottles - as well as the word strings which not only describe the gin but also cause mystical patterns when refracting light, represent the Garden of England and evoke Kentish hops vines. In Poland, the bottle receives its “A�, a letter that is made from copper to represent the still from whence the gin was born in a secret process the manufacturer will not share with the distillers.
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Patience, the copper still, is not the only part of the gin that the “Aâ€? represents. It also embodies “The Spirit of Alchemy.â€? The font itself was adapted from an ancient German alchemic text and is the symbol used by the text’s authors to represent distillation, a happy coincidence. The entire package in conjunction with the slogan connects the two lives of the gin’s distillers - their past profession as organic chemists and their current adventure as spirits alchemists. In conjunction with their quest for the spirit of life, ancient alchemists would search for a magical means of making gold, primarily from lesser medals. Although even to this day modern science has failed to find an economical way of achieving this, the spirits alchemists Andy and Norman have found a way of turning their gin into gold - a gold medal, that is. In April of this year they learned that Anno Kent Dry Gin had been awarded one of the top prizes at the 2015 San Francisco Spirits Competition, the world’s leading awards show for libations. As you sip your Craft Gin Club May 2015 Gin of the Month, we recommend that you pay close attention to its Kentish qualities, its chemistry core and its gold-conjuring spirit of alchemy. What you’re tasting might very well be a piece of the puzzle in the quest for the elixir of life. đ&#x;?¸
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THE ALCHEMICAL ADVENTURE OF ANNO
Men are a funny lot. They spend the first decades of their adult life working hard, blindly striving for some distant goal they’re not actually completely sure of whilst doing their best to enjoy those fleeting moments with friends and family scattered between a constant stream of demands from a hierarchically superior boss figure they probably don’t even like. And then, when their midlife crisis inevitably hits, that distant goal suddenly becomes very close and very clear. All this time, the answer to all of life’s problems was a shiny new sports car. 10
For Anno Distillery’s Co-Founder Andy Reason, his Ultima GTR kit car (pictured) wasn’t necessarily the result of a full-on midlife crisis. He has a knack for tinkering with things and his red ride was a pet project that took him two and one-half years to build. But he and his distilling partner, Norman Lewis, stood at the edge of the White Cliff of a Kentish midlife crisis when the GlaxoSmithKline research laboratory in which they had worked for over a decade announced it was moving to another location. GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
Not keen on decamping from Kent, the two decided to take their leave from the pharmaceutical company and remain in their beloved county. “What to do next?” questioned the impending existential crossroads. With the kit car already under construction, they thought they could turn to consulting knowing that their organic chemistry expertise would be in high demand in their industry. But that thought didn’t last long as it didn’t really entice either of them. So, as the GSK lab prepared to shutter its doors, Andy and Norman decided to take the popular alternative midlife crisis adventure, the one on which men already equipped with sports cars embark - they decided to start an alcoholic beverage company. In a lot of ways, the decision made sense for them, a sense they could use to deflect any accusations of a real midlife crisis. Firstly, distilling is a basic element of their lab research. They knew very well how to distill and had the basic equipment to get the job done. Just as importantly, they both loved spirits particularly gin and whisky - to the extent that they had purchased a cask of whisky at the Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay. And finally, they didn’t have any other appealing ideas! Thusly the chemists turned their focus to creating the spirits they loved. Tying their former life with their blank slate as distillers, they came up with the perfect tagline for their new adventure: “The Spirit of Alchemy.” 11
MASTERING THE MIDLIFE CRISIS As their alchemical adventure began, they quickly realised that although they aspired to make whisky eventually, that the five years needed to draw their first bottle from the casks would turn their adventurous decision into a financial misadventure. So they turned their focus to gin. Initially, Andy and Norman thought to make three different styles of gin - one citrus-led, one floral, and one inspired by the woodlands. But the branding agency that they had employed to investigate the best way to market their products decided that “they weren’t Diageo”: three gins would be too confusing a message for such a small distillery to sell. At the point this news broke, they had been working on the three different styles and were nearing the point at which they wanted to be with each. “They were good, but not quite good enough,” remembers Andy. With prodding from the branding agency, they set their sights on producing a gin that combined all of the styles they had set out to produce. On their 2-litre kitchen still, they began creating several versions of the all-encompassing style and testing them on family in friends in blind tastings, including Andy’s daughter, Kim, who looks after Anno Distillery’s sales and marketing. They gradually worked their way beyond those closest to them and began trying their wares on those in the drinks industry all the way up to gin experts. GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
could direct the vapour from the rectification column directly to the final condenser or if they want the alcoholic steam to pass through the botanical basket before reaching the rectification column.
Kitchen chemistry: Patience’s kid cousin
Time and time again, one of the recipes came out on top. So Andy and Norman decided it was time to take the next step - move out of the kitchen. Looking to the States and its micro-distilling boom for inspiration, the duo realised that many of the stills being set up across the pond were coming from the German company, Carl, based in Stuttgart. The budding distillers traveled to the Carl factory to meet the makers of what would become the maker of their spirit. This was not just a courtesy visit. Anno Distillers, with ambitions to produce a range of spirits, would need a specially engineered, flexible still, a message it was necessary to clearly communicate to the experts at Carl. To accommodate the necessary flexibility, Carl created something unique to Anno’s still, something it calls a distribution panel. The distribution panel complete with “coupling units” allows the distillers to channel the vapour and spirits through the modular structure of the still according to the spirit that they are making. For instance, they 12
Whichever spirit they’re making that day, it all starts in the 300-litre copper pot module, a small size they chose to ensure the highest quality spirits. Andy and Norman were shocked when the equipment finally arrived at the rented premises they chose to house the still just before Christmas in 2012 on a “very large lorry from Germany”. The rectification column itself reaches 4.5 metres, weighed a half-tonne and required a specially built ladder to reach the top. THE PERFECT PERFORMANCE OF PATIENCE Of course, as is often the case for aspiring UK-based distillers, Andy and Norman needed to wait for HMRC to grant them the necessary licenses before they could even turn the still on, a time period that seemed to drag on forever. During what turned out to be a fivemonth wait, the distillers came up with their still’s very apt name, Patience. With the alchemic stars aligned, Anno Distillers first began working on the final flavour profile for its gin in May 2013. Scaling up the recipe originally intended for the 2-litre alembic was not much of an issue for the career chemists, but the different processes required by the rectification column forced them to jump through some scientific hoops, which, if a gold medal for their gin is any proof, they jumped through perfectly. GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
All we need is just a little Patience
Patience seems to be performing well with the flexibility intended by her makers. Andy and Norman are experimenting with different combinations of Patience’s capabilities to distill their next major product, a Kent whisky. They teamed up with the Westerham Brewery, a craft beer outfit based in Kent, to source the mash necessary to make the first Kentish whisky, distill the mash and barrel the outcome, a process that was underway at the time of writing. In 2012, the two had spent time learning to make whisky in Scotland from the masters at the small Kilchoman Distillery based on a farm on Islay. There they learned the tricks of the trade, including how to age whisky which Anno plans to do in American oak and potentially finish it in another type of wood. Other spirits already on sale include a Kent sloe gin, made with handpicked sloes from the region, an Elderflower & Vodka spirit drink and a cranberry gin that its proud distillers say is “like Christmas in a bottle.â€? Andy and Norman, quickly learning the tricks of the distilling trade, will continue to experiment, producing a variety of Kentish concoctions whilst keeping true to their goal of creating “exceedingly good spirits.â€? Along with Kim and Patience, they have embarked on a path through the Garden of England paved with spirited gold-medal adventure, an adventure they share with us, their gin-loving patrons, each time we sip the alchemical elixirs of Anno. đ&#x;?¸
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Botanicals Traditional 1. Juniper 2. Coriander 3. Angelica Root 4. Orris Root 5. Cassia Bark 6. Liquorice 7. Cubebs
Kentish & Floral 8. Samphire 9. Hops 10. Lavender 11. Elderflower 12. Rose Hips 13. Camomile Citrus 14. Lemon 15. Bitter Orange 16. Kaffir Lime Leaves
Tasting Notes Nose: Crisp, complex and inviting. Juniper and citrus with floral, herbal notes. Palate: Classic juniper, moving to citrus and then sweet spiced notes. Overall, soft to start with a complexity of flavours which grows as you sip. Finish: Bold and long, with leafy herbal notes and hops. Balanced, with a crisp, dry lift at the end.
Distillers’ Pours Anno Straight Ingredients: 50ml Anno Kent Dry Gin Preparation: - Chill Anno Gin in the freezer, pour into glass - Serve in an ISO tasting or goblet glass - Garnish with samphire slightly bruised
Sipping Note: Slowly sip over 20 minutes to fully appreciate the complex nature of the gin whilst the aromatics develop as the spirit warms to room temperature Kim’s Food Pairing: Cheese and biscuits. Pairs especially well with goats cheese, smoked chèvre or manchego, but Anno Gin’s complex flavouring will also stand up to strong stilton or soft cheeses.
Anno Martini Ingredients: - 50ml Anno Kent Dry Gin - Splash Vermouth Preparation: - Shake ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain. - Serve in a chilled martini glass - Garnish with samphire slightly bruised
Kim’s Food Pairing: Smoked salmon or Anno Gin gravlax toasts for starter or a main of white fish such as pan fried sea bass, dauphinoise potatoes and samphire
Patience Magic Maker
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Andy Reason Co-Director
Kim Reason Communications
Norman Lewis Co-Director
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Alternative Alchemy
Cocktails & Stories
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A Composition, A Controversy and A Collapsing Cliff The White Cliffs of Dover tower over the Strait of Dover as a national symbol of English strength. From the time of the Roman Invasion through World War II, the cliffs have been used to defend Britain as Julius Cesar decided the cliffs a dangerous spot for invasion and Winston Churchill ordered the placement of gun batteries along the tops of the cliffs to fight the Germans in World War II.
for the military, becoming “The Force’s Sweetheart” and appointed to Dame in 1975. But as comedian and Private Eye editor Ian Hislop pointed out in his 2004 BBC Radio 4 documentary, the song’s association with the British war efforts likely should never have materialised. The song was actually written by two Americans in 1941 and first gained popularity in the States, probably for its similarities bordering on plagiarism to the enormously popular 1939 ballad, “Over the Rainbow”, as sung by Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.
More recently, geological shifts have made the cliffs appear more vulnerable. In 2001, 2012 and 2013, massive chunks of the cliffs crumbled into the ocean, collapses that have led to the repositioning of cliffside buildings and visitors’ paths. Although The song also appears to be political the National Trust, which owns most motivation for American hawks. of the cliffs, maintains that the average Written before the US entered the war, pace at which the cliffs recede is an the song’s score writer, the pro-English annual 1.5 centimetres, the enormous and aptly-named Walter Kent, may landslides have caused concern, not have composed the song as a political unlike the 1942 landslide hit song that message to urge the US to sending Dame Vera Lynn: don’t know where, don’t know when she’ll meet that bluebird again. references the cliffs, “(They’ll be t r o o p s t o s u p p o r t i t s A l l i e s. Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Furthermore, the House of Commons Dover”. actually tried to ban Lynn from singing the song as the MPs thought it was doing more harm than good to military morale. Singer Vera Lynn recorded what would become one of Britain’s most popular wartime songs, a song that brought hope to soldiers and But perhaps the most evident reason why it’s a bit of a fluke that the looked to the end of the war “when the world is free.” “White Cliffs” song became a British hit is its winged subject. It is highly unlikely in conjunction with her 1939 hit “We’ll Meet Again” transformed Dame Vera ever found bluebirds soaring over the White Cliffs of Lynn into a star and she dedicated much of her career to performing Dover. They can only be found in the Americas. 19
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Devastation in Dover Forcing England a few feet further from France
White Cliffs Gin Fizz • • • • • • • •
50ml Anno Kent Dry Gin 25ml lime juice 20ml sugar syrup Couple drops of rose water Couple drops vanilla extract 1 large egg white 25ml double cream Top with club soda
Method: Mix ingredients bar soda in a shaker with ice. Strain into a glass and add soda. Serve in a Collins or highball glass Kim’s Food Pairing: I like to celebrate the Kentish coast even more with oysters or scallops 20
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Preventing Poaching in Perhentian Paradise In her days at uni, Kim Reason, Anno Distillers’ communications queen, followed in the footsteps of her PhD father, Andy, by taking up bio-chemistry and doing two internships under his watch at GlaxoSmithKline. Around the same time that Andy embarked on his distilling adventure, Kim plunged into an adventure of her own, literally, by teaching Scuba diving on Malaysia’s Perhentian Islands. The Perhentian Islands were once a sleepy place, populated by a few fishermen who welcomed the occasional ship from the British Empire which referred to the islands as The Station Islands from whence comes the term “Perhentian”, which in Malay means “stopping point.” The two islands - Kecil and Besar - and their diverse wild and sea life lived pretty much untouched for centuries until modern times when Westerners discovered the joys of travel.
Humans have treasured hawksbills for centuries. Evidence from China dating to 500 B.C. shows the turtle meat was a delicacy. Some believe that the turtles’ eggs, found on places like the Perhentian during nesting seasons, are aphrodisiacs. But the primary reason hawksbills have been so valued are for their shell, a simultaneously durable and beautiful material. From combs to needles and jewelry boxes to decorative furniture, the hawksbills’ tortoiseshell was used in cultures from the Caribbean to Ancient Greece and Tahiti to Tokyo. It wasn’t until the 1970s that we recognised the folly of our affection and the hawksbill began to appear on endangered species lists.
Today, the Perhentians serve as a hawksbill haven. Although only about 300 annual nestings occur across the hawksbill and green turtle species, a significantly decreased number due to Diving with the distiller’s daughter poaching and oil spills in the area, Kim spent the better part of nine months conservation societies are working to living on the islands, about 19 kilometres off the Malaysian mainland. bring the turtle populations back to the island by establishing In her dives she would have seen a host of aquatic life from cute little hatcheries. Perhaps upon Kim’s return to the islands she’ll be able to clownfish to sinister sharks. But one species she would have seen more swim with more hawksbills in between serving tourists Anno rarely than just a few decades ago are hawksbill turtles, a critically Elderflower G&Ts, Export Strength of course. endangered species. 21
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G&T (Gin & Turtle) Human hunger has left a shell of a species
Anno Elderflower G&T • • • 22
25ml Anno Kent Dry Gin 25ml Anno Elderflower&Vodka Premium tonic
Method: Shake spirits in a shaker with ice. Strain into glass. Add tonic. Serve in a chilled goblet or highball glass. Garnish with samphire and elderflowers. Kim’s Food Pairing: Truffle and goats cheese crostini with edible flowers GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
A Kentish Calamity: Alternative Gardens of England Ask any number of powerful individuals about their positions at the top of society and they’ll all tell you, with so many contenders nipping at their heels, that it’s difficult to stay on top. The county of Kent, known as the Garden of England, is no stranger to falls from grace. In 2006, the short-lived UKTV Style Gardens digital television channel caused a row when it put Kent’s hallowed status in question. In a poll conducted by the channel that asked 4,000 people to name their favourite county from a curated list of “12 beautiful English counties,” Kent placed 5th with a mere 5.2% of the vote while North Yorkshire grabbed the top spot with 31.3%.
Another English follow-up work that references the Garden of England is that of contemporary alternative band, alt-J, whose second album’s sixth song title is the same as Kent’s defended title. The song itself more mimics music you would expect to hear in Shakespearean England rather than in that of Dickens. A oneminute, seven second break between more substantial tracks, “❦ Garden of England” lays a soothing melody of two intertwining recorders over sounds of chirping birds and crickets: the listener gets the sense of stumbling upon a country fair in a quaint medieval village on a sunny day, maybe even in Kent.
As the county defended its title as the Garden of Where the public cited North Yorkshire for its England, alt-J’s album was released to defend its “breathtaking countryside”, Kent fell from favour music critic-granted title of “the New with survey participants due to “congestion, Radiohead,” a tribute previously applied to pollution and the adverse effects of over several bands such as Coldplay and Muse, none building” and even mentioned the county’s chavs of which ever lived up to the expectations carried British beauty buffs: as a weighing on their decision. Representatives by the homage. But like Kent’s status as a giving Kentish chavs the evils of Kent’s government defended their turf and beautiful county seems to have waned in the their historic claim to the title. One went so far as public eye, alt-J’s second album, This is All Yours, to quote Dickens who, in The Pickwick Papers - his follow-up novel to failed to impact music fans as much as their first - the 2012 Mercury the stories that made his name - wrote, “Kent, sir, everyone knows Prize winning An Awesome Wave - despite opening at #1 on the UK Kent. Apples, cherries, hops and women.” charts. Looks like the old Radiohead is finding it easier to stay on top than the county of Kent. 23
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alt-Jin In your mouth fits pleasure, Kent Dry pleasure
Garden of England • • • • • • • 24
Anno Kent Dry Gin (25ml) Anno Elderflower & Vodka (25ml) Fresh cloudy apple juice (50ml) Lime juice (dash) Strawberries Raspberries Blackberries
Method: Muddle blackberries, raspberries and strawberries in a shaker. Add other ingredients, shake with ice, strain and serve in a tea cup or coupe glass with finely crushed ice. Garnish with strawberry slices, raspberries and blackberries Kim’s Food Pairing: Red berries and chocolate. My favourite pairing is with a gooey chocolate brownie with raspberry coulis GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
Harrys’ Hooch and a Harrowing Howitzer Anno Distillery’s Kentish 75 is a play on the well-known cocktail, the French 75. Like most popular cocktails, the French 75’s origins are convoluted and versions of its recipes date to well before its first appearance in cocktail books. Liquor historian David Wondrich traces a first version of what we now know as the 75 back to Boston in 1867. Charles Dickens, on his second visit to the Massachusetts capital, stayed at the Parker Hotel where the big literary guns of the day Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the like - used to gather for their Saturday Night Club. One document shows that Dickens liked to serve his colleagues “Tom gin and champagne cups”.
Savoy Cocktail Book which included the Here’s How recipe under the name “French 75”. The cocktail’s recipe origins may baffle drinks historians to this day, but its namesake certainly doesn’t. During World War I, French and American airmen shaking off their battle flights began mixing wine and spirits, pilots which likely showed their faces in McElhone’s Paris bar which appears to have mixed a first version of the drink in 1915. The airmen equated the strength of a wine and spirits cocktail to the kick of the French quick-firing field gun, the Matériel de 75mm Mle 1897, an artillery piece known simply as the French 75.
It wasn’t until decades later, in 1919 that perhaps the world’s most well-known bartender, Harry From the time of its first production through McElhone of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, World War I, the French 75 was the most sought published a recipe called the “75 Cocktail” which after artillery piece in the war and used by the combined gin, absinthe, grenadine and Calvados armies of several nations, including the UK. The Serving soldiers seeking to get sauced in what today we know as a Tom Collins glass. A British army ordered 29 of the guns throughout few years later the 1922 book by London the war, primarily for use in the fight against bartender Robert Vermiere added lemon to the mix and the recipe we German planes and zeppelins attacking from the English Channel, now recognise - gin, lemon juice, sugar and champagne - took its final some of which would have been used at strategic locations in Kent form in a 1927 anti-Prohibition cocktail book called “Here’s How” whose cities the Germans bombed on numerous occasions. If there is published in the States. By 1930, Harry Craddock, who rivals any evidence of British soldiers in Kent drinking gin, lemon juice, McElhone as the world’s most well-known bartender, published the sugar and Kentish sparkling wine, perhaps the origins of the Kentish 75 will become just as convoluted as that of its French namesake. 25
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Taking Shots Downing German craft before downing gin cocktails
Kentish 75 • • • • 26
Anno Kent Dry Gin (25ml) Kentish Sparkling wine or Prosecco (100ml) Fresh lemon juice (dash) Sugar syrup (dash)
Method: Shake gin, sugar syrup and lemon juice with ice. Stir in sparkling wine. Strain. Serve in a flute. Garnish with a raspberry or strawberry in the bottom of the glass Kim’s Food Pairing: Depending on the sparkling wine used, either a crab ceviche or an avocado and asparagus salad GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
GINNED!
Magazine
Feature Articles
Alchemical Advertising How Big Pharma and Big Booze have rigged the game
Distilling creative and delicious spirits is a noble calling. Innovative distillers offer unique tasting experiences, they add the spice of life for the enjoyment of others, and their passion pours out of the bottle with every drop. Perhaps an even more noble calling, however, is that of an organic chemist at a pharmaceutical firm discovering, developing and testing medicines with the potential to give not just the spice of life, but life itself to millions around the world. Andy and Norman of Anno Distillers spent decades working as pharmaceutical researchers including long stints at British drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) before turning their attention to gin and whisky. Both love life in the lab, the freedom it brings to experiment and the creative products that result from those experiments. 28
But no matter how noble life in the lab can be, there are aspects of both the industries in which the now-distillers have worked - industries dominated by a few global firms - that aren’t so noble, specifically sales and marketing. Both Big Pharma and Big Booze practice questionable tactics when passing their products from prototypes to people. In the case of Big Pharma, these tactics are often illegal and result in legal action and penalties. Andy and Norman’s former employer is no stranger to such sanctions. GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
NOT OK AT GSK In 2012, the pharma giant plead guilty to charges of illegal practices by the United States government to the tune of $3 billion (£1.96 billion), the largest fine imposed upon a pharmaceutical company in the country’s history as well as one of the largest ever imposed on a corporation by a sovereign nation. Charges against GSK included overpricing its drugs when selling to Medicaid, the US government’s health care program for the poor, marketing several of its drugs for uses not approved by the Federal Drug Administration, and employing dubious sales tactics including bribing and giving kickbacks to doctors. It is the last illegal practice - bribes and kickbacks - that is the most prevalent and which has garnered the most attention by consumers and the media, which posed the question, “Does your doctor have ties to big pharma?” The likely answer is a resounding “yes”. For starters, in 2012, there were 72,000 pharmaceutical sales reps in the United States. Compare this with a 2011 statistic that shows there were approximately 810,000 “active doctors of medicine” and you see that there is 1 sales rep for every 11.25 doctors. That’s a stat that allows for a lot of 1-on-1 time. Secondly, in 2012, big pharma spent over $27 billion (£17.8 billion) on marketing in the US alone with more than $24 billion of that 29
spend aimed directly at medical professionals. Part of GSK’s settlement indicated that the company paid doctors exorbitant sums for conference speaking engagements and that its sales reps treated doctors to luxury items such as meals in high-end restaurants and spa breaks, items which the government considers as illegal kickbacks. In one example, non-profit investigative news outfit ProPublica showed that the spend of eight pharmaceutical companies on direct payments to doctors for speaking engagements was $220 million (£144.9 million) in 2010, engagements normally held in swank hotels or restaurants and that includ dinners for the audience. In another, the New York Times discovered that the pharma firm Novartis’s sales reps had dropped $10,000 (£6,586) for a three-person dinner at the upscale restaurant Nobu in Manhattan “to induce doctors to prescribe its drugs.” GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
Another means by which Big Pharma markets its products is by giving samples to doctors, samples that encourage doctors to prescribe the drugs to patients which results in higher medical care costs as the pharma companies’ rival generic drugs are left aside. Big Pharma spent $5.7 billion (£3.8 billion) on this type of marketing in 2012. You may think it logical that these public companies beholden to shareholders need to spend such sums on marketing costs in order to recoup the cost of their R&D and turn a profit. But as it turns out, pharmaceutical companies spend about 1/3 more on marketing than they do on R&D and have some of the highest profit margins of any industry, even a bit higher than the profit margins of big banks. This graph from data visualisation company Dadaviz, known as “the YouTube of data visualisations”, shows that in 2013 the world’s 10 largest pharmaceutical firms spent a whopping $98.3 billion (£64.7 30
billion) solely on marketing their products vs. $65.8 billion (£43.3 billion) on R&D. A November 2014 article by the BBC claimed that the average profit margin of these top ten companies was about 19.6% with GSK claiming net revenue at 21% of total revenue. Are these profit margins driven by the cagey sales tactics? To a certain degree, certainly. But chances are that eliminating illegal b r i b e s a n d k i ck b a ck s wouldn’t make a huge dent in sales. More than 70% of people in the US take at least one subscription drug resulting in just under $330 billion in 2013 sales. That’s the equivalent of $1,000 ( £ 6 5 9 ) f o r e ve r y U S citizen. Since the 2012 verdict, indeed GSK has reformed its ways. In December of 2013 it announced that it would eliminate prescription sales targets for its sales reps and would no longer pay doctors for speaking engagements, decisions that will likely reverberate across the industry and improve health care in the United States. GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
BIG BOOZE’S ADDICTION TO BARGAINS Another industry with healthy profit margins and products in demand by the public is the alcoholic beverage industry. For instance, British spirits company Diageo posted a 16.7% profit margin in 2013 on sales of £15.5 billion with 11.5% of revenues spent on marketing costs. Like pharmaceutical companies, Big Booze employs a variety of marketing tactics. Also like pharmaceutical companies, one of these tactics is cozying up to the purveyors of their products, in this case, bartenders. This is not to say that your favourite cocktail slinger is getting wined and dined by Diageo and Pernod Ricard brands. Instead, these companies regularly give significant discounts or complementary bottles in exchange for preferential treatment such as branded cocktails and being the exclusive house pour. In the UK, it is commonplace that for each 6-bottle case purchased by a bar that one of those bottles be complementary, essentially the equivalent of a 16.7% discount. The practice is so ingrained in the British on-trade that bar managers have come to automatically expect discounts and sales reps must negotiate prices with all of their clients. For small, craft brands such as Anno Distillers, these arrangements can pose problems. Large drinks firms have the economies of scale that allow them to produce their spirits for less cost meaning that they can afford these promotions. Small firms don’t have the same economies of scale: every bottle sale counts. When purchasing spirits, bars look to make about a 75% margin on each cocktail that they sell. 31
“We’re not dependent on your drink, just on your deductions.” GINNED! Magazine vol. 6
The free spirits they receive factor into the equation. So even if a bar really loves a craft brand and could make incredible cocktails with it, they often won’t stock the small brand because it does not fit into their 75% margin obligation. This conundrum comes with a double-whammy for small brands. Apart from the direct sale to bars, a major reason why drinks brands want to be on the back bar of popular establishments is the indirect sales consumers make in spirits shops and supermarkets. Logical thinking holds that if consumers see bartenders - experts in their fields - using a certain brand then they tend to buy that brand for themselves when it comes The Cowboys of Craft time for a home-use purchase leaving small brands once again out in the cold. At least one UK spirits distributor, Maverick Drinks, is attempting to change this relationship. Maverick deals exclusively with small-batch brands and refuses to give discounts - the price on the price list is what you get. Maverick’s Founder, Michael Vachon, claims that for 32
many bars he speaks with - after they get past the initial shock of not automatically receiving a discount - his strategy brings a sigh of relief by eliminating the nuisance of negotiation. However, bars still expect to make their 75% so Maverick has come up with alternative means that equate to discounts. For example, he offers bars tasting events. Fo r ÂŁ 1 0 p e r t i c k e t , Maverick and the bar welco me a n en g a g ed audience for an hour to taste a number of different spirits provided by Maverick. The bar makes money on the tickets and on the items that participants spend in the bar after the tasting finishes. Vachon thinks that this is just one of many ways that British bars and Big Booze could ease themselves off the discount addiction and will continue to work hard to “extol the virtuesâ€? of craft spirits. If he has his way, you, the gin loving Members of the Craft Gin Club, are likely to find more of the smallbatch gins that you love - such as this month’s featured gin, Anno Kent Dry - stocked in bars and restaurants across the UK. đ&#x;?¸ GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
A Bartender’s ‘Bar’ometer
By Nate Brown, Director, London Bar Consultants and Merchant House Every time we mention the word ‘Gin’, we are met with one of the same two quips: Gin is either ‘so hot right now’ or ‘that market is completely saturated’. In the age of ‘craft’, there is a school of thought to say that smaller is better. It implies a more hands on production, more care and attention, products built on love and art, not corporate and scale. In the age of ‘craft’, small is powerful, ‘small batch’ as a label is worth its weight in gold. ‘Craft’ is king and the large established brands are quaking in their boots. We are in an aesthetic ideal. 33
Except for one thing: craft is unsustainable. In the world of hospitality, where bars and restaurants claw at each other for the attention of paying guests, artisanal merit counts for really quite little. In the world of hospitality, one way or another, profit is king. The hospitality industry is a cliquey industry. The vast majority of the chatter and excitement revolves around the same handful of bars, restaurants or hotels. A lot of what goes on is dependent on the momentum of reputation and many would argue rightly so. Those that show an innovative or imaginative edge, those that consistently GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
perform to dizzying heights deserve their ongoing praise. Unfortunately, this celebrity system comes in the form of a twoheaded beast. Brands vie over the bar-of-the-moment, competing to establish links and collaborations with the hottest bartenders and the like. And herein lies a problem inherent with the system. A bar faced with the choice between an expensive hand crafted gin and a cheaper large scale money brand doesn’t really have a choice at all. Bars are expensive businesses. Like brands, they are an economy of scale, so, like the smallbatch, independent bars are destined to struggle or sell out. As a bar owner Nate Brown: mixing magic at Merchant House and operator, I can fully appreciate the bars’ perspectives. Running a bar is extremely difficult. Consumers are fickle, and rightly so. The best products are often expensive, and beyond the means of the vast majority of drinkers. In addition, one cannot simply open a bar and offer the finest products. The environment needs to suit: the drinks need to match the 34
surroundings. You won’t get many paying guests drinking champagne from a tea cup. All of which costs big bucks. And so we end up in this gamble: a bar must find ways of affording the appropriate products and create an environment to suit. To do this, the bars need help. And who can afford to offer help? The larger brands with bigger budgets. Oh, the irony, when what these bars really want is the smallbatch. At Merchant House, we are constantly faced with this battle. The answer is to find innovative solutions that benefit both parties, for the brand and the bar to take a risk on each other. If we do that, then ultimately it is the guest who will profit. It is their paying approval we both seek, and together we can create something greater than the sum of our parts. We can offer escapist worlds of luxury and entertainment. But in order to do so, we all need to celebrate craft for what it truly is: somebody creating for the sake of it. That should be enough. đ&#x;?¸ GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
The Alchemy of Everlasting Life
When devising the slogan to carry their new distillery, Andy Reason and Norman Lewis harked back to their careers as researchers creating medicines in pharmaceutical companies, a type of organic chemistry magic most of us will never understand. Anno Distillers now manifest “The Spirit of Alchemy� in their drinks made from processes not that dissimilar from creating medicines. In fact, the basis of their chemistry background evolved from the ancient practices of alchemy, practices shrouded in mysticism and whose objectives did not stray far from timeless human endeavours such as the quest for gold for eternal life. The first objective is relatively well known. We often think of alchemy as the search for the recipe that would transform everyday base metals into precious types such as gold. The second objective, even more elusive, is not as prevalent in the popular mind today. But for millennia, from soothsayers and wizards to botanists and doctors, we have sought the key to immortality. Where as the stories of the Fountain of Youth and the Holy Grail are widespread, what is less known is the objective of alchemists to discover the elixir of life, a magic potion that grants the drinker either eternal life or eternal youth. For Andy, Norman and their scientific research colleagues, this ancient myth is closer to a reality than ever today. Labs around the world are developing drugs that may hold the alchemic key to everlasting life.
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ETERNAL EXISTENCE EX-ELIXIR The world’s most outspoken proponent and vocal expert on the likeliness of humans living well past the current perception of a 120 year ceiling is the Englishman Aubrey de Grey. Grey’s research focuses primarily on “regenerative medicine”, or drug treatments that help to restore tissues and rejuvenate the human body. In January of 2015, de Grey told the Guardian that “There is an increasing number of people realising that the concept of anti-aging medicine that actually works is going to be the biggest industry that ever existed by some huge margin and that it just might be foreseeable.” But anti-aging has not always been related to drugs. Several scientific studies in previous decades are thought to have cracked some of the mysteries of aging without the studies’ subjects drinking the elixir of life. The oldest known method, Caloric restriction (CR), consists of just what its name indicates - the limitation of the intake of calories in the body. As far
back as the 1930s studies on lab rats showed that those in the test group that consumed a significant proportion less than the control group, which ate to satisfaction, lived longer. Over the years, similar studies showed similar effects on fish, yeasts, worms and even monkeys. The verdict, however, is still out when it comes to CR as an effective means of expanding lifespan. During World War II a study was conducted on human males in which the test group restricted their calories by 45% during six months, sticking primarily to food high in carbohydrates when they did eat. CR showed to have positive effects such as decreased blood pressure and resting heart rate but also caused negative effects ranging from depression to anemia. Furthermore, a 2012 article in the scientific journal Nature printed the conclusions of a study that commenced in 1987 demonstrating that a test group of rhesus monkeys that restricted caloric intake by 30% did not live longer than the control group and th a t th ey wer e m o r e susceptible to illness. Aubrey de Grey: cracking the code on the secret of eternal facial hair
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Another non-elixir-related study conducted at Harvard Medical School actually reversed the aging process on its test mice. The study focused on the reproduction of cells, particularly a specific part of chromosomes called telomeres. Normally, each time cells divide, telomeres, which are like a cap on the tip of chromosomes, become shorter until the moment when they can no longer function and the cells die, a process which is believed to be major factor in aging. In the Harvard study, genetically engineered mice without the enzyme telomerase, which causes telomeres to become shorter, lived unhealthy lives and aged rapidly until they were injected with the enzyme, at which time they not only became healthier but showed signs of reverse aging including the repairing of damaged tissues and the generation Not a fan of Caloric restriction of new neurons. Similar studies have not been conducted on humans but it is believed that such a method could significantly raise the risk of cancer since telomerase automatically switches off as we age to prevent cells from 37
growing out of control. Currently, scientists continue to study the method in hopes that it will lead to a means of tissue regeneration that will help aged humans to live healthier - and theoretically longer lives. One of the stranger methods of finding the elixir of life was published in 2014. T hree separate groups of scientists working on mice came to similar conclusions when injecting the blood of younger mice into their e l d e r s. T h e yo u n g b l o o d reversed characteristics associated with aging such as reduced memory and learning capabilities, muscle strength and even general brain functions. The scientists are expected to begin trials on humans in the coming years. But they’ll have to find another means of doing so than those they used on the mice: the young and old mice in the study were literally joined at the hip. Incisions were made in each of the pair and were left to heal in a manner that connected them so that they shared their blood supply. GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
THE MEDICINE OF IMMORTALITY Considering we’ve learned to successfully separate Siamese twins, we’re not likely to begin reversing the process to extend the lives of our elders (whist making the lives of our youth significantly less, well, youthful). To avoid any unnecessary incisions, other scientists are researching how medicines could extend lifespan. One researcher at the American non-profit Mayo Clinic, James Kirkland, told the Guardian that he knows of 20 drugs that have shown to extend the lives of mice including six drugs whose effects have actually been published by scientific journals, an element of the industry that renders the studies’ results as highly significant. Although the drugs seem to have had the desired results overall, just one drug is not a panacea. Some work to slow the aging of Immortality: not just for elves certain parts of the body while neglecting to halt the advance of others. For example, Kirkland noted that one drug called rapamycin, which is a primary focus of scientific anti-aging studies, did not slow down 38
age-related ailments such as cataracts. But that does not mean that rapamycin could contribute to helping humans live longer. Following a 2006 study in which rapamycin showed to expand the lives of yeast cells, doctors turned their attention to mice and found that mice that ingested the drug increased their total lifespan by up to 25%. What’s more, the mice subjects in question began treatment at the approximate human equivalent of 60 years, meaning that there is hope of beginning aging treatment on humans at later life stages, a hope that was closer turned to reality by study on elderly people in Australia and New Zealand that showed rapamycin to boost their immune systems. Some drugs meant to treat human diseases have also been found to expand life cycles. For instance, a dr ug called metformin, the world’s most widely used diabetes treatment, was shown in 2014 to significantly slow the aging of worms in a laboratory. Belgian researcher Wouter de Haes, the 2014 study’s lead, explained, "As they age, the worms get smaller, wrinkle up and become less mobile. But worms treated with metformin show very limited size loss and no wrinkling. They not only age slower, but they also stay healthier longer.” GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
One of the most promising drugs in the quest for a medicinal elixir of life is resveratrol, a compound found to mimic the effects of Caloric restriction explained above. Building on previous studies that showed age-defying qualities in mice similar to those of rapamycin, scientists in 2013 tracked the path of resveratrol’s effects, discovering the specific proteins with which it reacts as well as that it boosts mitochondrial activity, thus increasing a cell’s energy. The study’s lead commented, “Now that we know‌ where and how resveratrol works, we can engineer even better molecules that more precisely and effectively trigger the effects of resveratrol.â€? This seeming superdrug is actually not a drug at its origins: resveratrol is a naturally occurring plant chemical in the family of polyphenols. It is found in nuts and fruits, most notably grapes and even more specifically, fermented grapes. Red wine in particular holds high concentrations of resveratrol and is the force behind what some refer to as the “French paradoxâ€?, the confusing reality that despite having diets high in fats and sugars, French people remain relatively healthy into old age and have a low frequency of heart disease. 39
In fact, the oldest person ever to have lived was French. Jeanne Calment lived to the sprightly age of 122, from 1875 to 1997. Calment displayed amazing youthfulness well into old age, continuing to ride her bicycle until she was 100, deciding to explore the sport of fencing beginning at age 85 and living unassisted on her own until 110. Despite her longevity and apparent good health, Calment smoked until she was 117 and ate one kilo of chocolate per week.
Jeanne Calment: a smokin’ supercentenarian
Perhaps her saving grace was indeed an elixir of life, an elixir that also furthers the evidence supporting the French paradox. Accompanying her cigarettes and chocolate, Calment drank healthy rations of port wine loaded with resveratrol.
This is not to say you should abandon your Anno Kent Dry this month in favor of a bottle of Bordeaux. But perhaps Andy and Norman, in all of their experimentation, could come up with a gin with a grape spirit base. A mixture of resveratrol and healthboosting Kentish botanicals may just be the real elixir of life. đ&#x;?¸
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Celebraholic Potent Portmanteaux of the Rich and Famous When seeking a name for their joint venture as distillers, Andy Reason and Norman Lewis, as many men before them, ceded to the wise words of a woman, in this case, Norman’s wife, Jane. Since the boys were embarking on such a personal project, Jane thought it best for the name of the project to be, well, personal. 40
So how is “Anno”, a term most often associated with the dative case of the Latin word for year, annus, personal to Andy and Norman? Have a closer look at their names. Now look again. You’ve got it! “Anno” is a portmanteau of ‘An’dy and ‘No’rman! GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
The English term portmanteau originates with luggage that opens at the top into two halves. But like many words in our beloved language, it really comes from the French term portemanteau meaning to carry (porter) a coat (manteau), itself a portmanteau. The French term has since evolved to mean coat hanger while portmanteau luggage continues to exist although the term in English is more commonly associated with the mixture of words, an evolution that dates back - like many great and influential elements of English culture - to Lewis Carroll and his introduction of portmanteaux into Through the Looking Glass. Whereas Carroll invented terms that have since fallen from popular usage, terms such as “slithy” meaning “lithe and slimey” or “mimsy” meaning “flimsy and miserable”, we continue to speak in portmanteaux on a daily basis. “Brunch” is the clever marriage of “breakfast” and “lunch”, “Kimye” the nickname for celebrity couple Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, and “alcopop”, the (may we say, revolting), combination of alcohol and sodapop. Fortunately, “alcopop” isn’t the only portmanteau related to our joyous profession in the wonderful world of libations nor is “Kimye” the sole star coat carrier. In fact, a few stars have joined portmanteau-like with alcohol brands whose names are actually portmanteaux themselves while other star couples with brilliant portmanteau media monikers represent alcoholic beverages. This should by no means worry Andy and Norman and their portmanteau brand, the first of the growing British craft spirits movement. The gin you’re enjoying this month is really the only spirit mentioned in this article you would need to bring on a long trip, tucked neatly into your portmanteau luggage. 41
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George Clooney Casamigos Tequila
World famous actor, political activist and Nespresso lover, George Clooney, also loves tequila, enough so that he developed his own brand. What started as a drink which he commissioned in the Mexican tequila-producing region of Jalisco and stocked at his house in Los Cabos in Baja California for private gatherings of family and friends developed into a rapidly growing brand at its public launch in 2012. Casamigos spans the standard tequila range - blanco, reposado and añejo - and receives mixed reviews from critics. 42
The brand name comes from the Spanish words “casa” and “amigos” and would translate to House of Friends (technically “casa de amigos”). Clooney and amigos announced in February of this year that the brand will be launching in the UK. So if you ever need a break from your Anno Kent Dry Gin (which we highly doubt you will), why not find a bottle of George. And if you don’t like it, just chase it with a Nespresso. GINNED! Magazine vol. 7
David Beckham Haig Club Whisky
Posh & Becks might not be much of a portmanteau. That would be something along the lines of Davoria or Posham. But this A-list couple’s former residence, the Grade II listed Rownebury House, was known as Beckingham Palace during the time of their occupancy. In October of 2014, the former footballer launched Haig Club Single Grain Whisky in conjunction with the Diageo-owned Cameronbridge 43
Distillery and Pop Idol entrepreneur, Simon Fuller. The blended Scotch is a tribute to the Haig family, the distillery’s 19th Century founders. Although Victoria has made her appearances at the whisky’s launch parties and publicity shoots, David is the face behind the Scotch. But let’s be realistic. We all know that business-savvy Victoria is doing the dirty work behind his deals. GINNED! Magazine vol. 4
Brangelina Miraval Wines
With a schedule packed full of starring in movies, acting as UN ambassador and raising six (yes, six and apparently soon to be seven), children, you’d think that Brangelina (arguably the best celebrity portmanteau and a great title for the next Disney princess film) would have enough to keep them occupied. But they didn’t buy property in Provence for nothing! The Hollywood power-couple dropped $60m (£39.8m) on the 1,200 acre estate of Miraval in 2013 working with an established local winemaker, Marc Perrin, to produce Miraval Rosé from the property’s vineyards which grow enough grapes for annual production of 150,000 bottles of wine. Before Brangelina and their brood took over Miraval, Perrin used to make a wine called Pink Floyd, named in honour of the eponymous band that recorded its influential concept album The Wall on the grounds. Now available in M&S, the Miraval Rosé sold out its first UK import immediately. 44
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Sean Combs Ciroc Vodka
The American rapper, producer and entrepreneur may be known as one of the most influential artists in the evolution of hip-hop as well as for his Sean John men’s fashion line, but he’s also tasted the life of a spirits magnate. In 2007, Combs signed on t o r e p r e s e n t C ĂŽ r o c Vo d k a , t h e unconventional vodka made from a grape spirit rather than grain or potatoes. Despite his original P-led nicknames, Combs isn’t the portmanteau in this case. The vodka’s word blend comes from the drink’s name, a combination of the French words “cimeâ€?, meaning “peakâ€?, and “rocheâ€?, meaning “rockâ€?. Diddy has certainly helped CĂŽroc to reach its peak. When he signed on, the brand was selling a mere 40,000 cases. With his brand ambassadorship, the Diageo brand’s sales reached 2.3 million cases in 2013. Puff Daddy wasn’t kidding. Can’t nobody hold him down from that cime. đ&#x;?¸ 45
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The finest gins from the finest alchemists 46
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