THE BOBBY’S GIN EDITION
SCHIEDAM, NETHERLANDS
10 MINUTES OUTSIDE OF ROTTERDAM IS SCHIEDAM – THE BIRTHPLACE OF JENEVER – HOME TO THE LARGEST WINDMILLS IN THE WORLD, WHICH ARE USED TO THIS DAY TO MILL THE GRAIN IN THE STILLS
FOUNDER’S
WELCOME This issue we head to Schiedam – the birthplace of jenever – to discover how Sebastiaan van Bokkel has succeeded in creating a contemporary gin that honours not only the Dutch city’s spirited past but also his grandfather’s Indonesian heritage. Our featured mixologist makes the most of the lemongrass notes in Bobby’s Schiedam Dry Gin with a few zesty cocktail recipes, before we give your home-bartending game an extra boost by exploring Aussie
TO COMPLEMENT THE INDONESIAN SPICES IN THE BOTANICAL MAKEUP, BOBBY’S SIGNATURE GARNISH IS ORANGE AND CLOVES
equivalents to the centuries-old European ingredients that play a key part in many iconic tipples. Then, with Christmas just around the corner, the Gin List celebrates bottles that feature festive botanicals – from plum pudding-inspired candied peel to traditional mulling spices like ginger, cinnamon and cardamom. Finally, fresh from the I’m A Celebrity jungle – and therefore highly deserving of a gin – TV presenter and radio personality Tom Williams tells us why he’s now known as the Negroni guy. Got a question, request or have some feedback on this month’s gin? Drop us a line at hello@ginsociety.com. We love hearing from our members.
Andrew Burge Founder, Gin Society
VISIT US AT WWW.GINSOCIETY.COM
17 4 BOBBY’S GIN Dutch courage, Indonesian spirit
THE GIN LIST seasonal spirits
Con
20 THE GINSIDER
with Tom Williams
23 DISCOVER
the Netherlands’ Distillers District
The Gin Society team Founders: Andrew Burge and Craig Hodges Director: Jagdev Singh General manager: Edwina Lawry Creative director: Annah Lansdown Editors: Lisa Cugnetto and Helen Alexander Sub-editor: Simon Jones
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28 IN THE MIX
with Daryl Lieuw-On
32 ESSENTIAL SPIRITS for the home bartender
BOBBY’S GIN
ntents 39 THE REVIEW
with Daryl Lieuw-On
Get in touch | Gin Journal is the bi-monthly members’ magazine of the Gin Society. Members Got a question or query about your membership? We’re here to help. Drop us a line – hello@ginsociety.com
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Dutch courage Indonesian spirit
MEETS
Sebastiaan van Bokkel drew on Dutch spiritmaking traditions and infused them with Indonesian botanicals to make Bobby’s Schiedam Dry Gin, which is named after his grandfather – Jacobus Alfons, or Bobby. 4
n DAVID BLOM (L) & SEBASTIAAN VAN BOKKEL (R)
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When Jacobus ‘Bobby’ Alfons emigrated from Naku in the Maluku Islands to the Netherlands, he soon developed a taste for jenever. But, in a bid to recreate the flavour and fragrances of his homeland, he started adding Indonesian herbs and spices, allowing them to infuse the spirit. “Without knowing it, he was designing his own gin and laying the foundation for what would eventually become Bobby’s Schiedam Dry Gin,” says Sebastiaan.
GROWING UP AROUND JENEVER Having fought alongside Dutch soldiers in the Second World War, Bobby moved to the Netherlands 6
in 1951 and discovered Dutch jenever. Sebastiaan can vividly remember his grandfather adding cloves, cubeb pepper and cinnamon to his jenever and allowing it to rest for a few weeks.
THE BOTTLE DESIGN DUAL ELEMENTS AFTER DECADES LIVINGMIXES ABROAD, THEIRTOPERSONAL DAVID SHOWCASING AND JO RETURNED NEW LEGACY – THEY THE SHAPE OF THE CLASSIC ZEALAND ANDUSE CHOOSE TARANAKI ‘KRUIK’ BOTTLE SCREENPRINT AS THE HOME FORAND THEIR NEW GIN IT WITH A TRADITIONAL INDONESIAN IKAT PATTERN
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SEBASTIAAN (L), DAVID (C) AND THEIR NIECE (R)
“My grandmother
would reuse empty ceramic bottles of Bols, so we grew up drinking water out of those old orange bottles. Then, years later, my mum told me about an old family recipe for jenever, and I realised I could do something to really honour my grandfather.”
SEBASTIAAN & DAVID GREW UP DRINKING WATER OUT OF OLD BOLS CERAMIC BOTTLES THAT THEIR GRANDMOTHER USED TO SAVE
Having worked with the Belgian beer brand Duvel, Sebastiaan already knew a thing or two about the drinks industry, but this was a completely new
adventure. “I wanted to embark on my own project and, having been raised in Rotterdam, I was very close to Schiedam, which is so full of history and the jenever capital of the world. It’s really the most authentic spirit I can think of. My family in Indonesia actually still make a drink called pinang raci in this way, by adding botanicals to a base spirit.”
GATHERING SOME DUTCH COURAGE It was in Schiedam in 2012 that Sebastiaan was introduced to the Herman Jansen Distillery, and together they worked on creating a new type of gin by combining jenever with Indonesian herbs and spices. “Herman Jansen Distillery has been producing spirits since 1777 and the 7th generation of the Jansen family still owns and runs the distillery. That was one
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of the most important things for me – that they are a family business and they really understood our values. “It was probably a gamble for them,” admits Sebastiaan. “My business partners and I were some young guys looking to do a cool thing, but for them, they’ve been doing things the same way for nearly 250 years. But it worked out, and we are so happy with the partnership.” Despite briefly considering the addition of elderflower, the eight botanicals used in Bobby’s Schiedam Dry Gin (all of which are organic) have stayed the same throughout the experimentation process – it was getting the balance right that proved trickiest. “Every Friday morning, we would go to the distillery and try that week’s sample alongside all the separate distillations so we could really get the balance right. And that was the process for two years, during which time I think we made 60–70 samples.”
It took Dick, Sebastiaan & David two years to perfect their recipe
Sebastiaan admits they thought they had found their winning recipes in the first few months, but it simply didn’t taste the same when they increased the volume.
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“All the samples you make are at lab scale, so just two or three litres each. You have the formula, and you think that when you want to scale up production you just multiply that formula by a thousand. Well, it doesn’t work like that. It feels like a disappointment, but it also means you are always learning. And so we started that whole process over again.”
DICK JANSEN (CENTRE), 6TH GENERATION DISTILLER AT HERMAN JANSEN WITH SEBASTIAAN (L) & DAVID (R)
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THE INDONESIAN INFLUENCE Like many of Schiedam’s historic distilleries, Herman Jansen has its own windmill, which is still used for milling the grain. “Not many people do that, but it’s worth the effort because we want our products to be as real as they can be.” Each botanical has its own column still and is distilled separately, with no additives or sugars. As a result, Sebastiaan and the team at Herman Jansen Distillery were really able to explore each ingredient individually, and it was the lemongrass that interested them most. “I wanted it to be the most dominant botanical, as it’s so important in our cuisine. When people opened the bottle, I really wanted the smell to be fresh and fragrant. We had to be so careful, as it’s such
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a delicate ingredient. To make sure it didn’t burn, we would distil it and then extract the oil from it.” After almost two years of distilling, developing and refining, Bobby’s Schiedam Dry Gin was released in 2014. And, just like the liquid inside, the bottle is a modern interpretation of a classic jenever style. “We bring the classic ‘kruik’ bottle into the 21st century by screen-printing the beautiful brown and grey smoked glass with a traditional Indonesian ikat pattern,” says Sebastiaan. To truly appreciate the craft that goes into each bottle, Sebastiaan suggests trying the gin neat first so you can taste all the botanicals. If serving as a G&T, opt for their signature garnish – three cloves and a slice of orange.
Bobby’s signature G&T celebrates its Indonesian roots with a garnish of three cloves and a wedge of orange. 13
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A JENEVER FOR GRANDPA BOBBY The plan had always been to make a jenever, and this followed two years later with Bobby’s Schiedam Jenever. “The spirit is coming back in popularity,” says Sebastiaan. “It’s not as big as it used to be but bartenders increasingly look at old cocktail recipes and books, and most classic cocktails that feature gin actually refer to it as ‘Holland gin’, which is jenever. So it’s safe to say there’s a revival taking place. It might never be as big as gin, but it’s special because it’s only made in certain areas – like Champagne and Armagnac.”
Sebastiaan says when they started distilling he had no idea what was going to happen. “It was always just about my grandfather’s name. No one really knows the story of jenever just yet, so while we can get the bottle to different markets, we need to get the story there too.” Meanwhile, Bobby’s Schiedam Dry Gin continues to go from strength to strength.
“The gin went worldwide very fast and, while it took a while, it’s now even served in bars in Indonesia, I feel like we have gone full circle.” 15
Perfect for pairing 16
We make premium Australian Tonic & Soda So you can truly experience your favourite spirits
The Gin List SEASONAL SPIRITS
As we approach the holiday season, it’s time to round up some of our favourite celebratory gins all packed with plenty of festive botanicals (and tidings of joy!) MCHENRY DISTILLERY CHRISTMAS GIN
Father Christmas might be running around getting his sleigh ready in the North Pole, but closer to the South Pole, the team at McHenry Distillery are busy making their seasonal offering that features frankincense, myrrh and ‘gold’. Situated on the side of Mount Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula, the distillery is a safe harbour on the edge of the vast Great Southern Ocean – but hopefully not too remote for the reindeer to pay a visit. Mix this special Christmas Gin with vermouth for a sophisticated seasonal Martini.
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SACRED SPIRITS CHRISTMAS PUDDING GIN
When London-based distiller Ian Hart stumbled upon his great-aunt Nellie’s Christmas pudding recipe, he knew he had to recreate it – in gin form, of course. Following the same vacuum-distillation method he uses for all of the Sacred Spirits, the puddings are steamed for eight hours and, as a result, infuse the gin with mouth-watering flavours of candied peel and dried fruits. Serve a shot straight from the freezer as the perfect accompaniment to dessert.
DISTILLERY BOTANICA WE THREE KINGS GIN
Follow a guiding star in the east (well, in Erina on the NSW Central Coast) and you’ll reach herbalist and master distiller Philip Moore. Each year he infuses a classic dry gin with offerings from the three kings – frankincense, myrrh and a sprinkling of gold flakes – alongside Christmas pudding-inspired botanicals such as cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and muscatel grapes. Tip up the bottle to create a glittering snow globe.
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ISLE OF SKYE DISTILLERS MISTY ISLE MULLED CHRISTMAS GIN
Taking inspiration from the flavours of mulled wine, this Scottish drop features botanicals such as cassia bark, orange, lemon, star anise, Tonka beans and liquorice root – all of which are soaked in rich Italian Amarone red wine prior to being distilled in crystal-clear spring water from the nearby Storr Lochs.
THE OLD CURIOSITY DISTILLERY CHRISTMAS GIN
Whatever your party plans consist of this year, this Christmas Gin is made with the expert help of Great British Bake Off 2018 finalist Ruby Bhogal – and she knows a thing or two about sugar and spice! Unsurprisingly, botanicals that wouldn’t be out of place in a cake recipe – like ginger, cinnamon and cardamom – give sippers the sense of standing next to a Christmas tree, while the added infusion of delicate mallow petals turns the spirit bright pink when it comes into contact with tonic water. Serve as a refreshing G&T for when you can’t stand the heat in the kitchen.
FOUR PILLARS AUSTRALIAN CHRISTMAS GIN
The Victorian distillery’s annual release is a celebration of a traditional Aussie Christmas. Whole plum puddings are made according to distiller Cameron Mackenzie’s late mother’s recipe (which just happened to appear in a 1968 edition of Women’s Weekly) before being added to the botanical basket alongside juniper, cassia and star anise. The gin is then aged in 100-year-old muscat barrels before being released each year on Derby Day. Mix it with ginger ale for a splash of festive sunshine.
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THE GINSIDER This issue, the Gin Society talks to Australian TV presenter, radio personality and recent I’m A Celebrity‌ Get Me Out of Here! alumni Tom Williams. 20
What do you like about gin as a spirit? I like the freshness of gin. I’m a bittersweet kind of a guy, so that combination of bitterness and citrus sits well with me. I like my beverage to refresh me and to give me a good buzz. I’ve gone through my rum days and they could be unkind.
Have you tried any new gins lately? Or do you have any current favourites? Internationally, Le Tribute was just one of those real delights from Spain. It was very tasty – that bottle didn’t last long. RIVO, the Italian gin, was the same. It took me immediately to a beautiful overseas place. I really enjoyed it.
TOM’S DESERT ISLAND GINS
LE TRIBUTE “Because it’s a great allrounder.” One of our previous member gins, this bright Spanish gin has a high-citrus profile, is floral on the palate and comes in a striking, green apothecary-style bottle. www.letribute.com
FOUR PILLARS SPICED NEGRONI GIN
“It’s just delish.” As its name suggests, this aromatic gin by Four Pillars is one especially suited to Negronis. It’s made with spicy botanicals including Tasmanian pepperberry leaf, West African spice grains of paradise and Indonesian cubeb. www.fourpillarsgin.com
GOTHIC GIN “A standout gin.” Inspired by Europe but distilled in San Francisco, Gothic Gin is a lively and refined spirit, and one of our recent member gins. It was awarded Gold in the American Contemporary Gin category at the World Gin Awards 2019. https://gothicgin.com
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But, in keeping with 2020, I became very aware of making sure I shopped locally to support Australian brewers and distillers. The MGC [Melbourne Gin Company] Single Shot Gin was lovely. Four Pillars is great too and is something I buy almost every fortnight. Do you have a particular way you like to drink gin? I have a gin and tonic at 4pm. The kids are home from school. It’s been a lovely sunny day or perhaps a successful day in business. I’ll cheers to that. I always have my favourite radio program on – Kate, Tim and Joel on Nova. Tim is one of my very best mates. We both have a great appreciation for gin. What’s the most enjoyable gin experience you’ve had? I was on safari in South Africa earlier this year, a couple of days before entering I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! I get in this open 4x4 and the tour guide is like, ‘Now listen, the number one rule is you stay in the vehicle. We’re going to see everything. They might come at us. They might run away. Just don’t get out of the vehicle.’ So, we’re halfway through this tour and the sun is setting and he stops right in the middle of this beautiful open space. There are giraffes nearby, rhinos sitting in a big dam, and baby elephants off in the distance. He goes, ‘Tom, there’s an esky in the back. Why don’t we jump out and we’ll have a drink?’ I was thinking ‘Mate, three hours ago you told me I couldn’t get out of the vehicle!’ He pulls out this tray with a beautiful glass and goes: ‘I have beer. I have vodka...’ And I say, ‘Do you have gin and tonic?’ He did. It was one of those moments – just sitting in the middle of this beautiful safari with all this wildlife around me, having many gin and tonics while watching the sun go down. Amazing.
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The other standout was the first time I was in Singapore, having a Singapore Sling at Raffles’ Long Bar. Two experiences – one of wilderness and wildlife and the other in a refined bar with heaps of history. You’re a gin-based cocktail – what would you be and why? I’d be a Negroni. I’ve got a nice way of making Negronis and everyone who comes over to my place now knows that. I had a reputation for a long time there as the Margarita guy, but that’s gone and now I’m the Negroni guy. I’ve got a couple of really cool ball-ice-cube makers now too. Is there anything gin-based you’re hoping to find under the tree this Christmas? My cocktail set is complete now, but I think I need some more glassware. If you’re buying a gift for someone, a beautiful bottle of gin is great but if you accompany that with the right merchandise – like glassware and a cocktail set – it is a really classy present to give. If you’re on the receiving end of that, well, you better get cracking and make that person a really nice drink! What do you like most about the Gin Society? The education I’m receiving. I’m feeling very enlightened. I love entertaining and having everyone over at our place. With every delivery, I feel as if I’m moving in the right direction when it comes to what I’m going to serve up to my friends. The distillers are also really interesting people and I love learning about people who are so into what they do. The dedication and the investment they put into producing such outstanding products is brilliant, and the Gin Society throws light on those people. It’s wonderful that the momentum is gaining and the word’s getting out – plus, no more Margaritas for me!
DISCOVER the Netherlands’ Distillers District
Schiedam might be small, but it’s got big credentials. Home to the tallest windmills in the world, the 18th-century heart of the international gin industry is dotted with distilleries and malt houses that provide a wealth of exciting history.
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Just 10 minutes by train from Rotterdam, it’s hard to believe this compact city was once home to 392 active distilleries, which were powered by 30 towering windmills. But inside the National Jenever Museum, Schiedam’s spirited history quickly becomes clear. So, just what is jenever?
The National Jenever Museum
GIN AND JENEVER Same but different Gin and jenever both contain juniper, as well as botanicals such as coriander, anise and citrus peel, and bittering agents like orris root or angelica. The difference actually lies in the raw material used to make these distilled spirits. For gin, this can be anything – from the malted barley that forms the basis of Hobart No.4 to grapes in the case of London to Lima and potatoes at the UK’s Chase Distillery. For jenever, however, it’s always 24
(and only ever) made from grains such as rye, corn and malted barley. It’s for this reason that many drinks experts describe jenever as the halfway point between gin and whisky. And, just like whisky, jenever can be either unaged (jonge) or aged (oude). Finally, while gin can be made anywhere, jenever can only be produced in Holland or Belgium, and designated parts of France and Germany.
J E N E V E R without the journey Sample the spirit of Schiedam without leaving home. Here are a few iconic brands available internationally.
OLD DUFF GENEVER
Made by spirits industry legend Philip Duff, who helped create the recipe for Bols that’s used today, this flavourful jenever features citrus peel, star anise, liquorice and coriander.
RUTTE OLD SIMON GENEVER
Based on the recipe used by Simon Rutte (pronounced root-eh) when he opened his Schiedam distillery in 1872, this jenever is made using 13 botanicals including juniper, celery and roasted nuts. Master distiller Myriam Hendrickx continues to explore Simon’s old notebooks to conjure delicious spirits with a contemporary twist.
BOLS GENEVER
This company can trace its jenever distilling roots all the way back to 1664, and it remains at the forefront of the spirit’s modern revival. The handsome bottle is reminiscent of the cylindrical clay jug that Bols was once sold in.
BOBBY’S SCHIEDAM JENEVER
Made from a unique blend of Indonesian spice and traditional malt wine, this jenever joined Bobby’s Schiedam Dry Gin in 2016. Made with organic botanicals such as cardamom, cubeb pepper and ginger, it’s fragrant on the nose and delivers a fresh burst of lemongrass on the palate.
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The Loopuyt Distillery in the Distillers District in Schiedam
SCHIEDAM’S signature spirit It’s this sense of place that makes a jenever so special. Distilled spirts had long been served up as a medicine or a source of Dutch courage – it’s believed soldiers fighting the Eighty Years’ War between Spain and Holland were given a shot to bolster their bravery – but it was in 1777 when Herman Jansen made his first malt-spirit gin at De Tweelingh that things really took off. Having shipped his delicious new drink to England, where over time it would evolve into what we now know as London Dry gin, Jansen’s humble branderij (malt26
spirit distillery) was quickly joined by hundreds of jenever houses – earning Schiedam the nickname Black Nazareth, as its coal-powered industry covered the warehouses and windmills in soot. Visit today, and the sprucedup Distillers District is still home to some of Schiedam’s famous family-owned distilleries, where 11thgeneration jenever-makers happily rub shoulders with innovative young distillers (like Sebastiaan van Bokkel) who are busy celebrating the city’s heritage by adding their own distinctive mark.
ICONIC SIGHTS (and sips) Beyond the pretty canals and traditional hand-raised drawbridges sits De Walvisch, a towering windmill that offers stunning views of the surrounding area from its rickety wooden balcony. Nearby, the little Schie river joins the wide Maas and the port of Rotterdam – the coastal connection that enabled jenever to journey around the world. Visitors (in a post-COVID world!) can spot enormous copper kettles of the roasting
house at the National Jenever Museum and sample their house-distilled Old Schiedam jenever at Branderij De Gekroonde Brandersketel before taking a tour of a few local distilleries. Traditionally, jenever is served neat in an ice-cold shot glass that’s filled to the brim – so the first sip should be enjoyed while it’s still on the bar. And, to enjoy a Dutch beer alongside jenever, patrons always ask for a kopstoot (meaning headbutt).
The roasting house at Loopuyt Distillery
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THE R UMA H
In the Mix
WITH DARYL LIEUW-ON Meet the co-owner of Rotterdam’s “neighbourhood cocktail pub” The Rumah – a place where everyone feels at home. 28
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he Rumah – which means ‘home’ in Indonesian – might specialise in rum, but Daryl Lieuw-On and his business partner Edward Nijhoff always wanted to serve a Dutch-made gin. After all, the bar is just a short train journey from
“In the past, people might have thought of jenever as an old person’s drink, but we like to use it in an inventive and modern way,” says Daryl. Much like breathing fresh life into jenever, the pair did exactly the same with The Rumah. “Decades ago, Rotterdam was home to many of the oldest pubs in the Netherlands. But during the Second World War, the whole city centre was wiped out so almost everything is new. But the street on which our pub sits – Oude Binnenweg – escaped the bombing.”
DAR YL LIEUW- ON
When they bought the property, they kept some original features – like the floor – but everything else was restored in keeping with the pub’s history.
Schiedam – the distillery capital of the Netherlands. So they chose Bobby’s Schiedam Dry Gin as their house pour and came up with a few contemporary cocktails featuring Bobby’s Schiedam Jenever.
A PLACE OF ONE’S OWN Having his own bar has been a longtime dream for Daryl, who was 17 when he started his hospitality career as a glass runner at a student cafe. “I fell in love with the nightlife and everything around it,” he reminisces. “Then, two years later, I got an offer at a cocktail bar in Rotterdam and started to
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Grandson The Fizz A fresh take on one of the best marriages in the world of drinks: gin and vermouth. 35mL Bobby’s Schiedam Dry Gin 35mL sweet vermouth 2 dashes orange bitters Pour gin then vermouth into an ice-filled tumbler or Old Fashioned glass. Finish this characteristic cocktail with two dashes of orange bitters. Stir gently, garnish with twisted strip of thinly sliced orange peel.
learn all about spirits and various techniques. Since then I worked in a lot of places, and I started a catering company with Edward to provide cocktails at parties and weddings.” But he was always looking to the future and, in order to get his name out there, in 2017 he entered (and won) the Netherlands’ Best Bartender competition. “Then the search for my own bar started. It 30 was a struggle to find the right place without
A creamy, zesty drink that’s suitable for every occasion. Whether it’s an afternoon refreshment or the start of a perfect night out. 50mL Bobby’s Schiedam Dry Gin 25mL fresh lemon juice 15mL sugar syrup 1 egg white Lemonade, to top up Pour gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup into an ice-filled cocktail shaker, add egg white. Shake well, gently pour into a highball glass. Top up with lemonade. Garnish with fresh sprig of mint.
a lot of money or a big company behind us, but we wanted it that way – we wanted to do our own thing and not someone else’s thing.” Almost three years later, The Rumah opened in January and was rapidly establishing a loyal local fan base when the country went into lockdown. “We didn’t have any buffer whatsoever, so we started making cocktail kits immediately on the second day of the lockdown, and thankfully, these have proved to be really popular.”
Bae Watch
The flavours of peach and kaffir lime combine with the gin’s lemongrass notes for a deliciously summery sip.
40mL Bobby’s Schiedam Dry Gin 20mL De Kuyper Peachtree Liqueur (if needed, swap out for Peach Schnapps) 30mL fresh lemon juice 20mL kaffir lime leaf syrup
Combine ingredients in an icefilled cocktail shaker, shake to combine. Fine-strain and serve straight up in a chilled Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with bay leaf.
TIP: To make kaffir lime leaf syrup, add 6 kaffir lime leaves to a sugar syrup mix (1 cup water + 1 cup white sugar). Bring to the boil then remove from heat and let stand for around 4 hours. Remove the leaves and it’s ready to go!
THE TASTE OF HOME Of course, Bobby’s featured in some of the at-home cocktails. “As soon as they launched their gin, it immediately became a popular brand among bartenders because it was quite a new taste. Everybody loved it and for me it’s a little taste of home because I also have Indonesian roots – that’s where my mum’s family is from. Sebastiaan the distiller used spices that are so familiar to me, such as lemongrass and ginger. Because of that, I instantly had a connection with the spirit.
When I first tried it, I knew exactly what other ingredients I could use in a cocktail because we use them in our cooking, too.” Regardless of the shared background, it’s no surprise Daryl and Sebastiaan are friends. “The bar community here is very strong – we hang out a lot and we help each other. It’s not competitive as it might be in other cities. We are working hard to put the Netherlands on the bartending and cocktail-making map, so we do whatever we can to help out other bars and support bartenders to grow.” 31
Essential spir the home ba You’ve got a gin collection to be proud of, but when it comes to cocktail recipes do you feel like you’re missing some essential ingredients? Here’s how to boost your mixology game with a few extra bottles. Aromatised wines from France, bitter Italian aperitifs, centuries-old amaro brands, sweet and dry vermouths. What do they all have in common? They are key ingredients in some of the most famous gin cocktails in the world. Next time you want to shake or stir something special, make sure your home bar is stocked with these stand-out spirits. 32
Martinez
rits for artender
Maidenii Sweet Vermouth
Sweet vermouth
Sweet, spiced and herbal, Italian sweet or rosso (red) vermouth has been a bartending staple for centuries. Carpano Antica adheres to the original recipe that was devised in Turin in 1786, and is packed with intense vanilla, cherry and orange flavours.
Made with cabernet sauvignon and botanicals including strawberry gum, wattleseed, sea parsley and grapefruit zest, Maidenii Sweet Vermouth is what happens when a bartender (Shaun Byrne from Gin Palace) and a winemaker (Gilles Lapalus from Sutton Grange winery) get together.
Photo credit: Lauren Bonkowski
With an Australian twist:
Cocktail to make? Sweet vermouth is a key ingredient in a Negroni, and a major player in a Martinez. The team’s Maidenii Kina is also pretty special in a Corpse Reviver No. 2. 33
Dry vermouth Fortified wine might have originated in Italy, but it was the French who perfected the art of a dry or white vermouth. Noilly Prat, developed by herbalist Joseph Noilly in the early 1800s, is one of the most famous examples.
With an Australian twist: The team at Regal Rogue combine an organic
sauvignon blanc from Orange with herbs and spices including aniseed myrtle, quandong and thyme to make their Daring Dry vermouth.
Cocktail to make? It has to be a Martini. To get the full flavour of the botanicals, Regal Rose recommends you mix yours “dripping wet� by using equal parts Daring Dry and gin.
Dripping Wet Gin Martini
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Regal Rogue Daring Dry
Photo credit: @meaghan_coles_photography
The Never Never Distilling Co.’s Dark Series Black Juniper Amaro
Hanky Panky
Fernet-Branca It started life as a treatment for cholera, but don’t let that put you off! Sitting pretty in the Italian amaro family, this distinctive digestif features 27 herbs, roots and spices (five of which remain a secret to this day), and was born in Milan in 1845. It’s certainly an acquired taste thanks to its bitter flavour, and be warned: you only need a splash to make an impact.
With an Australian twist: Made in collaboration with one of the greatest bars in the world – Black Pearl in
Melbourne – Dark Series Black Juniper Amaro from the Never Never Distilling Co. is all about the juniper, while traditional alpine herbs add an extra layer of bitter complexity.
Cocktail to make? Time for a little Hanky Panky. Created by the legendary Ada ‘Coley’ Coleman, the only woman to run the Savoy Hotel’s American Bar, this classic cocktail is made with equal parts gin and sweet vermouth, with a dash of amaro and a splash of orange juice.
Australian Bitters Company Aromatic Bitters
Angostura
bitters
It’s amazing what a dash of aromatic bitters can do to a cocktail’s flavour profile, and what was once a medical elixir is today a bartender’s best friend. With its oversized white label and bright yellow cap, the instantly 35
Negroni recognisable bottle is upturned to make a number of classic cocktails, such as a rye or bourbon-based Manhattan or Old Fashioned.
With an Australian twist: The Australian Bitters Company has given Angostura a run for its money for decades, and their original blend is handcrafted using more than 20 botanical herbs and spices.
Cocktail to make? Add a few drops to make your Gin Sling sing, or mix up a mocktail – there’s a reason LLB (lemon, lime and bitters) is an Aussie favourite. Add a bottle of Australian Bitters Orange to your collection and you’re one step closer to whipping up a Pegu Club. 36
Campari Another Italian amaro, this crimson-red aperitif was invented in 1860 and even today the exact formula remains a closely guarded secret.
With an Australian twist: Applewood Distillery’s Økar Island Bitter is made with botanicals native to the coastal rainforests of Australia and
is handcrafted in small batches in the Adelaide Hills. It recently bagged gold for Best Liqueur at the 2020 Tasting Australia Spirit Awards.
Cocktail make?
Vesper Martini
to
Negroni. You know the drill: equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. Looking for something slightly softer? Replace the gin with soda water for an Americano. Outlandish Claims Bitter Tonic
Lillet Blanc This white wine-based aperitif hails from Podensac in southwest France and is a blend of 85% semillon and sauvignon blanc grapes, which are typical of the Bordeaux region, and 15% macerated citrus liqueurs. Served on ice with a twist of orange or lemon and a splash of soda, it makes for a delicious predinner drink and an even better cocktail ingredient.
With an Australian twist: An ode to Lillet, chef-turned-winemaker Bryan Martin’s Outlandish Claims Bitter Tonic is made in Canberra using viognier and riesling grapes, peaches, blood oranges, lemons and limes, alongside bittering agents such as wormwood and gentian root. The team have also been known to make a red version with grenache grapes.
Cocktail to make? James Bond’s favourite drink, of course. The Vesper Martini first appeared in the Casino Royale novel and is made by shaking 6 parts gin, 2 parts vodka and 1 part Lillet Blanc over ice.
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Marionette Mure Liqueur
Marionette Orange Curaçao Liqueur
Bramble
Curaçao and cassis Add a squeeze of orange or a burst of blackcurrants with these two traditional liqueurs: the former is named after the citrus fruits that grow on the island of Curaçao, off the coast of Venezuela; the latter was invented in Dijon in 1841.
With an Australian twist: When they hit the world’s bar scene, these two flavoured liqueurs proved so popular that a whole range of fruity offerings sprang up in their wake. But to get you started, we suggest familiarising yourself with Marionette’s Orange 38
Curaçao (made with Mildura oranges), Dry Cassis and Mure (featuring Tasmanian blackcurrants and blackberries respectively).
Cocktail to make? Use orange curaçao to shake up a White Lady with gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white. And, for the cassis, pour 1 part gin, 2 parts white vermouth, 3 parts cassis, 4 parts dry cider and 5 parts dry ginger to make a fabulously boozy Dry Punch. We suggest using the Mure for a berry-rich Bramble cocktail.
THE REVIEW Each issue, a Gin Society expert reviews our featured gin. Daryl Lieuw-On talks to us about Bobby’s Dry Gin.
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JUNIPER
CITRUS
FLORAL
HEAT
HERBAL
SPICE
90
80
85
75
95
95
39
UP ON OP EN ING
h floral burst s e r f A
TASTING NOTES
Combining Indonesian spices and more traditional gin botanicals, Bobby’s Schiedam Dry Gin has a complex flavour profile in which the refreshing zing of lemongrass comes through front and centre.
Expect a fresh, floral burst on opening the bottle – care of the rosehips – and take a sip to immediately detect notes of cubeb peppers, cinnamon and cloves. To finish, the anise character of the fennel and the juniper’s pine linger on the palate. Each organic and carefully sourced ingredient plays a distinct role in this 40
DA R YL LIEUW-ON
contemporary gin. Some have even described it as a new-age jenever. And while it packs some big and bold flavours, they combine to deliver a smooth, p e r f e c t l y balanced spirit.
FIR ST SIP
c
e r s, p p e p Cubebn and cloves innamo
FINIS H
Fennel & j u
niper
RECIPE CARD RECOMMENDED MIXER
FEVER-TREE INDIAN TONIC WATER ORANGE WEDGE AND CLOVES TO GARNISH
RECOMMENDED COCKTAIL TOM COLLINS
BOBBY’S DRY GIN LEMON JUICE SUGAR SYRUP SODA WATER LEMON TO GARNISH 41
n more of ou o s d n a h r r Get you
g ins c i t s a fant From Barcelona’s stunning Le Tribute and the extra fine Juno from Mt Taranaki, to Singapore’s spicy Tanglin and the extraordinary London to Lima.
All are available to purchase on our website
VISIT WWW.GINSOCIETY.COM 42