Gin-spiration

The gin renaissance is well and truly here with the old guard of English gins being joined by the new guard of Australian and new world gins as the micro-distilling movement hits top gear.

WORDS BEN DAVIDSON

With so many to choose from there is definitely one for you – whether it’s a traditional English style or a modern Australian take on this everchanging and dynamic category.

Essentially, gin is a re-distillation of botanicals (natural ingredients like juniper cones, coriander seed, orange peel, orris root) with a neutral spirit to produce a flavoured spirit – gin! Each producer has the freedom to create their own recipe from a vast array of plant-based botanicals, which gives an almost limitless variety to the taste of gins being produced.

As a reminder, gin is defined by the presence of juniper cones in the botanical recipe, however, the amount of juniper used is not enshrined in gin laws. (The word ‘gin’ comes from a shortening of the Dutch name for juniper flavoured spirits, from the French word for juniper). Whereas, the traditional gins had a

SIGNATURE GARNISHES

Cucumber - Hendrick’s Orange - Four Pillars, Beefeater Lime - Tanqueray London Dry, Bombay Sapphire Lemon - Archie Rose, Plymouth, Gordon’s

Green Capsicum - West Winds Pink Grapefruit - Beefeater 24

Rosemary - Gin Maré

WAYS TO SERVE GIN

Whether it’s in a G&T or a Dry Martini there are ‘signature’ garnishes which can accentuate the flavours in the gin.

Gin is a very versatile base spirit for cocktails as well, combining perfectly with fruit juices like apple or cranberry juice, citrus juices, especially lemon and pink grapefruit juice, strawberries, raspberries, as well as herbs like mint, basil, rosemary and thyme. It also marries well with fortified wines like sherry or vermouth or sparking wines. Use any of the above ingredients to make a homemade punch this summer!

“ The word ‘gin’ comes from a shortening of the Dutch name for juniper flavoured spirits, from the French word for juniper”

predominance of juniper aromas and flavours, the new world gins, for the most part, have promoted other botanicals to the fore, and diminished the juniper ‘note’, giving them a point of difference in a competitive market.

For nearly 200 years, England has been the producer of the vast majority of gin consumed around the world, with ‘London Dry’ becoming the most popular style. By the 1860s, dry gin from London became the preferred style for cocktails, as the sweeter Dutch gin began to fall out of favour. Ships brought in botanicals from around the world to the major sea ports and it’s no surprise that London became the centre of gin production until about the 1970s. Changes in the industry meant that most of the leading producers like Bombay, Tanqueray, and Gordon’s, had to seek other, more cost effective locations to make their gin in Northern England or Scotland, apart from Beefeater, who have remained in London. Slowly but surely, more gin is coming from smaller producers all around the world.

As it turns out, for a small producer, gin is one of the easiest spirits to produce. The botanical flavours can cover up any subtle imperfections in the spirit, which would be plain to see if one was making vodka. Good gin is made by distilling all the botanicals in the recipe together in a pot still to get a final spirit. It can also be made by distilling the botanicals individually, and then blending the resulting components together. Essences, oils and flavours can also be added to the gin after distillation of the botanicals. The real challenge for the gin distiller is to produce a gin that has a harmonious balance of flavours that is appealing to the palate.

The steady rise of cocktail culture over the last 15 years has resulted in the return of gin as a favourite spirit for bartenders, who have been reviving forgotten gin classic cocktails and serving them to the growing numbers of cocktail aficionados. This combined with the rise of the craft distilling movement, has lead to the current abundance in gins from Australia and around the world as small producers wanted to get in on the action.

With so much choice it can leave you a little bit overwhelmed about choosing the right gin for you.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN

Archie Rose Distillery, Sydney

Traditional Pot Still

DUTCH GIN. From the place where gin was invented. It has an off-dry sweetness to it from the methods of production, which include the addition of ‘malt wine’ and short barrel ageing. Has subtle whisky-like flavours with a subtle juniper note. Hard to find. Look for Bols Genever. ENGLISH GIN. Defining the dry gin style, without the addition of sugar to mask the imperfections of distilling. Botanical balance has been perfected with juniper being the hero botanical and the others playing a supporting role. Good quality examples are easy to find. Look for Tanqueray, Beefeater, Plymouth, Bombay, Sipsmith and Portobello Road.

AUSTRALIAN GIN. Helping to define the emerging category of new world gins, utilising local botanicals like bush tomato, wattle seed and lemon myrtle, to give it a unique, local flavour profile. Good quality examples can be found in leading bottle shops. Look for West Winds, Archie Rose and Four Pillars.

PRICE POINT

The rule of thumb here is to pay a little bit more if you are going to enjoy the gin in its simplest form – on the rocks, Martini or G&T (Tanqueray No. 10, Beefeater 24, West Winds Cutlass, Archie Rose Distillers Edition, Four Pillars, Monkey 47). Go for a better value gin if you are making long drinks like Punches or Collins, where the flavour of the gin is diluted by lots of mixers (Beefeater, Tanqueray, Gordon’s).