Gin. One of the few forms of alcohol that never really floated my boat. Being Scottish, I used to believe my distaste was because G&T was as quintessentially English as The Boat Race, Henley Regatta or cucumber sandwiches. Now that i've lived in Royal Berkshire for over 10 years, however, I've looked for other reasons. Perhaps it's tonic I don't like? There's too much wine to enjoy? Vodka is purer? I need to support the Scottish Whisky Industry.
Studying for my Wine and Spirit Education Trust exams, I had no choice but to sample gin and taste it analytically. Mixing the pure spirit with 50% water lent some weight to the argument that it's the mixture with tonic which exacerbated the problem. But still. There was something about distilled drinks flavoured with juniper which had limited appeal for me.
Until now... It was with some surprise that on Good Friday, I found myself at The London Gin Club in Soho's Great Chapel Street. Some good friends had decided to treat gin-loving Mr Purple Teeth to an early birthday treat.
Studying for my Wine and Spirit Education Trust exams, I had no choice but to sample gin and taste it analytically. Mixing the pure spirit with 50% water lent some weight to the argument that it's the mixture with tonic which exacerbated the problem. But still. There was something about distilled drinks flavoured with juniper which had limited appeal for me.
Until now... It was with some surprise that on Good Friday, I found myself at The London Gin Club in Soho's Great Chapel Street. Some good friends had decided to treat gin-loving Mr Purple Teeth to an early birthday treat.
The "blind" gins are served with a selection of garnishes. You decide what goes best. A small table-service bar open from 6-11pm Tuesday to Saturday, booking a table in advance is highly recommended. Then you can enjoy a relaxed time either sampling a gin you know and love, experimenting with blind tasting or trying one of the gin tasting menus, to discover new favourites. You can also try a variety of premium tonics. The standard tonic offered is Fevertree.
If you can specify, booking a table in the basement will add a little more of that vintage "gin joint" appeal.
If you can specify, booking a table in the basement will add a little more of that vintage "gin joint" appeal.
Luckily I guessed a couple of the gins correctly with the right garnish We opted for a blind tasting, and as you can see, I found a couple of gins I actually quite liked. Mr Purple Teeth and I preferred to add just a splash of tonic and a low amount of ice rather than the icebergs and half bottle of tonic per gin that was recommended. Gin Mare, a Mediterranean inspired gin from Costa Dorada Spain was an interesting choice with rosemary, thyme, and many of the usual "botanicals" that make gin gin, such as juniper, bitter orange, cardamom and coriander, enjoyed by all. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the Navy Strength (57%) the most. This did nothing to change my reputation as a hardened drinker. I did somewhat make up for this by being able to identify each gin from blindly sniffing the empty bottles.
After this success, we decided to go all out and try to blend our own gin. The Ginventor is a neat idea designed for 2 to enjoy. You get 25ml of Juniper base and smaller amounts of 6 botanical distillates of cardamom, coriander, citrus, angelica, pink grapefruit, licorice, cassia and orris, giving you the basic components to create either a citrus, dry, spicy, smooth, earthy or sweet gin. A selection of garnishes are also provided.
This can really help you figure out what kind of gin you prefer, what components you enjoy and help you select and enjoy exactly the right drink from the 130 plus gins on offer behind the bar.
All 4 of us had quite different preferences, and of course, I invented the very finest selection, which, if bottled, might just have turned me into a gin lover.
It was a fun evening, and I learned that I don't hate gin after all. I'm not sure I'll convert from wine, and I'll still enjoy a dry sherry as an aperitif, but, if any Purple Teeth readers fancy a gin tasting party, I'm now far more equipped to help you out.
This can really help you figure out what kind of gin you prefer, what components you enjoy and help you select and enjoy exactly the right drink from the 130 plus gins on offer behind the bar.
All 4 of us had quite different preferences, and of course, I invented the very finest selection, which, if bottled, might just have turned me into a gin lover.
It was a fun evening, and I learned that I don't hate gin after all. I'm not sure I'll convert from wine, and I'll still enjoy a dry sherry as an aperitif, but, if any Purple Teeth readers fancy a gin tasting party, I'm now far more equipped to help you out.
| | If you take your gin seriously, you might like to learn more about the history of gin, or find out how to make the best G&T from one of the books mentioned here. I've also included links to Scottish Gin (yes it does exist) and Gin Mare, the Spanish Gin which was a huge hit on our blind tasting as well as my favourite Navy Strength. Taking things even further, you can even buy a tasting kit with single estate juniper gins from around the world. Or, Purple Teeth can host a Gin tasting party at your house. The choice is yours! Cheers! |
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