A Clear
Winner
PHOTOgraphy: Ching; gin courtesy of the library, singapore
The consumption of gin has
grown dramatically in the last
couple of years. No longer the
sundowner of the silver haired,
this fragrant spirit is enjoying
a whole new life of aroma
The quote by some
that they enjoy
drinking gin for
“medicinal purposes”
may have some truth as
it was originally sold in
17th century Holland
to combat stomach
complaints. To make it
more palatable it was
flavoured with juniper
– which is the berry that
gives many gins their
distinctive taste. The
term gin is believed to
come from the Dutch
word jenever – which
means juniper.
Gin is made from
any neutral spirit, it’s
how it is flavoured that
provides the unique
characteristic. Distilled
gin is made by redistilling the spirit with
botanicals, whereas the
steeping of botanicals
in the spirit makes a
compound gin.
Many tipplers will be
familiar with London
dry gin. This is a style
of gin, not necessarily
a product of the city of
the same name, and EU
directives now state that
any spirit calling itself
London gin must have
a prominent juniper
flavour and be clear –
unlike other gins that are
allowed to be coloured.
Gin is having
something of a
renaissance thanks to the
craft movement across
the globe. Small distillers
are producing spirits that
have a real sense of their
geographical roots. The
Australian-made gin Four
Pillars, launched in 2013
through crowd funding,
contains no less than 10
botanicals (commercial
brands usually feature
only four or five)
including angelica and
lavender, and uniquely
whole oranges.
With more than 400
brands of gin worldwide,
it’s clear that gin is a
spirit that’s on the rise.
HEY PESTO
NiCholas Quatroville’s aromatic MIX OF Basil gin, and
pine nut orgeat, apricot brandy AND SODA combine
in a savoury yet refreshing cocktail that’S A GREAT
start to the weekend. But you’ll have to get to The
Library in Singapore’s Keong Saik Street first.
gin TIPPLE
A PLACE
I KNOW
Portobello Star, LONDON
171 Portobello Road
Standing on a site that has
been serving alcoholic
beverages since 1740, the
Portobello Star has its very own
gin: Portobello Road No 171.
Gin enthusia