So this year I want you to spend some cash on quality gin… So, to help influence your decision, my reviews will publish right before payday… To whet your appetite and spark your imagination.
The first Payday Purchase Review is, of course, the Gin To My Tonic x Brentingby Gin…
First allow me to apologise to Bruce for taking so long getting this review out… Please accept my apologies xxx
Picture the scene, OK? I was stood in the entryway of the Gin To My Tonic Festival in Glasgow in March 2019. I couldn’t quite believe the amount of exhibitors. I knew there were a few distillers there that I wanted to speak to… A few that I had said I would go and say hello to.
I took a wander around to get the lay of the land and noted the three I really REALLY wanted to visit… All mobbed, of course. So I took a leisurely walk around and started trying the other stands out and kept an eye on my main three. Eventually I spotted a slight opening at Brentingby so I literally shot along and made my way into the throng.
As soon As Bruce was done with the people he was with previously I then spent FAR too long chatting with him. I stand by the fact that this is one of the reasons I never got to get round all that stands!
I had spoke to Bruce a few times online and I always thoroughly enjoyed our chats… I still do. Bruce’s gins have a real skill about them and I’ve yet to have a bad recommendation from Bruce and love when I get photos and messages from him… Although I get exceptionally jealous when it’s something I would like to try but can’t! For example his slushies and aged gin… (both of which better be at next year’s show Bruce….!)
So, given my respect for the guy I was delighted when he messaged me offering me a bottle of his new collab gin that he’d put together with Emira and Paul from the Gin To My Tonic.
I had seen it being teased by the Gin To My Tonic on Instagram and instantly recognised the style of the label and the unmistakable copper shining through the predominantly black bottle.
BACKSTORY
The first thing you might think of when you think of The Gin To My Tonic might not be them having their own gin… And, to be fair… You’re not wrong as Emira Shepherd and Paul Hudson-Jones don’t GENERALLY get involved in that… Not that I could see!… However, when you’re pals with such talented distillers, have a cracking reputation for bringing together the world’s greatest gins and have a love for all things gin it seems only natural to collaborate and release your own.
Emira and Paul are best friends and MASSIVE gin enthusiasts. They made the logical decision in this day and age to take to social media to share their adoration with the universe. Logging on to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook they gathered a following fairly quickly due to high quality, consistent content.
Relationships with distillers, brands and mixers in place the guys decided to start spreading the love in person and kicked off with their first ever event… And they haven’t stopped since.
When you see the love thats put into the shows you can see why they’d bottle that passion creating something special… Also when Bruce Midgely offers to help you put it together you can’t really say no!!!
BOTANICALS
- Juniper
- Corriander
- Angelica
- Orange Peel
- Liquorice Root
- Yuzu
- Schezuan Pepper
- Oxfordshire Wood Avens (apparently the roots taste like cloves… I Googled it)
PARTICULARS
ABV – 45%
Size – 70cl
RRP – £35 —> on sale at the time of publishing
Website – The Gin To My Tonic
Social media – The Gin To My Tonic Twitter
The Gin To My Tonic Instagram
Buy – Gin To My Tonic Shop
REVIEW
On the nose this gin is super citrus… Kinda limey… Little spicy… Of course there is juniper… There’s a feeling of something sweet as well but I can’t quite nail it down to something specific.
Tasting it neat you get a good hit of juniper, a beautiful sweetness… Like a wonderful, juicy orange… After the sweetness passes theres a kind of “savoury” note in here as well. At the end I’m left with the spice. It’s fresh and it’s got a warmth… Absolutely delicious.
Adding in some water really makes the citrus up its game and bounce alive… The spicy finish is slightly calmer… To be fair, I do find that happens with gins that have a spice to them… It’s like the water slightly dulls the fire from it. The finish with the water is so much softer. The gin as a whole here becomes somewhat sweeter and is incredibly light.
This is a gin that could easily be enjoyed simply on some ice with a little dilution.
The suggested serve here is light or Indian tonic with a little bit of yuzu (no idea where to begin getting one of them!), orange or some chilli… If I had chilli I’d recommend that, however… I don’t… I have orange though… So I used orange… Just the way the cookie crumbles…
Adding tonic at a 2:1 ratio and my lovely orange peel (spritzing first, obviously) I feel its high on the citrus vibe… Sharp, a little sour… A flash of sweetness. I enjoy the fact that the gin allows the bitterness of the tonic to really flourish… It doesn’t get washed away and, instead, works really harmoniously with the gin. The other thing worth sharing is that the spice is slightly present but only as a little finish that disappears quite quickly.
If you’re after something that is more spicy than anything else then getting stuck into this neat is exactly what you need as that Schezuan Pepper has an awesome spice that kicks in, lingers and really delights the tastebuds leaving a soothing warmth at the back of the throat.
However this will also sit well for those that enjoy something with that citrus edge as with water or tonic this is the element that shines most for me… With that little spiced whisper as well.
So… New for 2020 I’m working on expanding my cocktail repertoire… As those of you who follow me on social media may have noticed… So, with my reviews this year, as well as them being published SPECIFICALLY TO INFLUENCE YOUR PAYDAY SPEND I’m going to be firing the gin into a cocktail and noting my thoughts in a live tasting styleeeeee… You might’ve noticed me doing it on social media… With some odd comparisons… If it pops in my head it gets written down…
So, for the Gin To My Tonic x Brentingby Collab Gin I decided that I really enjoyed the bitterness this had when mixed as well as the citrus kick so I wanted to pop it into a Gin Sour… So I did because thats how having your own blog works.
RECIPE
- 60ml Gin To My Tonic x Brentingby Gin
- 30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 15ml sugar syrup
- 15ml pasteurised egg white
- 3 dashes of Angustura Bitters
Add everything to an ice-free shaker;
Dry shake;
Add some ice;
Shake again;
Strain into an ice filled glass;
Garnish with a lemon slice and Luxardo Maraschino cherry on a stick (sail)
It’s sweet…
It’s obviously sour… But it’s sweet
I love how the Angustura is working with the spice in the gin to deliver something really quite special… Like they’ve melded together and formed a new flavour… Wow
Zingy
It’s playful… It moves between sweet and sour… Even though it’s clearly sour and you know it is… It’s got a sweetness… Amazing.
It’s making me think of honey… I have no idea why… but it does.
The egg whites give it this lovely thickness and a stunning foam that’s laced with all that sour sweetness
Lemon foam… Like a sour sweet
It’s a good drink
I love the bitters
Wow
So thats that folks… The first review for your pay day ponderings with a lovely cocktail reccommendation.
Let me know your thoughts.
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Also take a look at my review of Bruce’s signature gin… Brentingby Review and also have a read at my Q&A with him —> Q&A
As always thanks for reading… If you enjoyed it tell your pals and share it about… If you didn’t then… Sorry… You clicked the link so… Self inflicted.
Cheers
Nic x
Nic's Gin and Beer 