Well, having loved Gin for a while and seeing as this alcoholic drink is getting more and more popular, the Southsea Folk team thought why not start a Gin Club. Somewhere we can all chat about new gins we have tried and loved, listen to experts tell us information, doing talks around new gins and go visit some festivals with a possibility of going to a distillery or two!
So to start us off Andrew from the Gin Geek has done us a lovely guest post giving us tips and 5 Gins to try for our Gin Club! Andrew loves Gin so much and does regular features on Gins we should all try.
Our new club starts on Saturday the 14th April at The King Street Tavern. For £10 on the night you can come and hit the tasting table of Gins of your choice from a range of 27 Gins. Then head to the bar to exchange for a Gin of your choice. Plus a taster of Sir Robin of Loxley. There will be a speaker on the night. This event starts at 7pm. Proving popular already there will be a get together once a month held across many pubs in Southsea over the coming year.
On our website, there will be a dedicated page just for Gin Club where all news and photos of events will be.
Guest Post The Gin Geek
The fabulous ladies at Southsea Folk have had the splendid idea to set up their own Gin Club, and have kindly invited The Gin Geek to write a Gin related article based around our shared most favourite subject in the whole wide world. I felt the best place to begin would be to give you a brief overview of 5 Gins and a cheeky cocktail that you simply must try (promise, cross your heart, etc.) as soon as humanly possible.
I imagine it has not gone unnoticed by you lovely readers that Gin has been becoming increasingly popular in recent years. This is due to 3 main reasons:
1. The explosion of Micro distilleries up and down the country producing outstanding Gins.
2. Each Gin is unique due to the thousands of botanicals available that can be added by distillers to create their own distinctive Gin
3. Gin is divine.
So lets now delve into 5 Gins that you simply must try before you kick the bucket, starting with an absolute classic.
TANQUERAY No. 10 GIN
Presented in a striking Art Deco style green bottle, this Gin hits you with its clean citrus flavours with a subtle hint of liquorice.
Botanicals: Juniper, fresh citrus fruits, chamomile flowers, coriander, angelica, and liquorice.
Tanqueray No. 10 is best served with ice, premium tonic water, and garnished with a slice of grapefruit.
MONKEY 47 GIN
A rather sinister looking ‘poison’ bottle that I cannot help feeling will dispense smoke all over the bar when opened. Containing a whopping 47 botanicals, this Gin produces a wave of upfront citrus, making way for juniper, then both floral and herbal tones due to many of the botanicals being sourced from the Black Forest in Germany.
Botanicals: Juniper, acacia, flag, pimento, almond, orange, pepper (4 types), blackberry, cardamom, cassia, cinnamon, , rose mallow, lemon verbena, cloves, coriander, cranberries, pomelo, cubeb, dog rose, elderflower, ginger, Grains of Paradise, spruce, hawthorn berries, sage, ambrette, honeysuckle, jasmine, kaffir lime, lavender, lemon, chamomile, lemon balm, lemongrass, liquorice, bee balm, nutmeg, orris, rosehip, sloe, angelica root, acacia flowers, bramble, lingonberries.
Monkey 47 is best served simply with ice and premium tonic water. No garnish required.
BROCKMANS GIN
This dark black ridged bottle would not look out of place on the set of Harry Potter. This Gin has a subtle sweet edge to it, citrus tones, and in my opinion its the berries that really stand out. An excellent summer Gin with Ginger Ale.
Botanicals: Juniper, Blackberries, Blueberries, Coriander, Angelica Root, Orris Root, Cassia Bark, Liquorice, Orange peel, Lemon peel, Almond.
Brockmans Gin is best served with ice, ginger ale, and a small handful of blueberries.
ROSE D’ARGENT STRAWBERRY GIN
A best selling strawberry Gin that is clean and concise. An initial light juniper hit, followed by both the citrus and delightful strawberry tones with a hint of herbs. Divine!
Botanicals: Juniper, coriander seeds, ginger, lemon and orange zest, lavender, angelica root, fennel seeds, star anise, and of course strawberry.
Rose d’Argent Strawberry Gin is best served with ice, premium tonic water, and a couple of fresh sliced strawberries.
THE BOTANIST
A highly distinctive Gin with an array of floral and juniper tones up front, then citrus and subtle cinnamon and mint. You can’t miss this striking bottle complete with the names of the botanicals embossed in Latin.
Botanicals: Juniper, angelica root, apple mint, birch leaves, bog myrtle leaves, cassia bark, chamomile, cinnamon bark, coriander seed, creeping thistle flowers, elder flowers, gorse flowers, heather flowers, hawthorn flowers, juniper berries, lardy’s bedstraw flowers, lemon balm, lemon peel, liquorice root, meadowsweet, orange peel, oris root, peppermint leaves, mugwort leaves, red clover flowers, tansy, thyme leaves, water mint leaves, white clover, wood sage leaves.
The Botanist Gin is best served with ice and Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic water. No garnish needed.
RHUBARB FIZZ COCKTAIL
Finally, we make it to the fun tipple! Your taste buds will be eternally grateful should you be kind enough to introduce them to The Rhubarb Fizz. Here is how you can make your own ‘Heaven in a Glass’. Go on, you know you want to.
50ml Warner Edwards Victoria’s Rhubarb Gin
10ml Lemon juice
1 Teaspoon grated ginger
10ml Sugar syrup
Prosecco
Shake all ingredients together (except the Prosecco unless you are looking for a Rhubarb Fizz explosion), pour into a glass, then top up with Prosecco.
CONCLUSION
It seems that you now have 5 fabulous Gins and a Gin cocktail all requiring your immediate attention. Any Gin focused pub or bar should have each of these Gins standing by and ready for you to try. I hope you found this post informative, and wish you lots of fun with your Gin adventures!
Andrew Scott Radford
The Gin Geek
www.TheGinGeek.com
