alcohol

“Ginnifer” aka the time I made my own gin

Posted on by jennyinbrighton

photo 1So one day I was browsing Twitter and came upon a tweet from the Craft Gin Club saying you can make your own gin. Obviously I was intrigued. Obviously I went straight to Tesco. As this was a test, I decided to halve the amounts so if it is gross I haven’t wasted an entire bottle of vodka, or indeed if it works I can tweak the recipe and try again!

photo 2I decided to follow the basic recipe that they suggested on their website: vodka with added juniper berries, cardamom pods, coriander seeds, peppercorns, a cinnamon stick and lemon peel. I excluded the orange peel because bleugh. The recipe is based on the style of bath tub gin where the botanicals are steeped in the spirit rather than gaining its flavour through distillation. So don’t worry folk, I haven’t set up a still in my flat!

photo 1 (2)After adding my botanicals (minus the lemon peel) the vodka instantly took on a lovely fresh smell. The plan was to halve the amount of botanicals as suggested, but I went a bit heavier on the juniper and coriander as I am a big fan of those flavours. Then I left it in a dark corner of my kitchen and went to the pub. Over the next 24 I give it the occasional shake then add my lemon peel. God I love the smell of lemon. I put off trying it and wait until the next evening. Strained through a small sieve and muslin cloth, it is still a pale yellow colour – something that would disappear with proper filtering. Instead I settle on leaphoto 3 (2)ving it a few more days for the sediment to settle and a further straining.
Smells really lemony and fresh and a hint of juniper. I worry I’ve overdone it on the zest and not put enough of the other botanicals in. But oh well this is an experiment. .

photo 1 (3)
Pre-filter

Finally, four days later I crack it open. Time to filter it once more. Which makes no difference as it still looks like dehydrated wee. I give it a try completely straight, no water. Oh my that smells like booze. Once in the Copa glass the vodka comes straight through. Yup. Tastes as expected, just like like acidic vodka. But I’m no quitter, and with an equal measure of water the harshness mellows slightly. It’s not as bad as I anticipated. I definitely went too hard on the lemon and should have added more juniper and coriander seeds to balance it out. Not too bitter and not too sweet, it just tastes like a slightly warm lemon drink. Much more palatable straight than most gins I’ve tried. Rather more reminiscent of a genever with a slightly smoky taste (this could be from the cinnamon or from the effect that the warmer days are having on my kitchen). Whatever it tastes of, it certainly isn’t vodka (hurrah) but feel the juniper isn’t strong enough to legit call it gin(nifer)

photo 2 (2)
Post-filter…nope I see no difference either

Mixing up a G&T (50ml gin and 100ml tonic) the gin loses its lemony taste. It’s still there – and the smell is incredible – but the tonic adds an extra bitterness (note, I am using Tesco own tonic which is slightly more bitter than ,say, a Fevertree would be). Again, whilst it isn’t unpleasant, there is nothing remarkable about it. I’m happy that I made this myself and didn’t pay for it. The gin lacks enough flavour to stand up to the tonic, and the colour pales to look like a yellow-tinged wine.

All in all, not too shabby. I was certainly worried that I would make an undrinkable yellow liquid, but instead I made a perfectly fine yellow liquid. I mean I will certainly try again and alter the recipe. But for now this is fine. Tune in next time for Ginnifer #2
photo 3

Follow my gin exploits on Twitter and Instagram! And why not make your own gin and let me know how it goes!

Bath Gin – a review

Posted on by jennyinbrighton

photo (3)So Lisa got me a lil bottle of this at Christmas when she went to the Ideal Home Show and I was all excited. Then I tried being healthy and drinking less. Then I got distracted. But finally. Four months later, here I am trying my Bath Gin. Heads up, this will be a little different to usual as I only have a 50ml bottle. So imma try it straight up then make a nice G&T. And pray it’s not super tasty as I have no more and that will make me sad.

IMG_6407So, Bath Gin. A Gin of a different persuasion. See what they did there? Their Twitter/Instagram plays on this with all posts coming from “Gin Austen”. Bath Gin is the first still in Bath for 250 years after the various Gin Acts shut them all down (boo hiss). The sample I have is their Canary Edition, bottled at 40% Abv but they also plan to make a Georgian Strength (60%), Damson Gin, Sloe Gin and cask aged gins and spirits according to their promo leaflet. It’s a big ambition for a little company – and a quick recce of their website shows that currently only their Canary Edition is available. Reading the promo leaflet that came with my gin, the botanicals are listed as the expected angelica root, orange and lemon peel, juniper and cassia bark, but with the surprise ingredients wormwood, liquorice and kaffire lime leaf.

photo 1Time to get started! Cracking open the bottle it smells natural, no chemical smell which is nice. Smells like it will be easy to drink (there goes my evening…) mixed with just some plastic ice cubes (in lieu of water). The traditional gin smells comes across more in the glass, probably due to the Copa glass style rather than the bottle neck. Straight up it feels strong on the tongue, with almost a hint of chili. It has a certain warmth to it which isn’t just the straight alcohol going down my throat. Completely palatable.

photo 4A carefully measured amount of tonic is added (only because I don’t want to drown it and don’t have extras to top it up with!) and it reveals a slight bitterness. I imagine this comes from the liquorice and burnt orange. Considering they are two things I despise, it’s not a bad bitterness. Bitter on the tongue but a slight sweetness at the back of the throat. I decide to add some lemon and give it a good swirl around. The lemon brings out the citrus notes which had been hiding away and make the first taste cleaner and fresher. The added acidity turn the sweetness at the back of the throat into a slightly cloying taste – which for me just makes me want to drink more to clear it. This is why I should never be trusted to make good life choices. Although the bitterness also stops me from glugging it back with the ease of a Gordon’s. Not that I do that. Obviously. Again. Bad life choices.

P1010364I enjoyed my drink and I was sad not to have a second – partly because after a few mouthfuls once you’re used to the taste it is a lovely drink. More character to it than a big brand, but not so in your face that you feel you can’t drink it every day. At £36.50 for a 70cl bottle I’d say that’s fair. It doesn’t make me fall in love as a Brighton Gin does (£40, also my home town so obviously I’m biased) but it’s definitely got something different about it. You can also buy a whole load of branded merchandise. Gin Christmas decorations anyone?

You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to support up and coming gin brands and why not give me a follow here and here.

Wild Clover Shortcross Gin – a review

Posted on by jennyinbrighton

photo 2 (3)March’s Craft Gin Club delivery comes all the way from Northern Ireland in the form of a special edition wild clover batch of Shortcross Gin. I’ve heard lots of good things about Shortcross Gin (mainly from my manager who has only had this gin and he thinks this makes him an expert. Ha.) so I’ve been interested in trying it for a while. This batch was made specially for us – because we’re a well fancy group us craft ginners. It comes with a bottle of Franklin & Sons tonic, goji berry and pomegranate Suki Tea, cheese and onions Taytos and some viola seeds to make our own edible garnishes. Now the problem with our flat (after the mould and the damp and the general shabbiness) is that we have no garden, nor a windowsill large enough for plant pots, or indeed any sunshine. So the viola seeds will be sent to my mother for her garden and for me to use on trips back to the shire.

photo 1Now. The gin. The good bit. Each bottles is hand corked, waxed and sealed so it’s time for everyone’s favourite game: how long does it take Jenny to break into a waxed bottle? Seriously. If there’s a trick for this which isn’t attacking a bottle with a knife, please let me know. Luckily today I had some semblance of logic, cut straight down the bottle and it came off in one piece. On first sniff my reaction is “oh wow”. Floral with hints of (what seems to me) cardamom (having just checked this, no. I was wrong). Slightly curryesque. In a good way.

Mixed with some water the smell is obvious even from standing away from the glass. The juniper notes come to the front and it’s very palatable on the tongue. No harsh bitterness, no sickly sweet tanginess. Barely burns as it goes down the throat. It is well rounded in flavour, although at the moment I am not noticing the “uplifting aroma reminiscent of summer meadows, wild berries and Irish clover”. Perhaps Hampshire’s summer meadows taste different to the Irish ones. At 46% this is dangerous for me to be enjoying straight on a Sunday night.

photo 3Time to be sensible and crack open the tonic. Oh my. I’m not a fan of tonic on its own (because what’s the point of it without gin) but that’s rather nice. No bitterness that comes through in cheap tonic, and has almost a sweet edge to it. I’ve never heard of Franklin & Sons but they seem to do an interesting range of soft drinks and mixers so I’m definitely going to start looking out for them! The 200ml size bottle is perfect for two drinks at Jenny strength (50ml gin to 100ml tonic).

With tonic the slightly sweeter berry notes come through, staying dry on the tongue and sweeter at the back of your throat. You know when you eat Tangfastics and the insides of your cheeks go a bit dry? It gives that kind of feeling. It definitely has a floral aroma to it, whilst it doesn’t come through in taste, you can sense it while drinking it (that sentence makes no sense unless you understand me well). With some lemon chunks it adds a touch of bitterness to balance out the sweetness. Although, unusually for me, I think I prefer it without the lemon.

photo 1 (2)All in all this is different enough to feel special, but not so unique that it confuses you about what you’re drinking. This months Ginned magazine suggests making a syrup with the tea to then add to a cocktail, so this will be done in the future when I have my long overdue cocktail night. Just need to get a tea infuser first.

Now this gin isn’t available to buy, because we’re special, but normal ordinary Shortcross gin is available on Masters of Malt for £39.95 for a 70ml bottle. If this was the Wild Clover gin, I’d be happy to pay that. Although my bank balance might not be. Because sadly I can’t enjoy £40 bottles of gin as my every day drink…

You can find Shortcross gin on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and don’t forget to follow me for all the gin ramblings on Twitter and Instagram. You should also show the Craft Gin Club some love. Because they are wonderful on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram AND real life.

Now imma sit down and have my Taytos and plan some activities for my Dublin trip in a few weeks. Yes technically Dublin isn’t in Northern Ireland, but they have Dublin City gin and I’m kind of near Blackwater No. 5 gin so basically it will be a gin (and Guinness) filled affair. But seriously, any tips for tags to do/see/eat/drink in Dublin are appreciated!

Nip from the Hip Gooseberry Gin

Posted on by jennyinbrighton

photo 1This gin was a present from my aunt/uncle/cousins for Christmas (Merry Ginmas everyone!) and it’s exciting to see a new brand and a new flavour in my collection. My first question is: what does gooseberry even taste like? I’m a big fan of the bottle with a nicely designed label and colours. As I peel off the wrapper and see a wooden top I had a small panic that it was a proper cork. Luckily it was just a wooden stopper that I didn’t involve a fight with a corkscrew.

photo 2 (1)On opening it, it smells pretty good. Not as sweet smelling as I expected, almost savoury at first sniff with quite a tart smell to it. As its a liqeur at 23% and its recommended to be drunk straight, I try it so. Oh my. That’s a new flavour. Almost syrupy in texture, it manages to be sweet and tart at the same time. After a few sips it’s less of an attack on the senses. But I’m not certain that drinking it straight is for me.

photo 1 (1)So I add some tonic to it (Co-operative Indian tonic) and it has a sweeter taste to most gin that I’ve tried. It’s not a synthetic sweetness, it almost tastes like you’ve added cordial to the tonic. Maintaining a slight syrupy taste to it, it tastes like two separate drinks in one mouthful – the sweet syrupy flavours hit you first then then the fizzy bitter tonic hits you at the back of the throat. Their website says it can be enjoyed with classic tonic (they recommend Fever Tree), cloudy lemonade or elderflower cider. After making my drink I discover a bottle of Fever Tree Elderflower tonic hidden on the bottom shelf in my kitchen.

photo 3Having remade my drink with Fever Tree it is much nicer – perhaps because Fever Tree is less bitter and dry than co-ops brand, or because the elderflower tonic is sweeter in taste anyway (I confess that until I took a mouthful, I thought the tonic was Mediterranean not elderflower. But hey. It’s a Sunday. I’m tired.). The flowery notes work well with the elderflower tonic although this is a bit sweet for my taste buds. Whilst it’s not to my taste as a G&T, I’m going to get researching for cocktails to try this in (a gooseberry gin sour already sounds good: this gin plus lemon juice, egg white and sugar syrup). Hopefully I can update this with some good recipes soon!

You can find Nip from the Hip on their website, Facebook and Twitter.

For more gin related fun times, I’m on Twitter and Instagram.