Ginvent 2016 – Berliner Brandstifter Gin

Posted on December 20, 2016December 12, 2023 by jennyinbrighton

It’s a horrible coincidence that today’s gin is opened the day after a lorry attack on a busy Christmas markets in the streets of Berlin. When I first read that we would be receiving Berliner Brandstifter Berlin Dry Gin in our calendar I was excited and couldn’t stop thinking about my holiday there last year, so it’s a shame that we can’t all try it under nicer circumstances. This gin was launched in 2013 and is designed to make you think of “taking a wonderful walk on a careless summer day in the capital” using elderflowers, woodruff and mallow as key botanicals. This gin is limited to just under 10,000 bottles per year, and each bottle is hand bottled and labelled. It sounds like this should be a nice refreshing, floral gin. Hopefully a lighter note to brighten our days.

From the bottle it certainly smells fresh (Note: I do currently have a bit of a blocked nose and am wearing a pore strip so my nose isn’t on top form right now). It reminds me slightly of Blackwater No 5 (the best gin) in that it smells a bit like rain – although this has a stronger juniper nose to it. Tasting it straight, the main flavours (after the small shock of drinking straight gin) is floral and light and slightly sweet like a hint of sherbet sweets. I like. With tonic, this is a delight. Slightly sweeter than a usual gin, but not too sweet. Just light and refreshing, with a flowery aftertaste. It’s hard to describe (check out #ginvent on Twitter for people being more eloquent [it’s been a long day]). Less fresh rain and more kids sweets, but I’m enjoying.

You can find Berliner Brandstifter on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and you can grab yourself a bottle of this from Master of Malt for £47.85. This seems quite a lot for something I don’t think I could have as my every day gin, but it certainly feels like something special. Perhaps it’s the import costs?

Catch up on the last 19 days of Ginvent here and let me know what you think! I’m around on Twitter and Instagram.

Ginvent 2016 – Audemus Pink Peppercorn Gin

Posted on December 17, 2016December 12, 2023 by jennyinbrighton

Another day, another gin. Today’s gin is Audemus Pink Pepper Gin. Hailing from France, Audemus gin uses traditional techniques “blended with a modern alchemy and a passion for innovation”. Pink Peppercorn sounds like a good example of this. Their Pink Pepper fin is designed “to be an entirely unique, intense and aromatic gin”. The flavour should change from a spicy pink pepper and juniper blend to a warmer vanilla and honey tone as the gin ages and comes to room temperature.

Straight from the bottle the smell is very fresh and slightly savoury – not what I expected for something that tastes of honey as it warms (this has been sat in my lounge for the last month so it’s not exactly cold…). It smells smooth (yes I know that’s strange) but I can sense the vanilla. This tastes nothing like I expected. The pepper comes out, with the smoother softer vanilla at the back of the tongue. Making it into a G&T, this is certainly unusual. The pepper tastes fade away, and it is reminiscent of cake. The vanilla and honey are more prominent than expected, and not in a bad way. It’s smooth to drink, with no nasty alcohol burn. Sweet, but not cloying, I quite like this. Do I think I could drink this every day? No, but as a one off now and again it is certainly a nice change. And this comes from someone that doesn’t like a sweet gin.

You can find Audemus spirits on Facebook and in basically no shops so find them over on Masters of Malt where a 70cl bottle (44% ABV) will set you back £45.91 (at time of writing).

Have you tried the Pink Pepper Gin? Let me know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram, and catch up on Ginvent here.

Monkey 47 gin – a review

Posted on June 25, 2016March 3, 2024 by jennyinbrighton

This week was historic. It’s the week that Britain threw a strop and voted itself out of the EU. I’m having post-Brexit Blues which coincided with pay day which ended up with me in Grape and Grain after work buying myself a bottle of gin. Monkey 47 to be precise. I’ve tried it before but a long time ago, so after an extensive discussion with the shop owner and staff I decided to give it another go. Also it’s German so prices will clearly rocket if we actually leave so thought I’d get it for a good price while I can!

Monkey 47 hails from the Black Forests of Germany and was first produced in 2008. It went on to win Best Gin in the World Gin catagory in 2011 at the IWSC and Gold in the World Spirit Awards. So it comes highly recommended. The name hails from the 47 botanicals used to make the gin, and it is handily bottled at 47% as well (they sure know how to create a strong brand – speaking of which I highly recommend their website). Some of their botanicals are listed on their website’s Encyclopaedia Botanica. Each batch is hand bottled and they list their batch number on the bottle – apparently each batch is subtly different, I guess I’ll just have to buy another bottle to see!

The bottle isn’t sealed with wax, but has a cork edged with a metal ring, going for an old pharmaceutical look. The cork comes out easily and the smell is quite fruity. Nothing overpowering. Mixed with water and the juniper comes to the front. Super smooth and easy to drink, it again has no overpowering taste to it or a chemical burn that some gins have, leaving just a fragrant taste in your mouth. The 47% abv gives it a warmth that isn’t as overpowering as a navy strength gin.

Mixing up a G&T with some light Fevertree tonic it really comes alive. A variety of flavours swill across your tongue. It has that exciting sherbert quality that Cornelius Ampleforths Bathtub Gin has. It’s sweet but not cloying. Tart but not sour. Hints of pepper. I add a lemon wedge which brings out a citrus tone and makes it very refreshing. Wowzers. I’m super sad I haven’t embraced this earlier.

I paid £39 for this at Grape and Grain. Worth. Every. Damn. Penny. Even if it hadn’t been pay day. Get this now and add it to your collection. Yes it’s pricier than Gordon’s but my god it’s more exciting. Masters of Malt stocks it for £36.46 (plus delivery) – and if you need more convincing then check out some of it’s reviews!

You can follow Monkey 47 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If you’re ever in Haywards Heath, head to Grape and Grain and speak to Ed. He loves gin and will happily chat to you about it for as long as you want (until you have to run off and catch a train home in my case) – or they’re on Facebook.

Finally, if you like what you read and see then give me a follow on Twitter and Instagram.

NB Gin – a review

Posted on June 11, 2016December 12, 2023 by jennyinbrighton

First of all – Happy World Gin Day! My favourite day of the year. This also coincides nicely with this month’s Craft Gin Club delivery (well, actually it arrived last week but I went on holiday so I’ve only just got round to opening it). June’s parcel arrived with a bottle of NB Gin Navy Strength (57% ABV), a bottle of Fentimans Sparkling Lime and Jasmine, a small bottle of extra dry Martini and some NB Gin Alco Olives. Yup, olives soaked in gin. Didn’t realise I needed these in my life until now.

In case you couldn’t guess from the box contents, this gin apparently makes a very good Martini, and much of this month’s Ginned talks about Martinis in history, and one of my favourite pieces of writing ever – canapés inspired by James Bond (Quantum of Scallops anyone? No? How about Diamonds are Bruschetta?). I’ll be making my first ever Martini at a later date and will report back.

NB Gin hails from Scotland (so I can claim to be getting in touch with my heritage as I drink it) and their regular London Dry Gin won the title of “Best London Dry Gin in the World, 2015”. I’ve been following them on Twitter for a while and they have quite the famous following: Johnny Roxburgh, party planner for the royal family loves it and lists it on his menus and they have been the official gin of the Brits after party in 2015 and 2016. Swanky stuff. Navy strength gin is so called as the Royal Navy required gins from the early 1800’s to be bottled at a higher abv as gin was often stored below deck adjacent to the gunpowder. They then noticed that if the gin spilt on the gunpowder, it wouldn’t light, so gin had to be a higher proof to make sure that the gunpowder would still light. Why they couldn’t store the gin somewhere else, I don’t know. But there we go, small history lesson for you. NB Gin’s makers say that the extra alcohol content increases the concentration of the flavours – key botanicals include juniper, coriander seed, angelica root, grains of paradise and ground cardamom. I’m expecting something rather intense.

The bottle has no wax seal so it is nice and easy to get into (it’s always embarrassing when you have to hack the bottle apart). It is very botanical heavy, considering how strong it is you don’t get any nasty gin smell, just fragrant and citrusy. Measured out with some cold water the juniper comes forward and you can sense the strength a bit more. Holding it on the tongue and it has a bit of a kick to it but it’s smooth at the back of the throat. I was expecting that gin burn but it’s easy to drink. There’s definitely a warmth in my chest once I’ve drunk it. It feels thick, it’s certainly not a light and flowery gin, but the flavours are well balanced

Mixed as a G&T with 50ml of the gin with 100ml of Fevertree’s light tonic water (I was fancy and treated myself) and some of my wonderful plastic ice cubes (people seriously need to invest in these) it’s now starting to smell a bit more dangerous. The smell packed more of a punch than I was expected and nearly recoiled from my glass. It certainly tastes stronger as well. The bitterness of the tonic plays up to the botanicals and the sheer strength of the gin and whilst it remains smooth on the tongue, it’s flavours are much more obvious as you drink it. The producers are correct, the flavour is more intense than I am used to. I believe this is actually my first navy strength gin – even Burleigh’s which made me strangely emotional is is only 47%. Sailors are certainly a hardy bunch. I think it’s safe to say you don’t need many of these in an evening. The intensity of the flavours also make it less “gluggable” (drink responsibly) which is a good thing at this strength! As they recommend the lime and jasmine Fentimans, I add a lime wedge which adds a slightly lighter note and certainly lifts the flavour a bit to make it less heavy.

All in all, this is different. If you like your gin strong then this is the one for you. I am very interested in trying the normal strength NB Gin to see how the flavours compare. Over on Masters of Malt the Navy Strength gin is £41.95 – slightly more expensive than I think I would pay, but this also isn’t a gin that’s going to disappear quickly!

You can find NB Gin on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Craft Gin Club are there as well (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and if you enjoy my ramblings then give me a follow on Twitter and Instagram.

“Ginnifer” aka the time I made my own gin

Posted on May 17, 2016May 17, 2016 by jennyinbrighton

So 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!

I 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!

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 leaving 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. .

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

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

Wahaca, Brighton

Posted on May 2, 2016 by jennyinbrighton

Please note: going here wasn’t my choice, I suggested La Choza and Catriona suggested otherwise. I was too exhausted to argue.

So we arrived at the new Wahaca at 6:30pm on a Tuesday and it was already buzzing with a fun and friendly atmosphere. After waiting 10 minutes in the bar we were seated in the window. Whilst the table was a decent size (you know sometimes a table for two is ridiculously tiny?) the seats were terrible. Imagine sitting in a plastic bucket with some fuzzy fabric on it. I spent all night feeling on edge – not what I needed that day. Or indeed ever. Not even a cushion to sit on. After another wait we manage to order some drinks – one bramble (me) and one medium Sauvignon (Catriona). Note: if you want to order wine you can only get a 175ml glass, a 500ml carafe or a bottle. No large glasses. And they charge £6.25 for the pleasure of a Sauvignon. One more wait and the wine arrives. Another wait and the cocktail arrives. Whilst we waiting then AGAIN to order food I try my drink and am instantly less annoyed. Wonderfully tart with loads of lime juice. Catriona’s wine is “nothing special, it’s alright wine but it could definitely be bigger”.

Finally we get to order and I go for the slow cooked burrito with extra cheese, and Catriona goes for the tapas selection of slow cooked lamb shoulder tacos (the special that day), sweet potato and feta taquitos, and chorizo and potato quesadillas.

As the food is “freshly made” it comes when it is ready and the tacos arrive first. Two small bundles of meat in a soft tortilla, I ask how it is and get a “meat is good” Catriona nods with a mouth full of food. “The last mouthful was the best”. Second comes the quesadillas, third the tacquitos, and fourth is Jenny with no food boo 🙁 After one mouthful of the quesadilla, Catriona shouts “THAT’S GREAT” and offers me a mouthful. It is damn tasty. Although in my opinion could do with a bit more filling, just feels a bit empty. The tacquitos were “phenomenal”. Considering Catriona nearly didn’t order them they were her favourite thing. One thing, they could do with more feta. They were described as containing feta however it was just sprinkled on top.

My burrito arrived and in my excitement to eat I pick it up and the pulled pork slowly falls out the bottom. So I had to eat it with a knife and fork which felt very very wrong. The pulled pork was good, well spiced and flavoured and there was plenty of meat. It came with a little side of tortilla chips which were crunchy and salty and a good contrast to the messy (slightly soggy) burrito. This is why La Choza’s foil wrapped burritos are brilliant. They have a lack of mess. The burrito wasn’t spicy at all, and I didn’t like that they don’t give you an option on the heat. I imagine it’s because, as a national chain, they have to be fairly bland to cater for people that don’t like

The general consensus from our trip was “meh”. The food is fine. The drinks are fine. It’s a fun atmosphere and good for families but it’s no La Choza. If you just want some Mexican food you could do a lot worse but you could also walk about 5 roads over for La Choza. After our meal, Catriona agreed that we should have just gone to La Choza. They had only been open a week or so when we went so we hoped the waiting was due to it being new and perhaps a lack of staff.

Our meals and drinks came to £35, and we both agreed that we felt our share was too much for the taste.

Basically, go to La Choza. It’s always the better option. However, you can check out Wahaca on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram – and very excitingly we finally convinced Catriona to join Instagram!

Bath Gin – a review

Posted on April 15, 2016January 22, 2024 by jennyinbrighton

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.

So, 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.

Time 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.

A 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.

I 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.

Nip from the Hip Gooseberry Gin

Posted on February 28, 2016 by jennyinbrighton

This 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.

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.

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.

Having 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.

Two Birds Gin – a review

Posted on May 8, 2015January 22, 2024 by jennyinbrighton

This review is a bit late. I actually first experienced Two Birds gin in October after the lovely Morgan Rees bought me some as a present (October 10th for those wondering when to send gifts). Then I started my blog and got distracted by other gins and unemployment and new job and working all bank holiday weekend in Liverpool. But a conversation with my manager prompted me to get my act together and do this. Plus I was scared because I have so little left and I’m dreading the moment when it runs out 🙁

So. Two Birds. Another small batch gin, this one made in batches of around 100 bottles in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. As well as their London Dry gin, they also make a Vodka and Absinthe (plus some fun flavoured Vodkas depending on the season). This is the bottle that started my love of pretty designs on bottles.

(Note: the bottle doesn’t normally come with a polka dot bow. This is Morgan’s version of wrapping and I enjoy it too much to remove it)

The bottle is a screw top so whilst you don’t get the satisfying noise of a cork popping out the bottle, it is much quicker to break your way in (an important factor in my gin drinking life). The smell from the bottle is dry with the juniper coming through as the predominant note. I did the standard mixing it with water to release the botanicals and, unusually for the gins I’ve been drinking recently, you don’t get a hit of citrus. It tastes smooth on the tongue, no nasty screwed up faces ensue when drinking. It leaves a warm lingering tastes in the mouth and the dryness comes through leaving you wanting more.

Time for the G&T test.

For the test I’m using Tesco Low Calorie Tonic Water. This isn’t to be sniffed at. Tesco do a great range of tonics from normal tonic water to some flavoured with cucumber, jasmine and elderflower. They also do a great bitter lemon, and they are 4 for £1.50. And, most importantly of all, it isn’t Britvic.

Moving on. It is reminiscent of the Blackwater No.5 Gin in that it is smooth and fresh as you drink it. Whilst it doesn’t have the big punchy characteristics of some other gins, the smooth quality makes it very quaffable (it is seriously running low in the bottle). I usually love a citrus garnish but I don’t feel this needs it. Quite dry on the tongue (a good point in my books), Two Birds leaves you wanting more. I imagine it would work well in a cocktail or as a good base to any mixer as the simple flavourings would allow any added flavours to come through.

The gin is made with four botanicals (and juniper) which helps to explain why there is less going on, but bottled at 40% and a 70cl bottle setting you back a mere £28, I think this is a good buy. This gin will be great as an everyday G&T but it is special enough to feel like a treat. Plus look at the bottle. How beautiful will that look on the shelf filled with fairy lights (the current fate of all my empty gin bottles).

You can order Two Birds spirits from their website here, and you can follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram for daily rantings and gushes.

Jenny in Brighton

I'm Jenny and I live in Brighton

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