Botanist Gin
Incorporating foraged fruit, leaves and flowers endemic to the region creates truly local cocktails,
laksa leaves, belimbing, and curry leaves may pop up more frequently in a Southeast Asian garden or savoury dish, but don’t be surprised to find them in a cocktail glass near you. Since the trend of foraging radiated from restaurants such as Noma in Copenhagen, bartenders have picked up on the possibilities it offers for creating cocktails with a local twist. The results are nothing short of surprising.
Leading the movement is local forager Vijay Mudaliar, owner of the year-old bar Native, which is committed to incorporating local and regional produce in its beverages. Last year, the plant whizz led a foraging tour at Ann Siang Hill, where he uncovered ginger flowers, pink jasmine, tamarind, and other varieties of edible plants growing in the vicinity. He went on to create a Negroni using Campari infused with foraged jackfruit, and a spritzer using Vermouth infused with foraged pink jasmine and belimbing, as part of a collaboration with The Botanist Gin (which is itself imbued with the flavours of 22 botanicals native to Islay, Scotland).
Mudaliar isn’t the only one combining foraged local ingredients with the Islay dry gin. As part of the same collaboration, Gento Torigata of Gibson Bar added the ubiquitous bougainvillea vine to his Roselle and Bougainvillea Sour, a tribute to Singapore’s status as a garden city. “I wanted to add that touch of familiarity that Singaporeans can identify with,” he explains of his decision to juxtapose the wilderness in which the plant grows with the sophisticated hue it bestows on the gin-based cocktail.
Curry leaves and jasmine tea, together with The Botanist Gin, culminated in Calm After the Storm by Neon Pigeon’s Symphony Loo. She channelled her memories of her Malaysian hometown to create what she describes as “the warm embrace of a mother after an especially hard day — it’s comfort, familiarity, and a touch of nostalgia all shaken and stirred in a cup.” Meanwhile, Corpse Reviver #38 by Boo Jing Heng at Tess Bar & Kitchen brought together foraged laksa leaves, roselle, Islay dry gin, Cointreau and lemon juice for a very Singaporean take on the classic swig.
Using indigenous ingredients that are flavourful and familiar can open up myriad possibilities in speciality cocktails, and encourage exploration and experimentation. Who knew there existed such potential in the backyard?