In high spirits at Singapore’s school of gin
SINGAPORE: In a distillery here, the smell of pine, citrus and flowers fills the air as students crush juniper berries, blending them with their own choice of ingredients to make custom gin with an Asian twist.
Gleaming copper stills and beakers line the counters, and one wall is taken up by a cabinet filled with jars of gin and drawers packed with herbs and spices.
The students are encouraged to get creative and build their own flavour profile — citrus, floral, herbal, or spicy — blending classic ingredients such as juniper and coriander seeds with those used in local cuisines.
They are provided with a tray of plants and fruits, including tamarind, pandan and torch ginger flower — aromatic items used in dishes around Southeast Asia.
Jamie Koh, the founder of Brass Lion Distillery which runs the weekly gin school, said making gin “allows you to be creative”.
“You can go as little as three botanicals, or you can go crazy and put a million botanicals in it,” she said.
Gin typically gets its taste from juniper berries, but then “botanicals” — the term for ingredients used as flavourings — are added to create a range of varieties.
Students follow a simple version of distilling.
Using their own small copper still, they start with a neutral base spirit and redistill it with their mix of botanicals, adding water to the end product to reach the desired alcohol level.
The class costs S$198 (RM610) and students take home a 500ml bottle of their creation.
Daniel Lim infused his gin with lemongrass, kaffir lime and three small pieces of bird’s eye chili.
“I wanted to try a Singapore flavour,” the 30-year-old said.
“It’s got the wasabi effect, it shoots up into my nose.”