A good time to drink gin
It is a great time to be a gin drinker in Aotearoa. Throw a stick in any direction and you’ll hit a keen distiller perfecting their blend of New Zealand botanicals and bringing an exciting new spirit to market. Next weekend, some of those keen beans will be joining some old hands at the first gin festival in the Bay of Plenty; the jauntily named Gincredible.
I bought my ticket yonks ago and Saturday is now sold out but at the time of writing there were still tickets for Sunday available, if you’re in the Tauranga area and are in the mood for tasting some homegrown gins. There will be a couple of gins new to me that I am keen to try, including those from
1919 – an Auckland-based distillery that utilises homegrown botanicals like ma¯ nuka honey and otago cherries alongside the expected juniper and coriander. Sounds like a good gin-type gin.
I’m also looking forward to sampling some of my established favourites, including Blush and Little Biddy.
Blush is an unpretentious rhubarbinfused gin which is so far away from some of those nasty ‘‘pink gins’’ that some big brands have brought out recently as to be in a separate stratosphere. It is a lovely, subtle, romantic drink which mixes nicely and is just as delicious straight up.
Everyone who loves crumble knows that rhubarb and apple love each other very much – which is why the following is my favourite way to drink Blush. I call this drink Barbara Allen because, like the folk song, it reminds me of summer’s end. (Plus Barbara/Rhubarb… get it?)
Barbara Allen
60ml Blush gin
200ml fresh apple juice
A sprig of mint (four or five leaves) Three dashes rhubarb bitters
Put all the ingredients into an ice-filled shaker and shake as diffidently as might become the reticent maiden of the ballad. Strain into a glass with ice and garnish with a little more mint.
Little Biddy is a West
Coast gin from Reefton
Distilling Co, and like its namesake, the four-foot prospector fond of a pipe and a tote it is doughty; tough but not at all rough, with just a hint smokiness around the edges. It has a flavour profile that is assured enough to stand up to one of my favourite modern drinks: the celery gimlet.
Celery gimlet
30ml Little Biddy Gin
30ml Six Barrels Soda Celery Tonic
In a mixing glass or shaker, stir ingredients with ice until cold. Strain into an ice-filled tumbler and garnish with a slice of cucumber.
Cheers!