IN my 21 years in the drinks trade, I’ve never been asked to suggest a wine match for a dropped scone. So, instead of wrestling the Scotch pancake direct, I thought I’d look at what is fast becoming a contender for Scotland’s new national drink.
Boutique small-batch gins are cropping up all over the place and some of them are really, really good. Our per capita consumption of this luscious spirit is on the increase with bars, gin joints and wine and spirit emporiums all increasing their shelf and gantry space for the flood of new products.
One thing to watch out for is a spirit that’s relying on a hook or a point of difference as opposed to falling back on the sheer quality and taste of the gin in the bottle, and therefore in your Martini. Don’t be drawn into buying a bottle that will only work with ethically sourced kumquats, or muddled organic strawberries. Instead, pick a classic London Dry style and have a large measure with ice, tonic and a slice of lime.
My favourite bottlings are all between 40 and 46% ABV (alcohol by volume). You can go higher (up to 60% ABV in some cases), but definitely don’t go any lower. Gins bottled at 37.5% ABV will just have a flat juniper taste with little depth or complexity.
Here are a few to track down this weekend…
Tanqueray No Ten Gin (Waitrose, £32, 70cl, 47% ABV). This full-flavoured spirit makes a cracking G&T, as well as a very decent dry Martini. A very decent dry Martini involves copious amounts of gin with tiny quantities of a very dry vermouth. The less vermouth you add, the drier the Martini. I add hardly any vermouth at all which means my bottle lasts longer. The vermouth that I would recommend is the Cocchi Americano (Inverarity One to One, £16.99), although Noilly Prat (widely available around £12) is also a good option. The Tanqueray No Ten is a true classic, with not a kumquat in sight.
Electric Spirit Company Achroous Gin (available online, around £37, 70cl, 40% ABV or higher depending on the batch). This Leith-based producer is making excellent gins with a lovely floral, aromatic edge from the addition of Sichuan pepper and fennel seed in the botanicals. It’s exotic and cool while still retaining the classic London Dry feel.
121 Gin (Inverarity One to One, £23.99, 70cl, 46% ABV). This is our house gin and is made to our specifications in Perthshire from a very old and classic recipe. It’s incredibly quaffable as well as being stylish and affordable. Take one home this weekend.
Pete Stewart is Glasgow director of Inverarity One to One, 185a Bath Street, Glasgow inverarity121.com
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