Curiosity Killed the Tom Cat...

This story, like so many, begins with a man walking into a bar, the man engages the bartender and over the course of the conversation the subject of Jamaican Gin arrises, a gin made by Wray & Nephew exclusively for the Jamaican market, of course it isn't long till word of this gin finds it's way to a certain gin enthusiast and a search begins...

A few calls later it would seem a family member is holidaying in Jamaica, two weeks later a bottle of this cheeky looking Jamaican gin arrives...

The bottle bears an uncanny resemblance to certain own brand supermarket spirits, this impoverished attire made me weary of the gin from the start but we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover now, should we... The labelling is rather simple standing out yet does not reveal much about the liquid inside, simply 40% and 750ml, oooh an extra double, one must remain calm and not leap for joy as of yet.

Considering it's Caribbean background I am going to make the brash assumption that this gin is distilled from molasses, i'm also curious as to weather it meets the EU criteria of being distilled to a minimal 96%, as this is made exclusively for the Jamaican market it is doubtful much consideration is given to the laws governing gin production on the other side of the world.

So enough of the mystery surrounding the gin, time to crack it open... dear lord! A whif from the bottle was not appealing in the slightest, slightly reminiscent of every studious evening spent imbibing cheap vodka, but in the interest of fairness let's decant the gin to a tasting glass to allow it to breathe and release it's finer aromas.

Once I acclimatised to the potency of the alcohol I began to pick up slight notes of citrus, an ever so soft hint of juniper and a surprising hint of cookie dough ice cream, although it wouldn't be to much of a stretch to imagine vanilla being used in a Caribbean gin.

And now time for the taste test... gulp!    

Despite it's potent aroma the taste is remarkably bland, giving away little, perhaps slight peppery notes but little more. The mouth feel is extremely oily which initially masks the alcohol burn, a burn which continues to evolve long after the liquid is gone.

So Jamaican gin... there seems to be more than one reason why rum is so popular in the country and this token gin would do little to sway anyones preference, so on the gin shelf you go Wray & Nephew Old Tom, at the bottom, towards the back, categorised under morbid curiosity.

I hope you never attempt to enjoy,

Umpleby

Sangaree for Every Season

Most people aware of Gins place as our national spirit, how it has become intertwined in the history and tradition of merry old England, and what a damn fine thing tradition is. Like the consumption of Port wine, another great English drinking tradition, a tradition which grew out of one of our many fisticuffs with the French, terrible times when our supply of wine was rudely interrupted, times when our dear Portuguese allies were so willing to step in and fill this void.

So any way, point is tradition is lovely, what is ever more endearing though is when two traditions meet, creating something new, something unusual, and dare I say it when speaking of Port, but something cheeky... Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, the Sangaree

Sangaree is a corruption of the Spanish Sangria, the very same fruity beverage many of us have imbibed on the beach on the Costa del Sol or in a cheap latin themed restaurant, this drink however wasn't always made with cheap red wine, budget brandy and artificial orange juice, it was originally a simple mix of fortified wine such as sherry, port or madeira, diluted with a brisk shake, slightly sweetened and dusted with nutmeg. Jerry Thomas makes mention of several styles of Sangaree in The Bon Vivant's Companion, one with Brandy, the predecessor to what we drink today and a rather interesting one with gin.

The recipe calls to make the Gin Sangaree in the same way as a Gin Toddy with a float of Port Wine and a dust of nutmeg, a recipe which would look a little something like this;

Gin Sangaree

Gin - 50ml

Still Water - 25ml

Simple Sugar Syrup - 5ml

Port Wine - 15ml (float)

An interesting origin of the modern Sangria, not quite as fruity, shorter and considerably more fortified. I prefer a slightly different method, swizzling the gin and syrup over crushed ice to achieve the desired dilution whilst adding sufficient chill to the'. The beauty of this drink is it works with a wide variety of gin's although those on the heavy juniper side of things fair rather well.

As much as the simplicity of this drink works to it's advantage there are some additions which can add some rather interesting twists to this drink, tailoring it to your mood, your guest or even the weather...

Around Christmas I began experimenting with mulled wine inspired port, cooking up a mulled port concentrate by adding sugar and various herbs and spices, most notably cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaves and citrus peel before lengthening this concentrate with more of the Port used to create it. When I discovered the Sangaree I was immediately tempted to put my mulled port to use.

Mulled Sangaree

Martin Millers Gin - 50ml

Simple Sugar Syrup - 5ml

Mulled Port Wine - 15ml (float)

Swizzle the gin and syrup in a wine glass with crushed ice, float the mulled port and garnish with a dusting of freshly grated Nutmeg.

An interesting twist on the Gin Sangaree with plenty of winter warming spice complementing the black pepper and orange notes of Martin Millers, as with the Gin Sangaree there is no need for citrus to balance this drink, the dilution works wonders. A lovely little winter beverage which also works particularly well served warm, combine the above ingredients with 25ml of water, warm in a saucepan but try not to heat over 78 degrees, we wouldn't want to burn off the alcohol, serve in a small glass tea cup with that aromatic dusting of nutmeg. 

So a winter warmer to see you through the rest of the cold months but summers just round the corner (hell who am I kidding this is England) but just in case, heres a twist on the Sangaree especially for those sunny days;

Summer Sangaree

Whitley Neill Gin - 50ml

White Port - 20ml

Velvet Falernum - 5ml

Swizzle all ingredients together with crushed ice in a wine glass, cap with crushed ice and perfume with a grapefruit zest. 

Velvet Falernum is an alcoholic syrup made from rum, lime and a variety of spices, most notably cloves and star anise, it is often used in Tiki style drinks but adds an interesting tropical spice to many libations. This style of Sangaree is rather different to the two above but still maintains the basic elements of the original drink. The soft orange notes of Physalis from the Whitley Neill work so well with the white fruit notes of the Port and the citrus and spice of the Velvet Falernum, the grapefruit zest adds a lovely aroma slightly better suited to a summer beverage than nutmeg.

Ingredient Notes

Mulled Port
Inspired by the English Christmas tradition of mulled wine whereby red wine is infused with various botanicals and served warm as a tasty winter treat.
To make mulled port start by concentrating the flavours and spice in a small  portion of the wine, this allows you to boil up a small portion of the wine to really infuse the flavours, although this sacrifices the alcohol content you are only using up a small volume of Port so not all is lost. For my mulled port I took 200ml of Ruby Port, heated it up in a saucepan with 100 grams of granulated sugar and the following botanicals;
- Orange Peel
- Lemon Peel
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
- Black Pepper
- Dried Bay Leaves
- Juniper Berries       
Bring the port mix to the boil then allow to simmer for about 4 minutes before straining out the botanicals. After you have your concentrate lengthen it with the remaining port until your happy with the flavour.


I hope you enjoy,

Umpleby

The Country Bumpkin

Summer is upon us and the gin world is full of lovely fresh summer cocktails, although the majority of these are refined libations, drink with class and sophistication. My summers are not always suitable for such refined drinks, I often spend time outdoors with barbecue food and it's a tad difficult to mix up a Basil-Gin Smash or a White Lady in such surroundings. Rum on the other hand has a variety of rustic beverages, the Caipirinha arguably being the the simplest and easy to concoct with limited means.


My discovery of a Gin Caipirinha came a few months back when Mark Scott, the bartender at one of my regular haunts could not furnish me with Brazil's finest so we opted to substitute it for gin instead. The result was a rather Gimlet-esk beverage, ice cold with a beautiful zesty freshness, by opting for gin as opposed to Cachaca the beverage is somewhat cleaner, we originally used Plymouth Gin which shone through well giving the drink an additional botanical complexity.


The simplicity and rustic charm of the Caipirinha is it's beauty, originally it was made as a peasants drink, drunk in the slums of Brazil as a way of taming the raw, fire water that is Brazils sugar cane rum, Cachaca. I have always been a firm believer that premium, smooth Cachaca has no place in the Caipirinha, it was this line of thinking which led me to conclude the gin of choice for the Country Bumpkin, but first a note on the name.


Caipirinha translates a peasants drink and as I was giving Brazils national drink a British twist it felt only right to furnish it with it's own name, however the direct translation was missing a little charm. A Country Bumpkin is defined as 'someone usually from the midwest, whom lives in a small town but does not live on a farm and do all that labor. usually on the poorer side' it could not better sum up the areas in which I spend most of my sunny down time.


So back to the issue of what gin to used. As nice as Plymouth and a few Martin Miller's Country Bumpkins have been it did not really fit with my thesis of the quality of Cachaca to use in a Caipirinha. It's turns out that super premium gin is an unnecessary addition to such a simple drink and after all there is only one gin widely available in the taverns of every small village, Gordon's.

The Country Bumpkin Photographed by Sofia Miranda

The Country Bumpkin
Gordons Gin 50ml
Lime Wedges 4/8th's
White Sugar 2 Bar Spoons


Now before we discuss the recipe for the Country Bumpkin, white sugar is being used because gin doesn't have the rustic sugar cane notes of Cachaca which may benefit from brown sugar, i'm using granulated to really exfoliate the zest of the lime and to help grind the last drop of juice out.


So pop the lime wedges in to a suitable, short receptacle, any old thing will do, lets not be picky with this, perhaps... a jam jar? Sprinkle with your sugar and muddle (crush), spoon on crushed ice, pour on a healthy dram of England's Oldest, stir, top with crushed ice and serve with straws.


Being a punchy gin Gordon's big juniper flavour shines through nicely with a great sweet sour balance in a slightly raw yet refreshing drink.


Hope You Enjoy,


Umpleby