Got this recipe straight from the distillery that makes the Gunpowder Gin. It was very refreshing. But the tea aspect of the gin was overwhelmed by the fresh grapefruit juice.
Gunpowder gin, freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed lime juice, simple syrup and garnished with grapefruit slice and mint.
You probably recollect from my previous cocktail post that while I loved the Gunpowder Irish Gin, I was not a big fan of the G&T. I had used a lemon peel as many experts had suggested.
Yesterday, I changed it up and gave it a second shot – this time I went with another common theme among bartenders – use a pink grapefruit to garnish. And I am happy to say, that made all the difference. It brought out the grapefruit in the gin lot more dramatically and the citrus then was able to keep the ginger and quinine from the tonic water under control.
Gunpowder Irish Gin, Fever Tree Indian Tonic Water and a pink grapefruit!
A few days back when I had published the world map of gins that I have stocked up on, Irene Sutton had referred me to Gunpowder Irish Gin. Dieter Sleeuwaert had seconded that. Trusting Irene, who is an expert on everything alcohol and everything Irish 🙂 was the easy part. Procuring a bottle of Gunpowder Gin in US? – Not so much! Eventually found a store outside DC area who shipped me one.
Opened it last night. First and foremost, I have to admit that I was wondering what does gun powder have to do with a gin. And why would anybody mix that anyways? I was also wondering if it had anything to do with “Navy Strength” gin (if you remember, this is the gin that was made far stronger than normal and given to British sailors so that even if it spilled on to the ammunition on board, it would not render it unusable).
Turns out – and I learnt for the first time – gunpowder, here, refers to a kind of tea found in China. It originated about 14 centuries back and the key characteristic is that each tea leaf is rolled up to look like a small cylinder. A pile of it actually looks like gunpowder and that is why it is called gunpowder tea.
By now you must have guessed that gunpowder tea is an essential botanical added to the gin. Per their literature, this is actually added not in the liquid itself but is vapor distilled (the vapors during the distillation process are made to go thru tea bags inside the medieval copper stills). There are three other botanicals that are used during the vapor distillation – Chinese lemons, Oriental grapefruits and Kaffir limes.
The eight other botanicals used (in the liquid itself) for distillation have an impressive array of sources – Meadowsweet from Ireland (local to the distillery), Cardamom and Caraway Seed from India, Juniper Berries from Macedonia,. Coriander Seed from Romania, Angelica Root from Germany, Orris Root from Morocco and Star Anise from China. How is that for an impressive global roots for the gin?
The gin itself is pretty interesting. If you taste it neat (the proper way to have gin), the true character comes out best. By now, I have have so many gins, I have stopped expecting anything standard from a gin. This one did not fail to surprise me. Very different from other gins. There are three words to describe the whole experience – juniper, citrus and tea! The nose was distinctly citrusy with juniper setting in at the end. The palette similarly had citrusy and juniper effects. If you hold it in your mouth, you can feel the explosion of many other herbs. I am not good at recognizing all of them. But certainly I could sense the anise. And then the smooth finish of the tea as you breathe out!!
Most sources have suggested having this with tonic water (Fever tree) and a lemon peel or a grapefruit. I tried with the lemon peel. My personal opinion is that I liked it neat a lot more. The quinine and ginger messed up my tongue and nose. I will try with a grapefruit today and see if that changes my opinion.
Thank you Irene and Dieter for your recommendations. I added another country to my map. And found a great gin, to boot!!!
This cocktail was cooked up by John Perry Yates from Brooklyn, NY to commemorate the 2014 World Cup game between Brazil and the Netherlands. Brazil had been drubbed by Germany and Argentina had prevailed over the Netherlands in the semifinals. This game was about the “consolation prize” of third place – hence the name.
Rather unsuprisingly, the cocktail mixes the two spirits those countries are famous for – Cachaca and Genever. That is a wild combination. It is not easy to pull off those two together in a cocktail. The balance is most important (go with 2 time Genever to 1 time Cachaca).
John added Cointreau and orange bitters to round of the rough edges with the orange-y aroma and flavor.
The reviews do not give a lot of high marks to this cocktail. I, on the other hand, found this to be very enjoyable. The complexity of genever co-existed pretty well with the sweet, hard edges of the cachaca.
Two caveats: An orange peel is to be added as garnish but I was fresh out of them.
Also, the drink is served over one king ice. If you are not particularly looking for a very stiff drink to start the evening, feel free to actually pour it over more ice.
This is an interesting take on an Old Fashioned. Most Old Fashioned are “spirit forward” – which is why some form of whiskey – Bourbon, Rye or even Brandy is used to make it. Gins, Rums or Vodkas just would not have the muscle strength to carry an Old Fashioned. On the other hand, a Genever can (the aging process gives it a distinct edge and character).
The recipe calls for maple syrup (instead of your simple syrup), standard bitters and citrus peels.
Came thru very well.
The recipe is from Bols Genever website. They call it Green Hornet. But different sources suggest different alcohol base for a Green Hornet. Pisco is a very common suggestion. Difford’s Guide suggests vodka.
Since I am experimenting with Bols Genever, I changed the name a little to Dutch Green Hornet. In the alcohol world, nothing says Genever (or beer) like “Dutch” does.
Did go with a tulip glass per their recommendation though.
The ingredients are Genever, Melin liqueur and lime.
The original Bols family had started a distillery way back in 1575. To put it in perspective, William Shakespeare was just a few years old then!! There have been a few reincarnations of the distillery ever since. The Genever making started in the mid 1600s. It is one of the oldest distilleries in the world and one of the oldest Dutch companies still in business. (Although I wish they had spelt it “Jenever” to keep up with the old local tradition)
If you recollect, genever is the forefather of today’s gin (referred to many times as London Dry – although there are many other types today). Unlike dry gin, genever used to be aged in a barrel – much like whisky or wine of those days.
Therefore, Bols – like every other genever has the very typical smoky nose to it. The base alcohol comes from malted wine and neutral grain spirit. It is then distilled – three times in fact – in standard copper stills. The botanicals – which are held as a secret – are added in the last distillation.
The nose strongly reminds you of the malty and grain roots with the juniper and citrus coming thru much later. To the palette it is sweeter, thick and smooth. The finish is smoky due to the ageing.
As with all other barrel aged drinks (like whiskey), this is best drank neat (with a splash of water or maybe an ice) or in a cocktail. But genever is not a G&T drink. Although I have to admit, I did make one (genever with tonic) and had it. Nothing to write home about.
