The recipe for this mezcal cocktail comes from the famous Licoreria Limantour bar in Mexico City.. Like most mezcal drinks, this is also best had in hot summer days. This has mezcal, hibiscus liqueur (I knew someday that hibiscus liqueur I had bought for no good reason a year back would come of use 🙂 ), lime juice and cardamom.

Given the base being mezcal, this is served in a small clay glass and is meant to be sipped gently over a longer period of time.

I am a colorless alcohol.
I am usually served in a small clay cup/glass.
I am neither had with rocks nor water. Just neat.
I am sipped and not gulped like a shot.
I am usually had with a few pieces of oranges on the side.
(Rajib’s note: I did not have oranges. So, watermelon it is).

What alcohol am I?

Hint: Rajib had this for the first time in his life today.

I started this experimentation with Gins back in January of 2017. Before that I read up a few books on the history of gin and the intricacies of the production process. I had figured that I would finish up my research with about 15 gins in a year. I had clearly underestimated the different nuances that you can get in a wide variety of gins. As a result, it took me a year and a half to go thru 42 different gins.

In the process, I learnt a lot about how the monks in south Netherlands / north Belgium created gin for medicinal purposes by adding juniper to the distillation process, how gin was preceded by Old Tom and even that was preceded by Genever, how gin became the scourge of London at one point of time, how London Dry gin does not have to be from London.

Over that time frame, I got some great recommendations of new gins from friends like Irene and Neil, got some gifted by other friends like Julio and got some additional tips from experts like Garrett. Collected those 42 bottles from 15 different countries. Some of the more famous ones did not sit well with me – but found some great ones in labels I had never heard of.

The best part was doing the research on a particular label before trying it out and visiting a few of those distilleries.

The inevitable question will come – what is the best gin I liked. I cannot honestly say that I have a favorite. Sharmila and I always go for a Hendricks, so that does not count. Frankly, I have already forgotten the taste of a few more. But I can certainly recommend Gunpowder from Ireland, Malfy from Italy, Ungava from Canada, Barr Hill from Vermont, Wint and Lila from Spain and Tanquerray Rangpur from London.

This is the last in the series of gin trials and reviews. I am finishing with the other iconic (first one being Tanquerray) bottle you can see in just about any bar you go to. Bombay Sapphire has that distinct blue colored bottle that is easily recognizable from a distance. I understand this is the second highest (by volume) consumed gin in USA. The gin itself came of being in the late 1980s

The gin has a distinct nose and palate to it. You will recognize a Bombay Sapphire after having it a couple of times. I always thought that they have some special herbs or botanicals the gave it those distinct notes. As it turns out, the botanicals are fairly standard for any gin – perhaps it is all in the proportions and the process.

The process includes neutral grain spirits being vapor distilled with those botanicals in copper baskets. The botanicals are all mentioned in the bottle – Juniper berries, lemon peel, coriander, orris root, almonds, cassia bark, licorice, angelica, cubeb berries, and grains of paradise. The last two botanicals is what separates out a Bombay Sapphire from a Bombay Original.

After trying out so many gins, going back to Sapphire, the fist thing I noticed is that the juniper is not as prominent as you would expect in a London Dry gin. The nose is distinctly citrusy and has floral notes. The palate comes in two parts. You will first feel the oily, silky texture as it fills out the mouth. If you keep it in the mouth and swirl it, you will get the burst of citrus and the spiciness of the cinnamons fill your mouth up. The junipers will still be understated though. The finish is nice and long with juniper coming thru more strongly here and the expected citrus.

Always a great gin to go to when you cannot quite make up your mind!