Gin and Tonic Sir?

Before last Friday if anyone had offered me a gin and tonic there would only have been two words uttered: “No thanks”. That was, until I discovered Sipsmith Gin and my whole thinking about the product has been reversed. My first and only experience with gin and tonic was at about the age of 17 when my mate and I, coming home from The Station pub in Ascot one night, raided his mothers fridge but all there was there was Gordon’s Gin and Schweppes tonic. Let’s just say that from that day on, Gin was never a drink I would consider – talk about a baptism of fire!

However, as my ramblings over the years have always derided mass-production wines, I guess that same theory can be placed upon spirits and small artisan producers like Sipsmith can make a great product that has taste and flavour in the mouth rather than just fire and pain in your throat. I would put Gordon’s Gin in the same bracket as Bells whisky – shop shelf, low priced, brand-named dross.

Sloe Gin Fizz Cocktail

So, at a gathering of Hong Kong’s drinks and lifestyle media last Friday we celebrated Slurp Asia’s new partnership with the small batch, artisan London spirits producer. Sipsmith’s award winning products have been steadily gaining the attention of bartenders and aficionados the world over since their inception in 2009, and they are now on sale through Slurp.asia’s market leading on-line drinks retail platform – www.slurp.asia.

We caught up with two of the chaps behind the product Simon Disler and Daniel O’Connor and were treated to a welcome Sipsmith London Dry Gin and Tonic, followed by a brief history of Gin’s origins and production and found that craft Gin is actually extremely pleasant to drink!

Sipsmith produce a range of premium, hand-made spirits, perhaps the most interesting of which being the Sloe Gin. It’s made from British Sloe berries and in very small quantities – roughly 3000 bottles a year and this versatile drink is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance amongst bartenders and connoisseurs. It was demonstrated to us in the form of a Sloe Gin Fizz cocktail, expertly blended with Champagne, sugar and egg whites.

Slurp.asia Managing Director Tom Chamberlain

The word Gin comes from the French, genièvre, or Dutch, jenever, meaning Juniper and by the 11^th century, monks (seemingly the pioneers of alcoholism!) were flavouring crudely distilled spirits with Juniper berries. Later, in the 17^th Century, numerous small Dutch and Flemish distillers had popularized the re-distillation of malt spirit or wine with juniper, anise, caraway, coriander, etc., which were sold in pharmacies and used to treat such medical problems as kidney ailments, lumbago, stomach ailments, gallstones, and gout. It was found in Holland by English troops who were fighting against the Spanish in the Eighty Years' War who noticed its calming effects before battle, which is the origin of the term Dutch courage.

In the 18^th Century, Gin became popular in England after the Government allowed unlicensed gin production and at the same time imposed a heavy duty on all imported spirits. This created a market for poor-quality grain that was unfit for brewing beer, and thousands of gin shops sprang up throughout England.

These days the gin and tonic can be appreciated by more than just the stereotypical bankers and sophisticated gent as there is such a diversity of small artisan producers such as Sipsmith making drinks of outstanding quality. As with wine, people want more than just an alcoholic drink, they want something that has a sense of place, purpose and that appeals to the taste buds and that can be appreciated. The renaissance has started and Hong Kong, never a place to buck a trend, if not start one, is seeing more artisanal gin being served in our top-end clubs, bars and restaurants. However, now you can order it for your home on the internet – something that’s rarely seen with spirits these days and something that is becoming more and more popular (certainly in the wine business).

Take advantage of Slurp Asia’s offers this morning on Sipsmith Gin as the drink goes on line today through the web. Log on an grab yourself a bottle of the Sloe Gin or the London Dry Gin for your next house party – it won’t be one of those purchases that sits at the back of the liquor cabinet with the Harvey’s Bristol Cream trust me, it will be right at the front and you may find yourself re-ordering faster than you think! Go to www.slurp.asia for more.