We’re loving this fantastic video of Guardian journalist Simon Majumdar’s search for the perfect Martini. Nick Strangeway takes him around three of London’s top bars each of which serve a different twist on our favourite classic. Check out the hilarious trainspotter type comments too.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/video/2010/mar/02/how-to-make-perfect-martini
This season, for the first time, Beefeater 24 gin sponsored a host of glamorous London Fashion Week events establishing it as the spirit for fashionistas. They included Beefeater 24’s ongoing relationship with renowned British designer Jonathan Saunders (pictured) whose fashion show is one of the hottest tickets in town. Beefeater 24 was the official sponsor and host of the Jonathan Saunders after party, held at Concrete, East London’s latest venue for the cool fashion crowd.
Beefeater 24 also supported an exclusive soiree for legendary British designer Zandra Rhodes at The Arch Hotel; a celebrity party for jewellery designer Dominic Jones at Soho Sanctum; private screening for style icon Olivia Palermo at The Langham Hotel; afternoon tea party for celebrity favourite shoe designer Charlotte Olympia; and the cutting edge Fashion East’s Menswear Installation. Obviously Gintime’s invites got lost in the post but we can’t wait for next year!
Great article in the New Scientist mag about molecular mixology. we want one of those hay flavoured apples – would work brilliantly in gin! Read it here: http://www.newscientist.com/
Here’s an amusing tidbit that arrived in the Gintime mailbox this week. Apparently bartenders in Vancouver have come up with loads of special ways to mark the Winter Olympics currently taking place in Canada. At Yew Restaurant + Bar at the Four Seasons, for instance, Justin Taylor and Jordan Moore have created three cocktails commemorating all the Olympic Games held in Canada. So you can have an updated whisky sour for Montreal 1976, a beefed-up Caesar for Calgary 1988 and a cucumber-flavoured Gin Fling (ooh could that possibly be Hendricks?) with a smoked salmon garnish for Vancouver 2010.
For budding athletes Lauren Mote of The Refinery has worked with personal trainer Vaneska Zahuta at VanFit Athletics to create five healthy cocktails with performance-boosting “super foods”. The gin-based “Beet It” has beetroot juice and rhubarb bitters and is rich with iron, anthocynim, vitamin C and antioxidants. Great way to keep out the cold!
In the endless quest for the perfect G&T we’re focusing on locations. And there can really be no better place than the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka, a South Asian landmark. Trust me the Gintime team has double checked. Sitting on the terrace overlooking the Indian Ocean with the lights of Colombo almost but not quite outdoing the stars of the tropical skies, sipping our favourite drink takes on a whole new dimension. Perfectly made in the right proportions one can see that this isn’t just a great drink but also a lifesaver for all those colonial types fighting off malaria bearing mozzies. Also quite cool to think that one of the first recorded exports of the famous gin based Pimms No 1 was to here – oh I think in about 1880. Feel free to keep us posted on other fab places for a G & T. The only rules are: think exotic, think perfect and send pix!
Gin has come a long way since the days when the horrors of the eighteenth century Gin Madness were depicted in Hogarth’s famous “Gin Lane” with its vivid images of the effects of addiction on London’s population. And no wonder that gin was blamed. Because although at the time gin was drunk by both sexes, women took to gin like ducks to water and the authorities were very concerned about the ability of gin addled women to give birth to and raise healthy children hence the nickname Mother’s Ruin for gin. They were not wrong – in the 1720s almost 75% of children born in London never reached five years old. In 1751 nine thousand children died from alcohol poisoning,
A new exhibition at London’s Foundling Hospital featuring Tracey Emin, Matt Collishaw and Paula Rego picks up on contemporary themes of maternal neglect and childhood deprivation so graphically illustrated by Hogarth. In a brilliant demonstration of how much the image of gin has changed Hendricks Brand Ambassador Louis Lewis-Smith has created an exquisite Hendrick’s Gin punch to mark the opening of the new exhibition.
Here’s more about the Foundling Museum which sits on the site of the old hospital that was founded with Hogarth’s money. It was Britain’s first home for abandoned children and also houses Hogarth’s very own punch bowl. Check it out here http://www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk/exhibit_temp.php
The new exhibition is a must see but in the meantime, in the spirit of Hogarth, here’s the Hendricks Gin hommage:
To make:
In a finely decorated punch bowl or tea pot, add Hendrick’s Gin, half again of crème de framboise and half again of fresh lemon juice. Drop in several sprigs of lavender and numerous slices of cucumber. Top off with sparkling wine before serving into bone china tea cups. Wonderfully peculiar and not a cat’s paw in sight.
(or per serving)
40ml Hendrick’s gin
20ml creme de framboise
15ml fresh lemon juice
1 piece of lavender
1 slice of cucumber
dash of sparkling wine
Gorgeous!
Top Gintime buddy, Gaz Regan, has just let us know that he’s got even more stuff about Pink Gin on his magnificent website. It’s all here http://ardentspirits.com/cocktailpost.aspx?PostID=720
Word has reached us that the historic Plymouth Gin Distillery at Black Friars in Plymouth is about to launch a new series of Distillery Tours where visitors will be able to explore the finer points of this historic artisan gin. No details yet but keep checking in with us.
Beefeater 24’s recent US Cocktail Comp required contestants to create a new drink containing Beefeater 24 plus 6 other ingredients. Here’s the winning recipe created by Preston Eckman, and a damn fine drink it is too!
Matcha Fizz
Adapted from a recipe by Preston Eckman, Apothecary Lounge, Philadelphia
Shake over ice and strain into a chilled champagne coupe
Hendrick’s Gin has just been named “Distiller of the Year” by the prestigious US Wine Enthusiast Magazine, another impressive accomplishment in a great year, which has seen the brand grow in volume by approximately 33%. The honour was awarded in recognition not only of the tremendous quality of the liquid itself, but also for the revival in the Gin category that Hendrick’s has sparked. The “Distiller of the Year” honour was presented to Hendrick’s Gin as part of the magazine’s annual Wine Star Awards programme at an event on Monday, January 25 at the New York Public Library.
Simon Hunt, President & Managing Director North America, William Grant & Sons accepted the award on behalf of the Hendrick’s Gin US team (pictured below). “We are both thrilled and honored to receive this recognition from such a distinguished publication.” Simon Hunt later said. “To be acknowledged in this way truly validates the position of Hendrick’s Gin as one of the most exciting spirits on the market today, and shines light on the exciting developments in the Gin category. The honour is especially significant for William Grant & Sons given our distillery tradition with our roots in the Scotch whisky business. It’s wonderful to be continually recognized for the quality of our Single Malts Glenfiddich and The Balvenie but also for another product of Scotland – Hendrick’s Gin!”
