GINTRODUCTION

Gintroduction

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@annahlansdown Aussies in Miami drinking gin cocktails. Proud and internationally travelling members of #theginsociety @ginsoceityau

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WELCOME to the Gin Society A L L O W

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CHECK OUT OUR BARTENDER’S BEST GINCENTRIC COCKTAIL RECIPES IN OUR CLASSIC CREATIONS STORY PAGES 10 - 16

O U R S E L V E S

You love gin and want to take your appreciation to the next level – you’ve come to the right place. From the world’s best bars to an exploration of botanicals that are bursting with flavour, we’ve got your gin cravings covered.

Andrew Burge Founder, Gin Society

VISIT US AT WWW.GINSOCIETY.COM

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ATLAS BAR, SINGAPORE

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THE BARBER SHOP SYDNEY

BATHTUB GIN NEW YORK CITY

With more than 350 varieties of gin – and a range of men’s grooming products featuring botanicals – this spirited barber shop combines clean cuts with creative cocktails. The Martini Project menu sees discerning drinkers shake and stir their own creations.

Paying tribute to Prohibition-era creativity, this stylish speakeasy hidden behind a Chelsea coffee shop features old-school mixers, vintage glassware and a roll-top bath. Table-side mixing and tipple served in teapots add a touch of theatre.

The Barber Shop 89 York Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia www.thisisthebarbershop.com

Bathtub Gin 132 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011, USA www.bathtubginnyc.com

THE WOODS HONG KONG

TIGER PARIS

Book a spot at this intimate Central District institution and prepare for a taste bud-tingling journey. Culinary-inspired cocktails feature house-made infusions, artisanal liquors and quirky ingredients.

Smartphones at the ready – tropical and on trend, this 6th arrondissement hotspot is proving to be an Instagram sensation. With 10 vibrant versions of the classic G&T, the bartenders are busy introducing gin to a whole new generation of gin lovers.

The Woods L/G 17 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong www.thewoods.hk

Tiger 13 Rue Princesse 75006, Paris, France www.tiger-paris.com

WHITECHAPEL SAN FRANCISCO

ATLAS BAR SINGAPORE

Blink and you could be in Victorian London.

Channelling an East End aesthetic, Whitechapel’s house gin features botanicals sourced from across the British Empire – including East Kent Golding hops, walnuts and lemon verbena.

On aesthetics alone, it’s one of the most eyecatching bars in the world. Art deco flourishes abound in the 25-metre high room, which just happens to be home to 1,000-plus gins. Curating the collection is Jason Williams, certified a Master of Gin, who also runs Juniper Tuesday tasting sessions.

Whitechapel 600 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA www.whitechapelsf.com

Atlas Bar 600 North Bridge Rd, Parkview Square, Singapore 188778 www.atlasbar.sg

DRY MARTINI BARCELONA

MR FOGG’S GIN PARLOUR LONDON

True to its namesake, this iconic bar serves the best Dry Martini in the world. After all, they’ve had more than 40 years to perfect the recipe.

The white-jacketed bartenders and decadent décor make this one of the classiest places in the Catalan capital.

Named after the British adventurer, this welcoming Covent Garden emporium is filled with curiosities and quirky trinkets from around the world. Of course, there are the globe-trotting gin cocktails too, which are inspired by jaunts in Nigeria, Japan, Cuba and beyond.

Dry Martini Carrer d’Aribau, 162-166, 08036 Barcelona, Spain www.drymartiniorg.com

Mr Fogg’s Gin Parlour 1 New Row, London WC2N 4EA, UK www.mr-foggs.com

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MAFER LIMANTOUR LICORERIA LIMANTOUR MEXICO CITY

One of the visionaries behind this art deco destination in the city’s Roma neighbourhood – recently named the best bar in Latin America – Mafer splits her time between devising new creations and keeping the crowds happy with the signature Mr Pink cocktail, which features gin, grapefruit and basil.

Having earned his cocktailshaking stripes at the famous Pegu Club, Kenta is now behind the bar at his own Lower East Side digs and serving Japan-inspired cocktails. The first drink he devised? Sakura Martini with cherry blossom.

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ALBERTO PIZARRO BOBBY GIN BARCELONA

TONY CONIGLIARO BAR TERMINI LONDON

Elevating the humble negroni into an art form, Tony’s bars in Soho and Bloomsbury serve five varieties of the Italian aperitif that traditionally features gin, vermouth and Campari.

A sign on the wall says: ‘El GinTonic perfecto no existe’, but we beg to differ.

Having pioneered his own style called Ginfonk – a citrus-heavy G&T featuring Modernessia gin that’s specially made for Bobby Gin – Alberto is achieving great things at this smart little bar.

VASILIS KYRITSIS & NIKOS BAKOULIS THE CLUMSIES ATHENS

Pecan cream, coconut oil, black truffle. The masterminds behind one of the best bars in the world aren’t shy when it comes to shaking things when they unveil their annual cocktail menu.

GIN COCKTAILS THROUGH THE AGES The hero of hundreds of cocktails, we look at some of the spirit’s starring roles over the past few decades.

TOM COLLINS Proving that simplicity has staying power, this minimalist combination of gin, lemon juice, sugar and carbonated water was first recorded by father of American mixology Jerry Thomas in 1876.

GIN & TONIC Refreshing and refined in equal measure, the G&T hasn’t always been about glamour. It started life in the British East India Company as a means of treating and preventing malaria thanks to the quinine contained in the tonic. British soldiers found that by mixing the tonic with lime and gin it tasted considerably better.

HANKY PANKY Invented by Ada Coleman, the first and – so far – only female bartender at the Savoy Hotel’s American Bar in London during the early 1900s, this sweet martini is made with gin, sweet vermouth, Fernet Branca and a squeeze of orange juice.

SINGAPORE SLING The fruity invention of Hainanese bartender Ngiam Tong Boon, this vibrant pink cocktail first graced Raffles Hotel in 1915. Combining gin, cherry brandy, Cointreau and a splash of pineapple juice, it’s estimated that today 23,000 glasses are shaken and served at Singapore’s Long Bar each month.

BREAKFAST MARTINI Making mornings infinitely more interesting since 1997, bartender Salvatore Calabrese took the Martini to another level by adding marmalade, orange liqueur and lemon juice in place of vermouth.

The brunch-time libation was first served at the Library Bar in The Lanesborough, London.

STRAIGHT TALKING Aside from featuring in cocktails, many gins are designed to be enjoyed neat or straight up having been shaken or stirred with ice.

And, thanks to increasingly inventive blends of botanicals being used, you are bound to find flavours that take your fancy.

WHAT’S IN YOUR GIN? We can trace the story of gin as far back as the 13th century, when Flemish herbal medicine featured a concoction called jenever. Prescribed for all sorts of ailments, it was also thought to be given to soldiers in 1585 as they headed into battle – giving rise to the phrase ‘Dutch courage’.

By the 1600s, jenever was being flavoured with juniper berries and spreading in popularity across Holland and Belgium – by 1663 there were 400 distillers in Amsterdam alone. A ‘gin craze’ kicked off in Britain when King

William of Orange reduced taxes on spirit production. However, its low cost and reputation for being safer to drink than water meant consumption got a little – well – out of hand.

Nicknames like ‘Mother’s Ruin’ forced it out of fashion for a few centuries, only to return during the Victorian era as the tipple of choice at London’s decadent gin palaces. Since then it has travelled the British Empire and beyond, picking up delicious global influences thanks to the use of locally grown botanicals.

Made with distille grain, it’s the bot every gin variet options are endle flavourings Woody and herby this ancient root has been used in medicines and drinks for centuries, and is a major component of vermouth – which might suggest why it goes so well with gin.

Almost all gin uses citrus zest, either dry or fresh, to balance out the juicy juniper. From lemon and orange to yuzu or grapefruit, keep your eyes peeled for fancy fruit-forward gins.

ed and fermented tanicals that make y so unique. The ess, but common s include...

These spicy seeds are often roasted or crushed to impart maximum flavour – expect citrus high notes and a refreshing finish.

We don’t want to get too serious, but it’s important to remember that unless a distilled spirit contains juniper, it can’t legally be called gin. It’s thought there are more than 60 varieties of the berry growing in the world, which presents plenty of opportunities for experimentation.

This Gintroduction is proudly brought to you by the Gin Society.

www.ginsociety.com